Leather Seats ruin my Shirts!!

[Abacus]

Sounds funny, but its not.

The AUII Ghia has mid-grey leather seats.

Since buying the car last year, I got 2-3 wears out of a business shirt before the back is too stained to wear. Grey seat-coloured stains all over the back. The stains don't wash out, even after 15-20 washes. It was getting bloody expensive.

Cleaning the seat back with water & very mild detergent didn't help.

So since months ago I put a sheepskin cover on the driver's seat. Whilst this fixed the problem, it looks like crap. So I'd like to take the seat cover off, if I can stop the staining problem.

Anybody else had this issue, and found a fix?

[b2tf]

Thats a very....um, odd, problem. Never heard of it before!

Perhaps some leather cleaner like Meguiars etc would do the job and take out anything thats going to come out anyway?

[MRJUCY]

Never has that problem but I'd try uing a good quality leather cleaner & conditioner. I use Zaino but anything from a reputable company may help

[The Mighty Red]

ummm try a different brand shirt.

[Laminge]

sounds like the seats are covered with crap

might be worth the effort to see whats available to clean leather, then treat it with the right products

I know some of the silicon products will actually draw the dye out of the leather and the only way to stop it is to basically strip the seat down using some industrial grease cleaners, problem there is it may also take a fair whack out of the color of the seat

[sfr rob]

maybe whoever sold it to you dyed them?

that would really blow to get 3 wears out of a shirt then turf it!!

[galaxy xr8]

Buy mid grey shirt's, lol.

[Peuty]

I know you said it isnt funny, but it is!!

Nar serioulsy, clean the seats, sounds like it needs it.

[LUXO_8]

i havent yet used it but this product was recomended to me.
its aparently used by auto museums across the world...

best bit is there prices seem very reasonable..
http://www.leatherique.com.au/index.html

definatley sounds like the dye from the seats is leaching because of whatever has been used to clean them.

Ring a few motor trimmers and see if they can offer any good advice also.

[Abacus]

Thanks guys.

I went to a motor trimmer today. He reckons whoever had the car before me has (mis)treated the seats with something that's destabilised the dye, and the problem just isn't going to go away regardles of what I clean or treat it with (shrug). He also said that the Ford leather isn't particularly good quality, and may be more susceptible to this kind of thing if not treated properly.

The trimmer's solution is to get new covers from Ford for both the back and squab of the seat (otherwise colour variation will probably be apparent). Assuming the covers are still available...and I haven't made enquiries yet..I'll be looking at the cost of the covers plus $150 for fitting.

Before doing that I'll try and get my hands on one or more of the cleaners mentioned above. I thought of doing this before, but I have a feeling that
I'll wind up with stains from the seat and the cleaner on the shirts.

With perfect 20/20 hindsight, I should have taken this up with the dealer when the problem first became apparent, which was well within the 3 month warranty. Then again, I don't know how far I would have gotten there.