2003 New Beetle GLS - Cloth Seat Nightmare..

[digifant_gli]

Hey Guys;

I have a 2003 New Beetle GLS. It came from the factory with cloth seats. I was just wondering....has anyone else had issues with the seats being difficult to clean and prone to staining from water? The interior of my car is really clean and well kept, with the exception of the seats....they look like hell.

I'm just curious as to whether or not you guys have an effective way of cleaning cloth seats...

Thanks;

Peter

[Breez]

Originally Posted by digifant_gli

Hey Guys;

I have a 2003 New Beetle GLS. It came from the factory with cloth seats. I was just wondering....has anyone else had issues with the seats being difficult to clean and prone to staining from water? The interior of my car is really clean and well kept, with the exception of the seats....they look like hell.

I'm just curious as to whether or not you guys have an effective way of cleaning cloth seats...

Thanks;

Peter

I had issues with mine, so I swapped them out for leather That seemed like the only answer for me. And now Ive had leather for a few months... and it was SO WORTH IT!

My dealership would clean my cloth ones pretty cheap, and that really helped get rid of the "water" marks. and I just did my best to be aware of keeping them clean.

I had tan cloth.. it was a nightmare for a neat freak like me.

[sb_beetle]

Originally Posted by digifant_gli

Hey Guys;

I have a 2003 New Beetle GLS. It came from the factory with cloth seats. I was just wondering....has anyone else had issues with the seats being difficult to clean and prone to staining from water? The interior of my car is really clean and well kept, with the exception of the seats....they look like hell.

I'm just curious as to whether or not you guys have an effective way of cleaning cloth seats...

Thanks;

Peter

Try Resolve foaming carpet cleaner. It seems to do a good job on carpet stains.

[scarabY2k]

Yeah it will be a never ending problem. I dyed/fabric painted my tan seats as a temporary fix until I get my Katzskins seat covers. Yes Reslove works great, but sadly, it looks like a never ending task.

[Ventil]

We bought our beetle in Hawaii where the previous owner went to the beach and got suntan lotion and ocean water (salt) on the black seats. I used a carpet cleaner on them and it worked fine. ))))) Has anyone sealed the seats with a aftermarket scotchguard type product? If so what are the results?

[CoriBug]

Yes some drivers on here have used Scotchguard or something similiar. Water will always stain unless it's distilled. I figured this out the hard way also. Keeping the seats clean was such a pain I invested in seat covers from TVA, airbag friendly.

Cori

[dalethompson]

Coribug's right... you have to use distilled or demineralized water for light coloured seats or the iron in the water will stain them everytime. If in doubt, boil the heck out of the water then use it.

Myself, I use distilled water in a Bissell Little Green Machine (steam cleaner), works like a charm everytime!!! For $80.00, this thing is da bomb!!!

[amhobby]

When you clean a stained area on cloth you need to do the whole section or else it will leave a ring around the cleaned spot. Windex glass cleaner works a well as anything I have ever tried. Great on carpet also.

[LadybugEwa]

I got black cloth in my '98, and I like them a lot.

[xlifeguardx]

I've been having this problem as well with my '98 Beetle with gray cloth seats. One day when it was heavilly raining I got out of my car quickly, only to find the next morning little 'polka dots' all over my seats from where the rain hit.

Also, as a swimmer and lifeguard, I find it hard to keep my seats dry after practice/work. Even if I lay towels down it still gets slightly damp.