Detail Therapy - How do you detail the interior of your P5?

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pnwprotoge5

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02 Protege5
Just bought a P5 last week! It was driven by a high school girl, then bought by a farm hand, so the floor was covered in hay and purple glitter (hah) There was definitely a lot of smoking in this car, it has a lingering smell to it.

1. How do you remove the interior panels? I took out the e-brake panel easily, the rest are stumping me.

2. It's an automatic, the plastic piece that sits on top of the (P-N-D-2-1) shifter is shattered, where can I buy a new one?

3.Any tips on getting the smoke smell out?

Thanks!
 
2. It's an automatic, the plastic piece that sits on top of the (P-N-D-2-1) shifter is shattered, where can I buy a new one? Part number is BL8H-64-353. It's $14 and change plus shipping from onlinemazdaparts.com.

2B80461.jpg


3.Any tips on getting the smoke smell? For a car this old, I have my doubts in you getting the smoke smell completely out. But that depends how long smoke has been a part of the car. I purchased an '08 Speed3 with the owner only having it a few months and about 8K miles. It took me two weekends of elbow grease and lots of time airing it out to get the smell out. I shampooed the carpet thoroughly with a neutral detergent (Woolite). Used the same mixture and wiped down the headliner and other surfaces. If you have cloth seats, then you'll have more work to do. Smoke gets into every nook and cranny. I also laid a bunch of dryer sheets for band-aid relief from the smell. But ultimately, it took lots of time and elbow grease to get it out. I would say the smell disappeared after a few months. But again, this was for a car that was smoked in a few months and a few thousand miles. Good Luck!
 
to get the stink out try this. i've heard great things about this stuff. i'm going to get a few cans to use on some details.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/ (commissions earned)

you could also try febreeze too. just turn the a/c on low and set to recirculate. spray the inside liberally and let it circulate through the system for about 10-15 minutes. it's pretty much the same instructions for the Dakota Odor bomb. this will work for light smoke odor but the Dakota is supposed to be THE one to get for stubborn, nasty odors.
 
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if you can find new wave car scents spray it is meant to absorb that smoke smell. it smells like pine needles for a little bit then all odors go away. use a panel remover or carefully use a flat head to gently pry the panels off. you can also purchase vent cleaner at an auto parts store and follow instructions to get the odor out of the vents. use meguairs interior detailer (i prefer the shine one) to clean the plastic up. if the smoke odor just will not come out stop by a upscale car wash and ask them to remove it, it may cost a bit but will be worth it, if all else has failed.
 
Pull seats out and shampoo seats and carpet and headliner. Take long drive on the interstate with all windows down. Smell will be gone. I've had to do this with a few cars and it always works
 
If you have access to a air compressor with the air gun, spray out the whole car and use that compressed air to clear out the small corners, then use a tampico brush to brush out all the harder crap in the carpet/mats etc.. and then vac the car.
For the odor control, use ABPCO Extra Duty foam cleaner for the upholstery and mats and seats. (brush the seats with a soft bristle or horsehair brush and tampico on other upholstery)
then vac the car where you used the foam, and get the Dakota car bomb odor eliminator. and ventilate the car in heat to help evap and pull out the smoke smell.

hope that helps.
You can always check out autogeek or hidef detail website they have most of the stuff on their site for detailing products.
 
one thing that others have failed to mention is the in cab air filter! Replace, and saturate the new filter with febreeze. Car will wreak of febreeze for the next few days, but it will subside. Vacuum the upholstery well, and the floors, and the mats, and the liner, then febreeze those as well...all of it. Now, go to Lowes or home depot and get a can of ONA Gel, it's an odor absorber/neutralizer. Stick it in the cup holder for a few days to absorb the smoke/febreeze smell. Get a q-tip and spray some freeze on that, swab the inside of your vents. Leave the windows down on a dry night after all is febreezed, to let it air out, then get an air freshener to put in the car for a few days. I like the new car smell myself...

tip: buy the extra strength febreeze and start on the most likely places to be soiled, that's the seats and floor. Once the bottle is half empty, refill with water and you'll have normal strength febreeze to use with the rest of the car. Febreeze is mostly water anyway.
 
CF_KoiFry said:
one thing that others have failed to mention is the in cab air filter! Replace, and saturate the new filter with febreeze. Car will wreak of febreeze for the next few days, but it will subside. Vacuum the upholstery well, and the floors, and the mats, and the liner, then febreeze those as well...all of it. Now, go to Lowes or home depot and get a can of ONA Gel, it's an odor absorber/neutralizer. Stick it in the cup holder for a few days to absorb the smoke/febreeze smell. Get a q-tip and spray some freeze on that, swab the inside of your vents. Leave the windows down on a dry night after all is febreezed, to let it air out, then get an air freshener to put in the car for a few days. I like the new car smell myself...

tip: buy the extra strength febreeze and start on the most likely places to be soiled, that's the seats and floor. Once the bottle is half empty, refill with water and you'll have normal strength febreeze to use with the rest of the car. Febreeze is mostly water anyway.
Click to expand...

No one has mentioned the cabin filter because the us protgs never got them
 
coming from a smoker i would toss the ash tray, cup holder, and floor mats. windex with vinegar works well on windows. not sure what these products are, and I am light smoker in my car with the windows down. not sure how bad the odor is but you could end up spending a lot of time and money wasted on the impossible. just trying to help.
 
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