Are my leather seats ruined?

D

DiZzyBonne

New member
First off, I have a 2008 Ford Shelby GT500, pointing that out so you know what type of leather seats I have. I recently went to the beach and when we got back into the car, we had sunscreen on us which rubbed off on the seats. I bought Meguiar's Gold Class Leather & Vinyl Cleaner at the store and it worked wonders. I left it in the car in 95 degree heat for about 2 days, until I finally remembered to bring it back inside. I'm pointing this out in case maybe this is why the rest of my story goes as follows...

Fast forward a few weeks later, and I just recently went to get food, and the bottom of the bag leaked grease all over my passenger side seat! :angry: I wiped it off, and the next day (I had left the product at work, so I couldn't use it at home,) I sprayed some on and wiped it off. However, this time the seat wiped off and left a LOT more black stuff on my towel than the first time I used it. It also left my seats looking a bit more white and feeling strange, a little sticky even. Also, if I rub my finger across the seat, it "peels." Take a look at these pictures and tell me what you think.

VYaq32u.jpg

You can see where the slight discoloration is, and it's actually like that in a little bit more than that area, but the flash is pronouncing that particular spot. You can also see where it's "peeling." I put it in quotes because it might just be a lot of dirt - that is, in fact, right where the food grease hit. When I tried wiping down that same spot on the driver seat, it didn't leave it as bad, nor did it wipe off as black, but it still did leave it slightly discolored - different than when I first bought it a few weeks ago (from what I remember, at least.)

GZZHcii.jpg

Here's another angle.

qmAWeYJ.jpg

Another closeup of the "peel." Also, that spot towards the left of the picture (where the front of the seat meets the part of the seat with the holes in it) is where it hasn't fully dried, probably because I tried letting the product sit for about 45 seconds before wiping it off. It's really soaked in now, and I can't fully dry it out.

O33NZaZ.jpg

A closeup of my finger, and the "peel" on the paper in the background. When I grabbed that little piece to the right of my finger between my nails on both hands and pulled it apart, it was slightly stretchy before it ripped.

I'm really worried :(. What do you guys think it is? Did I ruin my seats? Can I fix it? Ahh! I broke my baby!
 
Re: Meguiar's Gold Class Leather & Vinyl Cleaner - Ruining my seats?

Just a guess, but I think you may have over scrubbed and worn through the clear sealant on the seats. A good upholstery shop should be able to add the color back to even them up and re seal the seats. Also make sure after you use a cleaner (and as routine maintenance) you apply a leather conditioner if you have none sealed seats and if they are sealed you just want something with good UV protection so they dont get dried out from the sun. I like 303 Products but there are a lot available from here Car Leather Cleaner and Conditioner - Automobile Leather Care - Leather Car Seat Care .
 
Re: Meguiar's Gold Class Leather & Vinyl Cleaner - Ruining my seats?

I'm thinking that all the sunscreen wasn't off the seat and that's what attacked the leather and the Meguiars sealed it in the first time.. I've never had any issues with the Meguiars leather products.

That area appears to be the front of the seat right where the backside of a knee would sit for a ride home.
 
Re: Meguiar's Gold Class Leather & Vinyl Cleaner - Ruining my seats?

I'd be more apt to believe that either the sunscreen or the fast food "grease" (or quite possibly 7-8 years worth of wear) has more to do with your seats condition that use of a Meguiar's product. I'd second having a reputable/knowledgeable leather person look at them and see what could be done.
 
Re: Meguiar's Gold Class Leather & Vinyl Cleaner - Ruining my seats?

The thing is, I bought the car with 15,000 miles and she rarely ever had a passenger - and that's where the damage is.

I thought maybe it was the fact that the Meguiar's was hot, but it was more than likely all the other crap that fell on my seat in such a short period of time :(. For comparative purposes, the driver's side of the exact same spot in the seat is perfect, and the Meguiar's doesn't do to it what it did to the passenger side. Well, it slightly did, but nowhere near as much. In fact, it's barely noticeable on the driver's side.

I'm going to try a Lexol treatment.
 
Re: Meguiar's Gold Class Leather & Vinyl Cleaner - Ruining my seats?

Dizzy, I'll strongly recommend that you attempt to remove the existing product/products prior to application of another leather treatment.
 
Re: Meguiar's Gold Class Leather & Vinyl Cleaner - Ruining my seats?

I'm thinking these may never look as they once did. As you are very particular about your baby, would it be a good idea to contact Shelby/Ford (depending on whether Shelby modified) and see what the OE replacement covers cost? These types of things tend to be around for a few years and then disappear never to be made by the factory again. Granted you could always replace with a quality product like Katzkins but they'll likely never match the original upholstery. I think if I were in your shoes and planned on keeping the car I'd look into it. Even if I just held on to them while I continue to experiment with other solutions in the meantime. If you have the covers in hand and decide to have someone professionally install them down the road the cost won't floor you.
 
Re: Meguiar's Gold Class Leather & Vinyl Cleaner - Ruining my seats?

Sunscreen really screws with car interiors
 
Re: Meguiar's Gold Class Leather & Vinyl Cleaner - Ruining my seats?

I've seen this happen with a lot of used cars, unfortunately.

More than likely a very strong cleaner was used in the past and it did one of two things:

1. Removed the protective coating altogether.
2. Diminished the thickness of the coating to the point that rubbing it with anything would completely remove it. Cleaning a seat that is hot to the touch or using a hot chemical will further soften what little film is left of the coating.

Letting sun tan lotion bake on the material in the sun for two days certainly didn't help.

Unfortunately there's no (proper) fix except to have the material replaced altogether.

What you experienced was not caused by Meguiar's Gold Class Leather & Vinyl Cleaner. So nobody jumps to any conclusions by skimming the thread instead of actually reading it, we're going to change the title to "Are my leather seats ruined?"
 
Ruined? No. Damaged to the point of never looking brand-new? Yeah, probably, at least unless somebody does something extraordinary to remedy things. Eh, I'd just live with it and enjoy the car. Yeah, I know...it *does* suck, especially on a ride like that, but "live and learn" with regard to how fragile some leather is.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top