Tips to Restore Your Car's Interior (DIY)
Introduction
Want to get top dollar when you sell your car? Dealers know that spiffing up the interior of a used car is the best way to command a higher price. Whether you're planning to sell your vehicle or just want to freshen up your daily driver, we'll show you how to slap the shabby off your vehicle's interior. It's neither hard nor expensive, and you'll be amazed at just how new your car's interior will look.Rejuvenate your car’s interior!
You can recondition the plastic/vinyl on your doors, dash, seats and console areas, or do it all, including the carpet, velour and upholstery. You can recolor just about everything in the interior. If you vacuum and shampoo your vehicle ahead of time, you can complete the whole rejuvenation process in a single weekend (allowing for drying time between steps).
Meet the expert
Larry Trexler is the National Trainer and Technical Service Manager for SEM Products. He’s been “hands-on” in the auto body repair and restoration business for 27 years. The following are Larry’s auto interior repair tips.
Get the right materials and prep the vehicle
It makes a big difference
Several companies make reconditioning products, but we chose SEM because it’s the brand most professional shops use. Plus, it’s available at many auto parts stores and online sources (such as vinylpro.com and tcpglobal.com). SEM makes products to repair and refurbish plastic, vinyl, velour, leather and carpet. When applied properly, the flexible colored coating won’t chip, flake or fade.
We asked SEM’s restoration expert, Larry Trexler, to show us how the pros recondition vinyl, plastic, carpet and velour. For instructions on restoring leather, visit semproducts.com.
Match your colors
SEM makes refinishing products in more than 50 colors, so get the color chart from a local dealer and match color chips to your car’s carpet and plastic parts. This process isn’t designed for changing colors in your car. You’ll get the best results by choosing colors that are as close as possible to the original ones.
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