bumpersignal

I have a really light cream colored interior and the seatbelts are just dirty. I'll blame it on the kids. Anyway, I was thinking about changing them out for black seat belts. Anyone know how difficult that might be? Otherwise , if anyone has tips on cleaning them let me know.

Thanks in advance

Rudeney

It will be fairly difficult. You can't change just the fabric - you have to swap the whole mechanism, pretensioner and all (in fact, I think they make you buy everything - the guides, bolts, etc.). Try cleaning it using a good stain-fighting carpet cleaner. I have used Resolve carpet cleaner on the C240's Java belts and it did fairly well.

Yidney

Pull them all the way out, then use a clamp or something to keep them out. Then you can put then right in a bucket to clean and rinse.

Yidney

In answer to your question you posted and then must have deleted, yes I have actually done it. I don't like car cleaning products, like the foam cloth and carpet sprays, that tell you to wipe it with a damp cloth then let it dry and vacuum. I leaves all sort of foam crud in the fabric as well as dirt. You should see the way I clean the carpet if I buy a used car. I use the foam and some oxy spot spray stuff, rub it in good, then take an old fashioned watering can with the narrow spout and a wet/dry shop vac, and just start running water down the side slopes vacuuming it up as it gets to the bottom, then flood the floor a couple times and vacuum it up - being careful to vacuum real quick and not get much water around mounting holes, etc. Then just keep vacuuming until it's barely damp. I bet I pour 4 gallons of fresh water on the carpet doing front and rear, but I know I got everyting up from the backing and it is as clean as the day it left the factory. Most carpet cleaners are just cosmetic - they clean the top.

Rudeney

Oh, I can top that, Yidney. My daughter (who is quite possibly the world's worst car owner) once had a Honda Accord that was so horribly nasty, that I refused to work on it. I couldn't stand to even get in the driver's seat to pull it into the garage. Basically, whatever food or drink had ever been spilled in the car, had stayed there. And that was with the daughter and through the first ten years of our granddaughter's life. Anyhow, I finally told her that for her birthday, I would clean her car. My wife and I did the job. We actually removed the seats and the center console and the carpet. I hung the carpet on our fence and used a pressure washer to clean it (Honda makes some damned tough carpet, by the way). I soaked it and soaked it until the water drained clean (the initial 50 gallons of water come out black as tar). We left it all out in the driveway to dry the next day and out it back together. I think that was the only time that car was ever clean enough for me to feel comfortable in the cabin.

bumpersignal

That's pretty nasty I've actually taken the carpet out of my C5 corvette and put it in a bathtub filled with water and degreaser and when it dried it looked like new. The carpet was 12 years old and tan so you can imagine how dirty it looked prior to cleaning. The corvette also had yucky light tan seat belts but in that car replacing the belts were ~$100 and about 1 hour of labor to put in brand new black ones.

obaran

My wife exactly compaining about the same thing about cream seat belts and how to clean them, i will let you know how we get on without causing any damage int he car

iyeoh

You need patience with this.

Bucket of clean warm water. Chlorox ***Color Safe*** liquid bleach. Start out with safe amounts and don't get too aggressive with the bleach mixture. Then add a modest amount washing machine detergent.

Use a stiff nylon brush and a hard surface as backing. Brush in one direction so as not to fray the seatbelt. Keep at it without brushing too hard and damaging the seat belt material.

Keep at it for a while, and then let it dry naturally. ***Do not*** use a hairdryer or whatever stains there are will set in permanently.

California

Guys: you need this degreaser even if you do not have a light interior. It is the best and safest cleaner to get the dirty grease off. I just did my seat belts in my light colored CLK...


Do not go for bleach, please, try this first. It dilutes with water and is safe on leather and even that felt strip on the side of the doors.

Arm and hammer degreaser concentrate is amazing.