Seatbelt 'burn-in' on white seats?

[super20g]

So, my new car was left out in the sun for 7 weeks while at service having delivery defects fixed.

I got it back and found that the seatbelts have burnt in / stained the white seats...

I have tried water, griots garage interior cleaner, iso alcohol, etc... Doesn't remove it the least bit.

Does anyone know how to get this out?

I reported it to service right away asking if they could fix it and they told me the problem is not covered under warranty.

I remember them stating this was the most stain resistant and premium material an extra grand could buy... I guess they didn't test it with their own seat belts?

 

[super20g]

I guess no one else has had this happen yet?

Any ideas what I could try to remove the stains with?

 

[MMcKay]

Have you tried a magic eraser?

 

[super20g]

Have you tried a magic eraser?

Nope, I will give that a try this evening. I thought the alcohol would do the trick but it didn't touch it.

 

[jkoya]

I reported it to service right away asking if they could fix it and they told me the problem is not covered under warranty.

Did this happen at a Tesla Service center or a Tesla certified body shop ?

 

[super20g]

Did this happen at a Tesla Service center or a Tesla certified body shop ?

Tesla service center. It did sit at a Tesla certified body shop that they took it to for a week or so. But parked along a treeline. It sat out in the open for the other ~6 weeks at the Tesla service center baking in the sun... I sent service this picture (and others) and their response to this and other physical damage they caused (multiple gouged plastic interior parts mainly) was:

your concerns do not fall within the stated vehicle warranty but we will be happy to provide you an estimate for the repairs if you would like. Thanks so much!

Heh. They also left the car with 7 weeks worth of dirt, dust, shop debris on the interior/exterior, and bird crap from front to back... And provided a bogus invoice for the work they did. Since the service manager would not assist, I asked their managing council for help and they told me to file an arb case if I am disputing warranty coverage and told me I was harassing them. Classy group!

 

[XLR82XS]

Are you windows tinted? I wonder if that would help at all for what looks to be color transfer. I have no issues with my white interiors and I do live in sunny S.FL.

 

[tracksyde]

Tesla service center. It did sit at a Tesla certified body shop that they took it to for a week or so. But parked along a treeline. It sat out in the open for the other ~6 weeks at the Tesla service center baking in the sun... I sent service this picture (and others) and their response to this and other physical damage they caused (multiple gouged plastic interior parts mainly) was:

Heh. They also left the car with 7 weeks worth of dirt, dust, shop debris on the interior/exterior, and bird crap from front to back... And provided a bogus invoice for the work they did. Since the service manager would not assist, I asked their managing council for help and they told me to file an arb case if I am disputing warranty coverage and told me I was harassing them. Classy group!

Which service center was this so we know to avoid it?

 

[super20g]

Are you windows tinted? I wonder if that would help at all for what looks to be color transfer. I have no issues with my white interiors and I do live in sunny S.FL.

Service has been less than stellar so I've been holding off on tint until I can feel comfortable the issues are going to be resolved. Everything else I own is tinted front to back, most of the cars are black leather, the tan one has never had transfer, this is my first pure white and first time with any stains that won't remove.

Which service center was this so we know to avoid it?

You don't have to worry about this one, it is Cincinnati, OH.

 

[Nocturnal]

Nope, I will give that a try this evening. I thought the alcohol would do the trick but it didn't touch it.

Don't do that. They are just sandpaper and will ruin the protective layer on the fabric. If alcohol doesn't work I'd make Tesla fix it. That shouldn't happen, especially while at service. You can play dumb and just say it was a stain that happened while it was out of your possession.

 

[super20g]

Don't do that. They are just sandpaper and will ruin the protective layer on the fabric. If alcohol doesn't work I'd make Tesla fix it. That shouldn't happen, especially while at service. You can play dumb and just say it was a stain that happened while it was out of your possession.

Good to know. It IS a stain that happened while out of my possession! I was out of magic erasers when I got home last night so I didn't try that. Service won't fix it. It is so silly that I have to file an arb case over something like this. I know they will magically want to fix it before paying the couple grand of arb fees they are required to pay, but they told me to file so I'll take it all the way through the process and see what the arbitrator awards since they insisted... Jeez. If I could just get it out I'd be happy to move on.

 

[Nocturnal]

Good to know. It IS a stain that happened while out of my possession! I was out of magic erasers when I got home last night so I didn't try that. Service won't fix it. It is so silly that I have to file an arb case over something like this. I know they will magically want to fix it before paying the couple grand of arb fees they are required to pay, but they told me to file so I'll take it all the way through the process and see what the arbitrator awards since they insisted... Jeez. If I could just get it out I'd be happy to move on.

It's not even a warranty claim, it's damage that occurred while in service. For all we know the tech had dirty hands and touched the seatbelt. I haven't seen anyone else with damage from the belt/sun.

 

[super20g]

It's not even a warranty claim, it's damage that occurred while in service. For all we know the tech had dirty hands and touched the seatbelt. I haven't seen anyone else with damage from the belt/sun.

They did remove the interior... And it obviously sat in their shop for a good bit because it was all covered in dust when I got it back. I could swipe a finger across it and leave a trail... The car had 1k miles on it and had been detailed prior to dropping off at service. I asked them to give it back in the same condition it was dropped off in.

 

[maverick3n1]

As Nocturnal said.. this has nothing to do with Warranty. It has to do with damages that happened while in the possession of their service center. If they hit a wall with your bumper and damaged it, the bumper wouldn't be a warranty repair either. It would be an insurance repair on their part because they screwed it up. Take it up the corporate ladder.

 

[jkoya]

I would agree with others and think that Tesla should fix this, as the damage occurred while your car was in their possession. Please keep us updated with the status of your case...

 

[super20g]

I would agree with others and think that Tesla should fix this, as the damage occurred while your car was in their possession. Please keep us updated with the status of your case...

Will do... I'll push it through the arbitration process since their managing council already told me that was the only option. That stuff takes a lot of time, so don't look for an update for a bit but I will definitely follow up. What a hassle... But I guess that is the point. A lot of people would just move on I guess. I hold people accountable regardless of personal inconvenience...

 

[jkoya]

Will do... I'll push it through the arbitration process since their managing council already told me that was the only option. That stuff takes a lot of time, so don't look for an update for a bit but I will definitely follow up. What a hassle... But I guess that is the point. A lot of people would just move on I guess. I hold people accountable regardless of personal inconvenience...

Good Luck !!! My Chevy Volt got a fender crease from an over extended charge port cover during its first service in 2016. I showed the service writer and they immediately took responsibility for the repair. They set up a PDR appointment the following week and everything was taken care of. ..

 

[super20g]

Good Luck !!! My Chevy Volt got a fender crease from an over extended charge port cover during its first service in 2016. I showed the service writer and they immediately took responsibility for the repair. They set up a PDR appointment the following week and everything was taken care of. ..

Yep, that's how it should go... I can't even get them to cover a couple cheap plastic interior panels they gouged which is perhaps more cut and dry than the seat back stains. I guess if they tell enough people to piss off, then it is probably cheaper to do that and pay out the occasional arb fees. Terrible way to do business though.

 

[jkoya]

I forgot to ask - is that the back seat or the front seat where the damage happened ?

 

[mswlogo]

Try goo gone.

No promises it’s affect on the material but the stuff is usually harmless.

The belts are plastic and they may have melted to the seat. If so, You need to dissolve the plastic, Without dissolving the seats. It’s possible the belts literally burned the seat. If so, nothing will clean it.

So glad I never got light seats. Not worth constant handling issues. But if it was dark seats I can only imagine how hot things would have got. Belt would have been fused to the seat.

And if it were my car, I would have been at that shop yard and threw a tarp over it, or at least the windshield tarp or a simple sunshade. The seatbelt Mark might be the least of your issues in the long run. I also factor time of year if it’s something that didn’t need immediate attention.