Passenger seat disaster: replace? Repair?

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by troilus1, Jul 17, 2014.

  1. troilus1

    troilus1 New Member

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    Hey, you knowledgeable folks. Thanks in advance for any and all help. Here's the story (short-ish version):

    My Ex borrowed my Prius III (cloth seats) 2 weeks ago, and transported her cat. The cat, tho a sweetheart, peed out the side of the carrier. My Ex tried to clean it by dousing the seat (within an hour or so) with two bottles of cat urine cleaner. (sigh)

    For two weeks, the car reeked of cleaning chemicals. Now, the chemical reek is faded, but the cat pee smell has returned. Before you ask, she's offered to pay for whatever fix is needed, but I'm trying to do the most cost-effective thing to rid myself of that smell. My questions:

    1) The smell is likely deep in the foam of the seat. Is it even possible to clean this? If so, how?
    2) If it is not possible, it seems like my best bet is to replace the seat. I'm very handy, but in the realm of autos, I've only worked on older cars (1980s or older). Is it possible to DIY replace this seat? If so, where would I look for a replacement? (I'd want to replace it with the exact same seat.) Can I replace just the seat part (the back rest escaped w/o pee)?

    Again, thank you so much for your help. It can't come soon enough.

    -David
     
    #1 troilus1, Jul 17, 2014
  2. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    There's this junkyard in Sunland with tons and tons of Prius wrecks. Look on craigslist and you'll see many parts listed by them in Sunland. Buy the entire seat............bolt it on, only 4 bolts.

    Why in the world would you let your EX borrow your car?
     
    #2 JC91006, Jul 17, 2014
  3. xliderider

    xliderider Senior Member

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    Exactly, also, the ex should've put the carrier in the back or the rear passenger footwell, not on the seat. SMH

    SCH-I535
     
    #3 xliderider, Jul 18, 2014
  4. Burna J

    Burna J Knot Right Performance....

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    Are your seats grey? If they are, I've got set that I'm looking to get rid of cheap. They're perfected.
    And there local p/u for you.

    [​IMG]

    Heck, I even got the whole back seat. If you let it happen again.... :sneaky:

    [​IMG]
     
    #4 Burna J, Jul 18, 2014
  5. edthefox5

    edthefox5 Senior Member

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    Use seatcovers. These are the worlds best seat covers. Mine are 7 years old and still look good. Extra foam padding and waterproof and bulletproof. Machine washable.Plus they really jazz up the interior:

    Toyota Car Seat Covers - Wet Okole Hawaii
     
    #5 edthefox5, Jul 18, 2014
  6. qdllc

    qdllc Senior Member

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    Got a link? Or name for this place?
     
    #6 qdllc, Jul 18, 2014
  7. troilus1

    troilus1 New Member

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    Burna - I believe those are my seats! Does the center segment of the cloth have golf-ball-like pips? If so, I'm in. Quote me a price.

    And don't worry - it won't happen again ;-)

     
    #7 troilus1, Jul 18, 2014
  8. troilus1

    troilus1 New Member

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    Thank you all so much! This is exactly the info I needed. And, at the prices I'm seeing for salvage, knowing I can replace it myself, it makes no sense to pay an arm and a leg to try to get this cleaned.

    Thank you so much.

    As to why I let my ex borrow my car...I wish I'd consulted you fine folks first ;-)

    Thanks again,

    -D
     
    #8 troilus1, Jul 18, 2014
  9. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    off topic but I knew another guy that "rented" a car for his Ex, Ex drove the car, got into an accident, and fled the scene of the accident. EX's name was not on the rental. Ex got arrested, he was crazy enough to post bail for his EX (through bail bonds).

    Short version, he ended up being responsible for the repair of the car (insurance didn't cover EX), lost his money on the bail bonds.

    Although your case is much milder, doing things (favors) for Ex's........is just nuts.
     
    #9 JC91006, Jul 18, 2014
  10. Burna J

    Burna J Knot Right Performance....

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    You've got a PM.
     
    #10 Burna J, Jul 18, 2014
  11. The Critic

    The Critic Resident Critic

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    I would steam clean/hot water extract the seat, then use an ozone machine to remove the odors. A detail shop should be able to handle this.
     
    #11 The Critic, Jul 19, 2014
    phoenixgreg likes this.
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