Tips to keep sand out of the car ?

[prepare Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close prepare]

Hi Guys,

Who here does a lot of beach driving ? What are your tips & tricks to keep the interior clean. During summer, we spend almost every weekend on the beach and the combination of that place WA seabreeze often leads to a LOT of sand in the car. Window down + wind is my main enemy (usually my wife is responsible for leaving the windows down!). If you live in WA you will understand.

My last 4wd, despite best efforts had sand everywhere. Ingrained in the carpet, covering anything with greese/sticky, behind the dash, in the aircon vents, in the grooves of the dashboard etc. Looked OK after a good clean but you can never get all the sand out. Therefore, I find preventation a better approach

For the prado, I want to try keep it in good nick. So I have done/planning on the following

1) Seat covers
2) Rubber boot liner from clarke rubber covering middle and read seats.
3) "bootute" cover that goes over the top of the rubber to keep sand/dirt out of all the nooks and crannies. Also protects plastic
4) When we stop on the beach I have a large towel that I use to cover the dashboard down to the steering wheel to keep the sand thats blowing around off.

Any other ideas ?

[timmay5.7 Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close timmay5.7]

tip 1: keep the windows closed!
tip 2: have the fan/air con system on recirculate, before you touch the sand.
tip 3: get everyone to brush off the sand before getting into the car.

[ursos Member Find all posts View Profile Close ursos]

Sandgrabba floor mats.
Large beach towels for back seat and floor - easy to fold up and shake out.
Agree with Bendman's dustpan brush. I keep one under the driver's seat - well, I try to - people keep "borrowing" it.

[jss Moderated member Find all posts View Profile Close jss]

IMO windows up & a/c on recirc are biggies for keeping sand from getting everywhere up high, but as far as the floor goes I just try to ignore it then go crazy with the vac when I get home. If you spend too much time worrying about it all trip you will drive yourself & everyone else nuts and just end up wanting to kill your mrs & kids.

Oh and when you're pulled up somewhere don't leave the doors open. And if it's windy on the beach only 1 door open at a time when people are getting in/out. otherwise your car becomes a wind tunnel and will drop a ton of sand inside in about half a second.

Cheers
James

[peterpanner Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close peterpanner]

Go to a rainforest

[Pedro Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close Pedro]

I have vinyl, customised to cover carpet behind the front seats through to behind the second row seats with a cutout/velcrose backed to enable seats be fixed in normal position.
when folded up the cutout section seals down to cover, and the 6 inches behind is valcrosed to carpet.
Rear of second row is boot liner and front floor has Prado mats.

Dustpan and brush cleans up any sand and brush used on feet before I get in.

[yowie Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close yowie]

If you spend too much time worrying about it all trip you will drive yourself & everyone else nuts and just end up wanting to kill your mrs & kids.


Cheers
James

Should your mrs & kids go missing, we will know who to blame!!!

[mjrandom Out of control poster! Find all posts View Profile Close mjrandom]

When the kids were small we used to carry one of those collapsible buckets and woulld drape that over the towbar and fill it with water, even salt water, then wash the kids feet off before carrying them around to their seats.

[Bawky Member Find all posts View Profile Close Bawky]

Should your mrs & kids go missing, we will know who to blame!!!

Classic, I just enjoy myself, sand gets on the rubber mats and on the carpet in places. Nothing a good vacuum will not pick up. What is the big deal? I did buy a rubber piece of rubber from clark rubber for the middle row to go under and between the rubber floor mats from Toyota.

We are going to Stockton Beach, 40 km drive, and we have done it plenty times before. I would be careful in decent winds, I would recommend not winding down windows, tint can get scratched and I agree with previous comment that if the wind is up, then only open 1 door at a time. Recirculation of air I think would be a good idea, but I have never tested it. Each beach drive day has normally had a high pressure system above us and little to no wind

[Bawky Member Find all posts View Profile Close Bawky]

double post

[vichel Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close vichel]

When the kids were small we used to carry one of those collapsible buckets and woulld drape that over the towbar and fill it with water, even salt water, then wash the kids feet off before carrying them around to their seats.

Great simple idea MJ & to think I could have been doing that all this time even without a Prado - hey you didn't invent liquid paper did you?

[Anth120playdo Banned Find all posts View Profile Close Anth120playdo]

Classic, I just enjoy myself, sand gets on the rubber mats and on the carpet in places. Nothing a good vacuum will not pick up. What is the big deal? I did buy a rubber piece of rubber from clark rubber for the middle row to go under and between the rubber floor mats from Toyota.

We are going to Stockton Beach, 40 km drive, and we have done it plenty times before. I would be careful in decent winds, I would recommend not winding down windows, tint can get scratched and I agree with previous comment that if the wind is up, then only open 1 door at a time. Recirculation of air I think would be a good idea, but I have never tested it. Each beach drive day has normally had a high pressure system above us and little to no wind

I agree, I used to be anal about keeping it clean. I do like it clean.
Still usually put bum in seat, bang feet together while their still out, for anything sand or mud.
But, nobody else does it, I figured out its better not to be a ball buster about it.
So I'm happy to have a beach on the car floor while away in the sand, just clean when u get home.
If the vac can't get to it & pick it up & get it out, it doesn't matter.

Cleaning tip: use compressed air to clean the car, save you vac bags & buggering around,
It's faster, x 20, gets into more places, great for cleaning vents & air system too.
Open all the doors & Blow all the crap out.
Safety caution: wear safety glasses or you might get sand blasted.

You will enjoy it more when you stop worrying about the sand

[mjrandom Out of control poster! Find all posts View Profile Close mjrandom]

Great simple idea MJ & to think I could have been doing that all this time even without a Prado - hey you didn't invent liquid paper did you?

Can't take credit for the idea, the wife came up with that one.

Sorry #### I cannot agree with air blowing out the interior. Potentially you can blast sand into places it isn't coming out of. And if you do decide to use compressed air wear ear plugs or other hearing protection.

[Anth120playdo Banned Find all posts View Profile Close Anth120playdo]

Can't take credit for the idea, the wife came up with that one.

Sorry #### I cannot agree with air blowing out the interior. Potentially you can blast sand into places it isn't coming out of. And if you do decide to use compressed air wear ear plugs or other hearing protection.

You don't need to be sorry, your entitled to your opinion.
That's what I do, it works great.
I don't do it while I'm rebuilding an engine.
The only place it goes is out the door.
With huge clouds of dust, that vacs don't get out.
I rarely use ear plugs, especially when I blow air, maybe that's why I'm half deaf.

[prepare Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close prepare]

thanks guys - some good tips in there.

I think if those from outside W.A spent a summer driving on our beaches experiencing the constant gale force wind would relate more to my question!.