How to clean and fix V70 base seats

[FireFox31]

How can I clean the checkered cloth/vinyl base model seats in a 2000 V70 base model? Any liquid which gets on them, even water, seems to stain them. I simply have no idea how to clean absorbent seats, so will take any advice from owners with these seats.

abscate kindly donated the front seats from my old V70 to Geronimo. I'd like to clean stains and other marks off them before installing them. I'm going to call a detailer and see if they'll clean them, but they might not.

Also, I made a small, right angle tear in the vinyl seat bottom. I'd like to repair that so it doesn't get worse over time. I'm considering stitching it with fishing wire, then running a bead of vinyl adhesive to seal the cut. Any other ideas for how to fix this unfortunate cut? Thanks.

[abscate]

Show a picture of the tear. It’s probably best to crack stop it then glue a patch from below

[scot850]

I use a carpet cleaner with a wand attachment. The discoloration is usually caused by the cleaner not being fully removed from the material. Sun bleaching can also make the seats more prone to discoloring.

A lot of work, but if the seat bases are really bad, you could remove them and clean them off the seats so the foam does not get soaked and in particular the seat heater elements.

Neil.

[FireFox31]

Thanks for the input. I dropped the seats off at the local detailer for professional cleaning. I can't spend time learning how to do this and getting the tools and cleaners for the job.

The detailer advised me how to patch the cut (through the white webbing): Buy some upholstery foam, cut a small piece to fit in the hole, put super glue on the bottom of the piece so it sticks in the hole, then put super glue on the top of the piece so the vinyl flap sticks to it. I'll try it.

The foam on the driver's seat base seems a little collapsed. Maybe that caused the twisted crookedness I swear I felt (and feel in my current one). Can the seat base be swapped with a passenger's seat base from a junkyard, moving the skin over?

Turns out, the local detailer loves old Volvos and owned a P80 V70R. I'll have him clean my car when it's rehabilitated enough.

[scot850]

Do your seats have seat heaters? If not then swap should work from what I recall. If you have seat heaters and want to continue to have them, check how the wiring for the heaters come out.

Neil.

[abscate]

Yes on the bottom foam swap. Passenger seats also often have less butt miles on them so you get a like new driver seat when you do that swap.

You want to crack stop your rip before you glue it. Use a paper punch to create a round hole at the end of the split

You can also add springs to the rear to stiffen the seat base but that’s a me problem.

[MoVolvos]

How can I clean the checkered cloth/vinyl base model seats in a 2000 V70 base model? Any liquid which gets on them, even water,
Also, I made a small, right angle tear in the vinyl seat bottom. I'd like to repair that so it doesn't get worse over time.

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Do not use super glue as it will be too hard and potentially rip the edges where it meets the newer material.

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[abscate]

Just a really light touch on the glue. You just want to hold the vinyl in position, not make a bridge out of it

Sorry I wasn’t the best caretsker for Jane. I though the seats were low demand items and did put a lot of stuff on them

[ThaddeusTheBold]

I spent an hour with a steam cleaner and it made a difference. No heater coils in mine...A lot of work but at least now I don't feel dirtied when I sit down in the car. They were pretty gross before.

[scot850]

That is the one advantage of no seat heaters! At least you have cloth seats and no seat heaters. Leather is not as nice in that scenario in winter!

Neil.