Very Mild Rant.

[Longboarder]

Just bought a 1.9tdi mk4 golf. Everything about it is great. Er, nearly.

Just checking the spare tyre and there is half a pint of oil in the spare wheel well. The well treaded spare has a hidden wrinkly side wall where it has been resting in engine spilt oil for ages.

Closer examination shows the carpet is also sodden in oil. Wonderful!

 

This is the third car I have bought in the last two years. All three have had the boot carpet soaked in oil. Why do I buy cars from stupid or clumsy people? Why can't people manage to put the lid back on their spare oil containers which they keep in the boot?

 

Anyone know of any efficient oil wipe-up/clean off cloths/wipes/rags or whatever (short of a blow torch).

 

Nigel

[Guest Gargoil]

Swarfega red box wipes are good for removing thin layers of oil (add a little water to the box). They will also remove the natural oils in your hands too, so wear gloves. Shame about the tyre.

[Guest mark little]

You can get chemicals with bacteria present that eat the oil, they can also be scented so there is no lingering odour.

[Andi]

I did the same transporting a gearbox for a v6 hood project. Gear oil everywhere.

Think i used tons of washing up liquid and swarfega and pulled the rubber bungs out of the boot to let the gallons of

water out.

It still took months for the smell to go away.

[speedtripledan]

Get a new carpet from a breakers, the wheel wheel use some kitty litter type soak up media then a quick wipe with a degreaser

[Guest 2b cruising]

I did the same transporting a gearbox for a v6 hood project. Gear oil everywhere.

Think i used tons of washing up liquid and swarfega and pulled the rubber bungs out of the boot to let the gallons of

water out.

It still took months for the smell to go away.

The smell of hypoid oil is dicustngly like cat pee. Get it on your hand and you can smell it for a day or two no matter how well you wash your hands. Yuk.

[maca]

If you take the carpet out then you can use a good steam cleaner to get the oil out and let it dry.

[megadodo]

I've successfully used swarfega scrubbed into an oil stain and then used a jet wash to rinse it out of a boot floor carpet, stain and smell gone with no visible colour change to the carpet (light grey)

[ibrooks]

White spirit will thin the mineral oil enough to wipe it up/out and it will then form an emulsion with normal soaps so cheap washing up liquid will remove the remaining residue. As others have said take the carpet outside and give it a scrub with the white spirit then once it's removed the majority of the oil repeat with the washing up liquid and a hosepipe.

 

Iain

[Longboarder]

Went to the local breakers. Six golfs. Only two with boot carpets. Both oily, so it seems a common problem. Old carpet given a scrub with gunk, then washing up liquid, then a good rinse. Made a fair difference but rubbing a hand over the dry carpet and it still comes up shiny. So I cut out the stiffeners and put it in the washing machine with six doses of detergent. Washing machine is now slimy with oil emulsion and stinks and no doubt the seals will all rot. Carpet now in bin. Boot recarpeted with a rubber backed stair runner in black. Looks barely OK but at least it's clean and non stinky.

Expensive little excercise.

 

Nigel