How to Care for Your Car's Wood Interior Trim

Wood and woodlike trim is generally easy to maintain.

Ronan Glon | 

Jun 13, 2024 | 2 min read

Bentley

Like leather upholstery, wood trim can spruce up a car's interior but will require occasional care. You generally don't need woodworking experience to care for it. The wood in your car is designed to withstand many years of heat and wear, and it's normally fairly straightforward to keep in good condition.

The Different Types of Wood Trim Found in Cars

How you care for your car's wood interior trim depends on the material used by the manufacturer. The first thing you should determine is whether or not what's in your car is real wood. Some cars feature synthetic wood-look trim that your owner's manual may refer to as "woodgrain" or something similar.

Real wood trim comes in several styles, including open-pore wood and wood veneer. Open-pore wood has a natural look and finish, while wood veneer is often smoother because it consists of ultrathin layers of wood covered by a layer of lacquer that gives the trim a glossy look. Some brands blend both types of wood trim. Bentley notably offers a classic-looking open-pore walnut veneer in some of its models.

How to Care for Wood Trim

Woodgrain is a synthetic material that you can clean with the same products you use to clean the rest of your car's interior. Cleaning wood veneer is relatively easy as well, and some car manufacturers don't publish veneer-specific cleaning details.

Of those that do, Audi recommends cleaning the interior trim, including wood parts, with a mild soap solution it describes as up to two tablespoons of neutral soap in a liter of water.

Mercedes-Benz, meanwhile, suggests cleaning wood trim pieces with a microfiber cloth. It adds that black piano lacquer-look trim parts should be cleaned with a damp cloth and soapy water. The automaker also warns against using solvent-based cleaning agents, polishes, or waxes on wood trim pieces.

Using a lint-free cloth, such as a microfiber cloth, is a good practice regardless of the type of trim, but it's particularly important when cleaning open-pore wood. Lint easily gets caught in the rougher parts of the trim because the finish isn't smooth, and removing the lint can turn into a time-consuming task. It's also a good idea to keep separate cloths for interior and exterior detailing.

How Often Does Wood Trim Need Care?

Unlike, say, a wooden cutting board, your car's wood interior trim pieces are protected by lacquer.

Many car brands recommend cleaning the interior regularly, however, and the wood trim pieces should be cleaned at the same time as the rest of the cabin. If you own a classic car with solid wood trim pieces, you might need to periodically refinish them depending on how they age.

Ronan Glon

Ronan Glon is an American journalist and automotive historian based in France. He enjoys working on old cars and spending time outdoors seeking out his next project car.