Moldy Recaros

[2002Targa]

Greetings all,

I just found a set of Recaros out of a 320is that the guy will give me for $50.00. They look to be intact with no tears, but they've been in a car with the window down for the last year in east North Carolina. Needless to say, they're really moldy.

My question is, is it possible to get the mold out of the seats to where it won't stink up my good smelling car?? Are they worth it?

TIA

[jwcurry]

Sure....worth it for just the frames. You are going to need a full upholstery job anyway, including the support foam.

Make sure the frames aren't rusted away. Likely, they'll be covered in surface rust so, I bet they'll need prepping & painting before re-working them.

Jerry

[KFunk]

eh, I'd try leaving them in hot direct sun for a few days first, for a temp fix. (tough this time of year, though)

I had a Dodge in Hawaii that I drove for two years with no roof or windows. The seats never got moldy or nasty. I just left it parked in the direct sunlight most of the time. The heat and UV will kill off most everything.

[KFunk]

Now that I think about it, it might be easiest to find a UV lamp and shine it on them for a few days. UV is some lethal stuff, so most animals either avoid it or develop defenses against it. Humans have some natural stuff that usually fixes UV damage, but mold can't do that. Thats why mold is usually confined to dank, shaded places.

and yeah... i'm a biologist....

[2002Targa]

the more and more I think about these, the more I'm drawn to them.

[Guest Anonymous]

Try double strength chlorine bleach or hydrogen peroxide followed by lots of lanolyn or othe rleather conditioner

if the mold is inside, take them to a shop and have them repadded and recovered.

[auggiemize]

After the UV/dry heat thing, try some Fabreeze. More dry heat and lots of vacuuming with a brush attachment. But, yeah, easily worth fifty.