Polishing the interior

[Drooby]

I read a lot about replacing wood trims and even re-vitalizing them.
However I dont feel my car's "wood" trims are wood , they are too shiny and more PLASTIC than wood . I certainly dont want to replace them as they have a lot of life in them , but arent there any products that couls efficiently clean them ..... I already tried a lot of wood polishers , but they dont work because THEY ARENT WOOD (at least not the finish) I also tried Windex and other "all purpose" cleaners but they just smear .........

any ideas ?

OHH one more step in my pursuit for the ultimate shine ,, I noticed the interior chrome (the chrome trim on the bottom of the window linings) is all tarnished ......... not black in color but more of a dirty silver color as if they were stained. I tried several products including :liquid Metal Polishers , Armor All Chrome polisher and even convensional cleaners ............ they all DONT DO ANYTHING !!!! Are these interior trims chrome or plastic?

thanks ....
95 525i <

[Tiger]

Hehehe... you answered your own questions... Doesn't feels like wood.. more like PLASTIC. Exactly right... the finish is more like plastic... so you have to use plastic polish. I did it on my wood trims and it was impressive... removed majority of those unsightly scratches and brings the deep dark wood back out again. Try it on chrome while you are at it.

[Drooby]

thanks ,
I'll let you know how it went ,
Any particular brand to look for?

[Tiger]

I used Meguiar's Plastic Polish.

[George M]

ditto to what Tiger said. If you are into car detailing like some of us are on the board....best to use varying levels of cutting compound used for body detailing. If deep scratches...wet sand with 1000-2000# grit wet paper...then a paste rubbing compound...then a medium polish like an SMR or Meguaires #2. If you want perfection...second to last step...go P21S GEPC or equivalent which is a hybrid polish/glaze and finish with a carnuba wax. If you own a Random orbital polisher like a Porter Cable, makes the job much easier. Refinishing the hard thick varnish protecting the fine interior wood is virtually identical to restoring the clear coat on your car's body.
HTH,
George

[ccrawford]

Does anyone have any detailing recommendations for cleaning up the seats. I have the tan seats in my 1990 535i and they are dirty.. Also, how about a great carpet cleaner?

[mikemaster]

Here's a polish that works great on the wood trim. http://www.novuspolish.com/polish-home-frameset.htm

For the seats, I've had good success with Lexol cleaner and conditioner.

[GJPinAU]

Does anyone have any detailing recommendations for cleaning up the seats. I have the tan seats in my 1990 535i and they are dirty.. Also, how about a great carpet cleaner?

My father was an upholsterer and told me the best way of cleaning most cloth or leather was to use the froth from a genuine soap (Sunlight).
To do this I used an old shaving brush to lather up the soap - apply to seat then use a soft nail brush in a swirling motion to scrub clean, wipe off residue with a clean cloth.
After this I used a full leather conditioning and cleaner to tidy up and rejuvinate.
This does work - my car had a brown/grey interior when I bought it, it is now the grey it should be.
I use Meguiars Rich Leather wipes every month to keep condition.
The above method also worked on the head lining and a couple of grease marks in the trunk, might work on the carpet.