How-to.....Make the rear seats livable for your passengers.

[westwood55]

The TrafficMaster Carpet Tile is made from Eco-Fi materials made from recyled plastic bottles.

[gtferrari]

im gonna attempt this in the 08 coupe today. not too sure about placing the tiles in the wheel wells plus there seems to be some form of liner/acoustic something there already. these cars do seem to have quite a bit of road and wind noise and it would be nice to not have to use the speed compensated volume. has anybody dropped their headliner to see if there is any material up there?

i picked up a box or 2 of carpet squares from menards. $1 a square foot $22 something for a case. this is the cheapest option and yields the most flexible and formable tile. the more expensive the tile the stiffer and more durable it is.

[westwood55]

gtferrari...
Whats the brand name of the carpet tile you got at Menards ??
I'd like to check it out.

[gtferrari]

Quick floor by ozite. Bar code 080321102317

[westwood55]

Thanks, I'll check it out.

[gtferrari]

well here are some shots of the interior of a 08+ coupe. sorry sedan folks your rides will be a little bit more difficult because of the window regulators.

to remove the panel first begin by separating the panels. there are some plastic clips that lock the lower to the upper at the seat belt.
[IMG] 2012-12-16_15-18-31_41 by gtferrari, on Flickr[/IMG]

then again at the rear seat belt. there are three there and are a little more difficult to release. the rear trim piece is separate from the c pillar cover and if you undo it from there you will have an even harder time of reinstalling it.
[IMG] 2012-12-16_15-17-38_107 by gtferrari, on Flickr[/IMG]

now at the bottom of the panel near the door you will need to lift the focus name plate a little and sneak the panel from under it.
[IMG] 2012-12-16_15-18-07_658 by gtferrari, on Flickr[/IMG]

now remove the seat bottom by sliding the two locking catches toward the drivers side. the seat simply lifts out.

using some persuasion and patience begin to pop the panel off of the car. no tools necessary. you will find it easier to raise and lower the seat back as necessary. mind you once the panel clips are free the panel will not lift out easily. there are two foam blocks that are glued to the panel that fill the void in the body. gently reach behind the panel and push them down as you pull the panel out.
[IMG] 2012-12-16_15-10-46_185 by gtferrari, on Flickr[/IMG]

the body shop had already damaged this panel by snaping off the smallest block and were nice enough to throw it out for me instead of reattaching it with glue or screws. (i had to do this on the other panel)

now that everything is out of the way you can install your acoustic tiles/blankets/foam/whathaveyou into the void. mindful that the foam on the panel will have to fit back.

it was now that i noticed a void that extends back into the trunk that runs just beneath the window and presumably goes into the c pillar. i stuffed a small blanket into this area as there was no way to measure and cut/fit the carpet to fit it. (the carpet has been affixed to the body panel (with arrow) and you just make out the green blanket.
[IMG] 2012-12-16_15-10-52_693 by gtferrari, on Flickr[/IMG]

once you are satisfied with your work you can begin reassembly following the steps in reverse.

one box of carpet squares (ruffly 22 sq ft) was enough to do most of the trunk and for the little bit of interior (pictured). now i have the audiophile system with sub so i wasnt able to place carpet on the drivers side of the trunk.

[popwarhomie]

http://www.sounddeadenershowdown.com

[Miller88]

I was hauling around some old wheels in the Focus with the seat backs down. I never noticed how much more noise you get with the seats down! I have studded snow tirs on mine, so it's going to be noisey anyway.

The other thing is, I would be worried about the carpet keeping in salt spray. That's going to rust the car out quickly in the salt belt

[gtferrari]

im sure the salt spray will dissolve the glue on the carpet. road salt is powerful enough to un glue the asbestos floor tiles in my shop. as far as it holding the salt against the car the grey snow/ice (road slush) does that, plus our cars feature marine carpet in the rear wheel wells held in place by plastic pins.

on the exterior of the car maybe a product like lizard skin would be more appropriate but at $160 for 2 gallons....