With all the threads on dash leather damage lately, thought I would reach out to the community about an issue I am having with the leather on my roadster.

I regularly use a sun shield on the front windshield, so my dash leather is in great shape (maybe also hasn't been enough time to damage my MY'12). However, on the roadster the "speed humps" on the tonneau are covered in leather and have experienced considerable damage. I already had the leather repaired once under warranty, and now, ~18 months later, I'm seeing leather shrinkage on the speed humps again.

My question is - does anyone have any ideas on how to prevent this? The issues I am dealing with are as follows:
1) The leather is exposed to the sun A LOT when the top is down
2) I usually have the windscreen on so its tough to put anything in the rear window to block the sun since you can't access it when the top is up... so they are getting a lot of sun through the rear when the top is up too!

I've thought about getting the rear window tinted with some UV/heat blocking clear film, but not sure if that would solve the problem. Would love any advice or thoughts from anyone that 1) has any ideas or 2) has already figured out a solution.

Thanks!

 

One permanent way to do is to cover them in something else other than leather I guess or see if there is a good DIY way to take the covers off and make it a consumable type of item that needs regluing every few years. If you condition it regularly then the sun will probably only losen the glue, but wont shrink it

 

IMO there is but one sure way of protecting these beautiful leather products from the damaging rays of a hot summer sun. Use your car only during the morning hours or later in the day. Spring and Fall are less of an issue.

 

I've got a 07 MY with Obsidian Black leather in sunny FL . I use leatherique on my dash a few time a year. I had the rear window tinted. I'm sure not all leather is created equal but I'm good so far !

 

Thanks for the replies, guys. I want to keep it looking as OEM as possible, so replacing the leather with some other material wouldn't be my first option. I use leatherique on the leather a couple times a year, but I guess it might be worth doing it every month or something on the speed humps during the late spring/summer/early fall (I'm in ATL) to keep the leather conditioned.

Sportpack - did you do a clear tint or a dark tint on the rear window? I've seen some films like this (http://www.llumar.com/choose-a-produ...r-window-films) that say they repel heat and UV, but not sure how well they would work to mitigate this issue as I'm not sure what it is about the sun that causes the damage - UV or heat.

Also, as I was thinking about it, I remember that some people with dash issues use a different kind of glue than what AM uses and it seems to hold better and avoid the problems that mkzhang was talking about. Anyone know what kind of glue this is?

 

It's a dark tint. I use professional in Central FL who is one of, if not the best, with clear bra and tint. He also did the side windows. Sorry, I can't recall tint product he used but his reputation is the use of premium products only. My reason for selecting the product I did was for the very high UV level of protection it carried and the recommendation of a trusted Pro. Not sure tinting the rear window is a DIY project. He said he had to stand on his head to get the rear window done! I believe the tint helps protect the leather from UV (rear deck and door/seat areas) and temperature a little as well. I do apply leatherique to the whole car interior 2 or 3 times a year but the dash which take the big sun exposure hit takes much less time so it gets 6+ treatments a year. Please let us know how your repair goes.

 

Thanks for the response. I've contacted the local AM dealer and they have agreed to repair the leather in a somewhat unconventional way. Since this is not covered under an extended warranty, but since I DID have it replaced already under warranty, they have agreed to pay 40% of the repair cost ($525), with me paying the remainder.

Not bad, but wondering how hard it is to remove the leather from the speed hump and do a DIY glue-down. If its pretty easy, that could save a lot of heartache... i could condition the leather more regularly and when the glue starts coming up, just fix it myself. Seems better than dealing with loosening glue every 18 months or so.

Anyone know how easy it is to remove/repair this leather?

 

It is not difficult. I recently repaired the 'speed hump' cover on my roadster where the leather had become loose. The cover is not difficult to remove. I think there are just six screws holding it in place. Be sure to remove any old contact cement with a solvent before applying any new cement so the leather finish will be smooth. Be sure to use good quality contact cement to do the job.

 

Thanks for the insight! I did a quick look underneath the tonneau before I left for the holiday, but wasn't really able to see anything. I'll take a closer look when I get back home.

Any recommendations on a particular type of contact cement? Would love to find something that is a little more durable than the OEM/standard stuff.

 

I used Weldwood High Strength adhesive. It comes in a spray can but I would use a brush to apply it so it goes on evenly. The key is remove any old adhesive. This will make it easier to get a smooth finished surface when you apply the new adhesive. It's not difficult to do.