By Owen Webb
Meguiar’s Australia

Interior - Show or Street
Firstly, we need to define vehicle interior. Too often, interior is mistakenly referred to as trim or upholstery. Although probably the most important part of an interior, trim and upholstery only represent a portion. Modern trends, extend much further to areas such as sound systems, DVD’s, console modification and fabrication, paint application, fabricated arm rests, moulded floor panels and door handles etc.

Upholstery refers to a certain finish using soft materials such as leather, vinyl and fabrics. Recently the majority of some interiors are predominantly steel or aluminium and painted with only two seats and dash upholstered.

The question always asked of judges is what we look for when judging a car. I would like to stress that we particularly look for innovation and quality, but we assess what is presented to be judged. If we come across a perfect interior we would give the perfect score, which has yet to be awarded. A large portion has come close, to within 1 to 2 points. In these cases there has been room for small improvement in some of these areas:

• Gaps where two panels meet
• Stitch patterns not lining up where panels meet
• Uneven seams in head linings and seats etc.
• Unnecessary gaps between seats and squabs
• Poor fit of seat upholstery
• Poor fitting carpet or moulded floor panels
• Under dash wiring hanging down where a neat fitting panel would cover this
• Unsightly seat brackets
• Lack of cleaning

The overall concept is possibly the most important area to make a top interior. Although this is a matter of personal taste, if not followed through from beginning in a professional and consistent manner, an interior of less complexity may score higher. Colour can also be a personal taste, but it is worth making several points here. Be aware that a dark interior, especially black is like looking into a dark tunnel. The point here is if you have two identical interiors, one totally black and the other a light colour, (tan or cream), the light colour will show all the fine detail and quality workmanship much better than the black. This may be important when planning and designing your interior.

To summarise, most interiors are made of upholstered seats, panels and carpet. This is where attention to detail is critical, mostly this would have to be completed by a qualified tradesperson to achieve a top score. If this is the case, it is imperative you choose the tradesperson carefully. Tradespeople capable of doing show winning quality work will be proud to show other examples of their work, or you will have noticed their work at previous shows. Discuss and make clear your requirements and reject anything you are not satisfied with.

Finally, I’d like to comment how we agonise over the winner with first, second and third often separated only by one or two points. Quite often it will only come down to cleanliness, which can make the difference between winning or minor placing in interior and more importantly overall placing. As with the other areas of your car, plan ahead, seek out the right tradespeople and complete interior with quality not quantity for a top score.

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