# Cleaning Mk4 Interior



## VW-Golf-GT (Mar 28, 2010)

Is there an easy way to remove that sticky soft material that there is on the plastic of the interior ? It got scratched by time and it really looks ugly, I thought of removing it, is it possible ? Thanks


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## MarksManB (Jul 2, 2002)

VW-Golf-GT said:


> Is there an easy way to remove that sticky soft material that there is on the plastic of the interior ? It got scratched by time and it really looks ugly, I thought of removing it, is it possible ? Thanks


Yeah, soft touch?

Rubbing alcohol makes it gooey and it will come off with that. If you can get the piece out of the car, use rubbing alcohol and a scotch brite nylon scrubber.


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## VW-Golf-GT (Mar 28, 2010)

Thanks, I used alcohol and it really worked but now the plastic is a little bit dull and out of colour at some places. What should I use to get it better ?


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## MarksManB (Jul 2, 2002)

VW-Golf-GT said:


> Thanks, I used alcohol and it really worked but now the plastic is a little bit dull and out of colour at some places. What should I use to get it better ?


What I did with some peices is that if the base plastic was not what I liked, I sanded it smooth using multiple grits upto 2000 - 4000 and finished it off with PlastiX.


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## SUPERCLUTCH (Jun 11, 2010)

Rubbing Alcohol should NEVER be used on an interior of a vehicle especially on an area that your trying to keep 'fresh and clean' if you know what i mean. Alcohol is generally a fairly aggressive solvent on vinyls and leathers surfaces not to mention its usually generally bad for most interiors cause it usually will fade the color.

As a retired auto detailer, i would recommend get some Armor All....ya' know the white solvent that makes an interior shine and then go out to a local hardware store and pick up some of the FINEST steel wool you can find(the most NON-ABRASIVE type....it almost feels like cotton). It comes in different grades from Finest to Roughest. Anyways, spray the Armor All on the steel wool and get it real saturated then VERY GENTLY try rubbing the area infected, clean or free or whatever is sticking to your interior. Then just gently wipe it clean with a paper towel or a soft cloth of some sort. Try that.

Another thing you can do, tell Your Girl and Your Friends to NOT EAT, DRINK OR **** in your car as well - HOUSE RULES.....Lol! :laugh:

Clutch


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## LeaderDesslok (May 31, 2011)

*Success for me with this*

There is a rubberized paint over most of these plastic parts and after awhile you will get nicks and scratches in these areas. The rubbing alcohol method is a good temporary solution, but not perfect. I removed my cup holder and the interior part that goes around the HVAC controls, and just used a lot of elbow grease and rubbing alcohol with a soft cloth. I didd't want to use Scotchbrite or a similar abrasive material just in case it would leave scratches. 

It works a treat! The combination of rubbing alcohol and soft cloth will slowly dissolve and remove the rubberized top coat, leaving the surface smooth and black underneath. The downside is that it ends up being a slightly shiny black underneath and does not look nearly as good as the original rubberized paint. I'm thinking of repainting the parts with a rubberized flat black paint to get it closer to the stock look, but for now it's SO much better that I'm OK with it as it. I'll probably do the area around the ignition and the "ashtray" cover in front, and passenger handle in the next few days as soon as I can figure out how to get those pieces off.  Anyone know how to do that?


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## MarksManB (Jul 2, 2002)

LeaderDesslok said:


> There is a rubberized paint over most of these plastic parts and after awhile you will get nicks and scratches in these areas. The rubbing alcohol method is a good temporary solution, but not perfect. I removed my cup holder and the interior part that goes around the HVAC controls, and just used a lot of elbow grease and rubbing alcohol with a soft cloth. I didd't want to use Scotchbrite or a similar abrasive material just in case it would leave scratches.
> 
> It works a treat! The combination of rubbing alcohol and soft cloth will slowly dissolve and remove the rubberized top coat, leaving the surface smooth and black underneath. The downside is that it ends up being a slightly shiny black underneath and does not look nearly as good as the original rubberized paint. I'm thinking of repainting the parts with a rubberized flat black paint to get it closer to the stock look, but for now it's SO much better that I'm OK with it as it. I'll probably do the area around the ignition and the "ashtray" cover in front, and passenger handle in the next few days as soon as I can figure out how to get those pieces off.  Anyone know how to do that?


There's a guide in the MKIV FAQ under "Interior". Basically, you'll have to remove the center console and arm rest, then the pod around the shifter to get the ashtray out. I used alcohol and a nylon scrubber. The nylon is stronger than the soft touch, but weaker than the plasic, so it won't scratch unless you really grind it, unlike steel wool that someone else just mentioned. (Really? Steel wool??)

I kinda like the shiny plastic look. it's glossy and if you do it right, looks pretty sharp.


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## Jimmy27 (Mar 27, 2014)

*This works 100%*

When I got my golf its the one thing that really nagged me! Inside door handles where scratched to hell as was the area around the ignition.. not to mention near the gear stick / ash tray! I've just finished using Rubbing Alcohol ( or here in the UK surgical spirit) and its worked a treat. A lot of elbow grease and make sure you use a cotton scourer as opposed to anything metal! My interior looks good as new now I've scrubbed the nasty sticky rubber cote off of everywhere!

Bare with it - it can take some time. Anything you can remove from the car to rub it off do so... its a right pain trying to do it to parts still attached!


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