Leather stained by Leather

travelinclass · 12-12-08, 05:04

I have an ‘08 Eddie Bauer Expedition with the Camel leather seats. I noticed my black leather belt was leaving a dark discolored area on the seat back. I immediately removed the belt, now I can't remove the discoloration. The Owner's Manual says my leather seating surfaces have a clear, protective coating over the leather. They say not to use household cleaning products, alcohol solutions, solvents or cleaners intended for rubber, vinyl and plastics, or oil/petroleum-based leather conditioners because these products may cause premature wearing of the clear, protective coating. Ford recommends Motorcraft Deluxe Leather and Vinyl Cleaner (ZC-11-A).

I've tried soap and water, Meguiar's Quick Interior Detailer Wipes (stopped when I read they contain Isopropyl Alcohol), and LEXOL-pH. None of that would touch the discoloration. I've ordered and will try the Motorcraft Deluxe Leather and Vinyl Cleaner, but wondered if anyone else has already seen this problem and had success with restoring the seat to original.

Or could this be a warranty issue?

mblgjr · 12-12-08, 11:00

I've had SEVERAL Ford trucks do this.

Other than wearing my shirttail out I've never found a great solution. I can tell you with time products like Tanner's Preserve and Poorboy's Leather Stuff seem to help aid the 'belt stain' go away over time.

I've also used Kiwi Saddle Soap in the past; but don't really suggest it for coated leathers.

I recently used Leatherique and it worked REALLY well on the Ford coated leather (both rej. oil and p.c.). Not sure what it would do in this situation though.

Jimmy Buffit · 12-13-08, 06:30

It is an almost impossible situation.

Try Mr. Clean Magic Eraser (with small amount of the Lexol).

Quality Leather · 12-19-08, 07:07

You might try some diluted alcohol, but the stain may not come out.

mikeross · 10-22-09, 02:07

Guess what that happened to me before. Back then I did not know much about the different parts of a car and how to handle stains over the leather seats. I thought alcohol would do the trick but geesh it was such a mess. The discoloration got worse. That was a really sad moment.

Quality Leather · 10-22-09, 11:06

That is why I said it may not come out. Your only other alternative is to refinish the leather.

cartoysautospa · 10-26-09, 06:55

Zep upholstery wipes will take most of the residue off, but you have to wipe it gently as you could take some or all of the dye off the seat. what has happened is the belt has redyed the leather.

for a full restore, you will need to re spray the seat to be flawless