Mistakes made. Anyone have an idea how much I will be dinged for this on lease return?

[eIon]

I've always made sure to take great care of the car, but compared to most here I'm a younger driver so there's a lot that I was not aware of. One of those things being never to leave rubber on the seats! I purchased new tires and left them in the back seat before going on vacation. Unfortunately, as you can probably guess, this left my back seat with a tire tattoo

My question is if anyone knows how much this might cost (so I can mentally prepare myself LOL)? I checked EPC and it looks like the whole back seat cover is one piece, and where you rest your back is another piece, but there are no prices listed. I was considering putting in a service request to fix it, but realized it wouldn't make much of a difference since I am turning the car back in and will be paying either way. I have about a year left on my lease.

Unless someone has any magic solution I can try to remove these marks! So far I've tried Meguiar's Quik Interior Detailer and Meguiar's Carpet & Upholstery Cleaner (I just had these laying around so they're not dedicated to something like this), Magic Eraser and water, and Dawn soap and water. I've also heard good things about one of the Chemical Guys leather cleaners and Sonax Leather Foam, so maybe I should purchase those? Gah, I feel like I'm screwed. Live and learn!

 

[Soul Surfer]

Have you tried a Mr. Clean, Magic Eraser? Those things are amazing.

 

[MP3Mike]

I was considering putting in a service request to fix it, but realized it wouldn't make much of a difference since I am turning the car back in and will be paying either way. I have about a year left on my lease.

They will likely charge you way more at lease return than it would cost you to fix it yourself. (Same holds true for curb rashed wheels and tires with insufficient remaining tread.)

 

[GreenHokie]

Elon, you’re worth billions. So, why sweat a few thousand dollars?

Seriously though, I wouldn’t worry about it. You can definitely remove those surface marks. Use a Magic Eraser, like Soul Surfer suggested, or one of the leather cleaners you mentioned. If those don’t work, then get a more harsh/aggressive chemical cleaner and a brush. I normally would not recommend using the harsh chemical cleaner/brush technique, since that may roughen & wear away a little bit of the pleather surface. However, we’re talking about a leased vehicle here, so Tesla will be expecting some accelerated wear on the seats and thus are likely to consider that just normal wear-n-tear. Good luck!

 

[beachsideev]

I'd try a magic eraser first. If that doesn't work I'd take it to a detailer and get their opinion. It should come out. Definitely get it taken care of before you submit your turn back pictures.

 

[RandyS]

Not sure if it would work in your situation, but I've removed blue ink from a ball point pen on my white seats with Car Guys Super Cleaner...It came off much easier than I expected...

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B071XB18B

 

[LadyOnikara]

Let us know if any of these suggestions work! I don't have any suggestions and have a black interior anyway.

 

[eIon]

Have you tried a Mr. Clean, Magic Eraser? Those things are amazing.

Elon, you’re worth billions. So, why sweat a few thousand dollars?

Seriously though, I wouldn’t worry about it. You can definitely remove those surface marks. Use a Magic Eraser, like Soul Surfer suggested, or one of the leather cleaners you mentioned. If those don’t work, then get a more harsh/aggressive chemical cleaner and a brush. I normally would not recommend using the harsh chemical cleaner/brush technique, since that may roughen & wear away a little bit of the pleather surface. However, we’re talking about a leased vehicle here, so Tesla will be expecting some accelerated wear on the seats and thus are likely to consider that just normal wear-n-tear. Good luck!

I'd try a magic eraser first. If that doesn't work I'd take it to a detailer and get their opinion. It should come out. Definitely get it taken care of before you submit your turn back pictures.

Let us know if any of these suggestions work! I don't have any suggestions and have a black interior anyway.

Thanks everyone for the responses. Unfortunately as I wrote in my original post I already tried the Magic Eraser. I did try it again though just now and it doesn't appear to have made any difference (it still looks just like the photos). I guess my next steps are to buy one of the Chemical Guys leather cleaners and/or Sonax Leather Foam. You guys gave me some hope but the fact that it made no difference on the seats has me discouraged again

I am still very much open to suggestions!!

 

[Gauss Guzzler]

Easy fix. Just buy a set of whitewalls and leave them in the same spot for a week.

 

[beachsideev]

Hahaha

 

[Adam3]

Maybe try baking soda paste or gyeon leathercleaner strong.

 

[GreenHokie]

I think the keys to success are:
1. Residence time
2. Agitation

Whatever cleaner is used, it is important to let the liquid/chemical sit on the stained areas for a minute or two, so the chemicals can do their work (break up and loosen the embedded dirt particles). If you are using a cleaner specifically labeled for use on leather, those cleaners are typically fairly mild. So, there is essentially zero risk the cleaner will permanently damage the leather if left on for a few minutes.

When you start scrubbing/wiping the treated areas, you’ll likely need to use a medium duty detailing brush with stiffer bristles to effectively agitate/lift/remove the dirt particles. With this type of embedded dirt, I don’t think using just a microfiber towel (instead of a brush) will be effective.

You may need to repeat the above mentioned treatment process a few times to get all the dirt/stains out.
Good luck, bro!!

 

[jebinc]

Maybe try baking soda paste or gyeon leathercleaner strong.

I wonder if a bleach solution might work (as a last resort before going with a new cover)?

 

[DocHolliday]

Look on yelp for highly-rated detailers in your area. They have probably fixed worse than that.

 

[Rascoe]

Look on yelp for highly-rated detailers in your area. They have probably fixed worse than that.

Agreed. Don't waste any more money. Find a good detail shop. They will let you know if it can be removed. They may be able to steam it out.

 

[eIon]

Look on yelp for highly-rated detailers in your area. They have probably fixed worse than that.

Agreed. Don't waste any more money. Find a good detail shop. They will let you know if it can be removed. They may be able to steam it out.

Took it to a detailer and they've had absolutely zero luck with various materials, steaming etc. Guessing I'm more than likely screwed at this point. But I did want to come back and ask you guys if it is still expected (morally and/or legally) to pay the detailer for the attempt? I've never gone to one before so I'm not sure if I am supposed to be paying them for their time (full agreed price? half?) or only if they were able to remove it.

 

[Gauss Guzzler]

You should pay them whatever they expect to be paid for their effort unless they offered results-based pricing.

As a last ditch effort, you might try plain old Simple Green. It's an incredibly strong degreaser that destroys most products, but might be somewhat safe on polyurethane or whatever Tesla seats are made of.

 

[Sophias_dad]

I gotta say, I'd be trying more stuff, maybe even 'goof off professional' or naptha, acetone or toluene . Try any of these on a hidden-ish surface first, acetone and toluene will melt plastics for sure. Toluene is the most likely to give you success, I think.

Don't smoke around these either, and leave the windows open. Treat them like gasoline, because they behave very much like that, if not more.

You could even try gasket remover(methyl ethyl ketone). MEK is awful stuff... use gloves and don't breathe while using it. It'll also(like the above) take off paint!

 

[DocHolliday]

Took it to a detailer and they've had absolutely zero luck with various materials, steaming etc. Guessing I'm more than likely screwed at this point. But I did want to come back and ask you guys if it is still expected (morally and/or legally) to pay the detailer for the attempt? I've never gone to one before so I'm not sure if I am supposed to be paying them for their time (full agreed price? half?) or only if they were able to remove it.

Pay the detailer whatever they quoted for the attempt. If they are especially cool, they may cut you a discount since they weren't able to resolve. And yeah, looks like you'll just have to pay the piper for whatever tesla deems an appropriate charge for that 'damage'.

 

[OxBrew]

OK, here's a weird one that removes a surprising amount of different kinds of grime: 409. Can't hurt to try, saved my --- many times.

Then, in increasing order of dangerous outcomes:

Have you tried isopropyl alcohol? Wear gloves, do a small areas at a time, have a fan nearby. Test first on the underside somewhere.

Then, if that's not doing the job, maybe acetone? (BE REALLY CAREFUL IT COULD MELT DOWN THE WHOLE SEAT). Or maybe not. IDK. Also super bad for skin and lungs, if it works do super small areas. Spreading any solvent in large areas can overwhelm you and make you really sick, the large surface area allows more to evaporate faster.