Interior Cleaning Help!

[E60_driver]

I just picked up an `05 BMW 530i, overall car is in great shape. Previous owner must have had a spill on the interior...some of the HVAC buttons and seat heater button and vent are really sticky--is there any way to clean these without tearing everything apart? I normally don`t mind dismantling things but BMW`s are kind of hard to dismantled so I would like to avoid that if at all possible. Any suggestions from our master detailers?

[mose]

Not sure how scary it would be but maybe steam? I think it would present a condensation problem behind the dash.... Also maybe a hot washcloth and blow the heat from a blowdryer through it? Something that maybe isn`t as invasive as a steamer....but still gets the heat and a little moisture back there? Just spit ballin`!!

[MidLife Cruiser]

Not really familiar with the setup, but I would be a bit leery of the steamer. You might screw with the switches. Perhaps some of those paper wet wipes could be used on the tops of the switches and just gently insert a corner of the wipe in the cracks between the switches and the surrounding area. See if that frees up the situation a bit. You could try a tootbrush with a bit of mild cleaning solution also, but I`d be careful to avoid getting the switches wet.

[E60_driver]

Cool! Thanks for the input! I think I`ll try the paper wet wipes method first...seems to be the least invasive. I`m thinking of saturating the corner of the wipe with goo-gone or some sort of substance like that so perhaps that can get through and help clean it up.

[citizen arcane]

I would try a freon type electronics cleaner, safe for metals, plastics and switches. My concern would be where the gunk that I couldn`t wipe down would go once loosened.