MATERIAL WORLD
Photographer, Wallbank, quite literally gets to grips with the soiled Alcantara upholstery populating the cabin of his recently purchased 981 Cayman GTS...
Well, a month into 981 ownership and I was hoping to be writing about first impressions driving and living with my GTS, but the third period of UK lockdown (dictating no travel anywhere unless absolutely necessary) means the car has barely seen the light of day, much to my disappointment. In fact, other than the journey back from the dealership, I’ve only had one chance to head out, and that was on a frustratingly wet day.
Lockdown does, however, present an opportunity to perform nifty DIY detailing tricks, many learned while I’ve been photographing car care guides for magazines over the years. The Alcantara trim in my GTS was showing signs of heavy use, and I wanted to return the material to its soft and fuzzy factoryfresh look. Time for some magic!
I don’t know about you, but one of my pet hates is a worn-looking steering wheel. It can be a tell-tale sign of high mileage, but in reality, a car’s interior can start looking worse for wear after just 15k miles (maybe less?) if the owner hasn’t taken care of the upholstery. This is especially true of Alcantara, with parts regularly in contact with the driver being those to suffer most. The steering wheel and gear knob are the main offenders.
My 2016 GTS has covered only
30k miles from new, and although the paintwork is immaculate and the general condition of the car is very good, it’s clear the Alcantara-trimmed cabin components haven’t been properly looked after. The truth is it’s not the Alcantara itself that’s become shiny or faded — the cause of the less than desirable look is a build-up of grease and dirt deposits. Even if you’re a very clean person and, like me, wash your hands regularly, your skin carries natural oils that will contribute to the shiny or faded appearance of Alcantaracovered furniture.
Many companies will have you believe it will take hours of professional detailing to return Alcantara to its original appearance, but I’m here to share with you my tried and tested method for achieving a factory look using a method that is both cheap and not overly time consuming. All you need is a clean microfibre cloth, some household nonbiological washing detergent and a bowl. I use non-bio liquid because it features fewer chemicals and isn’t as harsh on the material. On to the process.
First, add a few drops of the detergent into warm water, fully soak the cloth and then squeeze out all the excess liquid — you don’t want to saturate the material you’re about to clean. Begin gently agitating the affected Alcantara back and forth. If your car’s interior is anything like mine was, then you may need to apply a fair amount more pressure in order to get
to the grime. Don’t be afraid to rub the parts to loosen the dirt.
I also find looping the cloth around those hard-to-get-at areas works well. If you’ve yet to clean your car’s steering wheel using this method, you should start to see muck transferring to your cloth almost immediately. Regularly rinse and wring the microfibre as you work.
After completing a ‘full pass’, allow the Alcantara to dry and you should see an immediate improvement, restoring your car’s soft-touch surfaces to their fuzzy glory. The parts should smell good, too!
Depending on how long your car’s interior has gone without a deep clean, it may be necessary to repeat the process. This was certainly the case with my car if I was to achieve the ‘as new’ look I’m now enjoying. I hope you can accomplish the same. In fact, if you decide to follow my lead and try this method of refreshing the Alcantara in your Porsche, send me some of your photos. I can be contacted via Instagram, where you can find me at @chris_wallbank. I look forward to hearing from you.
Next on my GTS job list is to revive the shiny leather interior parts, which are looking a little dull. I’m also going to replace the black front intake grilles as a consequence of them being quite heavily chipped. It’s not an uncommon feature of Porsche sports cars, as I’m sure many of you can attest, but it’s an eyesore nonetheless, and something I’d like to take care of while my car is patiently waiting for an opportunity to get back out onto the open road. Here’s hoping things change before too long. ●