Is pretreating the carpets a good idea or will the very slight film attract more dirt? I have a parchment interior. Thanks.

 

I've had good luck with Scotchgard and/or like products. Using on the carpets/floor-mats is a good idea. I will admit however, I never did do this to my 2004 TL but could swear the dealer may have..??? However, I did not pay for it nor was it listed on the invoice etc..
Anyway - about 3 weeks ago I expertly spilled an entire medium coke down the right side of the console and passenger foot area. Yes, I created several new cuss words and grounded myself for a month.... Luckily I carry a small detail towel with me at all times - I was able to blot up every bit of the coke over the next 10 minutes and it literally left "absolutely" no residue or stain on what I thought was unprotected carpet. I got home and finished up with a damp towel and was completely amazed that it didn't stain.

What I am getting at is if my car wasn't treated at the dealership, Acura must do it at the factory (or part of the carpet manufacturing etc.). I have never seen carpet "repel" stains like that. Thus you may not need the Scotchgard but it surely won't hurt etc.. Besides, when a dealership wants to charge you $400 for the interior "Protection Package", thats all they are doing and making a HUGE profit....

- I should add, pre-treating should not leave a film of any type. It actually should get absorbed by the carpet - basically not allowing other "spilled" items from getting absorbed resulting in a stain. Kind of like spraying silicone on your leather hiking boots to repel water etc..


Cheers

 

I Scotch Gurarded my carpets when my car was new. I do that with all my new cars.

If you don't overdo it, you will not see a coating as it is absorbed by the fibers. However, mask off the non-carpet hard parts or you could get a frosty coating on them. Newspapers or a piece of cardboard will suffice.

After more than three years, I have no carpet stains (knock on plood), but I haven't spilled anything yet either (knock again).

I don't allow food in the car but I do often have a cold soda or a coffee in the holder.