PRACTICAL VIEW : You Can’t Blame This on High Heels
Question: I recently discovered that I have worn a hole in my car’s carpet, but I can’t figure out how. My husband claims that (my high heels caused it), but I never put my heel there. The hole is directly behind the accelerator pedal, but all the way back near the seat. It is at the edge of the big transmission hump. I don’t put my feet way back there. How did the hole get there?--B.W.
Answer: Your husband is wrong. It didn’t have anything to do with your shoes.
The hole is a common problem and a lot of drivers go nuts trying to figure out how it got there.
In almost every case, the hole is caused by floor mats, which people use thinking they will protect their carpets.
Every time you enter your car, you inadvertently shove the floor mat over to the right. That forces the edge of the floor mat into the transmission hump. Eventually, all the shoving causes the edge of the floor mat to wear a hole in the carpet.
Some new cars come factory-equipped with a hook fixed into the floor that attaches to the floor mat and anchors it in the proper position. Ford came up with this bright idea for its Taurus and Sable models.
If your car isn’t equipped with such a device, you still have plenty of options.
One possibility is a new line of adhesive-backed automobile floor mats marketed by Continental Auto Accessories. The mats are called Peel-N-Stick and sell for $10 to $30 per set. They are available at many discount department stores and auto parts stores.
I tested a set and found they lived up to their claims. The adhesive backing held the mats firmly in place and did not allow them to shift or bunch up.
The adhesive did not rub off onto my car’s carpeting, though it was plenty strong. Even when the mats got dirty, the adhesive did not lose its grip. They can even be rinsed off. If they eventually do fail, you are protected by a lifetime warranty. The company can be reached at (800) 624-5501.
My advice, however, is to forget about floor mats. If you buy a new car, enjoy the new carpeting the same way you enjoy the new paint, smell and feel of the car.
When the carpet starts to look crummy in a few years, pull out the floor mats and use them to cover up the worn carpeting. Eventually you might wear a hole in your transmission hump but the car will be going on a decade and you’ll have a lot more to worry about than a hole in the rug.
But my personal views run contrary to popular practice. I haven’t been in a car recently that didn’t have floor mats in them. Most people want to keep their carpeting looking nice so that the car will have better resale value. That’s too bad, because the condition of the carpet doesn’t have much to do with the value of a used car. The paint and the upholstery are different issues.
