Best Cloth Seat Cleaning Tricks

Courtesy of Larry at AMMO NYC

Simple Wash plus Gtechniq Exo V2 and C4 Reviews

Hello fellow detailers and viewers!

Today is a comprehensive review over Gtechniq Exo V2 and C4 Trim restorer.  Ahead I'm doing this on the Jetta which previous readers will know currently has a layer of Opti-Coat over the vehicle except the hood.  You can find that paint correction here.  This is going to be a simple wash, interior clean, clay and polish with SF4000 and multiple dressing/coatings.

First off was a simple interior clean.  Vacuum first, if you need to know how to vacuum, take your shop vac, press on, take the end of the hose where dirt is.  Done!  I did also touch-up the rubber mats, these came upgraded and are absolutely awesome.  A famous brand for the aftermarket is Weathertech.

Here's what these have been through as a daily driver.

Can you tell which have been cleaned yet?

A simple scrub with an interior cleaner, don't worry these were hosed down on the backside before being placed to dry and in the car.

Just Blackfire Interior Cleaner and a Mother's brush.  These really don't need anything too much done to them.  You could put trim dressing if you wish, but with the abuse in a daily driver these get I don't know how long it would last so I chose not to, also you have to be extremely careful that anything you put on is dry and non-slippery.  It can very easily turn a quick drive into your foot slipping off the brake or gas pedal, similar to uneducated people putting tire shine on top of the tire.  

 

Up ahead I was able to get a cool video showing different LSP's and how they degrade over time.  Check out the video below especially the lack of sheeting and beading in portions.

Also found this nasty rockchip.  Need to get that kit from Dr. Colorchip ordered for the Tornado Red.

Now onto the goodies Gtechniq C4 and Exo V2 in their respective packaging.

Here are the tools of the trade for the hood polishing, note claying is already complete.  HD Adapt, Blue Uber Pad, GTechniq Panel Wipe, and of course a flashlight.

Alright first off the GTechniq C4.  It came with a few cotton applicators similar to ones found at cosmetic stores.  They aren't the most resilient as can be seen below.

 Here's a comparison between a treated trim and untreated.

For application just a couple drops on an applicator pad and neatly and carefully dress the trim you want covered.  Following application a microfiber towel wipe over the covered areas.

 This is how much was used to cover four window trims and the top part of the engine cowling.  Roughly 1/4 of the bottle.  It has a weird smell I noticed, kind of like an extreme rubbing alcohol type smell.

Now onto Exo V2, it came with a pretty nifty cotton applicator with finger pockets and a pair of gloves.  As I already have hundreds, I just tossed them to the side for another day.  

For application; similar to C4 and any other coating, just a few drops applied in a cross-hatch pattern over the panel followed by a light buff by a microfiber towel to knock down high spots.


Here's how much was used for the hood and a couple touchup areas that needed coating.  Roughly 1/5 of the bottle.

Now unfortunately the sun was already down but I did get a good one in the garage.  Here's the final product!

Let me know if you have any questions and feel free to post below!

Product List Interiors work and more!

So I made the previous list in regards to doing basic rinseless washing, using a foam gun and a few other odds and ends.  You can find that post here.

Now we will move on to taking care of the interior for the short term and long term.  In this list you will find assorted brushes, cleaners, and sealants.

First off towels, now if you're interior is like most, then plastic and cloth or "leather" (yes that's in quotes since it's not real leather, at least what you clean isn't), those materials are abundant and do not scratch easily like a soft paint.  So for towels I stick with simple ProForce towels they're cheap, reliable, and get the job done, perfect for areas that get dirty.  You can find them here on Amazon.

Next, moving on to interior cleaners, I've used many from Adam's to Blackfire and a few others.  But for the time being I'm sticking with a tried and true favorite, 1z Einszett Cockpit Premium, it has a slight lemony smell to it but gets the job done and doesn't leave any residue.  You can find it here.

Interior glass, this can be a pain, anyone with a coupe with a very slanted windshield of rear windscreen can vouch for.  For this  absolutely whole heartedly stick with CarPro Fast Glass clothes.  These are phenomenal, stick them in water, wring them out and clean as you deem fit.  When you're done just throw them in the wash with your other towels and it comes out ready to go.  Don't buy just one once you find the uses for it, you can find them here.

For brushes I use a wide variety of brushes and sizes.  There are many nooks and crannies and places impossible to reach by hand that an assortment are needed.  Such examples are a carpet brush found here, there is also a small bristly dual purpose brush that is very handy found here, and lastly if I need something in between for a soft interface such as near the instrument cluster or radio I will use a medium size brush head such as this one.

Leather care and conditioning is very important for the long-term health of your car specifically for cars that remain outside in the sun for long periods of time.  I recently tried out a new one and liked it quite a bit, it is Four Star's Leather Conditioner, luckily on my first time using it I broke the cap but it still works.  You can find it here.  It leaves a very smooth surface, it leaves the leather supple while not being greasy, let it dry for 30 minutes to an hour and you are good to go.  The shine is minimal and has a satin sheen to it which you know I am a fan of.  I used both a foam applicator and terry cloth, I stick with the terry cloth as I can work it into the cloth more easily before applying thus avoiding big globs ending on one spot of the car.

Lastly, coatings, most people see coatings for the paint but they exist for you interior too!  Perfect for those with kids that manage to spill everything.  For this market CarPro Fabric and Leather Coating is great, it lasts up to year if not more.  You can find it here, I'll liberally spray the product over the seat/areas and follow it up with an applicator to evenly spread the product such as this one.  This product does have a bit of chemical smell to it while it is drying, and it is recommended to use a hair dryer or leave the vehicle in the sun to dry.  Personally I used around 20mL for the 4 interior seats on the VW Jetta (paint correction found here)  and left it in the garage with the windows down overnight and it was dry and soft to the touch the following morning.

Thanks for readying, if you have any questions or comments post below!