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Cleaning velour car seats

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  • 18-08-2008 12:50pm
    #1
    JayDubiya
    Registered Users Posts: 22 ✭


    Hi guys, long time lurker, first time poster here.

    I'm looking to buy a second hand car and have my eye on this golf with beige velour seats.

    Problem is that I've been sent a bunch of photos of it and there's a few stains on the seats. I had planned on offering the seller a few hundred quid less than asking price cos of it and then get the seats valeted.

    My humble question is, do you think that these stains will ever come out? Cos if they don't then I doubt I'll bother buying the car cos I'm pretty sure those stains would grate on my brain!

    Thanks in advance.


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    #2
    Anan1
    Registered Users Posts: 22,815 ✭✭✭✭Anan1


    I'd make my decision/offer on the basis that they won't come out. You have to assume the worst, as you won't know until after the shampoo.


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    #3
    Henry Ford III
    Moderators, Business & Finance Moderators Posts: 17,714 Mod ✭✭✭✭Henry Ford III


    Ask seller have it valeted. Tell him/her you are interested, but the car must have clean upholstery.


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    #4
    -Chris-
    Closed Accounts Posts: 12,035 ✭✭✭✭-Chris-


    I'd take the photos to a local valeting company and ask their opinion. The pros will be able to tell you if a car is stained beyond repair (pretty unlikely).


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    #5
    JayDubiya
    Registered Users Posts: 22 ✭JayDubiya


    Cheers for the help guys. Yeah rang a couple of valeting companies there, and they all said that there should be no problems in getting the stains out, but to be safe I think I might print some of the photo's out and take them to a local guy.

    One of the valeters suggested putting a scotch guard on the seats. He described it to me and it sounded like they basically spray a coat of plastic on the seats. Has anyone got any experience with this? Would it ruin the soft feel of the velour?

    Oh I've stuck a photo of one of the stains in question below, ye might be able to let me know if it looks particularly bad?

    thanks again.

    main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=146

    main.php?g2_itemId=145


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    #6
    Stevie Dakota
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,817 ✭✭✭Stevie Dakota


    That's a Golf right? The velour on those is very receptive to cleaning, should come up like new.


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    #7
    JayDubiya
    Registered Users Posts: 22 ✭JayDubiya


    Stevie Dakota wrote: »
    That's a Golf right? The velour on those is very receptive to cleaning, should come up like new.

    Yeah it's a golf alright. Good to hear! Do you have any idea as to how hard those seats are to keep clean? Love the colour of them, just don't want to be getting them valeted every 6 months!!


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    #8
    Stevie Dakota
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,817 ✭✭✭Stevie Dakota


    We had light grey in ours, was very easy to keep looking good, but then I do tend to stay on top of the cleaning, AutoGlym interior shampoo and a sponge worked great.


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    #9
    JayDubiya
    Registered Users Posts: 22 ✭JayDubiya


    Yeah if I bought it I think I'd be fairly on top of the cleaning myself! Cheers for the heads up Stevie


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    #10
    Stevie Dakota
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,817 ✭✭✭Stevie Dakota


    Good luck with it, on the Scotchgaurd stuff I don't know, do you have kids? That stuff is made by Chemical Ali, i wouldn't want to be breathing it in a confined space.


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    #11
    JayDubiya
    Registered Users Posts: 22 ✭JayDubiya


    No kids (only mid-twenties yet!) but tbh, I'd much rather just keep it clean myself than put some sort of covering on it.


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    #12
    mallabuoy
    Registered Users Posts: 7 ✭mallabuoy


    Stevie Dakota wrote: »
    That's a Golf right? The velour on those is very receptive to cleaning, should come up like new.
    +1 to that
    I had a passat and the seats were in an awful way
    A quick valet later looked like new - €140 included all interior and outside was wax.


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    #13
    JayDubiya
    Registered Users Posts: 22 ✭JayDubiya


    Cheers for that mallabuoy, any recommendations for a decent valet service around dublin?


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    #14
    TomMc
    Registered Users Posts: 1,616 ✭✭✭TomMc


    Most of those fabric protectors are solvent based so tend to smell a bit for a day or so. Dangerous chemicals to be working with or inhaling in the vapours. Basically they put a layer of protection on the fabric fibres to act as a barrier against stains and soiling. They prevent liquids (tea, coffee, soft drinks) from soaking into the fabric if you spill same. Basically liquids bead up on fabric like water does on waxed paintwork. Gives you a chance to mop up without soiling. They work well on carpets as well. What you would find is that they hold up for about a year as the friction generated by repeated sitting & moving around in the seat, wears off the coating gradually. The important thing when they are applying it is to use very thin mist coats rather than a heavy one otherwise if can harden the fabric to the touch, or make it stand up leaving an unnatural look to the pile. I have used other brands much like the 3M Scotchgard to pretty good effect. There are also non-solvent based ones available from other manufacturers. But the main thing is to get the seats clean first.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scotchgard


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