Okay folks - here's my wee guide as promised
first of all here's a list of the things you'll need:
1. a hoover
2. a scrubbing brush
3. one of those sponges with a rough side
4. an empty trigger spray bottle (surface cleaner/bathroom spray, anything like that) to put the dye in
5. black carpet dye. i used 1 litre of the stuff you can get off ebay "valeter's pride" about 13 quid iirc
6. a ratchet and 17mm socket for the bolts that hold the seats
7. a pair of rubber gloves
I also ended up using a few other things that aren't pictured here:
8. a bottle of white spirit
9. various other screwdrivers and sockets for removing the rest of the interior
10. plenty of old newspaper
11. some plastic carrier bags
first you're going to have to remove your interior:
The two fron t seats are each held in by four 17mm bolts, one at the front and rear of each of the runners. While I had my seats out I gave them a quick service, removing dirt and surface rust from the runners and giving them a bit of oil. i also sprayed my runners black again as they were looking a bit shabby.
now for the centre console. remove the handbrake and gear lever gaitors and the front and rear ashtrays, disconnecting the lamp wires as you go. You'll also have to pop out your electric window switches and unplug them. there are a couple of screws behind the ashtray that'll need taken out. remove the two plastic bolts, one under where the rear ashtry was and one under where the gear lever gaitor was. As long as I'm not forgetting anything, its just the two clips at the very back of the centre console now, at the back of the driver's and passenger's footwells respectively. I'd also recommend removing the under dash panel from the driver's side (90 degree twist on the three clips at the top of the panel, then remove the headlight adjustment selector. Make sure you note where the wires that you've disconnected go.
You should now have something that looks like this:
Now take a few of the plastic bags and tie them around things you don't want to dye - handbrake and gear levers, pedals etc:
take newspaper and cover over all the ares that might get hit by bits of spray (rear quarter door cards, sills etc). luckily for me, all that stuff in my car is black anyway so I didn't have to be too careful, i just sponged away any overspray with white spirit and it looked fine, but I reckon you'll have to be more careful if your door cards etc are a different colour.
now for the dying... make sure you're in a well ventilated area, outside ideally - open both your doors wide and open your sunroof if you have one. Although the dye is completely odourless when dry, while you're using it it lets off a potent solvent smell that probably isn't very good for your brain! Best stay away from open flames/cigarettes... you should probably disconnect your battery too, just one wee spark etc etc
Get your rubber gloves on and pour the dye into your trigger spray bottle.
I worked by spraying the dye onto areas about 1.5 feet squared, just enough to lightly cover the surface of the carpet. Remove any overspray with the sponge/white spirit.
Then take your scrubbing brush and work the dye into the carpet, making sure that you brush from all angles, completely coating the fibres. I worked from the back of the car to the front in the passenger side, backing my way toward the drivers door. Make sure you take the time to walk around the outside of the car to look in from the other door/sunroof in case there are spots you've missed that you were unable to see from your dying position.
I made an attempt at dying the plastic section in the drivers footwell, but gave up trying to get an even coverage on the plastic in the end. Had to spend ages removing the dye I had applied with the scrubby side of my sponge and white spirit, and if i had to do the job again, I'd probably mask of this area before starting the job... Your mats will be over the top of this bit anyway.
I gave the car about 2 hours to dry out with the doors open (I spent this time working on the recaros, cleaning/oiling/painting the runners, conditioning the seats with mcguires and dying the leather back to black with a tin of that stuff from ebay - 7.99 a tin, does the whole interior, great results.
then, in the fine tradition of the Haynes manual: "Refitting is the reverse of removal". Get you centre console and seats back in, then enjoy the results.
to try and answer a couple of the questions that have cropped up:
Yes, the finish still looks excellent, although if I'm gonna be really picky i might get some more of the dye and give the drivers footwell another coat - the carpet here is the thinnest and most used especially for me as i use my car to do deliveries, so i'm in and out all the time.
I haven't noticed anything taking any colour from the dye, but then I never wear white trainers. The seller assured me that it it completely waterproof once dry though.
Hope this is of use to anyone that fancies doing this mod, I must say its still one of my fave things on mine.
***disclaimer*** this turned out great on my car, but don't come crying to me if its turns out rubbish on yours, or you accidentally walk back into your house with dye on your feet, or your neighbour's cat gets sick after drinking the spare dye you left lying around.
