DON'T do what I just did.... 2005 Acura TL with sticky gray leather

spike

spike

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DON'T do what I just did.... 2005 Acura TL with sticky gray leather

OK, so I've been trying like crazy to figure out what will clean off the sticky/tacky stuff that is on the center armrest of my 2005 Acura TL with grey interior. Evidently this is a big problem with Hondas. I read somewhere to use hot soapy water. S

o I used some dawn soap and a white terry cloth towel and tried a spot. Well, I figured this part out...the sticky tacky stuff was actually the whatever clear coating that they put on leather these days.

I managed to rub off the coating, and now I have this bald spot of exposed leather with no coating and lots of grey on my terry cloth towel. :cry::cry::cry:

I really screwed up this time. What can I do now to fix this problem? And I guess it's because of the record heat we've been having that the clear coat on the leather got tacky and sticky. Man, am I stupid!! But, is this really supposed to happen? I've never heard of this before, where the leather coating gets soft and tacky with heat.

Just thought I'd post this so no one else makes the same mistake I did.

:doh: :doh: :doh:
 
Re: DON'T do what I just did....

spike said:
I managed to rub off the coating, and now I have this bald spot of exposed leather with no coating and lots of grey on my terry cloth towel. :cry::cry::cry:

I really screwed up this time. What can I do now to fix this problem?
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Maybe swing by an automotive upholstery shop and show them the problem and see what they can do? It's a small area and probably wouldn't cost much to recover... have them use a leather that you can work on, that is maintain without issues.



spike said:
Just thought I'd post this so no one else makes the same mistake I did.

:doh: :doh: :doh:
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Very kind of you and good thinking, I might modify the title of this thread to make it more search friendly...


:)
 
Never heard of it before but I guess the mixture of body oils, dirt and heat could do it. Others with more knowledge will chime in as to how to fix it.
 
get a new one from acura or find out the part number. replacing diy will yeild the best result and it might not be that expensive....
 
What a great idea Mike...I was thinking that I would have to live with it, but maybe I can get a re-cover of the armrest...and thanks for giving this a new title. That makes perfect sense!

:dblthumb2:
 
Can yOu post a pic of the armrest? If you can get me a lucite if the underside too that would be great. Don't feel bad though because it can be fixed!

I can't think of anything that can "recoat" the leather off the top of my head but I'll see if I can think of something. If it's not too big it won't cost much to recover. Since it is sticky that would probably be the route I would take depending on price.
 
OK...just called the local Acura dealership here...a new armrest is $260. Yikes!!!! The re-covering idea is definitely looking more promising.

Will go get some pics now and I'll post them soon...
 
spike said:
OK...just called the local Acura dealership here...a new armrest is $260. Yikes!!!! The re-covering idea is definitely looking more promising.

Will go get some pics now and I'll post them soon...
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quote junkyards too or local forums as well as upholstery shops
 
Here are the pics...I'm not the best photographer, but here goes...

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If you look on the Honda/Acura forums, many complain about the coated leather used in their vehicles. I am going to have to get my drivers seat recovered in the future because of splitting issues with the leather.

I've driven Honda's for years, but this is the only drawback especially when the car runs forever.

Jenn
 
Jenn1270 said:
If you look on the Honda/Acura forums, many complain about the coated leather used in their vehicles. I am going to have to get my drivers seat recovered in the future because of splitting issues with the leather.

I've driven Honda's for years, but this is the only drawback especially when the car runs forever.

Jenn
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I agree Jenn. This is a problem that many Honda owners have posted topics on. This is the first Honda vehicle I've owned, so I have never seen this problem before. I'll chalk it up to "learning a lesson the hard way" I guess...
 
Spike where are you located in NC ? I have a great connection with Dr Vinyl ! This guy is top notch and Ive used him many times on my own vehicals as well as customers.

He can fix that with no problem.
 
dad07 said:
Spike where are you located in NC ? I have a great connection with Dr Vinyl ! This guy is top notch and Ive used him many times on my own vehicals as well as customers.

He can fix that with no problem.
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I'm in Charlotte too. So you can vouch for their work? I wonder how they would fix it? And how much do you think it would cost me?

And then there's the reality of the situation...even if I get it fixed, I still have the sticky problem. I wonder if I just need to go ahead and get it re-covered?
 
spike said:
I'm in Charlotte too. So you can vouch for their work? I wonder how they would fix it? And how much do you think it would cost me?

And then there's the reality of the situation...even if I get it fixed, I still have the sticky problem. I wonder if I just need to go ahead and get it re-covered?
Click to expand...

I will vouch for his work! Top notch and resonable!

Pm sent!
 
I wonder how that comes apart. It can be rewrapped and it shouldn't be too hard to do. We have a leather place here where I will go to get leather for jobs my father does. They have a bin with remnants and most of the time they have large pieces. It is pretty cheap

I don't know what's up there in NC but I'm sure even an upholstery shop might have some extra scraps they could cut you a deal to rewrap it.
 
Yikes. Thanks for sharing the info. Recovering, IMO, is definitely your best bet. It'll cost you far less than a factory replacement and most likely be of better material. You could even have them improve the foam padding if you so desire. Or you could even have them add some color to it as well with different piping, stitching, or even different colored leather on the sides or top. You could go with gray on the sides and black on top so it'll show less dirt.
 
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