DIY Sticky Interior Repair using Degreaser and Elbow Grease

Hey all, I'm new to the forums but have just purchased a 2004 360 Spider. 8k miles perfect except button issues. I re-did my ashtray and vents last night.. They look amazing! I tried oven cleaner, but standard rubbing alcohol was the best. Then a wash and armor-all protectant after.

Anyways I need help. I want to do my mirror/ hazard panel but don't want to lose the lettering / labels. How can I duplicate these without sending to SNM?

Also, my check engine light came on and I can't get emissions cleared and subsequent license plate. It popped on after I had trouble pumping gas I think, and now it won't shut off. Gas cap is tight and I figured out how to pump the gas with the correct angle.

Can someone directly me to the best thread for the engine light and help with the sticky questions!

Thanks guys.

 

Anyone wanting the parts done correctly, feel free to send us an email with your needs

 

I have been confronted with this problem, numerous times with toyota, lexus and my own ferrari. This is not an easy fix, even with the knowledge in my own restorations.
Degreasers, or most petrol based cleaners are just that; petrol cleaners can further breakdown the materials as the base chemicals are similar if not identical in was that will look good temporarily, but in time further detierorate and eventually cause failure of the plastic/oil based part in it entirety.
At the same time there is hope, as I have found in my 'practice'
And trials using different solvents as cleaners on diferrent parts is a must. Not one cleaner will do the job on all plastics or dashboards, and door parts, knobs and panels all need special attention as some parts have a suede type or imitation leather grain that can virtually dissolve the surface (smooth-out) and ruin the grain or pattern on the part(s). If you have a specific issue , and I can help you, write to me and describe the the part/problem and I will help in any way if possible, perhaps I have a tried and proven solution I can share.
*TIP:
Denatured alcohol for none-engrained parts is a better cleaner than a petrol based cleaner, and does not require water or cloths that will leave a miserable fiber residue stuck on the surface of the item. It will also not leave a residue that dries on the surface causing further damage to part(s).

Hope this helps somewhat, email me if you'd like further help.

 

+1 hell yes, however great post and write up, thanks to the OP.

 

Anybody have any tips on how to clean the defroster vents without ro moving them? Mine are gooey, but I really don't want to remove the dashboard to get them out.

 

Avoid denatured alcohol (methylated spirits) - discolours plastics in my experience, although others seemed to have had good sucess with it.

Safest solution I've found to this problem: Charlie's Soap Indoor/Outdoor Surface Cleaner.

Has been mentioned on the forum previously (although some time back) by a shop that uses it exclusively and has also learnt from trial and error. I decided to track this stuff locally (much easier to source in the USA) and glad I did.

Have used this on all sticky parts in the car to excellent effect, although a little slower than using methylated sprits. Have even used this on buttons etc in situ and has not damaged surrounding leather.

Hope this helps others as the planning surrounding resolution of this issue is as time consuming/involved than the execution in my experience.

 

Mike...did you see this post? Looks like he had success without removing them.

 

I am a big fan of Stickynomore, and honestly recommend them for just about everything.

However, we were recently goofing around at Ricambi with some garbage pieces from Ferrari that arrived "pre-sticky". One of them was the little HVAC defrost vent clips that are used on the 348/355. It is a small piece, about 1/2 inch by 1/4 inch total. It arrived to us as an absolute disgusting mess.

On a lark, I put on some nitrile gloves and squirted some Purell hand cleaner on it. Rubbed gently, and all the black crud came off. Once the gloves were pretty gross, I put on a fresh pair and repeated the process. Voila. The part was perfectly clean with 2 shots of Purell and gentle rubbing. The total time was about 90 seconds. I was delighted. The alcohol in the Purell evaporates pretty quickly, so unlike EasyOff or something terribly caustic, there seems to be little risk of damage to the plastic itself.

For anything with labels (window switches) or a more complex shape, I still would go immediately to Sticky No More. A lot of the parts really do require Robbie's refinishing techniques, and not just 'scrubbing' like mine did.

 

I have a small air conditioner in my garage (just a 2 1/2 car) that I keep on low in summer. It doesn't cost a lot to run and it just takes the bite out of the heat...especially after I've been out for a run and I leave the back open to air. I also use one of those reflectors when I'm out and parked...top up & windows partially open or down. Looks really tacky (-: ... but the dash leather is perfect. Just mentioning it as a preventative measure to battle heat problems...shrinking dashes and sticky switches.

 

Forgot to mention... I condition the leather almost every 2 weeks.

 

I am thinking of an ac unit for my detached garage too. Anyone have any thoughts on any specific HVAC systems? It's like 100 degrees in there in the summer.

 

Yup...just read it..I'm going to try that tonight. Thanks

 

I just bought the following unit for $1100 shipped. Price includes 25' line set, wall mount and shipping. 24000 BTU, 16 seer split system.

24000BTU Ductless Split Air Conditioner and Heat Pump - LETO Series - By Senville

 

Ok..used denatured alcohol on the defroster vents and it removed all the goop. I dabbed it on a long thin paintbrush and worked very slowly over the area after I masked off the dash. Then I took a microfiber and polished it up.It came out acceptable and I'm sure I could have gotten it a lot better if it wasn't so hard to get to, but for the time being it looks fine and it's not annoying me everytime I look at it.

 

Great! Denatured alcohol worked on my glove box button but not my hazard button. Weird. Maybe it has to be at a certain gooeyness! Lol! Those I will send to SNM.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

You can't believe how much goo was on this vent. It was practically soup, so I'm satisfied that its gone.I tried to take pictures but the windshield reflection made it impossible to see anything.

 

I prefer CF to cleaning when possible.
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Read my earlier posts on this. The glove box button is the black goo, easy to get off. The hazard button is the clear goo, much more sticky and tougher to get off, took more scrubbing to clean this, use some oven cleaner on a rag.

 

Anyone not wishing to do there own parts, we can handle them for you.

 

Life is too short.

You can do it all.

 

Tend to agree. Most of the work is getting the bits off (in 1 piece) and putting them back on again.

 

Saw your post regarding Dash Vents. You do not need to remove them on the 360 to remove the Sticky goo. As with my prior post I elected with great success using Leatherique cleaner by pre wetting the night before some pieces then using elbow grease and leatherique wetted micro fiber towels. At times the vent material has not deteriorated enough to do everything at the same time. Completed both passenger and drivers side in less than two mornings as the drivers side was not broken down enough initially. I had reservations using the alcohol as initially when I started the entire project the shop I took it to could not remove the stuff by alcohol soaking successfully. We were also concerned of the potential of alcohol to discolor the plastic and break it down over time hence the use of Leatherique. Leatherique enriched the surround leather,did not need to mask and it worked. The air conditioner Vents I did remove easily with an Upholstery pry bar. They cleaned up very well without any changes to the color of the plastic what so ever. Everything else went to SNM with great success.

 

Thanks..I'm going to try that next. It doesn't look bad now, but it was tough to do since it's such a confined area. I'm sure the Leathertique might be easier because I don't have to worry about dripping it on the dash.

 

Just tried some Krud Kutter last night. Pulled all the vents, defroster and air. As well as the steering column. After about 10 Terry cloth towels. They are gleaming like new again.
I used Meguires Int trim which made it look like new plastic. Than I took some Meg plastic x and polished them a little. The extra step was for my own ****s and giggles. Wanted to see if there was a slight difference using one vs both. The plastic x gave it more of a polish shine vs a wet trim shine.
I should have done this a long time ago. Thanks for all the post about how to remove trim pieces.

 

Trent...opening an old thread. It's a good time for me to remove some of my sticky parts and have them done with it being cold and snowy here in the northeast.
I removed the bottom steering wheel column shroud pretty easy but the top part with the VIN tag seems a bit tricky. It is attached to a piece of leather in the back. How does this come out? I hope I don't have to remove the instrument cluster.
Also do you have a detailed pictorial of removing the door handle (where lock button is) and buckets?