Okele neoprene seats

[blujfan9293]

I bought and installed the Okele neoprene seat covers, which look great. However, after one week my VX smelled like dirty socks--I've yet to discover lost laundry, so I'm guessing it is the seat covers. Anyone else experience this wretched smell?

[Ldub]

I've never owned wet okole seat covers, so I can't say for sure...but I have owned a few funky smelling wetsuits in my time...

I'd find a large clean vessel (bath tub or new plastic garbage can) & give em a bath in some laundry detergent...lather, rinse, you know the drill...

Throw em over the back of a lawn chair or three until dry...mebbe spritz em with febreeze?

[Marlin]

I bought and installed the Okele neoprene seat covers, which look great. However, after one week my VX smelled like dirty socks--I've yet to discover lost laundry, so I'm guessing it is the seat covers. Anyone else experience this wretched smell?

Were they used? I have wet okoles in my Expy, 2 years now, wet dog, wet kids, MCds...you name it. They have never been taken off to be washed. If you go to a dive shop, or you can order from wet okole, they make an enzyme that you wash the covers with that do not require you to remove them. DO NOT USE LAUNDRY SOAP. But if those covers are new, that smell is not from them. Check your passenger side floor carpet, that is a popular spot for damp areas do to various leaks in the VX. Mine does it every once in a while depending how I park. We got 2in of rain last night, so I am sure my VX is a swamp in there right now.
Good luck and enjoy the covers, they are the best in the world!!

[Ldub]

DO NOT USE LAUNDRY SOAP.

Hmmmmm...

http://www.ehow.com/how_4618967_wash-neoprene.html

[Marlin]

Hmmmmm...

http://www.ehow.com/how_4618967_wash-neoprene.html

I used laundry soap on my 14mil (7mil, double layer) cold water suit once, it left a horrible "stain" from the phosphates that I was never able to get out, looked like a sweat stain.

But, if its on Ehow, it must be true, especially since they have to honor the warranty from Wet Okole.. Go to a dive shop, they will tell you not to use laundry detergent. There are chemicals in tide and the like that break down the Neoprene, plus they are very difficult to rinse out, and willl "stain" the wetsuit. Or that advice could be words from the Man trying to get you to buy special chemicals. Just use the right chemical for the job, if you spend 500 bucks on seat covers (front and rear) you should probably spend the extra 5 bucks to take care of them, just my two cents, and I have actually owned multiple sets. I only need to do this once a year or so, not due to smell, but just to clean them. If you do not have window tint, I highly suggest the UV protectant as well.

PRODUCT CARE INFORMATION SHEET
WASHING INSTRUCTIONS

The more you wash, the longer they last. Washing your Wet Okole Hawaii seat covers will ultimately extend the life of your seat covers. Wet suit shampoo was specifically designed for cleaning and conditioning neoprene products. Cleaning with wet suit shampoo removes organic residue, micro-organisms and salt deposits that contribute to the deterioration of neoprene. Conditioning with wet suit shampoo helps prevent excessive drying, premature aging and oxidation of neoprene while continuing to keep the colors bright. Since Wet Okole Hawaii seat covers are waterproof, just wash the seat covers right on the vehicle. No hassles of taking the seat covers on or off. Combine water with your wet suit shampoo. Use a lint-free cloth and wash your seat covers thoroughly. Rinse your seat covers with fresh water and towel dry. DO NOT USE BLEACH OR DETERGENTS CONTAINING BLEACH! DO NOT USE A BRUSH or MACHINE WASH! HAND WASH and AIR DRY ONLY! Wet suit shampoo can be purchased directly from us or any other Wet Okole Hawaii seat cover dealer.

[Ldub]

Guess our experiences vary once again...I'm sure you're right, the instructions on eHOW are obviuosly a vast conspiracy...

[vt_maverick]

+1 on the leak possibility. Tom and I found water under the passenger side carpet when we (okay 90% Tom) were installing the Nerf bars. Turns out that the glass installer who replaced my cracked windshield two weeks earlier hadn't done such a great job resealing the glass. No big deal though, a I think I paid $2 for a tube of window glue @ Auto Zone and fixed it myself in 15 minutes.

May not be your problem, but wouldn't hurt to check the rubber seal to make sure it isn't loose anywhere.

[VXorado]

I just installed the same seat covers this week. They actually make my VX smell good. It smells like scented car wax, I was just thinking today how much I liked the scent. I'll keep you updated if they start to smell bad after using them more but i'm with Marlin on the leak idea. good luck

[VX KAT]

We had neoprene custom seat covers on our D90 back in 2001 and they gave off a terrible smell at first, had to air them out for a while, then re-installed.....seemed like a bit of residual smell persisted forever. I can't recall if they were Okele's or not, I think they were. We washed them down with dish soap with no problems at all.

[Triathlete]

My wetsuits see nothing but fresh water to wash them. Of course mine are triathlon suits and are made of some pretty exotic, expensive neoprene (Yamamoto 39). Laundry soaps are not recommended for them...they are quite harsh and dry out the neoprene.