NY Audi Family

I am about to purchase an S4 and am undecided about the interior. I wonder what people's experience has been keeping the alcantara clean (silver or blue). I think the alcantara looks super, but I have a bit of a fetish about keeping the car clean - both inside and out.

SullyS4

From the manufacturer of Alcantara<ul><li><a href="http://www.alcantara.it/istituzionale/manutenzione_inglese.pdf">http://www.alcantara.it/istituzionale/manutenzione_inglese.pdf</a></li></ul>

mrjain

alright that was not funny.

bartcatz

It's easy to keep emaculate - trust me.

jmsod

I was set on the black and silver interior. I think it looks really sharp. Upon talking with the sales rep, he warned me of two issues. First, he said that it is difficult to keep clean (particularly the silver... not as much of an issue with the blue-- but I think the blue looks horrible). Secondly, he said that the silver Alcantara develops somewhat of a shiny, sheen appearance over time from sitting on it. He said the all leather would hold up over time much better. They had both interiors available too, so it wasn't as if he was trying to sell the only one he had.

405Z

warm in the winter, cool in the summer, looks great, and your *** sticks to it like glue under spirited driving. It's the only way to go!

85-4kq-girl

I'm a B5 S4'er with silver Alcantara. Most who don't have it are very envious for the same reasons 405Z mentioned!

Anyway, here is a link to a write-up I did about how to make it look brand new. Also, check with the folks on the Detail Forum...they'll suggest similar techniques. Granted, mine only has 28k miles on it so it hasn't developed a "sheen" as someone mentioned. But in the Detail forum, someone with many more miles followed these directions and it totally revived the silver Alcantara. Good luck--go for it!

--morgan<ul><li><a href="https://forums.audiworld.com/s4/msgs/1593284.phtml">Alcantara cleaning:</a></li></ul>

jmsod

as far as the look goes, report back in a year and let us know how it has held up. And I may be in the minority here, but I hated that I could not shift in the Alcantara seat at all. A little too sticky for my taste.

avuslover

The driver's seat suffered from pilling. I found myself "shaving" it at redlights with my Swiss Army knife. I was told be the dealer that the Alcantara is only covered for 12k under the warranty.

I loved how it looked and felt, although it felt pretty bad near the end. Cleaning was never a problem, though.

I am much happier with my leather now.

Reg Dunlop

Excellent guide -- used in on the alcantara on my B5 -- looked new afterwards