Hi,

Some oil spilled in the trunk of my 240 and soiled the carpet. I removed the carpet and was thinking of just throwing it in the wash machine. I don't want to destoy it however. Has anyone removed and machine washed their trunk carpet?

Thanks,

Mark
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' 93 240 (Quinn), AW70, 130K. '90 240 (Amanual), M47II, 97K. '92 240 (Edgar), AW70, 170K, totalled parts car. Love to drive them when my kids let me!

I'd go visit the DIY carwash, and spray the crap out of the mat in "engine degreaser" mode, then rinse. Bring it home, and lay it in the sun.

Why risk your washing machine vs. a few quarters?

All the carpet in a 240 is suited for washing. It is incredibly durable and retains its fitted shape well. This is aside from the risk to the wash machine, and some have used a laundromat with an industrial machine.

The bulk and stiffness of the trunk carpet make it NOT a good fit in the washing machine. What I have done is to mix up a bucket of a fairly strong solution of water and laundry detergent and then with the carpet on the driveway, saturate the carpet and scrub with a brush. Then, simply hose it out. You can repeat if necessary. Has worked like a charm, even on the really filthy carpets I have pulled from junk yard cars. The nylon carpet is fairly robust and seems to rinse out fairly easily. Hanging it up to dry works well, and if you are really anal about fluffing up the pile, vacuum afterwards.