Anyone ever have seat leather replaced?

[David D]

The seat heater in the thigh support on the passenger side failed and they replaced it under my warranty. What I didn't know was that the heater is integral with the leather covering, and they replaced the entire seat bottom. The problem is that the new leather doesn't match the original. It's not that it's "new", but the finish is more of a matte as opposed to the shiny finish on the original. My seats are black Nappa sport seats.

The dealer says that the original seats are shiny from years of wear, but that doesn't explain the parts of the seats that don't get wear (sides, backs, etc.) looking different than the new seat bottom. I'm skeptical.

Has anyone else had this done? I go to pick it up again tomorrow. They've assured me that it's the correct part and they put some treatment on it to shine it up a bit.

[jsoto]

It is matte...

Shiny is from the oils and burnishing *wear and tear* over the years...
A good upholstery shop can make it work but the good ones are not cheap, and I say that lightly. Upholstery shops, the good ones command top dollar.

[squidzilla]

My steering wheel was shiny until I cleaned it up with a magic eraser. It became matte more and more as it got cleaner.

[David D]

Thanks for the info guys. The service writer insists that the new seat bottom matches the door panel leather. We'll see tomorrow...

[jontezan]

Hi. when i clean my leather i use these sponges and som leather cleaner. If you use them, be gently on the applied pressure because they tend to grind the leather like wery fine sandpaper. I Always get that matte finnish afterwards. In the seams you can use a nailbrush. If you want to you can end with some leather protection cream.

[willy_manily]

You're all going to hate my suggestion but i've always used Windex glass cleaner on the leather of my cars. Just make sure you don't have the glass cleaner with ammonia. I've used it on many of the cars i've cleaned and never had an issue. They generally come up almost like new and go back to their original matte finish.

I did scrub really hard with a brush and Windex on a beige interior E90 BMW and it started to lift the actual leather dye. However, that was after 30 mins of scrubbing on one area to try to lift the dirt from some little cracks.

Theres nothing I hate more than oily glossy leather.

[StephenVA]

Originally Posted by willy_manily

You're all going to hate my suggestion but i've always used Windex glass cleaner on the leather of my cars. Just make sure you don't have the glass cleaner with ammonia. I've used it on many of the cars i've cleaned and never had an issue. They generally come up almost like new and go back to their original matte finish.

I did scrub really hard with a brush and Windex on a beige interior E90 BMW and it started to lift the actual leather dye. However, that was after 30 mins of scrubbing on one area to try to lift the dirt from some little cracks.

Theres nothing I hate more than oily glossy leather.

[Qsilver7]

Originally Posted by willy_manily

... i've always used Windex glass cleaner on the leather of my cars...

OH MY Gaaww ...

...just having fun.

[Ricky Bobby]

Magic erasers and scrub pads are only abrading the urethane coating on the leather, similar to wetsanding clear coat.

I don't recommend them personally, its a cheap shortcut which compromises the coating on the leather over time.

Use a good interior cleaner that is safe for plastic and not too harsh, something like Optimum Power Clean, usually diluted 3:1 is what I use.

Use a soft bristled brush (horsehair, boars hair, etc) and work the product in the leather with a soft brush to loosen and lift ground in dirt and grime, and let the product work a bit. When done, then wipe the seats down to get rid of the cleaner with a damp towel and let air dry. They should be perfectly clean and matte and you haven't compromise the coating by abrading at the grime on the leather.

Shiny = dirty - my .02 but I don't prefer to wetsand paint if I don't have to and I dont like using abrasives on leather.

[Deansbimmer]

Shiny leather is polished leather. It may be dirty, but the factory applied clear has been polished if it is shiny. If you return shiny leather to matte, then you have technically removed some of the clear, regardless of what method you've used. The amount of clear removed is miniscule, you'd have to clean it hundreds of times to reach the colorant. It is much like the process for paint on the outside of the car.

You can add more clear to the leather if you want, it is done all the time at dealerships and detail shops. You can purchase Urethane Leather Topcoat and airbrush it onto the surface with a crosslinker. Same with spraying more clear onto new leather covers. If you want it to match the rest of the interior, you can mix gloss urethane with flat urethane until you get the right sheen to match the rest of your seats.