Had new tyres fitted the other day, but one of the fitters must have gripped the B-pillar through the window, because the light grey cloth trim has four big oily fingerprints on it. I pointed this out and the tyre depot (after checking in vain whether a nearby car parts shop had any suitable cleaning fluid in stock) said they would pay for whatever cleaning substance was necessary. Does anyone know what I can use that won't end up just smearing the marks over the cloth? Also, I don't want to use a solvent if that will risk unsticking the cloth from the B-pillar or leaving an unpleasant smell in the car. Should I just get it steam-cleaned? How much is that likely to cost?
Thanks in advance.
andymc
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If it is definitely oil/grease, the natural solvent is white spirit. Applied sparingly on a cloth it should work without soaking the material. If the smell is a turn-off, you could try StickyStuff Remover which smells of orange oil - it is meant to replace the chlorinated solvents which are much more effective but are no longer allowed, to protect the ozone layer. Try almost anything before steam-cleaning - that could soften the adhesive.
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Can't say I've used it in these circumstances but my grease remover of choice is lighter fuel, less than a pound at most newsagents. It does smell a bit but it soon wears off- also brilliant for getting off the gunk left by sticky labels ( and for removing stubborn sticky labels)
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Andymc - I would most certainly not recommend using white spirit as this will smear the oil over a bigger area and make an even bigger mess.
I can highly recommend Stain Devils Grease & Oil Remover, which is available from most Supermarkets and is excellent. I have recently used it to remove a bad tar stain from a light grey carpet and it has now vanished without trace. !!!!!
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try a little swarfega followed by hot soapy water.
billy
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I've seen excellent results using Autoglym interior shampoo, even really oily marks in cloth door panels.
Steve.
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Some of these trim items are not as expensive as you would think, have a ring round and see how much a new one would cost, after all they have damaged your trim.
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Years ago my young son managed to smear tar on the velour seat cover of a nearly new Honda. Horror-struck, I dabbed at the tar with thinners on a rag and the lot came off without a mark.
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Andy,
See my reply to Growler - you will find an anorak on that website who has sorted your problem if I am not mistaken.
Matt35.
Is that how you spell anorac?
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One thing to remember in regard to removing marks/spillages is, get the stuff out, not drive it in. White (not patterned) kitchen roll (kr) is one of the best aids you will find. Highly absorbant. If you moisten something, follow up by covering with kr and pressing on it until it is seen to absorb then move to a fresh part of the kr and repeat. Then moisten again, as required, and repeat. I have removed all sort of things such as red wine from carpets at parties etc. Mostly without a trace. Oil is a bit more tricky. Try on a similar bit of cloth first. Best of luck
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I would have thought it is more likely to be a mix of brake dust, road grime and oil, rather than just oil. Ring a car valeter and get a price for just having that bit done, based on you visiting them, then tell the tyre fitters that is what it will cost. Don't risk using the wrong product and messing your car up.
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Yes, you're probably right - I was thinking the same thing yesterday. Thanks for the responses folks, I'll let you know what happens. I'm not expecting the tyre-fitter to argue with anything under £20 (of course, whatever it costs is whatever he'll have to pay, but I always hope for a peaceful existence), so I guess that a valeter would hardly charge as much as that for just a B-pillar.
andymc
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