Hello all,
I'm a vw guy who is venturing into mercedes land. I have recently aquired a 1975 240d that's been in a barn since 1996. Right now, I'm just wanting to clean everthing up. The interior is actually pretty nice, but the seats, steering wheel, and dash are covered in mildew and barn funk. What would be a good cleaning agent? Good old fashioned soap and water?

Yup, soap and water are a great starting point. You will need other products to kill the mildew, but first get all the other grime off.

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Adam Lumsden
(83) 300D
Vice-President of the MBCA International Stars Section

schackart, for the exterior:
1) Use a high quality car wash soap and water to get the heavy grime off
2) Use a clay bar on the paint to remove any surface contaminants ... the paint will feel very smooth if done properly
3) Use a polish on the paint to restore the shine
4) Apply a coat of carnuba wax to protect the finish
For the interior I would use a high quality leather cleaner/conditioner on the seats and steering wheel.

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Fred Hoelzle

The seats and interior on the 240 will be MB-Tex. Use a non-pumice, non-citrus creamy hand cleaner such as, Stalube, GoJo or Goop applied gently with a fingernail brush or a soft bristled scrub brush. Let it penetrate for 10 minutes or so and then wipe it off. You'll probably have to re-apply to a few areas where the dirt is really ground in.

For the mildew you will have to either steam it clean or use a diluted solution of bleach to kill the active cultures.

Use the hand cleaner FIRST! Any hardened areas of the vinyl you will need to let the cleaner saturate deeply.

I'm a big fan of simple green for the mildew. I've used it on door panels I've picked up from someone's moldy basement with great luck. Really diluted simple green and a toothbrush, then rinse it off and use some vinyl protectant and I've had great results. Just my 2 cents.

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Nicolette
1977 240D

There you go! Simple Green sounds like a much easier and less smelly way than either steam or bleach.

I've always used steam. I have one of those "Shark" handheld steam cleaners but it is a bother because the mildew turns into a runny jelly which has to be wiped clean before it dries. Bleach kills the mildew but you have to be careful because it will, well, you know, bleach spots in the wood and carpet.

Mike, you're right ... the seats in a 1975 240D are MB-Tex.

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Fred Hoelzle