Another post about sticky buttons - with a solution

[aewoodhouse]

So I felt that it was about time to post about this since I have now restored the buttons on two older Volvos - a '98 S70 and now my 2000 V70XC.
Like many others, I wasted time scouring the web for a solution, tried the various things proposed (rubbing alcohol, armor all etc) all with little result.
I even made the mistake of trying nail polish remover (my own idea) and of course found that it stripped the color off the button (fortunately just one) almost instantly.

The solution is so simple it illustrates how much an impassioned DIY'er can overthink things.

For all removable pieces - ones that can be immersed in water - simply soak overnight in soapy water. I just used the natural dish soap I had on hand. Dawn would probably be even more effective. Then scrub the aged sticky coating off with a soapy 3M scrubbing pad. Done. Any nooks and crannies that remain coated can be very easily tackled with your fingernail.

For the window switches - (I know these can be disassembled but I didn't want to get into it) I simply used Goo Gone (NOT the more caustic Goof Off), a small piece of scrubbing pad and my fingernail to scrape off the coating. The surface area is so minimal we're not talking tons of time. Just a little patience is all thats required.

[gnalan]

What about the 'W" beside the gear shifter? Mine is all sticky and doesn't work. It used to work when I didn't need it, but since the snow has already started for the winter it'd be nice to have on the slushy stuff as things on the road start melting and making it slippery.