MECATECHNIC VB25800 Beetle Carpets Instructions

MECATECHNIC VB25800 Beetle Carpets

Product Information

Specifications

• Product: Volkswagen Beetle Carpets
• Recommended Fitting Procedure: Steaming for square weave carpets, warming with a hairdryer for wide and narrow weave carpets
• Important Note: Ensure the floorpan is clean and rust-free before fitting

Product Usage Instructions

Fitting Procedure
To ensure proper fitting of your Beetle Carpets, follow these steps:

1. Prepare the surface: Clean and rust-free floorpan.
2. Warm the back of the carpet: Use a hairdryer to warm the backing, then place it onto the fitting area and hold for two minutes.
3. Shape the carpet: Remove the carpet after two minutes; it should now have taken the desired shape. Apply glue and fit to shape

Precautions
Before fitting, consider the following:

• Ensure your car does not leak to prevent damage to the new carpets.
• Prepare the floorpan by ensuring it is clean and rust-free for a professional finish.
• Observe safety precautions when using inflammable glue to avoid accidents.

Fitting Order
Follow this fitting order for your carpet set:

1. Remove seats, rear trim panels, and seat belts.
2. Clean seat runners and remove carpet fixing tacks from sills, bulkhead, and pedal area.
3. Ensure soundproofing material and headlining are in place.
4. Proceed with fitting using proper tools, steaming/stretching, gluing, and finishing off.
5. Replace seats and panels once fitting is complete.

FAQ

• Q: What should I do if the carpet pieces do not fit correctly?
  A: Pieces that do not fit will be replaced. Avoid cutting, gluing, or soiling the pieces to prevent additional charges.

• Q: How long does it take to fit the Beetle Carpets?
  A: On average, it takes a weekend to complete the fitting process. Take your time and enjoy the process.

FITTING INSTRUCTIONS FOR BEETLE CARPETS

The following instructions cover all our beetle carpet range – not all will apply to your set of carpets.
To make fitting easier and more accurate we recommend the “steaming” procedure on the square weave carpets only.
On our range of wide and narrow weave carpets we recommend warming the back of the carpet with a hairdryer, approximately 12 inches away from the carpet in a sideways motion. The backing contains a mouldable agent which when warmed will match the contours of the shape you are fitting to. We recommend that you warm the carpet, place it onto the area of fitting, hold for two minutes and remove. This should now have taken the desired shape. If so, apply glue and then fit to shape.

VERY IMPORTANT Ten minutes spent reading these notes will almost certainly improve the quality of the job you are about to take on.

BEFORE YOU PUT GLUE ON ANY PIECE OF CARPET PLEASE CHECK THAT;
The carpet set you ordered is the correct colour and that all the pieces are present and fit correctly. Pieces returned that do not fit will be replaced. Pieces returned cut, glued or soiled will regrettably be charged for.

POINTS TO CONSIDER BEFORE FITTING

1. Does your car leak?
   Your new carpets will be at least stained at worst ruined if allowed to stay wet.

2.  Have you prepared the floorpan?
   The floorpan must be absolutely clean and rust free, if necessary spray or repaint areas that will show through the carpet to give your car a professional finish.

3. Have you got the tools and equipment you need?
   You will need some or all of the following; 1 Pencil (B only), 1 litre of good quality contact adhesive, 1 or 2 paint brushes (small enough to fit into tin of glue), 1 or 2 square yards/meters of clear polythene (keep the wrapping the carpets came in it is very tough), Bolster or wide end cold chisel, Hammer (not too big please), VW Special Tacks, 1/16.in. drill bit, electric drill (cordless if poss.), small flat end punch, large pair of good quality scissors, large sheet of cloth (to use when glueing), 6x4in.block of wood, cleaning rags, PLUS LOTS AND LOTS OF PATIENCE (& cups of TEA or COFFEE).

4.  SAFETY SAFETY SAFETY SAFETY SAFETY SAFETY SAFETY SAFETY
   If you are using inflammable glue, please make sure that you, people helping or watching DO NOT SMOKE, LIGHT UP CIGARETTES OR CAMPING STOVES (used for steaming/stretching carpet pieces prior to fitting) anywhere near your gluing area or the car. Please also remember to keep your car and garage well ventilated as a build up of toxic/explosive fumes overnight could be fatal.

5. You are nearly ready to begin.
   Remove ALL the seats, rear trim panels and seat belts if fitted and clean the dirty grease from the seat runners. Carefully remove all carpet fixing tacks from sills, bulkhead and pedal area. Do not throw them away, we’ll use them again later.

6. Make sure all soundproofing material and head lining is firmly in place or fitted before starting. You can end up with ugly pockets of loose carpet or lumpy wheel arches and tunnel.

7. PROCEDURE OR BASIC STEPS TO FOLLOW WHEN FITTING YOUR CARPETS.
   Tools and SAFETY, fitting order, steaming and stretching, gluing, finishing off, clearing up, replace seats, panels, stand back and look pleased with yourself.

8. FINALLY
   Remember take your time (a weekend on average), and enjoy yourself. Grab a cuppa and we’ll start.

FITTING ORDER FOR CARPET SETS
FROM THE INFORMATION BELOW WORK OUT THE FITTING ORDER FOR YOUR SET
Please Note
CARS UP TO 1969, Sill carpets overlap bulkhead carpets (loop pile)
CARS POST 1969, Bulkhead carpets overlap sills (felt type carpet), except cabriolet.

• 5 PIECE SETS.
  Pedal area, Sills or Bulkhead.

• 7 PIECE SETS (standard cars)
  Wheel arches, Pedal area, Sills or Bulkhead.

• 8 PIECE SETS.
  Wheel arches, Rear mat, Pedal area, Sills or Bulkhead.

• 9 PIECE SETS.
  Wheel arches, Rear mat, Pedal area, Sills or Bulkhead, Tunnel.

• 10 or MORE PIECES.
  Sets including parcel shelves, floor mats or carpet on the back of the rear seat are as follows:

• FLOOR MATS.
  These go in last.

• PARCEL SHELVES. a djusted in car. car.

• Fitted out of the car, .
  ( more room to work) REAR SEAT CARPET. Fitted out of the

• OTHER PIECES.
  Please contact me if you are in any doubt.

STEAMING AND STRETCHING PIECES INTO PLACE
This work is carried out BEFORE any other fitting takes place and AFTER you have checked that all the pieces fit.

LOOP PILE CARPET

• Use either a camping stove or your kettle to steam the back of the carpet to be shaped, a non automatic kettle will make life easier. REMEMBER the wetter the carpet the better it will stretch and form into shape. For wheelarch carpets hold the ends and form shape over bent knee until required curve is achieved. For bulkhead carpets use the heel of your foot (without shoes), or the knob of your banister or similar. You can also rub this type of carpet between your hands to loosen the size that is sprayed onto the back to stiffen it during manufacture.

FELT TYPE CARPET

• DO NOT STEAM this type of carpet, but rock from side to side to achieve the same results.
• IMPORTANT DO NOT APPLY GLUE UNTIL PIECES FIT WITHOUT ANY WRINKLES.

FITTING TIPS FOR USE IN GETTING IT RIGHT FIRST TIME

1.  During the time spent looking at and checking for fit you may notice , depending on your carpet set some small lines drawn on the back of one or more pieces. These are cuts that may be required to make that piece fit a little better. Most of these lines have been taken from original V W patterns and some I have included. Whether you use them and how deep you cut them is left to your own judgement.

2. As the loop pile carpet is slightly stiffer than the original material it is important that you make sure it follows the contours of the body or floorpan exactly as the rubber floor mats or carpets will rise up at the edges ruining the look of the overall job. This is where the Bolster or wide cold chisel is mostly used to work the carpet into right-angled corners.

3. All contact adhesives have varying amounts of open time. This is the length of time after becoming touch dry when a good bond can be made. It depends mainly on the amount of glue applied and surrounding temperature. It is best to apply the glue to the carpet first as the thinner layer on any painted surface may exceed the open time become too dry and your carpet will probably come unstuck in a short time. NEVER TRY TO APPLY HEAT TO SAVE TIME
   THIS METHOD IS USED ON ALL PIECES EXCEPT THE PEDAL AREA.

4. When you have put glue on to both surfaces to be fastened and when touch dry cut from your sheet of polythene a piece slightly larger than the piece of carpet itself. Place the polythene over the glued area on the car leaving approx. 1 inch of glue showing at the top. Now position the piece of carpet carefully on top of the polythene and glue. You have now partly glued this piece in place. Carefully check the piece of carpet to see if it fits correctly as any repositioning can easily be done now. Most contact adhesives do not stick to polythene. If you are happy with the fit hold the carpet at the top and tug a little of the polythene down from the bottom, pat the carpet to hold it in place and re-check for fit. Carry on until the polythene has been removed. Now press down firmly all over.
   When using this method on the tunnel cut the polythene into foot wide strips leaving gaps for gear lever and handbrake, which must be wrapped in polythene or clean rag.

5.  If your carpets are held in by “special tacks” and you cannot find the original hole, try using an old needle held in a pair of pliers and prod around until you locate it. Use the 1/6.in. drill bit to make a new hole if you think it necessary. The flat head punch is used to tap the “special tack” into the carpet pile.

6. To remove pencil marks from paintwork use a small quantity of car polish on a clean cloth.

7. If the edging becomes dirty during installation it can be cleaned with a little soap and water. If soiled with oil use one of the well-known hand cleaners.

8. CLEANING HEADLINING AND RUBBER MATS
   To clean the headlining (not cloth type) before fitting carpets use either VW interior trim cleaner or Jif with a nail brush. VW rubber mats can be cleaned in the bath (wait until your Mum or wife has gone out) again using Jif or similar cleaner with a nailbrush and lots of elbow grease. When dry, spray with VW interior trim cleaner (or Mr. Sheen) and brush in with a soft bristle brush ensuring the entire surface is covered. Leave to dry for a few hours and buff up with your Mum’s best polishing cloth (only joking Mrs__.)

FITTING OF INDIVIDUAL PIECES

1. WHEEL ARCHES.
   Make sure that you have steamed/stretched these pieces before glueing and use FITTING TIPS 1,2 &3. On some cars where this piece meets the rear mat the w/arch folds behind it, if so this will be marked on the back, FOLD, with a black line where the fold should be made. The carpet fits under the rear trim panels which at this stage are removed from the car.
   Do not be worried about snipping excess carpet from the corners under the window, as the rear mat will lie flatter, but check with the rear mat to make sure you cannot see any raw edges.

2. LARGE REAR MAT
   This piece kept the same shape up to 1961, but then changed a number of times up to 1979. The correct shape will already have been discussed by us at this stage so when fitting, choose from below.

   • CARS UP TO 1964
     This piece tucks into a slot under the window and is held in place with a piece of thick string. If you do not have this you can use thin strips of soundproofing felt.
     Do not glue this piece until it is firmly tucked into place, use the bolster chisel. The pile of the carpet will run straight along the top of the fold when it is tucked down evenly. Now check that the piece fits down both sides. Next, glue only the vertical part of the carpet and car. This is because it’s difficult trying to put glue onto the whole piece upside down. If possible get your helper, girlfriend, wife/live in lover to hold it up for you whilst you put the glue on. When this part of the rear mat is in place lift up the horizontal part and apply the rest of the glue.

   • CARS 1964 to 1966
     The method is the same as above but behind the rear seat the carpet tucks into a metal strip, also tucked into this strip is a piece of carpet approx. 8″ by 30″ which is screwed to the bottom of the rear seat. Both pieces will have to have a couple of lines of pile shaved off as this carpet is a little thicker than the original.

   • CARS 1966 to 1969
     Under the window the carpet is sewn onto a piece of headlining material and this is glued in place up to the window rubber as it is installed with the window out. Usually the piece of headlining is left in place, the carpet is removed by carefully cutting the stitches having already pulled the carpet from the soundproofing. The new piece is cut slightly larger to cover up the stich holes and any discolouration. Fitting as for b, but use FITTING TIP 3 to make sure everything lines up.

   • CARS 1969 to 1979
     This piece fits right up to the window rubber held up by a strip of leatherette stitched to the top which is glued in place before the window is fitted. Fitting is as for c, except that if a parcel shelf is to be fitted to the rear seat make sure to push the carpet into the ridge about 5 inches down from the centre of the window. If you have replaced the soundproofing, carefully cut out an inch section in line with the top of the rear seat so that the carpet forms a ledge.

3. PEDAL AREA CARPET.
   This is probably the easiest piece to fit. It is held in place with glue and on earlier cars “special tacks”. Use FITTING TIP 4.

4. FRONT BULKHEAD OR INNER WHEELARCH CARPET.
   This piece is offered up and a pencil line drawn on the door pillar when in the correct position. Use FITTING TIPS 3 & 4.

5. SILL CARPET.
   Tuck the carpet under the sill strip (early cars up to 1969), or clip plastic edge to sill strip (cars 1969 on) and tap down with block of wood to spread impact before glueing into place. Use tacks if required. This is most important where loop pile sills overlap the bulkhead. Cars post 1969 cut the hole for the heater outlet after the carpet is glued into place.

6. TUNNEL CARPET.
   Use FITTING TIP 3. Put the handbrake boot on first and start at the pedal end and work your way backwards making sure the pile of the carpet is in a straight line. on top of the tunnel. Use the Bolster chisel to get the carpet into the corner where the tunnel meets the floorpan or you will have problems with the floormats later on.

7. PARCEL SHELVES.
   These are held in place by a metal strip on the top of the rear seat. There is also a hardboard shelf on later cars, which is tucked into the metal strip behind the rear seat.

8. CARPET ON THE REAR OF THE BACK SEAT.
   This is glued to a piece of hardboard fixed to the seat frame with long twisted tacks which are no longer available from VW so remove them with care and keep safe until needed for reassembly.

9. FLOOR CARPETS
   These are put in place after all other carpets have been fitted and the car cleared of any scraps of carpet. They are designed to be a tight fit and should not move during normal use. It is recommended that you use rubber overmats to protect your new carpets especially during wet weather or if your car is used daily. The overmats can easily be removed for shows or other occasions.

AFTER THE CARPETS ARE GLUED AND TACKED IN PLACE

Brush or vacuum out the car, refit trim panels, place in the floor carpets or rubber mats, seat belts, clean off any pencil marks, put new grease on the seat runners and fit the seats. When fitting front seats from cars with 3 point fixing (approx. 1972 on) make sure you remove the old grease from the feet or you will end up with black marks on the carpets. To help avoid this, place clean rags on the floorpan or carpet behind the seat runners to rest the seats on whilst engaging the front fixing and slide the seat into place.

WELL DONE YOU’VE FINISHED

Documents / Resources

| MECATECHNIC VB25800 Beetle Carpets [pdf] Instructions
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