2014 Recaro Seat Proper Care.

[Tritanium]

Hi I have a brand new set of Recaro Seats in my new Camaro. They are quite wrinkled in the normal side areas already so I want to take extra good care of them. What should I do to keep them in the best condition. I always used Adam's Leather cleaner followed by their leather condition on my old camaros leather seats. I was muster wondering if there is anything else I can do to help the Recaros even more?

[Schluney]

Interested as well! I haven't cleaned mine yet

[Macina]

Same here!

[Mark T]

And me too of course.

Mine is still new but knowing ahead of time will be helpful.

Anything on the recaro website?

[CamaroDreams07]

What is the seating surface on these? Leather? Suede?

No matter what, a product isn't going to do much to prevent wrinkling. That's a product of how you get in and out of the car and the way you sit.

Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk

[Tritanium]

Originally Posted by CamaroDreams07

What is the seating surface on these? Leather? Suede?

No matter what, a product isn't going to do much to prevent wrinkling. That's a product of how you get in and out of the car and the way you sit.

The center is all suede, but all of the side and the headrest are a nice leather. I get in and out the best I can but the wrinkles on the side were there from the day I picked the car up. Like I said they are normal wear wrinkles but because theses seats were a $2000 option I would like to keep them as nice as possible.

[My 5th]

After 4 years of owning my SS I've got a lot of wear on the driver's upper left side bolster. I think part of my problem was I had my cell phone on my left hip and it dragged across the bolster so many times I broke 3 belt clips. Finally wised up (a little) and switched the phone to the right hip. Much easier to get in and out now. Years ago I had a 911S with Recaros, they do require a more careful entry. No sliding across with those you need to have a more up and down seating motion and get control over your butt. In aviation terms, no low altitude approach you need to helicopter in.

[charlietuna]

Originally Posted by Tritanium

Hi I have a brand new set of Recaro Seats in my new Camaro. They are quite wrinkled in the normal side areas already so I want to take extra good care of them. What should I do to keep them in the best condition. I always used Adam's Leather cleaner followed by their leather condition on my old camaros leather seats. I was muster wondering if there is anything else I can do to help the Recaros even more?

These products will work to clean and protect the coated leather. Use a gentle horse hair brush to lift and restore the microfiber suede. Spot clean the microfiber with a gentle fabric cleaner and a dedicated interior brush.

[Cms3717]

A heat gun on a low setting as to not burn the trim cover, and some manual manipulation of the trim cover, and you should be able to work those wrinkles out, That's what Is done in assembly.

[charlietuna]

Originally Posted by Cms3717

A heat gun on a low setting as to not burn the trim cover, and some manual manipulation of the trim cover, and you should be able to work those wrinkles out, That's what Is done in assembly.

That's a video worth watching.. I'd love to see this done.

[charlietuna]

I like this video best there are others.

http://youtu.be/c85yZC-9BJI

[Cms3717]

A couple general videos, But you catch a couple glimpses of the steaming and heat "Finessing"

[DylanVK]

I'll just contribute this info for the faux suede part of the seat. This writeup can be found here: http://www.surfcitygarageforums.com/...rior-surfaces/

Originally Posted by Dylan@SCG

"How do I clean the suede material on the interior of my car?"

Todays modern factory interiors feature a wide variety of surfaces and materials. An increasingly popular trend in sports cars and custom interiors is the use of synthetic suedes commonly referred to as alcantara or microsuede. The luxurious feel lends a real upscale appearance and also reduces slip on the seat as you take high speed turns, but the problem lies in its care. When it comes to these materials many people don't know the first thing about how to care for them of what they should do to keep them nice.

WHAT IS 'SYNTHETIC SUEDE'?
Synthetic suedes, like alcantara, give the look and feel of real sueded leather, but with lower cost and better durability. These are man made, synthetic fibers, similar in makeup to the microfiber towels you use to care for your paint. Unlike natural sueded leather, these materials are born in a 'labratory' and not harvested from animals.

REGULAR MAINTENANCE OF SYNTHETIC SUEDE SEAT SURFACES
Prevention, as always, is the best medicine. These materials as they are sat on or handled begin to look matted and tired. Depending on whether your vehicle is a daily driver or more of a toy you will see this happen more or less frequently, it all just depends on how much 'use' it sees.

One of the most simple steps you can take to prevent premature wear and keep the synthetic suede materialls looking their best is to brush them regularly with a clean, dry, medium stiff brush. By combing the fibers gently you can prevent them from becoming permanently matted and also remove any dry dust or small debris that may have settled. If you don't have access to a brush, a short knap microfiber towel wadded up in your hand will work as a substitute.

Its also a an excellent idea to use a brush end attachment on your vacuum cleaner if you have one. This way any dirt or dust dislodged will be sucked up and you can brush the materials at the same time.

Its recommended to brush the materials out once a week for most cars, more frequently for cars that see lots of driving.

REGULAR MAINTENANCE OF SYNTHETIC SUEDE STEERING WHEELS/SHIFTERS
Alcantara and microsuede look great on steering wheels and also give you a much grippier surface to hold onto, but because your hands sweat and have oils the deterioration of the surface is even worse than the seats. The oils and sweat from your hands will attract additional dust and dirt leading to an ugly matted surface.

Like the seats, regular brushing of the surface will help prevent matting. Be sure to brush these surfaces out as often as they appear to be getting flat and use a vacuum end brush attachment when possible.

To break up surface oils and dirt that don't come off from brushing alone we recommend the use of a short knap microfiber towel lightly dampened with a product like Surf City Garage Dash Away.

Regardless of the cleaner you choose the process is simple.

1. First brush and/or vacuum the surfaces to remove any loose debris (like dust)
2. Spray a very small amount of the interior cleaner onto a clean microfiber towel
3. Gently blot and wipe and the surface. Typically the most serious contamination will be at the 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock hand positions on the steering wheel.
4. Add additional cleaner as the towel begins to feel dry.
5. Blot up any excess moisture with a separate clean, dry, microfiber towel.

WHAT ABOUT MORE SERIOUS STAINS AND SPILLS?
No matter how careful you are there are always those times when you have an drink in the car and it sploshes out, or you drop something on the seat that you didn't mean to. While synthetic suedes are typically pretty durable there are some general cleaning rules that should always be obeyed.

• Treat it as quickly as possible. The longer a spill or stain sits the harder it will be to remove.
• Before attempting to remove ANY excess spill or substance. Avoid pressing down and forcing it further into the surface, blot lightly with something absorbent like a sponge or towels until most of the excess is removed.
• For thicker substances, say like a milkshake or smoothie, use a spatula or credit card to scoop the excess off of the surface first so it can't absorb into the fibers.

After the excess spill has been removed see specific treatment info see below:

• Fruit juice, jelly, syrup, ketchup, mayo, etc: Use lukewarm water, rinse by dabbing with clean water, rinsing and wringing the towel or sponge often.
• Blood, excrement, urine, or protein based stains: Use cold water; avoid warm water because it makes these substances coagulate, rinse by dabbing with clean water, rinsing and wringing the towel or sponge often.
• Alcoholic beverages, wine, beer, coke, black coffee and tea: Use lukewarm water; if the color mark remains, treat it with lemon juice and then rinse it well. (if liquor - what the heck were you driving for?)
• Pencil, ground in dirt, non-permanent ink: Use lukewarm water; rinse by dabbing with clean water rinsing and wringing the towel or sponge often.
• Hair gel, coffee with cream/sugar, ice cream, etc: Use lemon juice and then wipe with lukewarm water; rinse by dabbing with clean water, rinsing and wringing the towel or sponge often.

IF THE STAIN OR SPILL DRIES BEFORE YOU CAN REMOVE IT
Depending on the type of stain start with the recommended treatments above. (water or lemon juice) In the event these do not work use isopropyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol) and follow the instructions below. This is of course the method of last resort, so only use this option if all other options fail.

Rub with alcohol, then with water and rinse. Leave the vehicle in a dry place with the doors or windows open and allow the alcohol to evaporate off. Repeat the alcohol treatment as needed or until there is no longer any improvement in the stains appearance.

[Schluney]

Originally Posted by Dylan@SCG

I'll just contribute this info for the faux suede part of the seat. This writeup can be found here: http://www.surfcitygarageforums.com/...rior-surfaces/

Thanks for the write up! I now know I need to get a brush! I have just over 1K miles and I've never brushed it!