coral leather owners, any discoloration?

vivid · 11-18-2008, 12:53 PM

So I have had my car for about 6 months now and has been driven 2500miles... A month or two ago I noticed the seats bottoms where getting a dark hue to them so I put a towel over them to stop them from getting worse...

I felt like a tard always sitting on a towel so I took the car into BMW to get it looked at... I was told the seats had dye transfer and they offered to clean the seats... I pick my car up today to find the work order states "one time only cleaning for customer satisfaction" I then take a look at the car seats and although they look much better I still see some "transfer" color... I then call over my SA who in turn brings over the service manager, who both told me there is nothing they can do, this happens... They offered to replace the seat bottom of the drivers seat as a "one time" service but when I pointed out the passengers seat the offer was retracted and a meeting with a BMW rep was set up... Surely this can't be acceptable?

So let me ask you... should a car that is 6 months old, having only been driven 2500miles have seat discoloration like this? Let me also add for a few hundred miles I have been using a towel to sit on... AND the passenger seat is also discolored, I only have a passenger maybe 30% of the time so 750miles in this case...

My other question is should I keep the towel on the seat or use the seat normally while I wait for the BMW rep to come into town and take a look?

Let me also add... I have had 3 cars with tan leather, one brick leather and two with black leather... I have never had ANY discoloration with these seats...

tnawab · 11-18-2008, 01:56 PM

I have coral red, and i have noticed that the seats had a very little discoloration. But not noticable, unless you look really closely. I would just leave it unless it is really really bad.

I read somewhere that the biggest problem is from blue jeans, especially cheap jeans that havent been washed. They rub their color off on the seats, and its hard to remove.

pit1 · 11-18-2008, 01:57 PM

10k miles and no discoloration at all. I'll take a closer look tonight but I cleaned and conditioned a few weeks back and notices nothing at all.

Any chance you wore a new pair of dark wash jeans? Last few pair I purchased had warnings about die transfer on furniture and to wash them a few times before wearing. I imagine the coarse nature of the Boston Leather seat bottoms could pull off and trap dyes.

tnawab, beat me to it... +1 on the jeans, especially the discount jeans but I've had dye warning on expensive Diesel jeans as well. (NOTE: when you wash em' wash INSIDE OUT!!!)

tnawab · 11-18-2008, 02:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pit1

(NOTE: when you wash em' wash INSIDE OUT!!!)

Definetly.. especially if they are Diesel

!

juiced135 · 11-18-2008, 02:03 PM

I don't have discoloration, but i do have wear on the sides of the seats from getting in and out. It's a little rediculous considering my old acura with fake leather never wore out. I've got the bmw seat covers on mine so i can't tell if my bottom is faded...

vivid · 11-18-2008, 02:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tnawab

I have coral red, and i have noticed that the seats had a very little discoloration. But not noticable, unless you look really closely. I would just leave it unless it is really really bad.

I read somewhere that the biggest problem is from blue jeans, especially cheap jeans that havent been washed. They rub their color off on the seats, and its hard to remove.

I wear jeans all the time (50% of total time driving) and I would not say any of them are cheap. And I understand the color could rub off but why only on this car with this leather... My 325 with tan leather looks like new, and no other car I've owned has had such color transferred to the leather...

I have to say right now my thoughts are that BMW has provided a poor leather for this purpose. If it absorbs dye so easily then its not really fit for this application where a brand new car with two months average usage (2500 miles) has bad color transfer.

Or maybe the leather on my seat is defective.

Purgatory · 11-18-2008, 03:34 PM

I have Coral red leather as well and I have noticed that when I wore my new dark jeans (William Rast) the dye had worn off onto the seat bottom. I took a damp cloth and wiped it right away and it went away.

THEN... I sat on my leather couch at home (light grey) and the dye was coming off on it as well... Which leads me to think that it isn't the seats so much as the jeans/pants you are wearing.

I would recommend wiping the seats immediately if you notice anything.

I would imagine that the results could get worse if you have problems with swass... (sweaty ass) I'd recommend Gold Bond for that...

Purg.

ADA///M · 11-18-2008, 03:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Purgatory

I have Coral red leather as well and I have noticed that when I wore my new dark jeans (William Rast) the dye had worn off onto the seat bottom. I took a damp cloth and wiped it right away and it went away.

THEN... I sat on my leather couch at home (light grey) and the dye was coming off on it as well... Which leads me to think that it isn't the seats so much as the jeans/pants you are wearing.

I would recommend wiping the seats immediately if you notice anything.

I would imagine that the results could get worse if you have problems with swass... (sweaty ass) I'd recommend Gold Bond for that...

Purg.

agreed.

I've seen this on many cars(i detail cars onthe side).

It usually comes right out with a little elbow grease and some leather cleaner.

tnawab · 11-19-2008, 09:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Purgatory

I would imagine that the results could get worse if you have problems with swass... (sweaty ass) I'd recommend Gold Bond for that...

Purg.

gio · 11-19-2008, 04:00 PM

This is why I wear leather pants and a leather jacket. There is nothing like leather on leather.

wtiger127 · 11-19-2008, 04:10 PM

Can be notice with any leather that is not black. Especially with black belts on light leather interiors. I've seen it.

DCD · 11-19-2008, 04:48 PM

Yeah I love to wear white sneakers and I whenever I get new jeans I have to pull out an old pair otherwise the jeans run into them and ruin my shoes.

I had a new pair of levi's that I wore out and they actually ran into my light colored shirt as well.

Anything thats raw denim will run like crazy so be careful.

imported_mega · 11-20-2008, 02:21 PM

I have it too

first and last colored leather I ever own, and too all those people that told me these require little care

Tom K. · 11-21-2008, 12:53 PM

12,000 miles and not a mark on my Coral Red leather - guess I'll keep wearing my old jeans!

Tom

ruffstik · 11-21-2008, 02:17 PM

no problems here

1Ronnie · 11-22-2008, 02:29 AM

Perfect condition in mine ... and looks so damned good !!

warmtoes · 11-22-2008, 08:05 AM

Mine doesn't have discolouration but I have some small wear on the bolster where my back pocket rubs it when I get in the car.

ptack · 11-22-2008, 06:58 PM

So far so good, but I know it will eventually wear. I had a very nice Savannah beige in my 318i and even after 10 years all of the passenger seats looked like new. The driver's seat, however, looked like hell. In your case it's possible that either you did wear something that stained the leather or you have a bad hide. I would imagine that BMW treats the leather to make it hold it's color, so maybe something went wrong there.

BMWTT135i · 11-22-2008, 09:34 PM

This is why I drive with no pants.

Seriously though, I will keep my eye out for this, I haven't noticed anything yet.

Lester · 11-23-2008, 02:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vivid

They offered to replace the seat bottom of the drivers seat as a "one time" service but when I pointed out the passengers seat the offer was retracted and a meeting with a BMW rep was set up... Surely this can't be acceptable?

I would take them up on their offer to replace the driver's side, and try a second cleaning of the passenger side. Wear khaki dockers, or use the aforementioned towel when wearing jeans.

Darth One · 11-23-2008, 09:44 AM

i dont have any problems either. 6 months and 2000 miles.

for a moment i thought this would turn into a designer jeans thread

Lester · 11-23-2008, 10:42 AM

You can't really make BMW responsible for dying the seats with fabrics that bleed color. This thread reminds me of the main reason I chose Black Leatherette over the other fine choices. Leather is deluxe, don't get me wrong. But you can't get better wear and color stability than Black Leatherette. If you are leasing the car for three years and only wear Italian business suits in it, then fine - go for light colored leather. I'm more likely to be wearing Costco jeans than Armani.

11-18-2008, 12:53 PM	#1
vivid Captain 40 Rep 822 Posts Drives: 135i, 323i Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Atlanta, GA. iTrader: (0)	coral leather owners, any discoloration? So I have had my car for about 6 months now and has been driven 2500miles... A month or two ago I noticed the seats bottoms where getting a dark hue to them so I put a towel over them to stop them from getting worse... I felt like a tard always sitting on a towel so I took the car into BMW to get it looked at... I was told the seats had dye transfer and they offered to clean the seats... I pick my car up today to find the work order states "one time only cleaning for customer satisfaction" I then take a look at the car seats and although they look much better I still see some "transfer" color... I then call over my SA who in turn brings over the service manager, who both told me there is nothing they can do, this happens... They offered to replace the seat bottom of the drivers seat as a "one time" service but when I pointed out the passengers seat the offer was retracted and a meeting with a BMW rep was set up... Surely this can't be acceptable? So let me ask you... should a car that is 6 months old, having only been driven 2500miles have seat discoloration like this? Let me also add for a few hundred miles I have been using a towel to sit on... AND the passenger seat is also discolored, I only have a passenger maybe 30% of the time so 750miles in this case... My other question is should I keep the towel on the seat or use the seat normally while I wait for the BMW rep to come into town and take a look? Let me also add... I have had 3 cars with tan leather, one brick leather and two with black leather... I have never had ANY discoloration with these seats... __________________ Current: 135i, 323i wagon. Sold:GTI Sold: FX45 Sold: E36 M3
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11-18-2008, 01:56 PM	#2
tnawab Private First Class 11 Rep 187 Posts Drives: 135i Graphite, Coral Red Join Date: May 2008 Location: Ottawa, ON iTrader: (0)	I have coral red, and i have noticed that the seats had a very little discoloration. But not noticable, unless you look really closely. I would just leave it unless it is really really bad. I read somewhere that the biggest problem is from blue jeans, especially cheap jeans that havent been washed. They rub their color off on the seats, and its hard to remove.
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11-18-2008, 01:57 PM	#3
pit1 Captain 239 Rep 790 Posts Drives: F87 M2 Join Date: May 2008 Location: It's always Sunny... iTrader: (1)	10k miles and no discoloration at all. I'll take a closer look tonight but I cleaned and conditioned a few weeks back and notices nothing at all. Any chance you wore a new pair of dark wash jeans? Last few pair I purchased had warnings about die transfer on furniture and to wash them a few times before wearing. I imagine the coarse nature of the Boston Leather seat bottoms could pull off and trap dyes. tnawab, beat me to it... +1 on the jeans, especially the discount jeans but I've had dye warning on expensive Diesel jeans as well. (NOTE: when you wash em' wash INSIDE OUT!!!)
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11-18-2008, 02:03 PM	#5
juiced135 Private First Class 8 Rep 150 Posts Drives: BMW 135i Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Chicago iTrader: (0)	I don't have discoloration, but i do have wear on the sides of the seats from getting in and out. It's a little rediculous considering my old acura with fake leather never wore out. I've got the bmw seat covers on mine so i can't tell if my bottom is faded...
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11-18-2008, 03:34 PM	#7
Purgatory Private First Class 5 Rep 178 Posts Drives: 2011 X5 xDrive 5.0 Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Calgary iTrader: (0)	I have Coral red leather as well and I have noticed that when I wore my new dark jeans (William Rast) the dye had worn off onto the seat bottom. I took a damp cloth and wiped it right away and it went away. THEN... I sat on my leather couch at home (light grey) and the dye was coming off on it as well... Which leads me to think that it isn't the seats so much as the jeans/pants you are wearing. I would recommend wiping the seats immediately if you notice anything. I would imagine that the results could get worse if you have problems with swass... (sweaty ass) I'd recommend Gold Bond for that... Purg.
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11-19-2008, 04:00 PM	#10
gio Captain 50 Rep 628 Posts Drives: Join Date: Apr 2008 iTrader: (0)	This is why I wear leather pants and a leather jacket. There is nothing like leather on leather. __________________ Waiting on a 2015 M235
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11-19-2008, 04:10 PM	#11
wtiger127 Private First Class 12 Rep 198 Posts Drives: 128i VERT A/W Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: North York iTrader: (0)	Can be notice with any leather that is not black. Especially with black belts on light leather interiors. I've seen it. __________________ 1.28i CAB Alpine White / Toupe Leather / Prem Pkg / Snd Pkg / Sport Pkg / USB / iPod Recommended Reading 08/08/08 Summer (In-Service-start) (http://www.1addicts.com/forums/showthread.php?t=14493) Winter Shoes -AW (Vert) (http://www.1addicts.com/forums/showthread.php?t=19947) The Winter 128i/135iCAB for Canadians (http://www.1addicts.com/forums/showthread.php?t=19738) 1000+ Miles on new winters across the US (http://www.1addicts.com/forums/showthread.php?t=19948)
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11-19-2008, 04:48 PM	#12
DCD Private First Class 10 Rep 162 Posts Drives: Join Date: May 2008 iTrader: (0)	Yeah I love to wear white sneakers and I whenever I get new jeans I have to pull out an old pair otherwise the jeans run into them and ruin my shoes. I had a new pair of levi's that I wore out and they actually ran into my light colored shirt as well. Anything thats raw denim will run like crazy so be careful.
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11-20-2008, 02:21 PM	#13
imported_mega Colonel 123 Rep 2,200 Posts Drives: various bmw's Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: neverland iTrader: (0)	I have it too first and last colored leather I ever own, and too all those people that told me these require little care __________________ You only need two tools in life - WD-40 and Duct Tape. If it doesn't move and should, use the WD-40. If it shouldn't move and does, use the duct tape. Driving e82, e72, e85, R53 Gone but not forgotten.. 1974 2002, many various 3s.
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11-21-2008, 12:53 PM	#14
Tom K. Major General 124 Rep 5,627 Posts Drives: '07 328iT, '13 Boxster Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Maryland iTrader: (0)	12,000 miles and not a mark on my Coral Red leather - guess I'll keep wearing my old jeans! Tom
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11-21-2008, 02:17 PM	#15
ruffstik Pirate 56 Rep 692 Posts Drives: 2025 M2 G87 - on the list Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Wisconsin iTrader: (0) Garage List 2008 135i [9.50]	no problems here
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11-22-2008, 02:29 AM	#16
1Ronnie Ronnie 15 Rep 556 Posts Drives: '08 Sedona 128i Join Date: May 2008 Location: Vancouver, BC iTrader: (0)	Perfect condition in mine ... and looks so damned good !! __________________ "Lucy" 128i / Sedona Red / Coral Red / Premium Package / Premium Sound
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11-22-2008, 08:05 AM	#17
warmtoes Lieutenant Colonel 31 Rep 1,917 Posts Drives: EBII 435i xDrive Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Vancouver iTrader: (1)	Mine doesn't have discolouration but I have some small wear on the bolster where my back pocket rubs it when I get in the car. __________________ *2014 EBII 435i xDrive M-sport* Gone: 2011 TiAg F25 X3 xDrive35i M-sport Gone: 2008 TiAg w/Coral Red E88 135i Cab M-sport
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11-22-2008, 06:58 PM	#18
ptack Brigadier General 269 Rep 4,470 Posts Drives: 135i Join Date: May 2008 Location: NJ iTrader: (0) Garage List 2008 135i [6.50]	So far so good, but I know it will eventually wear. I had a very nice Savannah beige in my 318i and even after 10 years all of the passenger seats looked like new. The driver's seat, however, looked like hell. In your case it's possible that either you did wear something that stained the leather or you have a bad hide. I would imagine that BMW treats the leather to make it hold it's color, so maybe something went wrong there. __________________ 135i, SGM, Coral, Sport Package, Auto, Premium Hifi, USB/ipod, Apex EC-7s, PPK Stage II
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11-22-2008, 09:34 PM	#19
BMWTT135i First Lieutenant 14 Rep 356 Posts Drives: BMW 135i MT Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: USA iTrader: (0)	This is why I drive with no pants. Seriously though, I will keep my eye out for this, I haven't noticed anything yet.
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11-23-2008, 09:44 AM	#21
Darth One drunk poster 6613 Rep 3,649 Posts Drives: M4 GTS \| E46 M3 Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: FL iTrader: (0)	i dont have any problems either. 6 months and 2000 miles. for a moment i thought this would turn into a designer jeans thread
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11-23-2008, 10:42 AM	#22
Lester Brigadier General 295 Rep 3,350 Posts Drives: Join Date: Oct 2007 iTrader: (0)	You can't really make BMW responsible for dying the seats with fabrics that bleed color. This thread reminds me of the main reason I chose Black Leatherette over the other fine choices. Leather is deluxe, don't get me wrong. But you can't get better wear and color stability than Black Leatherette. If you are leasing the car for three years and only wear Italian business suits in it, then fine - go for light colored leather. I'm more likely to be wearing Costco jeans than Armani.
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