Liquid on leather = light spot, need help

[MattB]

I picked up my car from the dealer today after having some routine maintenance done, and noticed a spot of clear liquid on the passenger's seat. Thinking it was just water, I wiped it off and drove home. For some reason now the spot where the liquid was has turned lighter than the rest of the seat. It's way too noticable for me to just overlook, and it hasn't dried off after almost two hours. The leather on that spot actually feels different and kind of damp if I run my finger over it. I've tried cleaning the whole seat but it's done no good, and unfortunately I have no idea what the liquid was that caused the damage except that it looked and felt like water. Is there anything I can do for a spot like this or do I need to have a professional fix this?

[Harleyguy]

You should of called the dealer or drove back to them when you noticed it.It's not too late to call them depending on the dealership they may help.If something like that happens in my dealership we step up too the plate and review it with an open opinion.

[loudog2]

Time to get some free work at the dealer.

[Matt]

Could it be some sort of de-greaser that they use on their hands to remove motor oil and the like?

I can't imagine that would be too good for leather, coated or uncoated.

[MattB]

Here's a pic of what I'm looking at. I may call the dealer this afternoon and show it to them to see what they say. I'm not optimistic that they'd do anything, but I've been a loyal customer there so it's worth a shot.

Anyone have any ideas what could do this to leather? You can clearly see that one spot is visibly lighter than the rest of the seat. It's bizarre.

http://i425.photobucket.com/albums/pp337/MatthewB85/leatherspot.jpg

[nissanz350]

Hope you can get a good deal with your dealer, it does look a bit nasty.. Good luck http://pppcm.com/72l1264.jpg

[MattB]

I called the dealer and explained the situation and they are going to have their leather person who does their used cars take a look at it. I'm going to ask them not to do anything with it before they call me and tell me what the solution is, because I don't want some cheap leather paint being put on it that will just damage the leather further and wear off. At least the dealer seems pretty reasonable about it.

[MattB]

Update: the dealer took a look and it and will take care of it, no questions asked. They first suggested having one of their "detailers" (read as: car washers) try a stain remover on it since their leather person wasn't there, but I told them I'd prefer to have their leather person who deals with leather all the time look at it. I don't generally trust dealer detail jobs or dealer expertise in matters of cosmetic maintenance. Looks like I found an honest dealer though...I'm going to have to bring the car back to have it looked by their leather person next week, so any suggestions on what the fix for this would be would be a huge help to me.

[Emile]

MattB, what product(s) have you tried using to get rid of the spot? I'm thinking some Optimum Power Clean diluted 3:1 should take care of it.

Don't be afraid of the dealer detailer; often times, dealers out-source to legitimate auto detailers.

[MattB]

MattB, what product(s) have you tried using to get rid of the spot? I'm thinking some Optimum Power Clean diluted 3:1 should take care of it.

Don't be afraid of the dealer detailer; often times, dealers out-source to legitimate auto detailers.

I've tried Lexol leather cleaner on it, with no real effect. I might have to get some of that Optimum Power Clean, I use Optimum products on my car when I wash it myself and the professional detailer I have detail my car twice a year swears by them. I wouldn't be afraid of the dealer detailer if they outsourced it, but in this case they were going to have one of their wash guys try a stain remover which didn't sound too promising.

[Matt]

I wouldn't trust the dealer "detailer" either, I know if I take my car to the dealer and don't tell them "DO NOT WASH THIS CAR" it comes back covered in waterspots as they just pressure wash it and let it "air dry". Although, that's a much better situation than it coming back full of swirls :D

Good call on not letting their "detailer" (haha car washer) touch the leather. At least this dealer sounds reasonable, always good.

[Harleyguy]

More then likely it will have to be sprayed over with leather paint.We do that here all the time.I told you that the dealer would have an open mnd about it.I'am guessing some sort of thinner was spilled on it and actaully removed some of the leather surface.Very few car manufacturers use real leather anymore it's more of a man made leather.Not the leather you see on rolls,lambo's ,Bentlys.Etc .

[MattB]

More then likely it will have to be sprayed over with leather paint.We do that here all the time.I told you that the dealer would have an open mnd about it.I'am guessing some sort of thinner was spilled on it and actaully removed some of the leather surface.Very few car manufacturers use real leather anymore it's more of a man made leather.Not the leather you see on rolls,lambo's ,Bentlys.Etc .

Does leather paint typically hold up? I've seen some "Dr. Vinyl" jobs done on dealer used cars, and it looks like crap and doesn't hold up. Since it's a factory color of leather would it be possible to get some dye and have it professionally dyed back to the proper color? The leather doesn't feel any different when I run my finger over it.

[Harleyguy]

Does leather paint typically hold up? I've seen some "Dr. Vinyl" jobs done on dealer used cars, and it looks like crap and doesn't hold up. Since it's a factory color of leather would it be possible to get some dye and have it professionally dyed back to the proper color? The leather doesn't feel any different when I run my finger over it.My leather guy does a great job .Holds up prefect.He sands the area that needs to be repaired and uses tools that a person does oil paintings with and fills in the area with a special filler then uses a small air bush to blend the color.My guy would charge around $100.00 to fix you car.But he is located here in South Fla