The Immaculate Cleanup of This Once-Disgusting VW Golf Proves Anything Is Possible

Most people would call this car's interior a total loss, but then again, these detailers aren't most people.
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We’ve all dropped French fries under the seat of our car, only to have that funky fast food smell follow us around for weeks afterward. That’s a common problem, and it’s very easily fixed with a quick vacuum. This Volkswagen Golf is a completely different story, and at first glance you might assume it’d be a total loss by almost any insurance standards. The owner wasn’t ready to give up on it, though, and the guys at Professional Car Detailing in Queensland, Australia stepped in to deep clean the car from top to bottom. Fair warning: If you have a weak stomach, it’s probably best to avoid studying the photos below too closely.

The Golf’s owner told the shop that he thought there was a leak and could actually hear water sloshing around when driving the car. He supposedly parked the car for a week and came back to find that his Volkswagen had sprouted an entire ecosystem of its own. The cleaners searched for a leak, but couldn’t find out how water got into the car. They say the only way water could’ve found its way in was through a window that was left open in the rain.

In this case, the cause is far less important than the effect. The VW’s interior is covered from top to bottom in mold of every color and there are some mystery substances, like the “brown blob of something” that the shop found in the floor. The funny thing is that, aside from the biological warfare taking place inside the car, the cleaners say that they can tell the vehicle was otherwise well-maintained.

Not only did they save the VW’s interior from being a total loss, but it actually looks great. The upholstery still has some spring to it and the carpets look almost new. All of the mold and gunk that covered the car’s steering wheel, gear shift, and dash is gone, and the whole thing looks incredibly well done. There’s no word on how the interior smells, but we’d wager that it’s worlds better than it was when it rolled into the shop. 

We’re interested to hear this shop’s secrets because if they can fix such a nasty situation as this, our detailing woes could be gone in an instant with a little bit of their expertise.

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Chris Teague

Contributor

After working in the technology and software industry for several years, Chris Teague began writing as a way to help people outside of that world understand the sometimes very technical work that goes on behind the scenes. With a lifelong love of all things automotive, he turned his attention to writing new vehicle reviews, detailing industry trends, and breaking news. Along the way, he earned an MBA with a focus on data analysis that has helped him gain a strong understanding of why the auto industry’s biggest companies make the decisions they do.