cant get interior cleaned. need your help

rightaway

rightaway

New member
I have a car, 2001 Volvo v40, that was a shop car and techs for oil stains and all other kinds of stains that I can't get out. I tried to pre treat it with folex and than scrub with a carpet brush and tried but the steamer and tornado and the stains still wouldn't come out. I also tried Little green Machine hot water extractor. there still are oil stains and soiled seats. I have scrubbed, steamed, extractor and cant the seats and carpets clean. the customer is not happy. what else could I do?
 
rightaway said:
It's mostly motor oil and trans fluid
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IME, those can be pretty near permanent if they have set too long.

I have had good luck with both Dawn and Oxy-Clean but those were on pretty fresh spots. I've also read somewhere you can use an iron and a paper sack to draw the oil/grease out of the material. No idea how that works but I'd imagine it'd be moisten the stain, place sack over stain, and iron over to draw out the oil. You can actually use pretty much the same technique to remove stain and small bumps from a gun stock. (That is where my guess on the method comes from.)

Also, I helped a friend with a pretty nasty grease spot in the back seat of his truck once (core part broke through the box and he didn't notice.) I tried moistening the remaining grease with WD-40 (actually was the off-brand but they're all similar) and followed the normal process to remove the stain and solvent. Idea is that the WD-40 will penetrate into the oil and make it behave more like a fresh stain. It worked pretty well but I'd imagine it may discolor some lighter color interiors and who knows if it may damage the newer soy-based foams.

Sadly, you may just have to explain to the customer that it is a set stain. Not everything is removable.

I've done none of these methods professionally, always on my own cars. I am a mechanic so I have had my fair share of oil/grease marks in my car. It's amazing how easy it is to miss your elbow and the back of your head/neck. :\
 
You know even though you think everything can be cleaned, the fact is, not everything comes out, even with the best steam extractor. If you told the customer you could get it spotless then that was indeed WRONG. You should always say, after the process what comes out , comes out, what doesn't stays. Its a 2001, not a show car. Perspective is your friend here. "Detailing" is 33 percent labor, 33 percent logic, 33 perspective and common sense. Oh, and it helps to have experience.
 
Paintxpert said:
"Detailing" is 33 percent labor, 33 percent logic, 33 perspective and common sense. Oh, and it helps to have experience.
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And the other 1%? :lol:

I would avoid brake cleaner. That can seriously damage plastics and can even discolor some fabrics. It will also eat through some types of foam like candy. Good stuff for it's intended purpose, but risky on other things. Ether (starting fluid) would be a safer bet if you wanted to try something that extreme but I'd still avoid that.



Sent from my toilet using TapaTalk. You never know, do you?
 
This was something that we joked about at Poorboys weekend.

Poorboy told me people ask him all the time. "How do I get this Stain out?"
That's why it's called a Stain.... it's not coming out.
 
I've had good luck with oil based stains and inks using stoners terminator. Of course make sure you do a test spot first but I've yet to come across a fabric that it pulls the color out of.

WD40 is amazing stuff too. Too many people think of it as a lubricant, when in reality it's a penetrant and water displacer. It's by far my favorite cleaner on the pin setters I work on at my full time job. It immediately goes to work reliquifying old dried up grease and makes it for easy clean up. I saw someone suggest that earlier and it may be worth a shot. Just remember ALWAYS do a test spot when trying these types of cleaners outside their normal purpose
 
the car is coming back Sunday. I'll take some pictures

do you think trying cleaner made for home hot water extractor, like rug doctor would help?
 
There is not going to be much you can do for stuff like that. My only thought is to use some 3D Orange Degreaser 1:4, agitate, and extract. You might pull some of it out but there will be plenty of spots where the fibers in the fabric have been permanently discolored.

Most of the time "a little more elbow grease" is not going to help.
 
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