White Seats Stain Very Easily

[jkoya]

Just be careful with these. The underside of the cover itself can stain the seats.

Thanks for the heads up, but so far they have not. Possibly because I applied two coats of Gyeon Quartz Leathershield after I took delivery in December 2018. I only purchased the hoodies because America's Tires had warned me in advance they were out of the plastic they use to cover the seats. Tires were installed on a day of very heavy rain and the seat hoodie was exposed to water. I've only used them when taking the car in for service.

My experience with Gyeon Quartz Leathershield has been positive so far. I did two applications and there is still about half of the bottle left. I have driven the car wearing Levi 501s and my wife wears black colored jeans and there has been no dye transfer so far.

Took the car in for my HW3 upgrade in February and a Tesla SC employee left grease marks on the white seats (forgot to bring the seat hoodie). I used Gyeon Leather Cleaner and the grease marks came right off, no problem...

 

[jkoya]

I totally get why you’d do it, but doesn’t it defeat the purpose of getting those beautiful white seats if they are covered by neoprene seat covers?

I agree. Only use the seat hoodies when the car goes in for service and actually haven't driven the car with them on. I put them on at arrival and take them off before the drive home. I just keep them in the sub-trunk. When my car was getting the HW3 upgrade, I had removed everything out of the car and mistakingly left the hoodie behind. Of course, grease marks left on the seat by a Tesla SC employee.

 

[NOLA_Mike]

I know people say its crazy to get white leather in a car, but I really wanted them and people have been saying the Tesla seats are easy to clean if you put in some effort. So I have been extremely careful. I don't wear jeans almost ever. I wipe down the seat with a baby wipe almost daily. All was well. Until today.

It was raining and I was in my hospital scrubs. The same scrubs that get washed with really harsh chemicals a million times a year. Well when I got out of the car it looked like someone had done something unspeakable to a smurf.

These same scrubs don't transfer any color to my white coat even when wet. It was a crazy day so I didn't have much time to clean right then and there. I tried wiping it down with the baby wipes in my trunk and maybe 20% came off.

Since coming home I have tried several things with limited success.

More baby wipes - did nothing
Slightly warm water and dish soap - nothing
Lexol leather cleaner - nothing
Leather cleaner/conditioner combo - nothing
70% Isopropyl alcohol - Maybe a 10% effect
99% Isopropyl alcohol straight on - 70% effect

It is not as bad as it was before and probably wont show in pictures, but there is definitely a dusky/dirty haze compared to the passenger seat. Sucks...

Here is the seat manufacturer guide for others who will come across this:
https://www.ultrafabricsinc.com/sites/default/files/environment/Disinfectants_3-2018.pdf

People warn that magic eraser is sandpaper and not to use it. I will see how much it bothers me going forward, but I might have to.

Long story short: white seats + any moisture + any color = seat will never look the same

I thought I read early on when the white interiors first started that 409 (brand) cleaner worked well.

Also, might try something with diluted bleach in it since bleach often returns white things to white.

Mike

 

[MY-Y]

For real leather car seats, I have used "Spray Nine" with great results.

 

[XLR82XS]

I wear jeans almost everyday. 8,300 miles and my white seats look brand new with no stains

Don't know what you guys are doing to get these unremovable stains

No problems here

And there is no leather in the seats. They are synthetic/polyurethane.

Not necessary

I have ZERO problems with white seats in any Tesla. Even my sister has no staining issues with 2 kids in her white interior MS. I use HI-TECH extra foamy to clean interior bits including the seats if any small spots appear.

 

[cab]

There are only two kinds of people in the "my white seats have stained" threads - those whose seats are stained and those who declare "my seats don't have any stains". All I can say is that you don't see too many "my black seats have stains" threads...(the seats do of course, but that's the beauty of black seats...heck my 2013 Model S' black seats still look pretty decent 78K miles later).

I will say that whenever I see a Tesla with white seats in a parking lot, I often take a look see at how they are holding up. While it isn't a daily occurrence or anything to spot one, as often as not they look a bit, um...challenged. I can't say if those stains would clean up, but still.

 

[jgrgnt]

I have white seats in both the 3 and X. First off, yes, staining of the white seats is possible. But from my experience, there's a chance those stains may fade (sometimes completely) over time through normal cleaning cycles.

I can think of two instances where the seats became heavily stained due to dye transfer from rain-soaked jeans, only to miraculously recover weeks later. I wipe down my seats at least once a week. About 3-4 weeks after first noticing the stains, I found they had practically vanished. My advice is to avoid aggressive treatments when you first see the stains. Clean it as best you can using damp microfiber cloths, then repeat every few days. I use damp microfiber cloths, baby wipes, and occasionally CarGuys Super Cleaner in my normal cleaning regiment.

Don't use isopropyl alcohol. A few years back, isopropyl alcohol was listed in the Model X owners manual as a recommended cleaner, but that text has since been removed, probably because it was discovered that it actually harms the finish. Coincidentally, the passenger seat in my Model X has a much rougher texture and some permanent wear after being cleaned with alcohol during my first year of ownership. My driver's seat--which was replaced about a year into ownership for an unrelated issue--has been cleaned using the products listed above, and shows very little wear or permanent staining.

 

[Nikkij77]

My tells is less then a month old... worn jeans in it twice and now can’t get them out...
Tried baby wipes, 70% alcohol, 1:5 bleach and water and nothing seems to work. Help please! I read so many reviews before deciding on white saying they did not stain....

 

[webbah]

I use Gyeon Leather Shield Ceramic coating (applied myself easily) and Gyeon Leather Cleaner Mild. They sell a kit for about $50. Highly recommended! I applied when the car was new and my seats are still new and perfect. This is after 15 months of shuttling babies, kids, dogs, and I only wear jeans. I've had spills and dog slobber, etc and it wiped right off. Don't hesitate!

 

[SpauldinSC]

I know people say its crazy to get white leather in a car, but I really wanted them and people have been saying the Tesla seats are easy to clean if you put in some effort. So I have been extremely careful. I don't wear jeans almost ever. I wipe down the seat with a baby wipe almost daily. All was well. Until today.

It was raining and I was in my hospital scrubs. The same scrubs that get washed with really harsh chemicals a million times a year. Well when I got out of the car it looked like someone had done something unspeakable to a smurf.

These same scrubs don't transfer any color to my white coat even when wet. It was a crazy day so I didn't have much time to clean right then and there. I tried wiping it down with the baby wipes in my trunk and maybe 20% came off.

Since coming home I have tried several things with limited success.

More baby wipes - did nothing
Slightly warm water and dish soap - nothing
Lexol leather cleaner - nothing
Leather cleaner/conditioner combo - nothing
70% Isopropyl alcohol - Maybe a 10% effect
99% Isopropyl alcohol straight on - 70% effect

It is not as bad as it was before and probably wont show in pictures, but there is definitely a dusky/dirty haze compared to the passenger seat. Sucks...

Here is the seat manufacturer guide for others who will come across this:
https://www.ultrafabricsinc.com/sites/default/files/environment/Disinfectants_3-2018.pdf

People warn that magic eraser is sandpaper and not to use it. I will see how much it bothers me going forward, but I might have to.

Long story short: white seats + any moisture + any color = seat will never look the same

Mr. Clean Magic Eraser will 100% get the stain off. I wouldn't sweat it. There are videos of people literally pouring red wine on the seats and letting their child clean it up.

 

[greengirl]

I contacted my ceramic coat guy about this today since my car is already there. He actually talked me out of it and he had financial incentive not to FWIW.

Why did he talk you out of it? Would love to know argument against doing it. How are your seats? Are they white?

 

[JerseyShoreMY]

I use Gyeon Leather Shield Ceramic coating (applied myself easily) and Gyeon Leather Cleaner Mild. They sell a kit for about $50. Highly recommended! I applied when the car was new and my seats are still new and perfect. This is after 15 months of shuttling babies, kids, dogs, and I only wear jeans. I've had spills and dog slobber, etc and it wiped right off. Don't hesitate!

We did two coats of Gyeon Ceramic on our white seats, and door panels etc. All Pleather surfaces we could find in our MY.
Wife did the coffee cup, and of course tested the seat.
Amazing, but the coffee wiped right off and not a stain or remnant of any kind.
We also applied the coating while the car was new, agree with @webbah on this plan.

 

[Schulz1983]

Sonax (289300-755) Leather Foam -... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003USYN6Q?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

Tesla SC recommended this to me. Works great. I use a horse hair brush for a little agitation and wipe it off. Don’t let it sit on the seats. Baby wipes for daily use and sonax if the baby wipes won’t get it.

 

[dcvo89]

I use Gyeon Leather Shield Ceramic coating (applied myself easily) and Gyeon Leather Cleaner Mild. They sell a kit for about $50. Highly recommended! I applied when the car was new and my seats are still new and perfect. This is after 15 months of shuttling babies, kids, dogs, and I only wear jeans. I've had spills and dog slobber, etc and it wiped right off. Don't hesitate!

Can you use the cleaner after doing ceramic coating without having to redo the coating?

 

[webbah]

Can you use the cleaner after doing ceramic coating without having to redo the coating?

Yes! Check out the Gyeon videos on Youtube. Or their website. I re-apply the coating every 6-8 months or so. It's actually quite easy to do. But I have a newborn baby and a dog so this gives peace of mind! I only use the cleaner if needed. Usually baby wipes do the trick as the coating makes the seats impermeable and nothing sticks.