I just got some new seats, but they are a bit dirty, most looks like grease or dirt, any suggestions on how to clean, these are STi seats BTW...

thanx in advance

i use a crapet shampooer on mine but i don't know if thats the best idea but it gets the job done for me so i don't know

Too bad you don't have 04-05, they unzip, and you can clean them.

Too bad you don't have 04-05, they unzip, and you can clean them.


How hard is it to take off and put back on? Also can you just through them in normal wash and dry?

- Mike

I wouldn't put them in a drier, they might shrink a little.

Believe it or not lacquer thinner works great. Soak a wash cloth sized towel with it and scrub away. You'll be amazed at what comes up. It's harmless on the fabric, we used it all the time when I worked at the detailing division at a dealership. Don't use the carpet shampoo on the seats, it will leave the fabric stiff when it dries because you can't get it all back out, the lacquer thinner won't do that. The smell of the thinner doesn't linger when you're done, and wear gloves when you do this too, the stuff will strip all the oils off of your hand.

Do you mean mineral spirits? IIRC, you can thin laquer with a couple different solvents.

I did some searching about takign teh seat covers off but I found you have to take the whole seat out and then use wiresnips to cut teh hog ties off. Is this true, sounds like a PITA.

- Mike

Do you mean mineral spirits? IIRC, you can thin laquer with a couple different solvents.

Just straight lacquer thinner from the can. Mineral spirits I'm sure would work also, however it doesn't evaporate as quickly as lacquer thinner. I prefer the lacquer thinner because the seats are dry after a minute or so.

lacquer thinner on alcantara STi seats, or the WRX standard cloth?

lacquer thinner on alcantara STi seats, or the WRX standard cloth?

I've been using it on the standard WRX seats for 3 years now, they look great. I've never used it on alcantara, but it's still a fabric so I see no reason why it wouldn't work. Test an inconspicuous section first! You don't want to use thinner on any leather, plastic, or any material that has any natural oils in it as the thinner will remove them.

While lacquer thinner works great for oil based stains and general cleaning, an alternative is a capful of woolite with water. You can clean the seats with this and it will get the dust and dirt out, but won't do too well on the stains. The woolite mixture also works great for cleaning the dash and leather (like the steering wheel).

dont tear apart the seats. the trouble is worth more than the dirt.

I used white distilled vinegar on a rag, then wiped off with H20 on a rag. It worked pretty well but smelled for about 6 days like vinegar. lol

All that scrubbing and thinners sound like a headache. I'm sure they work, but have you thought about just renting a steam cleaner? I've done that before and it worked like a charm.

or pay $20 at a car spa to have it steamed. I get the coupons in the mail all the time. Car will be like brand new :D

yup steam clean.