Interior Masters - Is this too much?

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XRL

New member
So I've been looking for a new interior for my car, unfortunately, it's rather rare. I found a set, but its at a junkyard and has definitely seen better days.



I'm not sure if this will "buff out" more or less. This thing is incredibly dirty, I've got products that I could probably clean the leather (toothbrush & leather cleaner!!), but I've read that suede is a bit trickier to clean. The carpet on the back of the seat was torn as well, so I have to find someone/some way to replace that piece.



Here's some pictures the guy sent me, I'm not sure if I'm gonna buy them or not.



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Pictures of the torn carpet on the back of the rear seats:

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The center console should be pretty easy enough:

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So what do you guys think? They were asking like $450 for everything, I'm not willing to pay that much for it at all. Do you guys think that seats in this condition can even be cleaned? The suede inserts make this much more difficult, as I don't believe that a lot of products that would work well for this can be used on suede, so I'd have to tape the suede off or something. I appreciate your input, thanks guys.
 
$450 seems a little steep to me, but if the electronics all work and they are in better shape than the pics make them look, then maybe.



I'm probably going to get flamed here, but I would personally pressure wash the seats. If there is that much dirt/grime on top, the foam underneath must be just as terrible. Using a pressure washer correctly can act like an extractor on steroids, but the seats will need a good vac to get as much water out and even longer time by the fan to dry out. Afterwards I would clean them like normal with some APC and good carpet treatment for the suede.



I've been contacted by my local dealership once for a nasty farm truck. I took the seats and carpet out and did exactly as i mentioned above and everything turned out great, the dealership was very happy since they had just assumed they would have to buy new seats at the least.
 
Yeah, I'm thinking closer to $200. I'm gonna have to spend a LONG time cleaning these. As far as electronics go, there's just the power seats. I believe they work.



I didn't even think about the grime in the foam. Think a Bissel LGM would be of any use for this?



The seats are actually located in a junkyard type place in Houston, TX. If they've got the carpet and floor mats too this *might* be a good deal at like $300 if this is workable.



I didn't think that you could use water on leather or suede products. I was under the impression that it was very bad for them.



EDIT: the spot on the lower side bolster of the driver side seat is worrying me some as well. I dunno *** it is. Being from texas, I doubt these saw too much rain on them. I'm almost thinking that it was a spot where they tried to clean the seats just to see if they'd get better at all, even slightly.
 
Wow... those are a mess. And sorry about this but I wouldn't power wash those seat for anything. 1 they have electronics in them and 2 they are leather. You'd be about as dumb as a box of rock to power wash those seats. And I have done it before and in some cloth non-electronic seats I can see the advantage. This is NOT a good example of that though. My biggest worry about those (outside if the things even work still) is what's growing under the skins? They've obviously been left out to rot for quite some time now. and even if you could clean it up (which surface wise you really probably could) I can't see how you could effectively eleiminate the mold that has to be growing on the foam in there. If it were me I'd probably have to pass on them.
 
I've been doing upholstery for awhile...



I would completely remove the seat covers. That might mean having to redo hog rings and a few clips or so...



If the seats in your car are the same style you might consider using the foam from your seats since they'll be assumingly in better shape....



Also with the covers off, you can effectively clean them better.



Give some more details on what you're doing, and what materials everything is made from...



-Rick
 
My seats don't have the same bolstering as these ones, which is part of why I'm looking to upgrade. The outside of them is your normal GM leather, and the center areas are GM "suede".



If you go to the ebay auction, you can see a vehicle with the same setup in good condition.



Saturn : Vue:eBay Motors (item 110433868883 end time Sep-14-09 09:37:08 PDT)



I don't think out seat covers just hog rings, from what i remember, they have these plastic pieces that just clip into little grooves. I think taking the seat covers off is a definite possibility.



These seats have been sitting in a junkyard in Houston, TX. It's reasonable to think that they don't have a whole lot of rain out there. Would the foam grow mold even in a climate like that?



Thanks guys, I appreciate your help.



EDIT: pictures of the seats from the ebay auction to make it easier to compare



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Here is one that was covered in mildew and dirt. They sat in a salvage yard for almost a year.... they were so bad, I was told they were Tan... Which once I was finished ruined the guys plans... he needed tan seats....



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You can see the seat in the far right, thats one before cleaning... it did look like a dirty tan seat....



I had to get pretty aggressive. Dawn dish soap and bleach is actually what I ended up using, it was pretty bad... If I ruined these though it wasn't a big deal, I was goign to purchase them anyways... I then followed with mink oil...
 
Houston gets a fair amount of rain, I'm about 3 hours north of there...



yes, gm seats usually have plastic clips, but there sometimes are hog rings in certain areas...
 
Yeah. $450 is insane. Plus like 200 for freight shipping to Florida. I'm thinking of offering $250 for the seats, console, carpet, and floormats. If he says no, then I wait for another set to pop up, or just go with aftermarket seats. My seats I have now are fine, I just wanted to get the better bolstered suede/leather ones.



I could also just go with the full leather seats out of an Equinox Sport/Torrent GXP like these:

Chevy Equinox Sport Front Rear Black Leather Seat Set:eBay Motors (item 330360123587 end time Oct-14-09 06:10:21 PDT)



Though I would really rather the suede.
 
They have been without any covering outdoors?? Water from rain gets in the foam and they might be much much worse than in the pictures and filled with mold.. Could be possible to get them to look ok on the outside, but I would always be worried what is under the cover..

I am just curious, from what car are those seats??
 
They're from a 2006 or 2007 Saturn Vue Redline. Unfortunately, they're like super rare, or super expensive if you buy them brand new.
 
UPDATE: The seats/car have been out there for 4 months. He says they just have a little mildew on them, and doesn't think that they have mold inside them. The power functions are supposed to work.



I can get the carpet from it too. Maybe I can get a good deal on it. $200-250 seems reasonable for it all. I think I can clean them up nice.
 
Those will clean up perfectly. $200-$250 is a total deal and a half. Are you buying them locally? They look like low mileage too. The side supports look very firm. There's no way mold is under the cushion unless they came out of a flood car. Regardless, they will clean up great. I would definately power wash the fabric inserts.



Here's a thread I did on PWing an interior:



http://www.autopia.org/forum/pro-de...ad-they-need-powerwashed.html?highlight=seats
 
One of the people on the Vue forum said he thought it looked like a flood vehicle. I don't necessarily agree with him, but given how easy it is to take the covers off I might check out the foam just to be sure.



I wish I could get these local, they're from Houston, TX. I've been a bit apprehensive about buying them sight unseen, but I'm feeling better about it since the general consensus seems to be that they will clean up fine. I'll just have to have the rear carpet replaced.



They haven't emailed me back after I offered them $200, I don't think they liked my offer, heh. I'll email them again tomorrow if they haven't emailed me back. It sounds like this would be a good learning experience, plus I really want the seats, heh.
 
You have to remember that there was a lot of flood damage in Galveston. I have seen a number of cars come up that were flooded from the storm.



If you buy them, then I would remove the covers and throw them in a front load washing machine.
 
So, a year and a half later, I've found another set that's much closer to me. Good news is that they're in better shape, bad news is they're a lot more money. But I'm stupid and insane, so I'm pulling the trigger anyways.



This is what they look like now( will be shipped to me on Monday most likely)

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Much better shape overall, but still need some good cleaning. Was planning on picking up a Bissell Little Green Machine for this job. Anyone have any specific tips on how to clean these seats? For the Microsuede I'm seeing diluted Woolite here, though many people on other places have recommended diluted simple green. For the leather itself I'll probably use an interior cleaner and those little pink nail brush things.



Then again, I've been gone for a bit, is there a better way to do this?
 
Paging Roger Koh!



Removing the seat covers might be a good idea, even in this situation. It all depends on the hardness/dryness of the leather. Cleaning/hydrating from the underside of the leather seat covers is the most effective method if the leather isn't perforated.
 
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