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General Information => General => Topic started by: vanbcguy on October 29, 2011, 02:10:01 pm
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Anyone find a good source for replacement carpets? I'm doing an interior swap with another Jetta, but I can't really see it being worthwhile bringing the other "used" carpet over. Mine is pretty gross though, so I would love to put something new in either way. Whatever I do, the new interior is dark charcoal while the old one was light grey, so leaving the original will look pretty bad.
Any places that can be recommended? Gotchas?
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I have looked around and found that there are few but I will have to dig out the bookmarks. I have looked for carpets on CraigsList and in the junk yard and almost thought I had a good one last week but it turned out to be brown in person even though it looked gray in the picture. Mine is stained all over on the passenger side and behind the seats from when the PO would just throw the lug wrench and chains on the wet carpet. I even took the carpet to the power washer last weekend to try that as a means of getting it clean. It smells nice but the stains are still there.
http://www.stockinteriors.com/items.asp?MakeId=29&ModelId=422&MainCatId=1&Desc=VW_Jetta_Carpet
these folks also have sound and heat proofing materials along with that Jute mat that OEM folks like to throw in our cars.
A wee bit cheaper but the quality may be less as well. Gotta watch the kind of pile carpet you are buying. Several different types out there.
http://www.auto-interior.com/volkswagen3.htm#Jetta
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you could try http://www.newtoncomm.co.uk/products/3181-products-3181/
hope this helps
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From the poking around I've done so far it appears that basically all the online carpet manufacturers are selling the exact same product - there is essentially only one big aftermarket automotive carpet manufacturer. One of the giveaway ways of telling who's selling what is look at their color codes - you'll find about a half dozen online stores selling the same carpet at close to the same price with the same set of options and the same set of color codes. :D
Other things I learned was that the "Mass Backing" option you see on a bunch of sites isn't really the best thing if you're doing the install yourself - most folks said they had a very hard time installing carpets that had this option, and that you'd be better off adding separate sound insulation. Noted...
I haven't found anyone yet who bought a replacement carpet for a VW specifically, but most folks said the fit was "decent", though some cars had issues in some particular areas. I guess I'll probably go ahead and give one a try!!
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I worked like crazy yesterday trying to rid the stock carpet of most of the stains it had accumulated. Finally threw down the towel. I will use that carpet as my template when the new one arrives from SC later this month. I added some carpet by the yard to do the entire back part of my Rabbit. I removed the seats and have a piece of plywood cut out around the wheel wells and such. I will just pad and cover it with the matching color carpet.
I will let you know how it turns out. I did not add the mass backing as I already have 1/4 inch thick rubber on the floors for sound deadening purposes. If I throw more in there I will likely not be able to get the seats to move back and forth in their tracks. They have that piece that comes off pretty low and may foul up with a deep carpet.
As you say it looks like most all come out of the same spot as the colors are all coded the same. I did find 5% off on one site however that the others were not giving out yet.
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I am currently rocking zero carpet in my 84 Jetty. Had a huge leak that left me with soaked carpets..
Lovin' it right now! It adds a few inches of leg room too by the pedals! SCORE!!
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I yanked the carpet but threw down some 1/4 thick rubber from the front to the back behind the seats. I had some leftover carpet under the stairs from years ago when we did the house. Cut a couple of them into the shapes on the floorboard just so it would look decent until I decided to do something with the old or order a new carpet for the entire car.
Didn't notice any extra legroom there. I can use all I can get. Threw on a GTI four button steering wheel for better grip when driving. Seems to be a very tiny bit more room under that wheel and the legs. Better thickness of wheel will be better on the hands on the drives to and from home.
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On the subject of carpets, do they interchange? I mean, would a 2 door carpet fit a 4 door car? Would a Jetta carpet fit a Golf? I'm talking about the front section only on a mk2. MK2 GTIs seem to turn up pretty regularly in the junkyards around here.
Speaking of which, I've found the best way to clean a well used carpet is to take it out of the car completely, spray it with a degreaser solution I use the Super Clean purple biodegradable stuff) a give it a good spraying with a garden hose. Lay it out on concrete to dry.
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Looking at the aftermarket suppliers - the 2 door and 4 door carpets have the same part number. The Golf and Jetta ones have different numbers though - go figure. So yeah looks like a good chance you can swap from a 2-door to a 4-door.
I just went ahead and ordered a new carpet for Jezzie - $116 plus shipping is too cheap to mess around trying to clean an old one as far as I'm concerned. All told including shipping and taxes it was $179. It'll get here probably next week so I'll update with my findings once it's here.
The next challenge I have is figuring out if I can swap the adjustable height seat base from one seat to another!
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My new carpets arrived today but I will have to wait till the weekend to get them in. I have to let them relax to get the folds out of them anyway.
I swapped my seats around on my 81. Took the backs off the seats and and then the cushions off the bottoms and changed driver for passenger sides. That drivers seat was less than comfortable. But now I am pretty much breaking in a new seat. Which is OK by me. My car is a 2 door and those back releases are now on the inside of the seats rather than on the door side. I really don't care because I yanked the rear seat out and made it a little cargo hauler instead of a people hauler. At times I transport lumber up to my son and that means the passenger seat comes out as well. Vehicle for one please, no smoking section. thanks.
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Newton sucks as there based on the euro caddy / mk1
I did the stock int and had a shop make the kick panels as they werent included
for the price the shop could of just made custom with vinyl edge around the seat rails
GB
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New carpet arrived today - looks great! 25% chance I'll install it tomorrow, 75% chance I'll go ride my bike in the "above freezing sunshine" with my crew... More updates soon.
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Who did you end up getting your carpet from? Stock interiors?
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Yup, Stock Interiors. Same carpet as everyone else, better price.
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Thats what I thought too, I got a sample of the 801 black and it looks good.
I guess I am going to order monday.
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Did any of you guys opt for the mass backing on your Stock Interior carpets. I went with the standard as I have solid rubber placed in the floor and didn't care for the extra width. If you have it what is your opinion of it for a sound deadening agent. That would have been my reason for adding it on.
Now I just need to find time to lay out the old carpet as a template and cut it out and install. Maybe after Turkey Day when I have some helping hands.
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I read about the mass backing in a bunch of forums before I ordered - the general consensus was that it makes installation nearly impossible for DIY types as it's next to impossible to cut. They also don't attach the jute backing to the carpet when you go that route, meaning a bunch more screwing around keeping everything in place.
I had StockInteriors send me a couple of samples, including one with the mass back on it. It's a VERY thin layer of stretchy rubber, though it does make the carpet extremely difficult to cut (I tried cutting both samples with some heavy duty kitchen scissors). I'm sure it would reduce sound transfer through the carpet, but I think the stuff I got instead will do a better job absorbing vibrations from the body panels since it will actually be attached to them.
BTW the advice I read for making the cuts and things...
- Start by marking the carpet, but cut ONLY a very small hole for the gearshift to start. Then you can slip the carpet over the gearshift and get it on to the floorpan of the car. Trim the gearshift hole larger as necessary to get the carpet in to its final position.
- Move outwards from the gearshift with your cuts - use it as the "anchor". Absolutely don't cut anything else until the carpet is actually in the car and sitting on the floor pan. You'll probably find the marks you made don't quite line up the way you thought they would. IE gearshift, then the holes for the seatbelts, inner seat rails, then the outer seat rails, etc. That way as you move the carpet around to get it to fit your holes will actually be in the right place.
- Cut the smallest holes possible - smaller than what you actually need, then you can slowly enlarge them as you become more confident that the carpet is sitting where it should be.
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Thanks for the sound advice. I either watched their install videos or read somewhere that starting small was the way to go. Very much like the start in the center and work out method. Going to use that. I cut carpet with a new blade in the Stanley knife. Like drywall if you score it or mark it first you can find the second cut and press a little more on the knife. Going slow will be the standard. Why smoke a 200 dollar investment? I bought the bulk carpet as well and will put that down in the back as one piece. I have removed the rear seat.
I have enough extra that I hope to cover the back panel as well and the speaker holes. Mine are sooty black for some reason.
From the description of the mass backing I think I went the right way with my standard order as well. What was it you did for soundproofing? The paint on bed liner or that mat? Can't keep my threads straight anymore.
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I got this stuff called 'RoadBlockR' - it's an adhesive-backed sheet with a foil lining, seems very similar to Dynamat. It's more expensive than the mass back option - $23 for a 2x4 sheet, need 3-4 sheets for a Jetta-sized car. I've used Dynamat before though, it worked extremely well. Here's hoping this stuff does the same. Very good at sucking the vibrations out of metal panels.
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VanBCGuy, Wouldn't a good tweak on the ole injection pump or motor mounts do the same?
Very good at sucking the vibrations out of metal panels.
May have to look at my engine mounts as I have a strange vibration that started today. Swapped tires yesterday so am noticing the parts that rattle more than I used to.
What are you using to glue the loose carpet down to the foot panel and floor boards at the doors? They had this really gooey contact cement on there in the original build as I had to scrape it out. But was not sure what I should use when the new carpet went down.
Any suggestions or tips you have would be good.
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Re: Engine mounts - my front mount is new, the rear two appear to be ok as far as I can tell on mine. Still though, Jezzie is not a quiet car by any means. The larger exhaust definitely "enhances" some of her tonal qualities. To me I'm dealing more with 'sonic' vibration than anything, though I suppose checking my mounts again wouldn't be the worst thing in the world.
I haven't gotten far enough to check out how the Mk III carpet is attached from the factory in some of those places. For the most part it appears it is clamped down by plastic trim everywhere. If I have to use adhesive it'll be a flip of the coin over contact cement or spray adhesive. I think I'd be leaning towards the spray adhesive, especially if I can find some that's 'repositionable' but still sticky enough to keep things in place.
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I did my headliner this past summer with sprayon contact cement. I only did a heavy coat on the 1/2 inch camping pads that I used. Then as soon as I finished spraying I would touch it lighly to the area I intended to put it and then pulled it away real quick. I ended up with a lot of spider webs so I just decided to spray one spot with a light coat and then the pad with a light coat. That seemed to work well for most places. I did have to go back on some corners and do the spray and pull method.
I think I will try the same with the carpets. I will be spraying the metal floor or the rubber mat it put down and that carpet has the plastic backing on it so I should be able to get it to stick once it gets tacky. At least this project is on the floor and I won't have glue to clean up from door panels, seats and windows.
Finding suitable warm weather is going to be the real trick.
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3M has foam and fabric 74 spray. It is a contact adhesive that is pretty much never remove. They also have a High Tack 76 spray that is not a contact adhesive, so you only need to spray one side. Down side is some of the substrates that you bond in cars like foam SOMETIMES are not compatible with the 76.
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So did anyone get there carpet installed ? pictures ?
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I only thought about getting the flat carpet out on the driveway to cut out. Just too many things to deal with right now. So it still is in the basement relaxing. Had to replace some snowtires and it took forever at the shop, only one of three guys working on everything.
Keep with us, I need a window replacement before I want to do the carpets. No sense getting new carpets wet and moldy.
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So did anyone get there carpet installed ? pictures ?
I have my carpet spread out in my spare room at home, but I'm in Atlanta for work for a couple of weeks. Not sure how much time I'll have when I get back, hopefully I'll get 'er done before the holiday season!
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I have a place by me who do molded and a custom fit and prices start at $190 American (probably molded). Would more than likely have the dynamat (or similar) installed as well. Hopefully my soon to be Ex-wife didn't throw out the $50 gift cert. I won at my VW car show. Love my Recaros, but would like to get them redone, and I'm certain that won't be cheap.....
Love to see pics if anyone has them.
Stay safe, stay well. Jimmy.
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Closest I got to getting the carpets in all week was to move them out of the way today so the were not in the way when kids come in next week. Was beautiful most of the week I had off but other home chores needed doing so carpets wait. I like the feel and look of them, From Stock Interiors.
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Closest I got to getting the carpets in all week was to move them out of the way today so the were not in the way when kids come in next week. Was beautiful most of the week I had off but other home chores needed doing so carpets wait. I like the feel and look of them, From Stock Interiors.
Went to their website. Carpeting was cheap $119.99. Place I mentioned wanted $600 to purchase and install the carpeting, $650-900 to redo the Recaros.. Might look for help on this one....
Stay safe, stay well. Jimmy.