Dirty Door Handle
 

I just want to say hi to everyone first. I picked up my first hybrid car tonight! It's a 07 silver HCH without Nav. I'm sure I'll be posting more often, now that I'm a real owner!

I chose silver because of the amazing blue interior. I think the interior is very luxurious. The only problem I see is the hand grip on the door. There is upolstery on the door where you place your hand when opening and closing the door. I think that over time, that one spot will get dirty. Has anyone noticed marking? I want to cover it, but I'm not sure how.

Cheers!
Katherine

Re: Dirty Door Handle
 

Congratulations on your new HCH. I agree the blue and ivory interior is very attractive. ;)

May I suggest you go to the automotive car cleaning section of a larger store like Walmart or another specialty auto store and buy two things:

- An automotive upholstery cleaner. I usually prefer products by Simoniz
- An uphostry protectant like Scotchguard spray.

Once you get the above simply do the following steps:

1- Simply clean the uphostry or fabric trim that is soiled or stained with the cleaner.
2- Let it dry, repeat as necessary.
3- Spray the uphosltery with Scotchguard.
4- Let it dry

...in the future when you notice any dirt on the cloth simply take a damp clean rag and gently wipe it. That's is all.

<EDIT>
I just noticed you are a Canadian HCH owner too, and in that case, Canadian Tire is the store I would recommend you visit for the products I mentioned above.
</EDIT>

Hope it helps.

Cheers;

MSantos

Re: Dirty Door Handle
 

Thanks, MSantos. I will protect the cloth before it gets dirty.

Re: Dirty Door Handle
 

I would second that. Although, I haven't actually listended to MSantos' advice. I actually have learned to grip with my finger tips on the inside of the handle so not to get the door dirty. It is working but lets be honest- it's only a matter of time.
I got the Sparkle Gray as I thought it looked great with Limo tint (and it definately does).
I have yet to see a silver one in Calgary. But, I finally saw the light blue one. I talked to the driver and he says it was the only color that looked really Japanese to him.
That was funny!
Congrats and don't forget that your car has to break in before you start seeing the really good mileage (and try inflating your tires a little more than stock- I run 40 PSI and am seeing good results- I will probably go to tirewall max pressure once all the gravel has been cleaned of the streets).

Re: Dirty Door Handle
 

Welcome to the forum! I wish you the very best of luck with your new car, and on keeping your upholstery clean. Congrats on the hybrid! The HCH is wonderful, and buying one is a happy event. We're thrilled to have you here- come back and post as often as you like. :)

Re: Dirty Door Handle
 

Looks like you got the Alabaster Silver. It was my first choice too (before my recent purchase) but when I saw the Fluorite Silver (I think its called Opal Blue in the States) ... i really loved it and even though the interior is super light ... I decided to go for it. So far I've managed to keep it clean ... how long it'll last ... no idea. I'll probably be following mSantos' advice sometime soon.

Congratulations on your purchase!

Re: Dirty Door Handle
 

I have same blue interior. I use dark blue towels to protect the front and rear seats and a wash cloth for the center arm rest. Also, one gray wash cloth for the drivers door handle. After 20K miles, they still look new. However, the door handle cloth moves around a lot, and sometimes falls to the ground.

My work sometimes leaves my hands dirty with grease, but the towels have worked well to protect the cloth.

Its silly for Honda to use cloth on a door handle; to put it nicely.

Re: Dirty Door Handle
 

I took msantos addvise and used scotchguard on all my ivory fabric the day I got home. Same interior as in V's. So far, finger marks wipe off.

Re: Dirty Door Handle
 

I just clean everything thoroughly when it's time to sell or trade. Untill then, I just haul out the garbage from the floor when it gets too deep