As most of you already know the rear carpets in our C4 take quite a beating from the sun and heat. My 1990 spent its early years in the southwest part of the country which really cooks the carpet. Although the carpet pile was still in decent shape the rubber backing was warped and cracked and it had been some time since the carpet was cleaned.

Not wanted to spend the money for new carpet at this time I came up with this solution. Using a heat gun, a couple of boards, a few heavy containers and a hard surface I was able to remold the rubber backing of the carpets.

My advice is to work with small areas at a time and heat the rubber backing just enough that it is soft to the touch. It should also have a little tacky feel. Always keep the heat gun moving so as not to burn though to the carpet and most important TAKE YOU'RE TIME.

Here are the tools I used.


Left side before.


Heating rubber backing and applying pressure until cool.


Left side after reworking backing and cleaning.


While I had the carpet out I went ahead and added some sound insulation.


It is interesting to see just how much the carpet shrunk in the rear. It should be at least another 3 inches longer.


I fabricated a trim panel to cover the carpet out of aluminum siding and used the post that originally held the carpet to secure it in place.




And here is the finished product not bad if I would say so myself.



Thanks for taking the time to view this post.

 

Nice job, looks great

 

Wow awesome job! Interesting how the rubber backing deforms. I know my carpet can use this in a couple spots.

 

Thanks I'm very pleased with the outcome. The hardest part was removing all the trim.

 

The shade is a real PITA. Notice a big difference in road noise?

 

I was able to work around the shade without removing it but you do have to remove all the plastic including the halos.

As for the noise it did seem a little quieter but then again I have Flow Master 50 series.

 

I'm having to replace the entire carpet set plus new foam and leather. I am using the same insulation plus another.








I need 2 more weekends before I am ready to install the new seats.

 

My front carpet is still in decent shape just needs a good cleaning. The duct insulation works great and it cost far less then the automotive brand. Let me know how it comes out.

 

I will.


As of last Sunday, this is where I stopped. I have decided to cut most of the jute off around the tunnel and replace with Reflextix. It's a tight fit to get the so called console sides back on with all that insulation.

 

Making good progress! Coming along nicely.

 

About the side console plastic piece, the front screw tab broke completely off when removed and the back is 1/2 broken where the side piece mounts to the top part of the console tray. I need to be creative putting it back on. Sorry no pic yet. I guess this was caused by opening the console lid up & down for 27 years.

Ken, you were lucky to save your carpet. Mine is black and faded to a dark grey.

 

This is common with all the plastic trim. Hot, cold and UV rays takes it toll on them over the years. I had to get a few pieces as the screw holes were broken out. Found them on eBay not new but better then what I had. The important thing is not to tighten the screws just snug them as the plastic is brittle.

 

Since that strip of plastic is about 4 inches long, I will drill 2 new holes and counter sink them so the screw head will be flush with the top trim. If I don't, the console door may not open very wide. Thanks.

Will post more this coming Sunday evening as I hope to pull both lower dash carpet pieces off and replace, replace the power window switches and finish up the passenger side carpet. Will have to crank up the kerosene heater Saturday morning.

I just received new cargo trim pieces, one at the back and 2 on the side. The price on these has gone sky high. Mine were cracked and broken. Have 2 new gas struts to install along with the trim and I will be finished in the back.

 

I hear ya. I replaced the gas struts and the left cargo trim as the holes were broken. I also replaced both halos as they to were cracked and a piece was broken off on the drivers side. As you can tell my interior is saddle in color but I found that Mid American Motorworks sells the spray paint that matches perfect for anyone out there that need to change colors.