Leather seat problem

**anthonyautopia** · 07-24-2006, 12:03 PM

I think my recently acquired 03 Acura TL has some sort of cheap dye put on its leather seat. After putting on Lexol conditioner, the leather becomes very sticky. It looks like the previoius owner put on cheap or incorrect dye on the leather. i can take my fingernail and scrape/rub off some of the dyes on the leather seat. It feel like a rubber. The leather itself is not cracked or anything like that. It just has this rough, sticky **** coated over it.

Anyone has any idea what I can use to remove this ****** coating? Mineral spirit seemed to take this stuff off with ALOT of rubbing. Is there anythign easier that won`t harm the leather?

thanks,

anthony

**emaxxman** · 07-24-2006, 12:53 PM

Originally Posted by anthonyautopia

I think my recently acquired 03 Acura TL has some sort of cheap dye put on its leather seat. After putting on Lexol conditioner, the leather becomes very sticky. It looks like the previoius owner put on cheap or incorrect dye on the leather. i can take my fingernail and scrape/rub off some of the dyes on the leather seat. It feel like a rubber. The leather itself is not cracked or anything like that. It just has this rough, sticky **** coated over it.

Anyone has any idea what I can use to remove this ****** coating? Mineral spirit seemed to take this stuff off with ALOT of rubbing. Is there anythign easier that won`t harm the leather?

thanks,

anthony

Mineral spirits will dry out the leather for sure and speed up the cracking process. Put some on your hand and see what it does to your skin...doesn`t burn but dries it out real fast.

The leather was sticky because you put too much Lexol on. Use a foam pad with just enough on there to spread a really, really thin layer on the seats. Then let it dry for about 30 minutes, then wipe down with a clean dry towel. It still may have some squeak but it shouldn`t be sticky. Too much of any conditioner will cause it to be sticky.

As for the stuff that is peeling, is it a dirt layer that is coming off? Most leather is coated with vinyl. Try some woolite and water. Spray the leather. If it`s a dirt layer, it will lift off. My ivory leather looked clean. I sprayed the woolite/water on to it, scrubbed gently with a sponge, and it was amazing how much dirt was actually there.

**anthonyautopia** · 07-24-2006, 01:12 PM

>>>Mineral spirits will dry out the leather for sure and speed up the cracking process. Put some on your hand and see what it does to your skin...doesn`t burn but dries it out real fast.

I can see that it dries out real quick. I immediately put on Lexol conditioner afterward. But does mineral spirit "disintegrate" or weaken the leather?

>>>>The leather was sticky because you put too much Lexol on. Use a foam pad with just enough on there to spread a really, really thin layer on the seats. Then let it dry for about 30 minutes, then wipe down with a clean dry towel. It still may have some squeak but it shouldn`t be sticky. Too much of any conditioner will cause it to be sticky.

I didn`t put on too much. Afterward, I used a towel to wipe off the excess. For the small area I removed the coating, the leather feels fine, smooth but somewhat greasy from the Lexol. As for the rest of the seat, it became tacky, sticky, kinda like the sticky surface of a piece of tape. This is not what leather or Lexol should feel like.

>>>>As for the stuff that is peeling, is it a dirt layer that is coming off? Most leather is coated with vinyl. Try some woolite and water. Spray the leather. If it`s a dirt layer, it will lift off. My ivory leather looked clean. I sprayed the woolite/water on to it, scrubbed gently with a sponge, and it was amazing how much dirt was actually there.[/QUOTE]

Unfortunately, it`s not dirt. It`s like a thin rubber coating.

---

anthony

**slick61** · 09-08-2006, 12:55 PM

silly question, but did you clean the seats thoroughly, before going over with the conditioner? ... maybe it`s a buildup issue with an incompatible product...

just a thought-

**mblgjr** · 09-17-2006, 01:51 AM

Good old Kiwi Saddle soap will remove any grime and dirt buildup. Allow seats to air dry before applying a conditioner. It can be found in just about any grocery store in the shoe care section.

Don`t use mineral spirits or any harsh chemicals on leather. A lot of cars in the US used dyed leather, or pleather, and it doesn`t take much to remove the dye.

**94BlkStang** · 09-17-2006, 01:59 AM

The seats may have been dyed at one time before it was sold to hide any wear on the seats. This is very common for car lots to do this as it makes the seats look like new. I haven`t heard of any issues about the dye coming off from a typical leather conditioner like Lexol, but this might be a situation of a bad dye job. What`s the mileage on the car when you bought it? High mileage could indicate a possible dye job, but even lower mileage cars get it done if there was a possible issue.