Need practical Advice - cleaning 47 year old Vinyl

addo · Post by **addo** » 27 Dec 2010, 08:14

In its totally uncleaned state:

I hoovered it, then used air to blow more dust out the crevices. Next I washed it with a dilute mix of ammonia and methylated spirits in warm water, and patted dry.

All the surface dirt is basically gone, leaving both UV damage and stains. There are stains from the black-laquered bodyshell and pressed backing panels, rust stains from the mounting plug locations, and the real odd-bod ones - a sort of blackish discoloration to the leather, even in areas that didn't get any light. It's these last type I'm most vexed by.

Have tried household vinegar - useless. Cloudy ammonia - OK for general dirt and the lighter stains. Oven cleaner (ethanolamine/foam) - good with a toothbrush for the lighter stains. Kerosene - removes lacquer/sealant marks rapidly. Yet I am left scratching my head as to reducing these darker type stains.

So... Does anyone have chemistry-based suggestions (when opposed to actual brands, which may not be available at sensible prices here)? While a retrim would be nice, at 47 years I think the originals are in pretty good shape and deserve a bit more living.

Cheers, Adam.

HDI · Post by **HDI** » 27 Dec 2010, 09:46

Probably best to get advice from a car or auto detailing web site.
Those guys are total magicians when it comes to rectifying paint and interiors of cars !

dnsey · Post by **dnsey** » 27 Dec 2010, 11:00

If you can't remove the marks, there are some very good vinyl paints available, which would give your trim a new lease of life.

addo · Post by **addo** » 27 Dec 2010, 11:28

Has crossed my mind!

Not sure if it mught rub off on yer trews.

This ID is fairly "special" in that it doesn't have a lot of structural problems and is only 107K miles. It's also rare enough in the sense that nobody has played swapsies with it much.

And it's still worth 4/5 of SFA, which is the weirdest part; a common-as-muck rusty D Spécial is worth more...

I've run a bunch of test patches and nothing so far, really shifts the blackened bits. It's as though an oxide used to colour the vinyl, has reacted with air or moisture to form a different compound. Only thing left to try is phosphoric acid (rust converter) as this sometimes lifts stains.

The detailing websites are something I find hard to bear; there often seems to be a large-ish cheer squad for various products that overlooks the realities of a particular situation. It's probably 35+ years since the seats were thoroughly cleaned, so elbow grease isn't unexpected. From the point of when it's most clean, I reckon the more official products will be good for maintaining.

citroenesque · Post by **citroenesque** » 27 Dec 2010, 12:53

I would seriously consider vinyl 'paint'. I used it once (forget now what car!) and it was fine. Once cured there was no way it would rub off.

addo · Post by **addo** » 28 Dec 2010, 09:54

I am leaning towards the vinyl paint, but only for rectification of some areas badly UV damaged (have discoloured and lost texture).

The whitish vinyl came up a treat with elbow grease, warm water, sugar soap and a toothbrush.

addo · Post by **addo** » 31 Dec 2010, 08:21

Due to self-imposed timeframe limits, I was unable to see if the SEM range of vinyl paints came close - neither VHT nor 3M had a compatible hue.

Still, I'm quite happy - you wouldn't hesitate to park your bum on the seat now.