Tackling this Alcantara..

W

WCM3

New member
Hey guys,



Bought a set of alcantara seats for my 95 M3 and need to revive them a bit. I've read online that the best way to approach this project would be with a sweater shaver, an alcantara/suede brush, and some multipurpose cleaner. Any helpful hints? I'm mostly worried about losing the shiny look and making it matte again. The wrinkles will work themselves out when i stretch the seat back on the base.











Thanks in advance for any help,

Mike
 
Wait, so you WANT the shiny look? The reason it's shiny like that is because it's caked with dirt, and the material is slightly worn. Cleaning it will more than likely make it matte again, which is what the material is supposed to look like.
 
I'd err on the sued'ish part being worn..

If the budget allows, I'd find a local upholster to rewrap



Sweather Shaver ? If you're talking about those things that remove lint...those are deadly. Spinning knife under a perforated blade to remove the extras ?



Love Alcantara. Hate the maintenance.
 
C. Charles Hahn said:
Wait, so you WANT the shiny look? The reason it's shiny like that is because it's caked with dirt, and the material is slightly worn. Cleaning it will more than likely make it matte again, which is what the material is supposed to look like.
Click to expand...



Oh no, the only thing i WANT to remove is the shiny look. I would like it to be matte again. The shiny part is the dirty / worn down piece. What would you use as a cleaner?



chefwong said:
I'd err on the sued'ish part being worn..

If the budget allows, I'd find a local upholster to rewrap



Sweather Shaver ? If you're talking about those things that remove lint...those are deadly. Spinning knife under a perforated blade to remove the extras ?



Love Alcantara. Hate the maintenance.
Click to expand...



I'm too anal about stuff. I'd rather keep the OEM suede / alcantara on if I can. Even if i can't get it 100%. And yeah, a sweater shaver from walmart, etc. They are supposed to help clean up the worn areas.
 
IMO Alacantara wears too easily. I had the steering wheel re-wrapped 2X when I had alcantara on it...



I would rather have it fresh and new, then attempt to clean it and only be 40% towards where it should be, when the fibers are just worn and soiled.
 
I'd brush it with a semi-stiff brush (to loosen up the fibers and the soiling that is within), blow with compressed air and wipe it with a damp cloth.
 
My Mazda6 has a cream colored suede looking interior which I usually clean by rubbing it gently with a cellulose sponge dipped in a 50/50 solution of Folex and water. However, I made a note (years ago, apparently) in a car products file I keep that a mixture of 1 cup of ammonia to 1 gallon of water is effective. Don't know where I got this but would much appreciate thoughts. Would rather not screw the pooch if this is a potential problem (maybe would degrade the material?). Thanks. Oh, don't mean to jack this thread - mods feel free to blow it up if a separate one would be more appropriate.
 
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