Felted Fender Wells? How to clean and dress?

[sixty7mustang22]

I have done a GTI and a Maxima recently and they both have felt rear fender wells. Felt fender wells seem to be getting mroe common in new cars. Luckily, both cars are taken care of for the most part and they looked good after hosing them off. However, I know that there is going to come a point when I get one of these cars that has muddy felt and is just plain dirty.



How do you guys clean these? How do you dress them? etc...



Just wondering.

[audicoupej]

If you scrub them they get afro like. I just use soap and water. I try to flood them and high pressure spray. I don`t think you can dress them either. My g/f`s Rabbit has them in the rear.



An APC, carpet shampoo, or spot remover, etc should be fine.

[sixty7mustang22]

If you scrub them they get afro like. I just use soap and water. I try to flood them and high pressure spray. I don`t think you can dress them either. My g/f`s Rabbit has them in the rear.



An APC, carpet shampoo, or spot remover, etc should be fine.

Yeah, the problem I had on the GTI was that it was lowered and it would be hard to scrub anything.



I presonally don`t like the felt idea, but I can`t tell Manufacteres what to do.



At any rate, you are probably right. A carpet shampoo or APC might be the only resort, but scrubbing them does "afro" the felt.



Anyone tried to pressure wash them. How does that work?

[Lone_Star]

Felt. Interesting concept. I wonder why they are using Felt.

[Black Diamond]

Felt is probably used for noise reduction.

[mose]

I did a Maxima that had them. We were pulling the wheels off anyway to detail the insides of the rims so I just scrubbed them with an upholstery brush and vaccumed them. They came out nice. I thought about soaking them with water but they were pretty much invisible once the wheels were put back on anyway.

[joyriiide1113]

Noise from rocks hitting fenderwell???!?:think2

[Lone_Star]

I was guessing noise, but thats what deadener is for. Are they having that much noise come from the fender well?

[Mark77]

We have them in the rear wheel wells on 2 Fords that are 3 and 4 years old. I usually just hose them with either the hose or Pressure washer, and it works well. Never even thought about scrubbing them. If they are very dirty I just spray some APC, let it sit and hose it off.

Easier than normal wells to keep Ok looking IMO, but you never get that wow look like you do with dressed wells.

[audicoupej]

Yeah, the problem I had on the GTI was that it was lowered and it would be hard to scrub anything.



Anyone tried to pressure wash them. How does that work?



I hate detailing fenders on lowered cars. You can`t scrub even with brushes!



The PW doesn`t do much more than a hose. As long as the felt stays tight nothing sticks to it that much. I use the flood to try and dislodge stuff then a stream to knock it off the surface.



Vac works ok when they are dry, but then you have to remove wheels and it`s just not worth it anymore.

[audicoupej]

I was guessing noise, but thats what deadener is for. Are they having that much noise come from the fender well?



In my 2001 GTI I do have noise with my summer tires on because they are sticky and fling everything into the rears. It is also a hatch so the noise is more evident. The Rabbit is a hatch as well. It is on the front and rears of new Audis and I`m sure other cars as well. Just trying to make things even more quiet I guess. :nixweiss

[themonkeywithin]

Plenty of time with the pressure washer is what i do

[Scottwax]

Any APC should do the trick. For the record, I hate those felted fenderwells.