# Volvo Seats



## mikerd4 (Oct 27, 2006)

My wifes V50 has the R Design Kit and that means it comes with a two tone seats










The seats have become grubby with having 2 young kids so I want to clean it up. Now heres my problem, the seat has two materials, the cream bit its not leather (at least I dont think it is) and the grey part Im not sure at all.

HAs anyon experienced these seats before and what have you used to get them back in to good condition?


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## captaintomo (Nov 20, 2014)

It is real leather and the grey part is whats called T-Tec.


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## Johnny Kebab (Apr 3, 2010)

I have the same problem in my V50, the seats look awful really quickly! Looking with interest on this thread. 

JK


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## captaintomo (Nov 20, 2014)

Best i've found is using a steamer a couple inches away to warm it up then hit it with some degreaser and agitate with a cloth or a brush. Then i use some sonax leather conditioner to finish off. 

I know what you mean though, it really does get grubby and tends to stay that way. I've never got the bases perfect but the seat backs are in good nick.


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## mikerd4 (Oct 27, 2006)

Well theres something I never knew, I thought it was synthetic leather. 

I have a steamer so Ill give it a try. I have some Dr. Leather but that couldnt get the grubbiness out of it


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## captaintomo (Nov 20, 2014)

mikerd4 said:


> Well theres something I never knew, I thought it was synthetic leather.
> 
> I have a steamer so Ill give it a try. I have some Dr. Leather but that couldnt get the grubbiness out of it


You may be right. I've just had a search but can't find a ********** answer. I'll just continue to believe they are real leather because that's what I want to hear haha


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## captaintomo (Nov 20, 2014)

captaintomo said:


> You may be right. I've just had a search but can't find a ********** answer. I'll just continue to believe they are real leather because that's what I want to hear haha


Also I'm not swearing. It has blocked out the word **********


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## captaintomo (Nov 20, 2014)

captaintomo said:


> Also I'm not swearing. It has blocked out the word **********


OMG

D e f i n i t i v e


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## ICBM (Feb 7, 2015)

My last 2011 XC90 leather seats were a very thin synthetic material. I know this due to the fact that they split and it was very obvious. Believe it or not, the best way I found to clean them was a "Magic Sponge" from Amazon at about £5 for 10 and Dr Leather. Came up a treat with a few goes. When I found that they were synthetic I just used 20:1 AF Verso. This really did the job in one quick application.


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## MagpieRH (May 27, 2014)

Have the same seats - APC for the T-Tec (grey section) and Dr leather for the cream section (which is leather). Keep on top of the leather cleaning (I do the seats once a week) and they'll look great :thumb:


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## fatdazza (Dec 29, 2010)

ICBM said:


> My last 2011 XC90 leather seats were a very thin synthetic material. I know this due to the fact that they split and it was very obvious. Believe it or not, the best way I found to clean them was a "Magic Sponge" from Amazon at about £5 for 10 and Dr Leather. Came up a treat with a few goes. When I found that they were synthetic I just used 20:1 AF Verso. This really did the job in one quick application.


Note that magic sponges are very abrasive - using them on a thin, soft material will not do it any good. Perhaps why your seats split?


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## judyb (Sep 7, 2007)

Magic sponges will be fine if the seats are vinyl but definitely should not be used if they are leather
Cheers
Judyb


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## ICBM (Feb 7, 2015)

fatdazza said:


> Note that magic sponges are very abrasive - using them on a thin, soft material will not do it any good. Perhaps why your seats split?


Volvo did a recall on the seats as they identified the issue as being a poor quality material. This was the boulsters so I would be surprised if the boulsters on the V50 are leather.


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## mikerd4 (Oct 27, 2006)

Ive used dr leather on them and cant get the grubbiness out at all, its like they need a real deep clean. The wife is away at the mo with the car so I cant get in to give it a go with apc yet


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## Natalie (Jan 19, 2011)

I saw this on Instagram of Britemax leather cleaner


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http://instagr.am/p/BDNom_logeY/


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## captaintomo (Nov 20, 2014)

mikerd4 said:


> Ive used dr leather on them and cant get the grubbiness out at all, its like they need a real deep clean. The wife is away at the mo with the car so I cant get in to give it a go with apc yet


I find the same mate. The leather on these seats really are quite crap! On my dad's v70 the leather seats are 100x better quality and are so easy to clean its unreal.


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## Dr Leather (Sep 8, 2010)

My mate is the technical director at a tannery that supplies Volvo - I'll give him a call to see if he knows anything about it.

Cheers

Dr Leather


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## mikerd4 (Oct 27, 2006)

That would be brilliant thank you


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## judyb (Sep 7, 2007)

Try a deep cleaning product like Auto Foam as this will help lift the dirt out. If they are heavily ingrained they may need some restoration work.
Hope this helps
Judyb


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## captaintomo (Nov 20, 2014)

Just thought i'd add this... I once had a piece of sellotape stuck on my back which then got attached to the seat when i sat down. When i removed the tape it pulled up a bit of the material. The tiny piece that came up showed that the cream colour was literally just on the surface and probably only about 1mm thick. Underneath is more rough and a more beige colour. 

It's probably a normal thing but I get the feeling that the black leather in my dads v70 is actually black and not just covered in some coloured matieral.


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## Dr Leather (Sep 8, 2010)

Hi there. I spoke to my mate today, and it would appear the following is the case. The R-Design V-50 that did have leather in it was apparently supplied by Elmo. However it appears that in this car it is a combination of alcantara and a type of vinyl, so it appears it is not leather. Through experience we know that leather performs better than vinyl believe it or not in both areas. Firstly, resistance to soiling/dye transfer and secondly cleanability. 

One other thing to note. We have recently been doing microscopic work on the use of solvent based cleaning solutions. Unsurprisingly solvents are pretty aggressive giving a more open surface for the dye/soil to penetrate and fix. So whilst it'll look a good option at first, the damage is being done.

So sorry, but I can't help with any better ways of cleaning your seats at present.

Cheers

Dr Leather


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## captaintomo (Nov 20, 2014)

Dr Leather said:


> Hi there. I spoke to my mate today, and it would appear the following is the case. The R-Design V-50 that did have leather in it was apparently supplied by Elmo. However it appears that in this car it is a combination of alcantara and a type of vinyl, so it appears it is not leather. Through experience we know that leather performs better than vinyl believe it or not in both areas. Firstly, resistance to soiling/dye transfer and secondly cleanability.
> 
> One other thing to note. We have recently been doing microscopic work on the use of solvent based cleaning solutions. Unsurprisingly solvents are pretty aggressive giving a more open surface for the dye/soil to penetrate and fix. So whilst it'll look a good option at first, the damage is being done.
> 
> ...


Thanks a lot for that! That must explain the reason I feel as if i get hot and sticky when sat in the seat for a long time as its vinyl! Cheeky buggers at volvo


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## Cookies (Dec 10, 2008)

captaintomo said:


> Thanks a lot for that! That must explain the reason I feel as if i get hot and sticky when sat in the seat for a long time as its vinyl! Cheeky buggers at volvo


Perhaps a retrim? Wonder how much it'd be?


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## captaintomo (Nov 20, 2014)

Cookies said:


> Perhaps a retrim? Wonder how much it'd be?


Would be mega i'd think. You'd probably be able to get some decent nick ones from a breakers yard in a different trim style. I know you can get some quite smart black ones but i'm not sure if they are cloth or leather or what.


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## Johnny Kebab (Apr 3, 2010)

captaintomo said:


> Would be mega i'd think. You'd probably be able to get some decent nick ones from a breakers yard in a different trim style. I know you can get some quite smart black ones but i'm not sure if they are cloth or leather or what.


You'd think so wouldn't you?! I've been looking for a replacement interior for my V50 for nearly a year and it's been impossible!

JK


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## captaintomo (Nov 20, 2014)

Johnny Kebab said:


> You'd think so wouldn't you?! I've been looking for a replacement interior for my V50 for nearly a year and it's been impossible!
> 
> JK


I think i spotted a set earlier on ebay. Worth a look.


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## Johnny Kebab (Apr 3, 2010)

There's a few on eBay, one has been on there for a few months but the seat pad isn't in great Nick, the others are that are in there have worn on the bolsters. Believe me, looked at them all! 

JK


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## captaintomo (Nov 20, 2014)

Just bringing this back up because i've had some good results today cleaning my cream seats. So before nothing i tried would bring out the ingrained grime which included steam and numerous leather cleaners from a few different makes. 

I had some flash APC (yes, from a supermarket) so i figured i would squirt a bit into a trigger spray and mix with water. 

I did test on a small hidden bit and was happy to continue.

So i saturated the leather with the Apc and spread around with a little soft brush which foamed it up nicely. I then used a nail brush, it isn't too stiff but it's just hard enough to have some extra bite. So used it lightly on the leather in a up down/left right pattern and you could see the liquid turning black/grey. I then used my hands and massaged the leather which seemed to help loosen any remaining dirt out. I went over it again quickly with the brush and firmly wiped up with a microfiber. I repeated if needed, but mostly first time did wonders.

WOW! I thought i'd never see them so white! I then sealed them up with some leather protector stuff from Sonax and the leather feels soo freaking lush and clean. 

I'm now banning jeans from the car haha


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## Johnny Kebab (Apr 3, 2010)

Any Pictures?

JK


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## captaintomo (Nov 20, 2014)

Will get you some tomorrow! I wish i took some 50/50 shots but got too carried away.


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## mikerd4 (Oct 27, 2006)

Might sound sily but which flash apc?


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## captaintomo (Nov 20, 2014)

As requested here are a couple of pictures. Having another look today I did spot a few places I will need to go over again, so naturally I took pictures of the best bits  Feel free to click on the pics to check them out in full size, you can see the grain of the leather a lot easier that way.



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https://flic.kr/p/GM2wjM



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https://flic.kr/p/GJHmvC



> Might sound sily but which flash apc?


Not a silly question as i think you can get a few different variants! "Flash Liquid Gel Cleaner Lemon" is the one i got. You can pick it up in B&M in a huge bottle for roughly 2 quid!

http://www.tesco.com/groceries/product/details/?id=278213927

Has anyone else got pictures of their Volvo cream/white leather to compare with?

T


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## Johnny Kebab (Apr 3, 2010)

captaintomo said:


> Has anyone else got pictures of their Volvo cream/white leather to compare with?
> 
> T


Nope, took my R design interior out and swapped it for a leather. was sick of the cream "leather" looking like it had never been cleaned!

JK


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## captaintomo (Nov 20, 2014)

Johnny Kebab said:


> Nope, took my R design interior out and swapped it for a leather. was sick of the cream "leather" looking like it had never been cleaned!
> 
> JK


Sweet! Hope you're enjoying it!


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