EK9: Spare tire cover replacement & trunk cleanup

Today i got a new spare tire cover from Fitmint (click for link to supplier), which I ordered recently:

Because after our last trip, I realized that the original spare tire cover has some ugly stains and is broken at one point:

This is a common issue with the thin Masonite board, especially if the spare tire (which supports the board from below) is removed and heavy stuff is stored on it

The replacement has the same shape and the rubber / foam bumpers in all the right spots.

The thing that annoys me quite a bit (not sure if it’s a mistake or not?) is. that they seemed to mix up the flat and the perforated side. So it’s exactly the opposite as on my original Honda item, where the glossy / flat side is on the bottom and the perforated one on the top.

Other than that and the different color of the rubber parts, (it’s also kind of switched from the original one) it’s a pretty solid replica:

While at it anyway, I also decided to clean up the original tool and Jack pouches:

While the pouches have some wear, the rest is still absolutely mint:

Pulled out my vacuum cleaner and removed some dirt in the trunk:

I realized that the area where the board touches the paint, paint is removed from vibrations and somebody had already “fixed” that in the past. I’m not sure, but it might have been me 🙂

Anyway, i decided to give it another touch-up, just to prevent it from rusting.

And those small areas which had rust (like the spare tire mounting bracket), got some spray-on rust remover:

At the end, it turned out pretty solid:

So I put the cleaned spare-tire and tools back in:

And the new cover on top. Fits perfectly.

And then the carpet back on it. Yes, I know, I need to clean that one too…
Overall, I’m happy with the little project. If only they had made the spare tire cover around the right way, to make my OCD happy.