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The "suede" trim does not wear as well as the "suede" inserts.
It certainly, does not wear as well as the leather surfaces. It does eventually show matting anywhere there is something touching it over the course of time. My sueded center console and both armrests are showing a little wear from elbows, so I can only imagine how badly the steering wheel and shift **** will show wear from hands.
Alcantara holds up very well if you take care of it. I had Alcantara wheel, seats, and shifter ***** in both my CTS-V's. There are a few things you can do to maintain it. The first thing is to wash your hands prior to driving the car...it works wonders. Sonax makes a good Alcantara/leather cleaner also, but what works best is isopropyl alcohol on a microfiber towel. It removes oils and grime and dries fast but does not harm the material...did this for a couple years. Also when the wheel starts pilling (little round ***** of fiber on wheel) use 2000 grit sandpaper on it. Just rub one way VERY LIGHTLY and the pilling is gone and wheel is like new. I would not do this very often but I really took care of my Alcantara. When I got my 2nd V the wheel looked like leather it was so caked and matted got it looking new in 2 hrs. Compressed air can help fluff the fibers also. You never want to soak the Alcantara, damp only.
St. Jude Donor '05-'06-'07-'08-'09, '14-'15-'16-'17-'18
Originally Posted by mtaylor
So torn on interior choices, im now thinking red seat so i can get res stitching without going to 3lz
If you are in doubt about the 'suede' covering for the lower half of the interior, opt for the leather. No worries about it getting too dirty or having to wash your hands before driving it or the material getting pressed down over time with elbows or whatever. Plus the leather looks sharp and wears well.
I have the 3LT option so my car has the 'suede' upper half and since it hardly gets touched, it's going to stay new-looking forever.
And...plenty of guys have reported good results with dyeing their interior stitching red. Search this forum for the process and photos of their results. You don't have to order red seats to get that red stitching.
Keep us posted!
Last edited by ExRedRacer; Dec 15, 2016 at 09:55 PM.
I find the pseudo-suede steering wheel and M7 shift **** of my GS kinda weird.....not sure I like it, also concerned about long-term durability....I may swap it for a regular leather wheel.
Last edited by ersatz928; Dec 15, 2016 at 11:44 PM.