So, i let my parking garage wash my car. Mistake #1, but they usually do a nice job. Plus, my 335 is leased...haha. This time, they must have spilled something they were using (some kind of cleaner) on my seat. I've tried leather cleaner and it wont come out. Any thoughts? What can i do to get this out? Do you think the dealer will care when i return it off my lease? Thanks!!

 

It looks like Cement, and might be able to be removed with cement remover??? Either way, you should make it their problem, not yours. Best of luck.


John

 

Thanks! Out of curiosity, how can you tell its cement from these pics?

They'll be responsible in the end, but i feel more confident if i find the solution then them trying all different kinds of crap on my seats....

 

I think the seat needs to be refinished. I cant tell if something is ON the seat, or something etched into the seat, or the top of the seat has been scrapped off. How does it feel? The dealer will definitely charge you for that when your lease is up.

 

The thin circular line is on the seat, i think. The larger line used to be black but its rubbed off and taken the leater with it, i think. What's the best process to refinish that spot? Was thinking of buying dye from leatherique. Any other options?

 

Take it to a professional and make the other guys pay for it. I recommend against you trying to fix something like this yourself.

 

It looks like some sort of chemical dissolved the top layer of the leather. It should be able to be refinished. The detailers should stand by their work and take care of it for you if it wasn't there before you brought it to them.

 

I agree, it looks like a chemical cleaner they use has etched the leather finish. it will require re-finishing to restore the surface

The lease company will charge you as its not 'fair wear and tear'.

Get the parking garage cowboys, sorry detailer's to reimburse the costs of their negligence..Oh and good luck

 

This latest horror story brings up a point: Should an owner take photos of their car, inside and out, before taking it to a detail shop? [or any shop, for that matter]. It would be a hassle, but it could prevent the usual "your word against theirs" when damage occurs and when the denials come.

 

I think the key should be to do your homework and take it to a reputable shop. There have been a few occasions where we have caused minor miss-hap and each time we stood by our client and took care of it. When working with a company, you're trusting everyone on the team to be ethical. My detailing techs have always been forthcoming because they know we're not going to scold them and accidents happen. How you remedy the situation is important. The client should not have the burden of proof. If there an underlying trust given on both parties, and this is where doing business with a well-known company comes in handy, any issue can be resolved with a mutually beneficial outcome.

 

All good points. I'm fairly lax when it comes to cleaning this car since its leased. Never let my parking garage wash it again. Lesson learned! Going to get some estimates on repair this week.

Thanks everyone!