Alcantara Clearning Before and After

[RichM1983]

So I've read on here the best way to renew the alcantara in our cars is to take 1000 grit sandpaper to it. It takes the little fuzzies off of it and makes it look nice again. I've done it before and it works pretty well. I did a search and can't find a before and after in here.

A little history. I bought this car last fall with 80k. Overall it needed some attention. The seats had stains and the alcantara on the drivers seat was looking fuzzy or wooly, not smooth like it should. I figured I'd take a before and after to show the results of what some Blue Coral and 1000 grit did for me. My seats were stained so I didn't hesitate to use the Blue Coral. I know there are other methods to treat the alcantara that may be safer on pristine seats.

All I did was roll up the sand paper and wipe from side to side with moderate pressure. I was careful on the edges not to sand the leather. I just used the Blue Coral as a cleaner. My seats were dirty. It is not necessary when sanding. It is a pretty simple process. The after pics look dark because the alcantara is still wet from the Blue Coral.





Here is a final shot after drying.
View attachment 38168

 

[Blueline]

Looks great! Nice job

 

[Coxy]

Looks like it came out real good. Nice work! Could you toss up a pic once they dry?

 

[RichM1983]

Looks like it came out real good. Nice work! Could you toss up a pic once they dry?

Will do. They are still wet. I really soaked them down lol. Should be ready ford pics tomorrow.

 

[Coxy]

Haha I get a bit carried away when shampooing/steam cleaning as well. Were the seats dry when you used the 1000 grit? I see I have a little spot doing that on my seat, will be a good trick to know for later!

 

[CobraLucci]

That looks really good! I may try that... would blue coral remove stains?

 

[Woody6799]

Def subbing to this thread... great trick. My seats need this bad!

 

[Goose17]

Is that really Alcantara? My GT500 has Alcantara and it looks different.

 

[svtaddict]

I clean small stains with alcohol takes them right out. You just have to work inward towards the middle of the stain.

 

[jblood37]

Yeah they are Alcantara. I sandpapered mine a couple years ago. It really cleans the seats up nicely.

 

[lobra97]

damn i gotta do this, looks like dust bunnies all having a meeting on my alcantara seats from being worn out. i wasn't sure how to get the fuzzies out but now i have another project!

so did you spray the blue corral first, then wipe side to side? think we're all a little curious on how you did it.

 

[RichM1983]

I did the sanding first before I did the Blue Coral cleaner. Once I was done and applied the Blue Coral to clean them I wasn't satisfied and did some additional sanding. It worked better dry because you could blow the fuzzy pieces out of the way easier so you could see what you were doing.

 

[RichM1983]

Here is a pic after drying. The whole reason for using the Blue Coral was the dark staining of the seat. The drivers side bottom cushion is substantially darker than it should be. It is lighter after using the cleaner but it may still need some more cleaning. At least the wooly fuzzy pieces are gone.

 

[tnuce10]

That's neat.

I've never heard of that trick before. Awesome tip OP

 

[lobra97]

Oh snap! Looks way better. I will def be doing this

 

[Goose17]

Yeah they are Alcantara. I sandpapered mine a couple years ago. It really cleans the seats up nicely.

I have Mystichrome seats. I didn't know Alcantara was in the non-MC Terminators.

 

[RichM1983]

I have Mystichrome seats. I didn't know Alcantara was in the non-MC Terminators.

Yep 10th Anniversary and MC didn't. All others do.

 

[Coxy]

Here is a pic after drying. The whole reason for using the Blue Coral was the dark staining of the seat. The drivers side bottom cushion is substantially darker than it should be. It is lighter after using the cleaner but it may still need some more cleaning. At least the wooly fuzzy pieces are gone.

View attachment 38168

Looks great man, glad you posted this little project up. I was thinking of ways to cover the seats so they done pile/ball up any more, since they are mint other then that. Thanks!

 

[BadBlue98GT]

I did this a few years ago and it really did the trick on my driver's seat. It has subsequently started doing it again, but I've been hesitant to sandpaper the parts again as I don't want to wear a hole in the Alcantara. Anybody have any data on how many times you can do this without screwing up your seats?

 

[RichM1983]

I did this a few years ago and it really did the trick on my driver's seat. It has subsequently started doing it again, but I've been hesitant to sandpaper the parts again as I don't want to wear a hole in the Alcantara. Anybody have any data on how many times you can do this without screwing up your seats?

Good question. I guess you have to weigh the pros/cons. Do you want to keep your seats looking nice and eventually replace them due to wear or have them looking less than optimal but have them for longer? I guess it comes down to how often it is driven. Knowing how much material was actually removed from the process I think you could do it several time before you would have to worry about thinning material.