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To be fair, I was actually 'gentle' with it, if you can even go gentle with such a harsh brush. Ahem....you live and learn I guess.
Oh I didn't mean that I thought you were scrubbing like your life depended on it but I agree, even being super gentle with a hard bristle brush will still do damage lol.
Originally Posted by jmueller
I also just leave the toothbrush in the car and fluff the fibers up a little every once and a while, when I think about it, at a long stop light. (I am sure the up-and-down movement of my arm looks ridiculous to other drivers).....
I'm sure others are just thinking.."Man he really loves his car". hehe
I used two fingers covered in a microfiber cloth and I would just move to a clean part of the microfiber when it got dirty. I also used two or three drops of laundry detergent in the bucket of warm water I used. The detergent helps lift the oils away from the alcantera fibers. After I felt like the alcantera was somewhat damp and clean, I dried it using another microfiber cloth and then used a toothbrush to fluff the fibers.
I also just leave the toothbrush in the car and fluff the fibers up a little every once and a while, when I think about it, at a long stop light. (I am sure the up-and-down movement of my arm looks ridiculous to other drivers).....
Perfect. Guess I'm giving this a shot tomorrow!
Thanks JMueller, will take a before and after photo!
2012 C63 black series, 2015 C63 507 coupe, 2012 Porsche Cayman R 4.2L 404hp
Originally Posted by jmueller
Here is a little 'before and after' comparison on my P31 steering wheel. My car has 40k miles of sweaty Florida driving. On the right side of the steering wheel, you can see all 40k miles of the grime built up on it. Using the toothbrush and warm water microfiber method I mentioned, I got the result on the left side of the wheel. Also, a picture of the final result. Regarding the OP, my alcantera never got to the point where it was flaking off. It was just really dirty and compacted down. Now it is grippy and fluffy. It feels great and new.
Awesome result!! I will need to try that on my BS wheel that has polished smooth alcantera. Did you use just water or suede cleaner?
I used two fingers covered in a microfiber cloth and I would just move to a clean part of the microfiber when it got dirty. I also used two or three drops of laundry detergent in the bucket of warm water I used. The detergent helps lift the oils away from the alcantera fibers. After I felt like the alcantera was somewhat damp and clean, I dried it using another microfiber cloth and then used a toothbrush to fluff the fibers.
I also just leave the toothbrush in the car and fluff the fibers up a little every once and a while, when I think about it, at a long stop light. (I am sure the up-and-down movement of my arm looks ridiculous to other drivers).....
Thanks Jmueller. I used your method today. My wheel was just as dirty as yours.
Wow it looks black now not grey.
Alcantara is NOT a fragile, light duty material...it is very, VERY strong and durable and is designed to absorb sweat from racing hands. I have never seen a case where the alcantara inserts were actually worn down, they were simply matted flat. Mueller's wheel looks great and he is right on with the toothbrush method as what he is doing is FLUFFING the fiber back up. We have gone over this before but I'll put it back up here as it applies. A Mr.Clean Magic Eraser, with light pressure, works amazing at removing all of the oil, grit and grime....then the toothbrush can fluff you back out to disco-like prettiness!!!
Did it last night to my P30 Wheel, and also on my new CF Wheel w/ Alcantara Grips.
I think it worked better on my P30 Wheel, or maybe my CF Wheel isn't completely dry yet.
Used JMueller's method, just a cloth with some dish washing soap in the water. My Microfibre was quite dirty after it, so, I assume it removed a lot of grime? Though, I'm not sure, does the Alcantara get "Fluffier" and "Softer" again afterwards? On my CF Wheel, I swear that it was quite "Fluffy" before, and like softer to the touch.
Though, I reckon it might not be completely dry yet, since it was sitll ever so slightly damp when I touched it this morning.
Yeah. I don't have to drive the C63 for the next day or two, so, I'll let hte completely dry out later today, and then fluff it with a brush tomrorow.
I went at it with a toothbrush yesterday too, but I'll wait a bit longer!
Hopefully I didn't ruin the alcantara on my CF Wheel though, I mean, it's just water with a smidgen of soap, I can't imagine that ruining it, lol.
You're fine. The fibers will fluff back up once it is dry. It really took a lot of toothbrush strokes (and at a pretty rapid pace) to get it to where I wanted. I was also using a soft bristle toothbrush.
I had the same problem and thought that I would need it recovering, but after using a damp micro cloth its like new again sooo happy great tip, the cloth was really dirty
01-22-2016, 11:48 AM
