Upholstery info, please.

by "Chariotoflove" (chariotoflove)
Published 05/25/2017 at 19:15

Tags: being overly fastidious about a used car
STARS: 0

I am thinking 0f buying a Jag with a tan interior. Some of the panels that are not leather but are leather colored soft touch material of some kind have spots on them that are going kind of orange, almost bleached out. I’m guessing sun damage on a ten year old car. I’ve posted a pic of the back seat where you can see some of them.

My question is: is there a good way to recondition/repair these spots?

Replies (8)

"E92M3" (E46M3)
05/26/2017 at 00:22, STARS: 2

See if there’s a Fibrenew in your city. If not there’s bound to be another company similar that serves the dealerships. They can make all the seats look brand new.

"hike" (hike15)
05/26/2017 at 08:41, STARS: 1

Just about every new car dealer, especially luxury brands, have someone that comes and fixes interior issues. They could certainly fix any discolored plastic trim.

"Chariotoflove" (chariotoflove)
05/26/2017 at 10:06, STARS: 0

In fact there is one. Thanks!

"Chariotoflove" (chariotoflove)
05/26/2017 at 10:07, STARS: 0

Thanks. I’ll ask.

"Monkey B" (monkeyb)
05/26/2017 at 10:38, STARS: 0

That’s what I do for a living (located in the mid-atlantic region if that helps)

Ask to see their work. Ask if they custom match or use pre-mix aerosol. There are a shit ton of bad techs in this business...ask if they use Refinish Coatings (the premier and only product of it’s type I will even consider using) Maybe email Refinish Coatings/Duramend in Ohio and see if he has a tech he sells to in your area. Even that won’t guarantee a good tech, but at least they use the good stuff. Avoid Dr. Vinyl franchises and Fabrion....I have no experience with Fibernew.

"Chariotoflove" (chariotoflove)
05/26/2017 at 12:15, STARS: 0

So these orange areas can be rehabilitated. Great. Before I start asking questions, it an expensive process, or something that I could reasonably ask a dealer to fix before purchase?

"Monkey B" (monkeyb)
05/26/2017 at 17:32, STARS: 1

By that photo it’s a fairly easy fix and yes, you should ask the dealer to have it repaired as part of the deal. They should have someone that comes in on a regular basis and does that type of work. Sadly though, in this industry, results can vary from clumsy idiot with a spray bomb to proper OEM looking results. $1-200 is probably a fair estimate if you were to pay for it.

"Chariotoflove" (chariotoflove)
05/26/2017 at 18:39, STARS: 0

Thank you. This is really valuable info. Once again, an Opponaut comes through for me!