Snickerdo
Premium
join:2001-02-28
St Catharines, ON
 ·Cogeco Cable
| Stupid stupid stupid mistake
Okay well, all of you know that I've got the new car. The new car with leather interior. I am going to tell you all the stupid mistake I made yesterday in the hopes that someone here may have done something similar and can give me some options, and I hope you won't laugh at me as this has been beyond depressing.
I had to deliver a computer to a client yesterday. I was in a hurry and my trunk was full, so I threw the thing in the back seat of my car. I've done this before with no issues, so I figured we'd be fine.
Welp, I get home (the client canceled on me as I was driving) and as I pick up the computer, notice that something sharp has put three tiny little holes into the leather. The emotional pain I felt when I saw this was beyond description, and it sucks so much as I've had the car for a very short period of time. The holes are tiny, maybe 2-3mm each, and I'm not even sure if they go all the way through the leather. There is a bit of a scratch, but some leather gel stuff took that right out. The dented effect has also almost come out, but you can still see the very small holes.
So, I must not be the only person in this world who has done something like this, just like I wasn't the only person to leave the sunroof open during a rainstorm. At least I was able to clean the car after the rain, but the holes in the leather are well beyond a simple bottle of Odor Out and a blow dryer. I've seen leather repair kits online, but I'm weary about making it look worse than it already does. Just the same, I don't want to take it in somewhere that will charge me $150 only to use one of those exact kits if they work well.
Simply put, anyone been through this before? Options? I feel like a total fucking nob, but I suppose the lesson is learnt. What pisses me off is that I've worked so hard for something and worked my ass off to keep it looking good, as my father always had junky falling apart cars when I was a kid. I wanted to be better than that. Now, I've got a car with a fucked up interior and am no different than what I wanted to be better than. This is so depressing that I just want to get rid of the car, forget I ever owned it and go back to the 18 year old piece of shit I had before. *shrug*
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I swear that I will faithfully and bear true allegiance to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Second, Queen of Canada, Her Heirs and Successors, and that I will faithfully observe the laws of Canada and fulfil my duties as a Canadian citizen. |
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Scoop
join:2006-08-05
Kanata, ON | Don't be so hard on yourself. Think of it as breaking it in. I've never had leather seats but I'm sure someone will be able to help you.Try not to stress over it, it's just a car. I dented a car that was two days old. It happens. |
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Rifleman
Premium
join:2004-02-09
p1a | reply to Snickerdo
Take it back to the dealer and say you were cleaning it and found the holes there. |
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Snickerdo
Premium
join:2001-02-28
St Catharines, ON
·Cogeco Cable
| said by Rifleman  :Take it back to the dealer and say you were cleaning it and found the holes there. Hahaha I wish. It's been two months, and they're obvious enough that I or anyone else would have seen it when they were buying the car.
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I swear that I will faithfully and bear true allegiance to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Second, Queen of Canada, Her Heirs and Successors, and that I will faithfully observe the laws of Canada and fulfil my duties as a Canadian citizen. |
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Desi
Premium
join:2002-05-05
Kanata, ON
clubs:
| reply to Snickerdo
Are they "holes" per se, or just deep "dents"? If they are the latter, leave the car in the sun for a while (roll down the windows if you have tints) and the heat should take care of it.My car aswell as my both my parents cares have leather(ette) and my experience has been that it takes ALOT to permanently damage it. Some pics would help 
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The User formerly known as Desi StYlE |
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Snickerdo
Premium
join:2001-02-28
St Catharines, ON
·Cogeco Cable
| said by Desi :Are they "holes" per se, or just deep "dents"? If they are the latter, leave the car in the sun for a while (roll down the windows if you have tints) and the heat should take care of it.My car aswell as my both my parents cares have leather(ette) and my experience has been that it takes ALOT to permanently damage it. Some pics would help I think they're cut, but it's hard to tell. I'll have pictures in a few minutes if I can find my camera, haha.
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I swear that I will faithfully and bear true allegiance to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Second, Queen of Canada, Her Heirs and Successors, and that I will faithfully observe the laws of Canada and fulfil my duties as a Canadian citizen. |
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Snickerdo
Premium
join:2001-02-28
St Catharines, ON
·Cogeco Cable
| reply to Snickerdo
Here they are. I really can't tell if it's just badly gouged, or if there is actually a tear. It was a lot worse yesterday, the dent is about half as bad as it was right after it happened. Rubbing some leather gel into it today helped, too.
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I swear that I will faithfully and bear true allegiance to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Second, Queen of Canada, Her Heirs and Successors, and that I will faithfully observe the laws of Canada and fulfil my duties as a Canadian citizen. |
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Wolfie00
Premium
join:2005-03-12
| reply to Snickerdo
Now that I've seen the pics, I can say this even more emphatically: I really do think you're greatly overreacting -- even in my younger days when I really obsessed over my cars I'm not sure I would have reacted quite so strongly over something so minor. People have worse dimples than that on their faces and don't think anything of it! What are you going to do the first time some idiot slams his door into your car in a parking lot and leaves a sizeable dent? Trust me, I've had all these things and worse happen to brand new cars, and if I really let it get to me I'd probably be crazier than I already am!  In fact, speaking of leather punctures, I have a beautiful leather office chair that my dog decided to sink his fangs into (long story) and now it not only has deep cuts but tears too. I'm not happy about it, but that's life.
That said, these guys look like they have an interesting product -- they seem reputable and they do ship to Canada, but I don't know anything about them otherwise -- I might even give this a try on my leather chair. Under "individual products" they even have finishing clearcoats that can apply just the right texture to the repair. In your case though, I would just question whether it's worth $50 and all the effort and risk for something so minor that it might very well just repair itself to the point of becoming unnoticeable!
»www.leatherrepairkits.com/
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"Until he extends his circle of compassion to include all living things, man will not himself find peace" -- Dr. Albert Schweitzer
"A dog is like a child who never grows old ... always there to love and be loved" -- Aaron Katcher
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Snickerdo
Premium
join:2001-02-28
St Catharines, ON
·Cogeco Cable
edit:
July 19th, @08:59PM
| reply to Snickerdo
Haha Wolfie, you sound just like my friends, my mother, and just about everyone else who's heard me cry about this and then saw it for themselves. I dunno, it's just a bummer to have something like this happen so soon. A year or two down the road and I would have shrugged it off, but so soon... bleh. Now having said that, I think it'll look okay once the dents come out. They're already half their size so I'm pretty sure they'll go away. It's just... I dunno, every time I look in the back seat I see that and I cringe and I think what other stupid thing am I going to do to fuck up this car. *shrug*
And yeah, the brown leather chair I'm sitting in right now was enjoyed by a cat with claws. The chair isn't my car, though. If I do spend the $50 on the repair kit, I'll be able to use it on the chair, too, though the chair has a textured colour and may be a bitch to do myself.
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I swear that I will faithfully and bear true allegiance to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Second, Queen of Canada, Her Heirs and Successors, and that I will faithfully observe the laws of Canada and fulfil my duties as a Canadian citizen. |
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Pepsi90919
join:2002-10-07
Hamilton, ON | reply to Snickerdo
You didn't buy a brand new car. Don't go all OCD and start worrying about all the little dings and bits of rust that you'd find if you'd put the thing up on a lift. |
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dirtyjeffer
fagetaboutit
Premium
join:2002-02-21
London, ON
·Rogers Hi-Speed
| reply to Snickerdo
that's not much to worry about Snickerdo...it gives the car "character".
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Best Marketplace Ever: »www.cbc.ca/marketplace/speed_bumps/ |
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Bender2000
Bite My Shiny Metal Ass
Premium
join:2002-05-06
Roxboro, QC
clubs:
| reply to Snickerdo
Just a couple months after getting my Mazda6, I was making a tight turn out of a friend's parking space, thought I had room, and scraped the curb. My previous car was longer, but yet had way more turning ability, so I wasn't expecting to hit the curb. Well, I got out, and there it was, the plastic part of the lower bumper was scraped quite nicely from the concrete. I could have cried. I had to just chalk it up adding character lol...shit will happen.
Since then, someone has dented by trunk ever so slightly (very noticable when the light shines off of it), and scraped by passenger side door (noticeable by paint transfer). |
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digitalfutur
Sees More Than Shown
Premium
join:2000-07-15
BurlingtonON
·Cogeco Cable
| reply to Snickerdo
I'd wait a few months to see if it blends in with the rest of the seat fabric. You'll just have to use the back seat a lot in the meantime. 
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All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing - Edmund Burke. "Walk the Talk". |
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Snickerdo
Premium
join:2001-02-28
St Catharines, ON
·Cogeco Cable
| reply to Pepsi90919
said by Pepsi90919 :You didn't buy a brand new car. Don't go all OCD and start worrying about all the little dings and bits of rust that you'd find if you'd put the thing up on a lift. I've already had it on a lift, I didn't bitch about the rust. I also made a small scratch to the paint when I dropped my keys. I dunno though, something about doing this to the interior really really pisses me off far more than any of the other stuff that's happened.
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I swear that I will faithfully and bear true allegiance to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Second, Queen of Canada, Her Heirs and Successors, and that I will faithfully observe the laws of Canada and fulfil my duties as a Canadian citizen. |
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Desi
Premium
join:2002-05-05
Kanata, ON
clubs:
| reply to Snickerdo
As far as I can tell from the pictures and without physically being able to run my hand over the marks, they are just "dents" in the leather albeit at a sharp angle and a little deep. My previous suggestion of leaving it in the sunlight for a few hours stands, it should make it almost disappear and what is left will fade out over a few weeks.
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The User formerly known as Desi StYlE |
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mikepd
Discovery
Premium,MVM
join:2000-10-26
New Port Richey, FL
clubs:
·RoadRunner Cable
 ·Verizon Online DSL
·Verizon Online DSL
·Verizon Online DSL
| reply to Snickerdo
At first, I thought you had actually ripped the leather. You really are suffering from 'new car syndrome'.
If you really want to fix the dimples, try the product Wolfie found. I have used similar stuff on leather and it worked well for me.
Next time you carry computer equipment or anything electronic in your car, do what I always do and put a plush towel or clean mat underneath to avoid any problems.
All the best with your new car.
Mike
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Always Reach Beyond Your Grasp |
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Tyreman
join:2002-10-08
·Bell Sympatico
·Rogers Hi-Speed
edit:
July 20th, @06:45AM
| reply to Snickerdo
As a fomer tradesman and contractor I got into our service truck a gmc with the expensive options bucket seats and had a screwdriver in my pocket blade out you can guess what that seat looked like after words 
Its bad to you because you know its there ....most people wouldn't give it a second look. |
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Snickerdo
Premium
join:2001-02-28
St Catharines, ON
·Cogeco Cable
| reply to mikepd
said by mikepd :Next time you carry computer equipment or anything electronic in your car, do what I always do and put a plush towel or clean mat underneath to avoid any problems. Oh don't worry the lesson is already learnt. I have two towels sitting in the seat pockets. I will not do something like this again.
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I swear that I will faithfully and bear true allegiance to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Second, Queen of Canada, Her Heirs and Successors, and that I will faithfully observe the laws of Canada and fulfil my duties as a Canadian citizen. |
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Snickerdo
Premium
join:2001-02-28
St Catharines, ON
·Cogeco Cable
| reply to Snickerdo
Took a closer look today. It's not torn, just badly dented, and is already starting to come out. I'm sure it'll be fine after a few weeks, and I'll continue to rub some leather gel into it to help with the process.
Thanks for your kind words, reassurance and for not laughing at me. I felt like crap on Friday, and now I feel okay. Thanks guys.
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I swear that I will faithfully and bear true allegiance to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Second, Queen of Canada, Her Heirs and Successors, and that I will faithfully observe the laws of Canada and fulfil my duties as a Canadian citizen. |
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kingb71
formerly known as talonkarrde
join:2000-10-09
Mississauga, ON
·TekSavvy Solutions..
| Dunno what you're using to keep your leather soft & clean, but I've been using a product called Leatherique on my VW for years & this stuff is truly amazing, albeit a bit pricey. Here's the web site: »www.leatheriquecanada.ca/ |
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