Sweade...
 

Has anyone ever pulled ALL of the sweade out? I want to do it so I can clean it all while its out of the car. If anyone has done please tell me how hard it is to do it before I get into a huge project. Thanks ~Dennis

Hmmm got sweaty suede? Reminds me of a horrible thread a while back.... :eek:

You want to remove the dash just for cleaning??

Yes I want to remove ALL of the sweade just to clean it. You have to understand that this car sat for a year not cared for. And the previous owner did not take very good care of it.So this is why I want to remove it all. ~Dennis

i have, .. me and a friend anyways

the door panels are easy, few screws, some clips, disconnecting electrical

i'll pm you all the procedures if you like.

The panel under the steering wheel is easy as well. You just have to pop out the switches and coin holder (or OBD2 connector) to reveal the 2 bolts that hold it on.

If the previous owner didn't care for it, then the Escaine (synthetic suede) may be too far gone to 'clean.'

And when you do clean it, be very, very careful how you go about it. Any scrubbing and you risk pilling it up and then it's ruined. It's a very delicate fabric.

Some day I'd like to have an upholsterer replace all the Escaine in my car with real suede - it'd be more durable. :)

Well I am getting its starting to look ALOT better. I have all of it out except the part infront of the passanger seat. I cant figure out how to remove it. If anyone knows please tell me how to do it. Thanks ~Dennis

The padded piece in front of the passenger seat (above the glove compartment) is impossible to get out without taking the dash out first. Even dropping the entire glove box assembly will not allow you access to the 15 or 16 screws that hold this piece in. They are screwed in from the back of the dash.

Ask "newsvx" for more information on this. He pulled the entire dash out of his son's wrecked SVX and I asked him how that piece was attached.

Here is the breakdown diagram of that part: (item 1 in the diagram)

http://www.subaruparts.com/diag/?mod...ategory=660-A2

Wouldn't the constant sun turn it to dust after a few years? I know Ferrari used real suede on the dash of the Dino, and it didn't last very long...But It would be a nice idea:cool:

My car clearly received better-than-average care in its former life, but I think the Ecsaine is in amazingly good shape, showing very minor wear only on the driver's arm rest. I'm not so sure suede leather would have held up so well, without exceptional attention. That said, it's not one of my favorite SVX design features (but it's the second thing folks mention, after the windows).

More on Ecsaine:
http://www.ecsaine.com/english/about/

dcb

My car doesn't get 'constant sun.' It stays in the garage under a cover most of the time. I rarely drive it to work because that means it'd sit out in the sun.

Mine's in great shape, too. I actually hang towels on the door pulls so they don't get dirty from touching them when I get in and out of the car. I don't want to have to clean the ecsaine because I've seen what happens. A few years ago a dealer mechanic got oil all over the driver's door pull and they tried to clean it. What a mess. Granted, the stain itself and the way they tried to clean it were both extreme examples, but I'm still very careful to not get anything on the material anyway.

The dealer replaced the interior door panel on my car, by the way. They had a '97 that was traded in and they swapped out the whole panel.

Hmm... is mine supposed to be blue?

dcb

Well I got all of it clean ill post pics later on. ~Dennis