new owner couple of questions

[funbobby]

well im finally picking up my car on monday and have a couple of questions.first i thinking of putting 500 wheels on is this a straight swap and secondly the carpet could do with a bit of a clean any recomendations on good products or is it halfords finest?

[thegreatdogwood]

I'm a newbie here as well but from what I have read the 500's will go straight on as long as the tyre sizes are compatible, it is just a cosmetice change. They should basically be 15s on front and 16s for the rear but there seems to be quite a few tyre size combos around

Someone else will chime in but at this time of year you may get the best job cleaning the carpets out of the car as I think they are just velcroed and you can then give them a thorough scrub and rinse and then dry off in a warm house rather than damp footwell - I dont like the Hlaford type products as without some form of vaccum or rinsing you are only working the dirt into the carpet pile. You can also buy replacement carpets for sensible money if they are faded which make a huge difference to the interior look

[Chimjunkie]

Just replaced the carpets on my car. Dont underestimate the complexity of the carpet set and the difficulty in getting it all to look professional when done. This in my opinion is a skilled DIYer job. Only the floor foot mats are removable on velcro. Needless to say it is a lot easier to remove the old carpets and refit them (using spray impact adhesive) after cleaning. All the cuts are in the right place and most of the shaping/contouring remains.

[spend]

Wheels are generally interchangeable (apart from the 5 stud conversion cars), but the tyre sizes may be different and clearances on the wheel arches/wishbones can vary. The ride heights can also be affected by worn springs, many cars have aftermarket dampers fitted with adjustable spring platforms. So generally yes, but as always with these cars YMMV.

Carpets dried and vacuumed will be better, you would probably be better advised 'keeping your powder dry' and ensuring there are no more serious issues before commencing on an endless path of maintenance. Try & define priorities for what you want/need to do after a period of acclimatisation

Many folks here can answer your questions, but there are many variations of these cars and the more specific your question the better answers you will receive IMHO.

Dave

[funbobby]

the carpets are generally v good just like to give them a good spruce up mainly the parcel shelf which i would rather not remove.

[spend]

OK, you spruce them up, then find the car leaks, back to square 1!

Just get to know the car first IMHO, you haven't even got it yet

Dave

[tobeee]

First thing would be to get some Thomsons Waterseal from your local DIY shop ready to waterproof the roof as soon as you get the car home. A leaky roof will be the prime suspect for any water in the car, and it's incredible how most leaks cannot be found, but can be solved by a quick brush with Thomsons! Once you've done this, you can start cleaning the carpets!

[funbobby]

im not talking water damage just a general clean up really, i guess any old carpet cleaner will do just wondered if anyone had any good recommendations

[Paulo.dicanio]

I always had decent results with Autoglym foam cleaner.