Has anyone actually been able to get transfer dyes out of their white seats. I have tried baby wipes, alcohol, Mr Clean white sponges, leather cleaner, and grandma's stain remover and have had no success. I was told at Tesla, white seats clean up real easy with just baby wipes once a week. Well, I can now guarantee you, that is not correct information. Our new car since December is already stained. I now hand everyone a towel getting into the car to sit on that have jeans on. We all just laugh at how absurd that is, except my husband who did not want white seats for this very reason..(my daughters and I of course got our way with the white seats) So are ugly seat covers my only option to stay white besides not allowing darker blue jeans in my car? I can wash my family's blue jeans ,of which I have but, we still had problems. And, I can not wash my friends clothes. Any help is greatly appreciated.
-
Want to remove ads? Register an account and login to see fewer ads, and become a Supporting Member to remove almost all ads.
cleaning white seats
- Thread starter CajunNewsGirl
- Start date
This is a common problem we see at our shop with Tesla white interiors unfortunately. The seats are very stain resistant but they are not very good at dye transfer. Videos of pouring wine onto the seats and them cleaning up are a different issue to the blue jean dye that is rubbed in through abrasion day after day. In most cases something like CarPro Inside or Shine Supply Interior & Leather Cleaner along with using a boar hair brush or microfiber can restore the white color. It seems like you've tried a leather cleaner already with no success. The next step I would recommend would be bringing it to a local detailer in your area that is familiar with Tesla interiors and having them steam the seats to soften up the material and transfer. Then using a chemical cleaner to try and lift the dye out of the seat.
We use products from a German company called Colourlock. They specialize in leather care products and their Strong Leather Cleaner & Brush works well in removing stains. Their Leather Shield specifically protects from dye transfer. www.colourlock.com
ArtLightstone
Goodbye gas!
I'm in the same boat, I'm afraid.
I haven't tried anything too extreme as of yet. However, neither scrubbing with soap and water, nor scrubbing with Pink Solution, has completely removed dye transfer. We seem to have dye transfer on the seats from both blue jeans and black winter coats, and that became evident after just a few months. I love these seats: they make such a huge impact on the open, bright, and modern look of the car's interior, but I fear what these seats will become down the road.
If anyone learns of a product or a technique that can truly remove dye transfer from Tesla ultra white vegan leather seats, I would love to hear about it.
PS.
Speaking to a service rep, I was told the following: "At the service centre we use a product call Sonax that works well but the up keep must be regular."
I also tried and the blue dye fades slightly but never really goes away... 
I think i'm gonna try that "SONAX", only hope it does'nt remove the white dye!
I think i'm gonna try that "SONAX", only hope it does'nt remove the white dye!
ArtLightstone
Goodbye gas!
I tried to get some Sonax from Part Source and Canadian Tire. No luck at either.I also tried and the blue dye fades slightly but never really goes away...
I think i'm gonna try that "SONAX", only hope it does'nt remove the white dye!
I just ordered the Sonax Alcantara and Upholstery Cleaner from Amazon. My contact at my local Tesla service centre confirmed that this is the specific product they use at the centre. I also bought a fancy leather and textile brush, too.
I'll let you all know how this works.
Last edited:
ArtLightstone
Goodbye gas!
Well... I just tried the Sonax Alcantara and Upholstery Cleaner.
For about 30 minutes, I scrubbed one little spot with the leather and textile brush I got from Amazon. Sadly, It barely made any difference. Definitely not a magic bullet.
The only big gun I have yet to try is isopropyl alcohol, which I often see recommended online for these ultra white vegan leather seats. I'm just hesitant to try this because it would surely dry out the material.
My neighbour knows a lot about this kind of stuff, and she recommended Dawn dish soap. She says that Dawn is far superior to any other soap. Given that Tesla recommend just soap and water for these seats, I figure I'll give Dawn a try before I attempt the rubbing alcohol.
For about 30 minutes, I scrubbed one little spot with the leather and textile brush I got from Amazon. Sadly, It barely made any difference. Definitely not a magic bullet.
The only big gun I have yet to try is isopropyl alcohol, which I often see recommended online for these ultra white vegan leather seats. I'm just hesitant to try this because it would surely dry out the material.
My neighbour knows a lot about this kind of stuff, and she recommended Dawn dish soap. She says that Dawn is far superior to any other soap. Given that Tesla recommend just soap and water for these seats, I figure I'll give Dawn a try before I attempt the rubbing alcohol.
jgrgnt
Member
Isopropyl alcohol is recommended in the Model X owner's manual. It will not dry out the synthetic material.
Sadly, it will not help with dye transfer. Both our Model X and Model 3 have slight discolorations on portions of the front seats. So far, nothing has worked, including isopropyl alcohol.
ArtLightstone
Goodbye gas!
Hmmn... from what I can see, page 170 of the Model X owner's manual cautions against using any alcohol on the interior.
Cautions for Interior Cleaning
Caution: Using solvents (including alcohol), bleach, citrus, naphtha, or silicone-based products or additives on interior components can cause damage.
Caution: Using solvents (including alcohol), bleach, citrus, naphtha, or silicone-based products or additives on interior components can cause damage.
Source: https://www.tesla.com/sites/default/files/model_x_owners_manual_north_america_en.pdf
jgrgnt
Member
Interesting. Thanks for pointing this out. It appears this page of the manual has been revised since the version I read when I first took delivery of my X. In my version, isopropyl alcohol was recommended for the polyurethane seats as a second-level cleaning step, if regular warm water and non-detergent soap didn't remove the dirt. I wonder what caused this change.
ArtLightstone
Goodbye gas!
One wonders...
If the alcohol that used to be recommended by Tesla actually caused some damage, then you would think we would see evidence of such damage on these discussion boards.
At the end of the day, I think Tesla's ultra white seats are an iconic feature of these cars. For that reason, I can only imagine that Tesla will either figure out and share how to clean dye transfer from these seats, or they will independently produce and market a product or a process themselves. (That seems to be a general Tesla approach: if you can't get a job done right, then do it yourself.)
If the alcohol that used to be recommended by Tesla actually caused some damage, then you would think we would see evidence of such damage on these discussion boards.
At the end of the day, I think Tesla's ultra white seats are an iconic feature of these cars. For that reason, I can only imagine that Tesla will either figure out and share how to clean dye transfer from these seats, or they will independently produce and market a product or a process themselves. (That seems to be a general Tesla approach: if you can't get a job done right, then do it yourself.)
ArtLightstone
Goodbye gas!
I've seen it done on youtube, but I would never dream of using it myself. Magic erasers are essentially a form of rubbing compound (or ultra-fine sandpaper). The do seem to work wonders, but they would surely scrub off any protective coating from the seats. I suspect that once you use these, the surface of the seats would become rougher and then get dirtier even faster. Eventually, I would imagine that Magic Erasers would start to wear right through the seat material.
jgrgnt
Member
Indeed. I've been using alcohol occasionally to clean the seats for over 2 years, so hopefully I haven't done any permanent, unseen damage to them. I have noticed that the front passenger seat of the X feels a bit "rougher" than the other seats.
I don't have the car with me at work, but I wanted to make sure I wasn't going crazy. I found an earlier version of the Model X manual online, and sure enough, it used to say...
ArtLightstone
Goodbye gas!
I hear you, jgrgnt, I have found that isopropyl alcohol works wonders on stains around the house, and, if I had some unusual ink or oil stain on my ultra white seats, then I'd break out the isopropyl alcohol in a heart beat.
However, the issue I'm experiencing is all over the seats, and it will be ongoing, so I need to find something that is gentle on the material but effective on the dye transfer.
I understand that maintenance is key. If I can figure out how to get these seats back to new condition, then I will definitely clean them on a regular basis.
However, the issue I'm experiencing is all over the seats, and it will be ongoing, so I need to find something that is gentle on the material but effective on the dye transfer.
I understand that maintenance is key. If I can figure out how to get these seats back to new condition, then I will definitely clean them on a regular basis.
I found someone having it done: Tesla White Interior Blue Jean Transfer Fix: Video
The stain doesn't look super bad, but they do look different before and after.
The stain doesn't look super bad, but they do look different before and after.
95% Success. Transfer dye is tough. What worked for me after trying everything else was a degreaser. I applied it and scrubbed with a nylon brush, nothing until I let it sit overnight. It removed 95% of it. I rinsed microfiber towers in clear water to remove as much of the degreaser and dye as possible after scrubbing vigorously. I finished with 50% isopropyl alcohol then applied Lexol leather conditioner to protect it going forward.
Similar threads
