My parents got a good deal on a used crown vic however the previous owner did A LOT of driving without a shirt on. Consequently the seat belt is pretty grimy, body oil etc. YUCK. Ford wants $125 for a new one, part only. Forget that. I've decided to remove the drivers belt and try to clean it, was thinking on soaking the fabric portion in a little Mr. Clean, it worked great on the filter for the stove. Does anybody have a better idea?
Go to an auto salvage yard and get a belt. Or get 1 anyplace other then the dealer. Even JC whitney would work.
Randy
If it's oily grime, go to the auto parts store and get some hand cleaner. That stuff disolves grease. Glop some of that on, rub it in good, then just wash the belt with water.
Should work. I have cleaned some really grungy window blind cords using a product called soilax and soaking for a few hours. They looked like new when finished.
Colbyt
I believe that the auto manufacturers only recommend cleaning seat belts with soap and water. If you use something more caustic that that, it can weaken the seatbelt material and/or the thread that stitched it together, especially if you soak the belt rather than just lightly scrub it with some solvent and rinse right away. You don't want to find out the hard way that using some degreaser weakened the belt so that it will come apart in an accident. On the other hand, simply exposing the seatbelt to UV from the sun might have weakened the seat belt more than a brief exposure to some solvent would.
If it was me, I would try cleaning it with soap and water. If it was still too yucky, I would either live with it if it was a beat up car, or replace the belt if it was a pretty nice car that I was going to keep for many years. I'm anal about safety things like that. Or another option would be to put some sort of fabric cover over the seatbelt to hide the mess. They have fake sheepskin thingies at the auto parts stores for just that purpose.
Or as another poster suggested, just find another belt at a junkyard.
Ken
Thanks for the responses
.> You don't
Yeah, thats exactly what I was afraid of.
If you can enough slack and keep it from retracting, try soaking in a solution of warm water and some kind of basic shampoo, like baby shampoo, VO5 or Neutrogena. Or maybe Woolite.
A mild detergent, such as Woolite.
I was thinking Simple Green. Available in the cleaning products of stores or auto parts places. Cost you about two bucks for a squirt bottle of it. Trigger spray it on, scrub with a nylon brush. Rinse with cool water.
Interesting stuff. Smells like "root beer barrel" candies. And I've found it does clean a lot of things. From auto engines to bathtubs. Also makes good spot remover for laundry. Spray a bit on the spot, fold the fabric over and rub it for a couple seconds. Wash as usual.
Be careful when cleaning seatbelts because alkaline or acid products can weaken them permanently. Do not use Simple Green, Fantastic, 409, or waterless hand cleaner. I would try nothing but a neutral shampoo, like baby shampoo or Johnson & Johnson Ionil.
Used seatbelts can be very weak, so be careful when buying them. Check the them where they attach to the metal ends, and reject any that have even the slightest trace of fraying. However sunlight shouldn't be a problem if they're polyester rather than nylon.
J.C. Whitney does not sell factory-style seatbelts with inertial reels to allow free movement.
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