Clarity Touring - Removing Seude on dashboard

L

livlife

New Member
Has anyone had any luck with getting rid of the seude strip on the dashboard of the Clarity Touring model? I am in the market to buy a 2019 Clarity. Would love to get the touring model but the seude strip on the dash is a showstopper for me. I am now leaning towards the base model which has a wood finish on the dash.

Has anyone tried to remove the seude strip? What is underneath it? And how difficult (or easy) was it to get rid of the seude...

Thanks.
 
The suede is also on the doors. In the base model it's replaced with a soft-touch plastic that feels a bit like a diving suit. Both models have the fake wood trim. The only difference between the two models is the suede, the power seats and the leather upholstery - and the price for those three items seems to be about $4K...
 
Kerbe said:
The suede is also on the doors. In the base model it's replaced with a soft-touch plastic that feels a bit like a diving suit. Both models have the fake wood trim. The only difference between the two models is the suede, the power seats and the leather upholstery - and the price for those three items seems to be about $4K...
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The leather steering wheel is so much better in the Touring. Also, you'd have to use your phone for GPS mapping in the base Clarity PHEV, but you could use Android Auto or Apple Carplay to put that info on the screen(s). The Garmin GPS software in the Touring doesn't thrill me. The Touring's upholstery includes more leather than the base, but there's still some Alcantara there, too.

I was terrified that I'd find my greasy fingerprints on the light-colored suede of our Clarity's dashboard, but two years in and I still haven't had to try the special cleaning fluid I bought.
 
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I have a 2018 Touring. No problem with the "suede". 22,000 miles and no dirt that I can see. I can't imagine trying to remove it. I also cannot sit in seats without motorized adjustments.
 
The door cards and seat inserts on my Chevy Volt had a similar material in light tan. After six years, I found no problem keeping the stuff looking good.

I suspect that parts using the suede can be replaced with parts made for the base model. Perhaps a salvage yard could provide these parts.
 
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livlife said:
Has anyone had any luck with getting rid of the seude strip on the dashboard of the Clarity Touring model? I am in the market to buy a 2019 Clarity. Would love to get the touring model but the seude strip on the dash is a showstopper for me. I am now leaning towards the base model which has a wood finish on the dash.

Has anyone tried to remove the seude strip? What is underneath it? And how difficult (or easy) was it to get rid of the seude...

Thanks.
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just get the black interior then it is no problem and looks great.
 
Groves Cooke said:
I have a 2018 Touring. No problem with the "suede". 22,000 miles and no dirt that I can see. I can't imagine trying to remove it. I also cannot sit in seats without motorized adjustments.
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Do you change your seat adjustment frequently? I tend to "dial it in" over time and then just leave it that way - so manual seats work well for me. Also, I'm the sole driver of the vehicle so the settings never need to change.
 
insightman said:
The leather steering wheel is so much better in the Touring.
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Perhaps I'm a steering wheel Luddite but, having driven cars with leather-wrapped wheels, cars with pleather-wrapped wheels and cars with solid material (resin, plastic, wood) wheels I really find no great difference between leather and fake leather in terms of grip, slip or comfort. What, in your opinion, makes the leather wheel superior?
 
Kerbe said:
Do you change your seat adjustment frequently?
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I find the Clarity seats to as comfortable as any other care I have driven recently. I use the memory position and start from there, but some days my back is a little more comfortable in a slightly different position. And on a long trip, changing every hour or so helps relieve the strain.
 
Kerbe said:
Perhaps I'm a steering wheel Luddite but, having driven cars with leather-wrapped wheels, cars with pleather-wrapped wheels and cars with solid material (resin, plastic, wood) wheels I really find no great difference between leather and fake leather in terms of grip, slip or comfort. What, in your opinion, makes the leather wheel superior?
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I’ve found the leather wrapped steering wheel on the Touring to be much better in the winter time. It just feels “warmer” or not so cold to the touch. For the rest of the year I would say no difference, but it might possibly be not as hot to the touch if left in the sun. Don’t know about that since mine is garaged.
 
The difference with the power seats is that the front and back of the seat cushion can be adjusted up or down independently, at least on the drivers seat. Why they cheaped out on the passenger seat I’ll never know.
I have all those adjustments plus lumbar on a 20 year old GMC truck. Guess there wasn’t a check box for that on the customer satisfaction survey.

I like the cushion high in front and low in back. Can’t get that with the crank up seats. We got in one car for a test drive at the Honda dealer. It didn’t have power seats. We didn’t even close the doors.
 
Kerbe said:
Perhaps I'm a steering wheel Luddite but, having driven cars with leather-wrapped wheels, cars with pleather-wrapped wheels and cars with solid material (resin, plastic, wood) wheels I really find no great difference between leather and fake leather in terms of grip, slip or comfort. What, in your opinion, makes the leather wheel superior?
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Maybe Honda used a particularly unpleasant covering for the base Clarity to help sell the more expensive Touring version (though doubtful, because it's not clear Honda really wanted to sell any Claritys). I have owned cars with non-leather steering wheels that I found completely acceptable, but I just don't like the feel of the base Clarity's steering wheel. The leather steering wheel in the Touring Clarity feels great to me and because it's what I'm always touching, that's important to me.
 
insightman said:
Maybe Honda used a particularly unpleasant covering for the base Clarity
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I test-drove both models before purchasing a Base: I could not feel any difference between the two. I also think Honda did a very good job of making the matte-finished soft-touch material on the Base dash and doors visually resemble the suede of the Touring model.
 
insightman said:
Assuming you really do have kids if you're hoping for grandkids, you'll need more than just cream-colored suede on your car's dashboard. Try some expensive porcelain figurines on a low shelf.
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LOL! Should have said no little kids. Got one grown son whose getting married next year, so I’m getting close to grandchildren. I give ‘em 1 year, and then I’m praying for an accident. And thank you Lord, he had been gainfully employed since the day he graduated college and has never lived in my basement.
 
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