OK, thanks. At this point, I'm trying absolutely nothing at all because I think I tried too much in the immediate aftermath. I leave the country again next week and probably won't be home for at least two weeks after that. If there are still issues when I get back, I'm going to have to get serious about a professional treatment plan. In the mean time, I continue to resist the urge to do anything...

 

Well all, back in town for a long weekend. Having been gone for two weeks, I was hopefull that I would return to find all of these nasty splotches a distant memory. Not so. To the contrary, it looks worse (probably just the shock of seeing it again after two weeks). So this weekend, I will be trying a cleaner. More to folllow...

 

Sorry you're having all this aggravation...I know how much it would annoy me., and I hope you get it sorted soon.
My Expedition has developed a dark patch on the drivers seat that I can't explain and that I can't get rid of.
All I can think is that where we live in South Texas it's so hot that I drive mostly in shorts, so I'm sure it's the natural oils in my skin getting into the leather...even so it's not a serious issue and most people wouldn't notice.

As it is we're in the UK probably until October so "Out of sight...out of mind!"

Anyway, I hope it works out OK for you..

Cheers

 

Thanks Lenny/John Really. I'll get it sorted out one way or the other. The only question at this point is at what cost. I just can't live with how bad the entire interior looks at this point.

I was in the UK (Heathrow) yesterday, but only long enough to make my way from one terminal to another. Can't wait 'till they finish that new international terminal. I've resolved to connect through other airports in the mean time. Two hours to exit one plane and board another is just too long!

Anyway, I'll be posting again over the weekend, probably Sunday sometime. I sure hope this cleaning approach works out...

 

We always fly US airways out of Manchester as ..
A. It's only an hour away. and
B. We have so many airmiles with them we are always able to upgrade to Envoy class which does make a difference on regular long hauls.

If ever you come through that way and have any length of stopover give me a call !
We'll be here until October I expect.

 

Go to the message Dyed king ranch seats and do what we did and they will look brand new again. (SEE PHOTOS) THERE

 

Do your store the truck -- On that coast keeping the "sticky dew" off is
a big problem. Knew people that could only keep a car a year since
would start rusting

 

I used to have to store my trucks in Houston outside but under a breathable top quality cover. I never had any problems with that.
Now it's kept in a garage at my home close to the Gulf but the temps in the summer in there can get up to the high 90's so I will be keeping an eye on it, not from the point of view of rusting but more mould and other issues with the interior.
Survived last summer OK so hoping it's not going to be a problem !!

 

Island living was a challenge. Mold was an issue in the condos, I use
to just leave a fan on. But the damp smell, was just life. For
some reason had more trouble on south padre than North padre.
figure the south padre unit was right on the gulf and the
other was a few blocks off. That is one thing do not miss when sold.
In a enclosed garage all should be fine, that gulf spray is the killer

 

Yes...we are not on South Padre Island itself, but on the landward side of the Laguna Madre, and though only 5 miles from the Gulf and still by the water the conditions are not nearly so harsh.

If it weren't for a previous experience I WOULD leave the windows down a tad to let air circulate but in a previous thread 2/3 years ago I related the story of how I had done that with a Jaguar XJ Coupe...a squirrel had got in and taken a nibble out of every possible bit of leather...then it bit right through the wiring loom in the most inaccessible part of the engine bay, and finally bit its way through the rear seat armrest and made a nest for itself for the winter in the trunk.
When we opened it in the spring, the smell was indescribable !!

 

OK folks, a little bit of an update. I didn't get to my little project over the weekend as planned, so I was left with only a few hours yesterday before boarding a plane first thing this morning. I first spot tested the Connolly Leather Cleaner (vice the conditioner that I used to dig myself into this hole in the first place). The directions call for a very light application with a very soft towel or sponge, followed by a wiping down with a clean, non-soapy towel or sponge, followed by a buffing with a dry towel. You are cautioned to rub gently. Ignoring the directions on the conditioner is what got me into this trouble, so I started by following their directions to a tee. After several attempts following this methodology, I got nothing but wet, spotty leather. No improvement (sinking feeling in stomach at this point). I eventually elected to go for broke; completely replacing the seats or trying the dye are my next choices, so what've I got to loose at this point? Well, here's what I found...

Working up a full lather with a decent amount of force, followed, by a wiping down with distilled water (figured minerals couldn't help matters any at all), followed by a buffing with a microfiber - repeated for as many iterations as necessary - seems to be working quite well. After about three hours, I had only finished the front passenger's seat and the console thingy. I probably need one final pass over both, but they are both looking pretty good, all things considered. I have high hopes at this point. The one thing I noticed this morning is that the pocket on the back of the seat is looking kind of faded. Not a lot, but a little. This makes sense to me. These pieces are cut from very soft leather. They looked the worst of all by far. So naturally they took the most work to try to clean up. Thus, I may be a candidate for dye at some point in the future regardless. But the good news is this appears to be a problem I can mostly solve myself with a substantial amount of elbow grease (which I am more than happy to put forth).

One thing that's clear is that these spots are where conditioner has resurfaced and hardened (and thus starting with dye would have been a very disappointing choice). In some cases I have to work up a good lather and scrape ever so gently with a fingernail to get things to break loose. So waiting probably only made matter worse, as did my panic approach of heating the interior as high as I could get it. Lesson learned for all. Don't apply in the cold. If you do, strangely enough, heat is your enemy too. Just get the crap off ASAP and don't crank up the heat until you have.

Of course, I can't rule out that this lathering will cause long-term damage or fading, but it doesn't appear to be (no signs of dye coming off on the applicator, which happend with some of the other products I tried early on). On my way to Greece today, won't be home for about two weeks, I'll post back on any ensuing fading and also my progress with the balance of the interior. I estimate a full weekend and at least two twelve packs before a happy, final report...

 

Thanks for the update, here's wishing you the best of luck when you get back home...

 

Thanks KR. I'm feeling pretty good that I can work this all out but I'm still upset with myself over the whole ordeal. Newbe leather owner tries to do good and does real bad. Ah well. Never again will I make such a mistake with such an expensive and beloved feature... :o

 

Hey ViperGrendal,
What is the idea behind the Hot Water Towel Cleaning? I can noy find the oringel thread.
Thanks for your help.

 

Suggest you do a general search and you will find many references, such as:

https://www.f150online.com/forums/sh...53&postcount=2

https://www.f150online.com/forums/sh...47&postcount=2

https://www.f150online.com/forums/sh...46&postcount=9