# Volvo Nubuck fabric.



## Steveo535 (Nov 26, 2016)

Hi All

Hope your all keeping safe in these strange times.

I'm looking for a bit of advice. I've order a Volvo XC 90 with Nubuck textured fabric headlining and the seats are part leather part Nubuck.

The advice I'm after is the best thing to clean them with and the best thing to protect them with.

I have Swissvax Alcantra cleaner and I'm guessing Nubuck it a similar fabric.

I have no experience of Nubuck material so any advice will be gratefully received 

Regards Steven


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## Andyblue (Jun 20, 2017)

Be interested in the replies as these are similar to my seats...


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## Mac- (Apr 9, 2019)

Nubuck is simply buffed leather, it's easily treated with 303 fabric guard and should stay clean, it responds well to a suede brush.


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## judyb (Sep 7, 2007)

It is highly unlikely to be Nubuck (leather) in a car unless it is a custom built. 
This will be a fabric (microfibre, Alcantara) and should be cleaned as a fabric.
Treating fabric as you would Nubuck or the other way round will do serious damage.
Hope this helps 
Judyb


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## Rappy (Oct 2, 2020)

judyb said:


> It is highly unlikely to be Nubuck (leather) in a car unless it is a custom built.
> This will be a fabric (microfibre, Alcantara) and should be cleaned as a fabric.
> Treating fabric as you would Nubuck or the other way round will do serious damage.
> Hope this helps
> Judyb


Agree 100% :thumb:


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## Coops (Apr 26, 2008)

I have the same in my V90 - leather and alcantara (i presume).

I protected with GTechniq I1.

Did the same on my Skoda Superb some years ago which had the same setup - they were still looking relatively new after 4 years.


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## Andyblue (Jun 20, 2017)

judyb said:


> It is highly unlikely to be Nubuck (leather) in a car unless it is a custom built.
> This will be a fabric (microfibre, Alcantara) and should be cleaned as a fabric.
> Treating fabric as you would Nubuck or the other way round will do serious damage.
> Hope this helps
> Judyb


Mines listed as Leather / Nubuck seats...

So presumably the OPs are too...


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## Steveo535 (Nov 26, 2016)

Andyblue said:


> Mines listed as Leather / Nubuck seats...
> 
> So presumably the OPs are too...


Thanks for all the replies

Yes mine is listed as the same. The Nubuck is listed as a textured material with Nappa leather on the outer panels.

Thanks again Steven


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## judyb (Sep 7, 2007)

Clearly a lot of manufacturers do not know what they are dealing with!!


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## ridders66 (May 24, 2019)

The only thing I use is Solclens, manufactured by Guardian Products. I've used it since 1985 and it has never let me down. It is a truly all purpose cleaner. Diluted accordingly it will clean blood, fat, grease, dirty engines, headlining, door cards, in fact it will clean every part of your car. It is amazing at dissolving fly remains from the front of your car. It is food safe so can even be used in the kitchen, it is a great oven cleaner when mixed stronger. It cleans upvc windows, it is great for cleaning stone flags too. It is the only thing I use through my Numatic upholstery cleaner. It has been used on some of the finest, most valuable cars every made without doing any damage. I have cleaned leather seats on Ferrari 250 SWBs, 275 GTBs, Aston DB4 GT Zagato interiors, Daytona seats, Enzo engines. Anything. And it is cheaper than any APC you will buy. It retails for around £17 + VAT for 5 litres and dilutes from between 10-1 to 100-1 so 5 litres will last you ages. 
Google Solclens Guardian Products, they are a family firm located in Barnoldswick, close to the Lancashire/Yorkshire border.


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## bluechimp (Dec 21, 2017)

judyb said:


> Clearly a lot of manufacturers do not know what they are dealing with!!


Do you have any expertise in this area to back this up?

Sounds a bit daft as it would be false advertising.


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## Rappy (Oct 2, 2020)

bluechimp said:


> Do you have any expertise in this area to back this up?
> 
> Sounds a bit daft as it would be false advertising.


Do a Google search on Volvo Nubuck.

Volvo call it Nubuck texture, no mention of leather. It's a fabric plain & simple.

As JudyB said "Microfibre or Alcantara"


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## juddzey455 (Jan 30, 2009)

ridders66 said:


> The only thing I use is Solclens, manufactured by Guardian Products. I've used it since 1985 and it has never let me down. It is a truly all purpose cleaner. Diluted accordingly it will clean blood, fat, grease, dirty engines, headlining, door cards, in fact it will clean every part of your car. It is amazing at dissolving fly remains from the front of your car. It is food safe so can even be used in the kitchen, it is a great oven cleaner when mixed stronger. It cleans upvc windows, it is great for cleaning stone flags too. It is the only thing I use through my Numatic upholstery cleaner. It has been used on some of the finest, most valuable cars every made without doing any damage. I have cleaned leather seats on Ferrari 250 SWBs, 275 GTBs, Aston DB4 GT Zagato interiors, Daytona seats, Enzo engines. Anything. And it is cheaper than any APC you will buy. It retails for around £17 + VAT for 5 litres and dilutes from between 10-1 to 100-1 so 5 litres will last you ages.
> Google Solclens Guardian Products, they are a family firm located in Barnoldswick, close to the Lancashire/Yorkshire border.


Total irrelevant, you can clean Connolly vaumol leather with most things, I've trimmed them cars and the stuff that gets used to clean them along the way would make most of you cry 😂

The only car I've seen nubuck in was on the door cards of a maybach which where stained where someone had tryed to clean them as nubuck absorbs water/products.

I'd be very surprised if there nubuck, more likely to be a man made material


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## bluechimp (Dec 21, 2017)

Rappy said:


> Do a Google search on Volvo Nubuck.
> 
> Volvo call it Nubuck texture, no mention of leather. It's a fabric plain & simple.
> 
> As JudyB said "Microfibre or Alcantara"


So you are sort of right, however Alcantara is a brand, but does refer to a synthetic textile, which Volvo don't use, therefore you should check the product if you were to buy an Alcantara cleaner as to it's suitability for all synthetic textiles.

We discussed this around three months ago so all ready well aware of the Volvo word nuances Rappy.

Here is the summary of the research I did when I bought mine:

_*Welcome to the great Volvo debate on what the heck are our seats actually made of. I have a V60 with the same seats and I have looked at this for a while. Here is my conclusion:

Your car has this description on Volvo website for the seats:

Charcoal Nubuck Textile/Perforated Nappa in Charcoal interior (RB0R) | Metal Mesh Inlays

The key word in the first bit is 'textile'. Now Nubuck is a leather not a textile so that would suggest that it is synthetic, and there is a couple of posts on the Volvo forums where Volvo America have agreed. So it isn't either suede or Alcantara, it's Nubuck, but a synthetic one.

So I use normal fabric cleaners (Gtechniq) on it and it has been fine.

Then you move onto to the Nappa, now I would think you would normally write "Nappa Leather" but Volvo don't, so is this real leather? I have come to the conclusion it is from the way mine has creased and worn, plus Volvo don't use the word textile, which I think they would have too. Like you I use proper leather products on it.

Phew...always a wordy one to explain

Hope this helps.*_

Taken from this thread back in September:

https://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?p=5678611#post5678611


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## Steveo535 (Nov 26, 2016)

Thanks for all the into and replies. 

Just to muddy the water a little more the Volvo configurator now states R Design Pro seats are Nubuck textile/Nappa leather/leatherette in Charcoal so no idea what parts are leatherette will ring dealer after the Xmas break to see if they can shine any light on it. 

Won’t be please if seats are leatherette on a so called luxury SUV. 

Cheers Steven.


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## Andyblue (Jun 20, 2017)

Steveo535 said:


> Thanks for all the into and replies.
> 
> Just to muddy the water a little more the Volvo configurator now states R Design Pro seats are Nubuck textile/Nappa leather/leatherette in Charcoal so no idea what parts are leatherette will ring dealer after the Xmas break to see if they can shine any light on it.
> 
> ...


If this applies to your model - depends on when your order was placed / if they've started the build and if the changes have been B applied to your motor, I'd suspect the backs of the seats are the leatherette... but definitely worth a check to see...


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## Blackroc (Dec 10, 2012)

bluechimp said:


> Do you have any expertise in this area to back this up?
> 
> Sounds a bit daft as it would be false advertising.


I'm guessing you don't know who she is?

Judy is from LTT - renovators and protection specialist in leather care.

She's also been on Dragons Den (yes that one..)

Does she know leather and what she is talking about? Just a bit

Tesla use a textile for its seats and interiors called 'Vegan Leather' - it's neither vegan or leather! The point being is that just because Volvo call it Nubuck - doesn't mean in reality it is!

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Rappy (Oct 2, 2020)

Andyblue said:


> I'd suspect the backs of the seats are the leatherette... but definitely worth a check to see...


Most cars have leatherette on the side bolsters on the cushion & the seat back.

The norm is they will only use leather were your body touches the seat. The same goes for the headrests.

To be sure, you can always do the finger test to see if it's leather or not.


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## Rappy (Oct 2, 2020)

Blackroc said:


> I'm guessing you don't know who she is?
> 
> Judy is from LTT - renovators and protection specialist in leather care.
> 
> ...


Thanks Blackroc :thumb:

Guessed it was someone very knowledgeable


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## Rappy (Oct 2, 2020)

Sorry, finger test 

Press into the leather, looking for creases and wrinkles.**Real leather will wrinkle under the touch, just like real skin**. 

Synthetic materials usually just depress down under your finger, retaining rigidity and shape.


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## Steveo535 (Nov 26, 2016)

Andyblue said:


> If this applies to your model - depends on when your order was placed / if they've started the build and if the changes have been B applied to your motor, I'd suspect the backs of the seats are the leatherette... but definitely worth a check to see...


Configurator changed the day after I ordered the car just wanted to check something and noticed the leatherette.

I'll wait and see what the dealer says.

Paperwork I've got for the order states Nubuck textile/Nappa leather no mention of leatherette.


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## Andyblue (Jun 20, 2017)

Steveo535 said:


> Configurator changed the day after I ordered the car just wanted to check something and noticed the leatherette.
> 
> I'll wait and see what the dealer says.
> 
> Paperwork I've got for the order states Nubuck textile/Nappa leather nonmention of leatherette.


Fingers crossed as it's on your order, it'll be processed and made as the specifications you've ordered...


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## Rappy (Oct 2, 2020)

Andyblue said:


> Fingers crossed as it's on your order, it'll be processed and made as the specifications you've ordered...


Just because you have ordered a car, does not mean you will get the exact car. Had this on my last 5 new cars :wall:

WLTP has made my last 2 cars more expensive with more options than I originally ordered.

Options were...

Cancel order FOC
Have a lower spec car
Or pay more with more options.

Until you get an actual build week/ order loaded, nothing is 
guaranteed.


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## Steveo535 (Nov 26, 2016)

Rappy said:


> Just because you have ordered a car, does not mean you will get the exact car. Had this on my last 5 new cars :wall:
> 
> WLTP has made my last 2 cars more expensive with more options than I originally ordered.
> 
> ...


Have been given a delivery date don't know if this will make a difference.


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## Steveo535 (Nov 26, 2016)

Hi All

Had a good search though the Volvo site today and have finally found out what is leatherette on the seats.

Front seats are Nubuck textile and Nappa leather but in the rear seat most of the side bolsters are in a soft, durable leather-like synthetic material.

Not sure how I feel about this on such an expensive car and cannot understand why only the R Design gets the leatherette when even the Momentum trim gets full leather.


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