General Maintenance of chequered upholstery interior

[Chrisilda]

I'm about to pick my new 500 in 2 days. (let's party people) Ahhhh

Having leather seats for 4.5 years made my mind and decided to NOT go for the leather option again.

I'm just wondering how easy is to keep the seats clean when..

• I have no kids
• I don't smoke (Weeeeeee I quit - applause please :spin
• I don't eat (i need a table for that lol)
• I rarely have a soda or coffee when driving (and when i do i use a special cup)

Friends suggest that an annual biological upholstery cleaning and seat covers during summer will fairly help...

I have already read another topic about that and i'm kindly aking you to not post comments that suggest leather as the only option. I'm aware of this fact but i just didn't want the leather seats.

Some interior pics of 2 or 3 y old seats are welcome.

 

[ahmett]

From what i see with the chequered do not go in the car wet, because they leave a stain which i have seen on all these types of interiors!
This maybe a problem after the beach and in the rain.

And in my opinion seat covers are ugly.
As you requested i am not getting started with the leather!

 

[Chrisilda]

I agree ahmett but its the only option during summer if you want to go to the beach - a seat cover and a clean-dry tower just to be sure.

 

[ahmett]

I agree ahmett but its the only option during summer if you want to go to the beach - a seat cover and a clean-dry tower just to be sure.

I prefer having a shower at the beach changing clothes and going into the car clean! I cant stand sand in the car or being wet!

 

[Chrisilda]

.. That's an option but i prefer having a proper shower at home

 

[jrkitching]

I'm just wondering how easy is to keep the seats clean

Not very - the chequered interior fabric shows any marks/stains more than you might think. So it's a two-pronged approach - try not to get them dirty, and use a decent upholstery cleaner when they do.

They're the fabric equivalent of pearlescent paint & show up even the slightest imperfection or change in colour/texture. I wouldn't advise spot removal unless you're then going to clean the complete cushion or fabric panel, as most cleaners will very slightly change the appearance of the fabric & you'll likely see a feint residual larger spot.

Also be careful what you wear - some clothing will transfer dye to the seats & this can be difficult or impossible to remove completely. New jeans are a particularly risky choice.

If you treat them as if they were pure white velvet, they'll stay looking good for longer.

And BTW - congratulations on giving up smoking .

As for the beach - that's kinda hard to imagine right now - unless you fancy having a wee paddle here:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/northeastscotl...s/winter_northeastnorthisles_gallery.shtml?26

 

[loveshandbags]

...Some interior pics of 2 or 3 y old seats are welcome.

...They're the fabric equivalent of pearlescent paint & show up even the slightest imperfection or change in colour/texture. I wouldn't advise spot removal unless you're then going to clean the complete cushion or fabric panel, as most cleaners will very slightly change the appearance of the fabric & you'll likely see a feint residual larger spot.

Pictures of my '2 year old' interior are on a thread on here. They have been cleaned twice in the last 6 months and I've give an amateur version of how I clean them. For a more professional update and to see what alternative machines can be used (click here).

Since you're based in Greece with the nice hot weather you could when the time comes take the seats out of the car (something that arorat has done) and give them a good rub down outside the car.

When I saw JRs reference to the pearlescent paint I winched a bit (I still haven't recovered from the cost of the 'touch up' despite not having to pay for it). The crucial difference between the paint and the chequered upholstery is that you can get the fabric back to exactly as it was when it came out of the factory. If I was ordering again I would still order the chequered and it does look the business.
So I wouldn't be overly worried about the fabric. It's relatively hard wearing compared with the Pop seats and would still be my first choice particularly in the blue.

 

[Chrisilda]

Definately i wouldnt try any spot removal if occurs, this is why i was thinking the biological upholstery cleaning as an option...

Your seats look great!

Mine are blue too

 

[Chrisilda]

You probably may ask me why don't you do it yourself.?
I'm just not this type of person

 

[Chrisilda]

As for the beach - that's kinda hard to imagine right now - unless you fancy having a wee paddle here:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/northeastscotl...s/winter_northeastnorthisles_gallery.shtml?26

Nuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuh! I dont think so.

I much prefer this place where i usually go

 

[Chrisilda]

I forgot to mention that i don't have a pet

 

[jrkitching]

When I saw JRs reference to the pearlescent paint I winched a bit (I still haven't recovered from the cost of the 'touch up' despite not having to pay for it). The crucial difference between the paint and the chequered upholstery is that you can get the fabric back to exactly as it was when it came out of the factory.

What I'm implying here is that you can't just 'touch up' minor accidents/spills - you've got to clean a much larger area to get an acceptable result.

Mine came out of the factory (well, out of the dealers anyway) with a small grease stain on the side which I've never been able to completely remove

. I tried a spot remover with the result that I've now got a small grease stain & a slightly larger spot remover stain. It's in an inconspicuous place so I'm not unduly stressed about it.

 

[Chrisilda]

In case that not any spill or accident occurs.. do they get darker because of dust? :/

 

[loveshandbags]

What I'm implying here is that you can't just 'touch up' minor accidents/spills - you've got to clean a much larger area to get an acceptable result.

Mine came out of the factory (well, out of the dealers anyway) with a small grease stain on the side which I've never been able to completely remove

. I tried a spot remover with the result that I've now got a small grease stain & a slightly larger spot remover stain. It's in an inconspicuous place so I'm not unduly stressed about it.

Didn't know about your 'spot'. Luckily I haven't got any grease on the upholstery. From a little accident with polybond on the rear seats when I had the leather option I reckon the chequered fabric wouldn't have pasted that 'test'.

In case that not any spill or accident occurs.. do they get darker because of dust? :/

JR is correct about the spotting or stain mark that you get on the chequered. I'd recommend that if anything spills on it to give it a good 'sponge' as soon as you can. On a separate occassion you will have to do the whole section going as far as the seam and it should be as good as new.
Anyway don't worry about if for now. Enjoy the car when it comes.

 

[Chrisilda]

Only a person like me would worry about that 2 days before picking the car I just want everything to be tidy and clean. My bf calls me "Monica" lool

 

[mrbytez]

Yeah try to avoid opening your doors in the open during wet weather... The stains look really dirty...

I've waited 2 years to send it for a steam clean.. haha, looks much better now though it still appears a bit darker than I first collected it...

Contemplating the alcantara leather mix...

 

[Chrisilda]

This is exactly what i was thinking about. Ok, im not planning to open the doors with no particular reason but what am i going to do when i would like to get out of the car? Waiting until the rain stops is not a great idea lol ...

 

[ahmett]

This is exactly what i was thinking about. Ok, im not planning to open the doors with no particular reason but what am i going to do when i would like to get out of the car? Waiting until the rain stops is not a great idea lol ...

A few marks on the seats will be inevitable no matter what you do. Just do your best and accept it if it happens.

 

[mrbytez]

This is exactly what i was thinking about. Ok, im not planning to open the doors with no particular reason but what am i going to do when i would like to get out of the car? Waiting until the rain stops is not a great idea lol ...

Wow, just saw ur avatar... is tt ur barbie 500?

 

[FireballXL5man]

I use Vanish soap, warm water and a flannel. I clean the whole of the seat with a lather, taking care not to get it too wet, then dry it with a hair dryer. It seems to work quite well. These foaming upholstery cleaners didn't work for me.