The Telegram (St. John's)

New life for interior of a used vehicle

- BY MARC-ANDRÉ GAUTHIER

Congratula­tions, you just bought a used vehicle! Oftentimes, a second-hand car isn’t everything you’d hoped for. If the colour and overall look aren’t your cup of tea, that’s one thing. But the cabin is really important, since that’s where you’ll be spending much of your time.

Here are a few tips on how to spiff up your vehicle’s interior.

Many of us don’t notice, but the top of the dashboard—often the resting place for maps and other stuff—can be become discoloure­d over the years due to sun exposure. Thankfully, there are numerous reasonably priced gels on the market that can not only revive the colour of plastic and other materials, but also protect them!

This type of gel is also available for leather seats. Another option is a profession­al treatment. Though more expensive, the final result is quite impressive.

Cloth seats absorb odours more easily than leather, which might explain that smell emanating from your cabin… The good news is that you can get rid of it with some simple products. And if the situation is worse than expected, you can always rent a small steam-cleaner, found at most supermarke­ts. In addition to cleaning your seats, you can also use it to make your rugs look new again!

Finally, we recommend that you dust your car’s interior every week and make sure the cabin air filter is clean. Considerin­g the number of hours you’ll spend in your car every year, it makes sense to keep it nice!

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