Driver seat leather rubbed raw - ADVICE NEEDED

[mpgmusic]

My 06 M45 has the Willow interior. With just 31,000 miles, the middle of the drivers seatback, at the bottom has been rubbed (by my belt) where it now has a blueish/black stain. It is not something that can be cleaned since the leather dye has actually rubbed off. My local Infiniti Dealer told me that this was normal wear and tear. That really pissed me off because my last car (a pontiac grand prix) had the same color leather and I drove it (from new) for 125,000 miles and never had this happen. The car is still under warranty (about to run out). Has anyone had this happen and has Infiniti covered it under warranty? Any thoughts are appreciated.

Thanks

[tytamto]

Nissan does not cover interior wear. Some dealers have helped with worn out items and either replaced them under warranty, or covered half the cost of a new part. Try and see if they help you out, at least partially, out of goodwill.

Another option is to re-dye the leather. There are shops that can make it pretty again

[sdkhalsa]

Same situation on my 06 M35 with buck interior. I just ordered in some Leatherique cleaner and preservation oil and will report if that helps out. I think that what I will do is put on a high quality sheep skin on the driver side. I am somewhat concerned that the seat does not deteriorate further. In addition, I am a bit concerned about a messed up dye restoration job since the seats are such a delicate color.

[M45Caliber]

I have had the SAME issue with Honda Accord EX-L's, Camry XLE's, Acura Legends, and three Infiniti's to date. It's cheap dye used in our belts, not the seat leather. I've tried EVERYTHING I could think of to clean the leather and NOTHING works - even straight Simple Green wouldn't phase it.(never tried Carb Cleaner though... DON'T -- JK).

Re-dying is the only solution. I now have an XL sized T-shirt, the same color as my "stone" leather, that I slip over the seat back most of the time. If I'm taking out clients or friends to dinner, etc. I just pull off the shirt and toss it in the trunk. Works great for me. I am not a fan of sheepskins as they also reduce headroom once installed on your seats.

[mpgmusic]

Thanks, all for your thoughts. The sad thing is that I have a pretty high-dollar belt that I usually wear, but you never know! I was told by my dealer to call the toll--free number for Infiniti and take it up with them. I will plan to do so and send them pics. It's pretty bad. I really don't expect Infiniti to ante up, however, given the economy. I have also found a local leather repair guy who says he does a fair amount of work on Infiniti cars for dealers around the area. He said he would re-dye to my satisfaction for about $120. I may take him up on it, but I'm still going ***** at Infinti directly and see what happens.

Stay tuned...

[mpgmusic]

So, as expected, Infiniti support was NO help. I found a local guy who repairs leather through a franchise called Color Glo. He said he works on all of the cars for Sewell Infiniti in Dallas. He told me that the willow colored interiors regularly get "belt stains". He came to my house and applied a spray dye to my seat to fixt the stain. It looks absoluetly brand new. I am extremely picky and I cannot tell AT ALL. It took him about 2 hours and it cost $110. He was meticulous. To me it seems very worth the price. Interesting note: he said that you should NEVER use off the shelf leather cleaning solutions. They just dry out the leather faster (even if you follow up the cleaning with a conditioner). Instead, you should just use a microfiber towel that is damp and wipe the seat, then wipe again with a dry microfiber towel. No soap, no cleaner. Just water. He said rubbing the damp towel aggressively to loosen the dirt then make it easy for the dry towel to take it right off. I tried it and it DOES work. Anyway, he was great and my seat looks perfect. Highly recommend this!

[F1SportsFan]

Did you do any before and after pics?