When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
I have a faint water stain on my A pillar where it meets the leather dash. I am going to remove the pillar this weekend to see if I can clean it. Do I use just water or leather cleaner for this job? Any experienced suggestion is welcomed, I don't want to mess up and introduce more stains or marring or I have to buy a replacement.
Also, what is the most probable cause for this water leak? The windshield is original and looks tight, I will try to pour some water into the sunroof drain and the roof rack flip lid. Anywhere else I should look for?
Speaking of the replacement if I mess this up, I saw a pair of A pillar being sold by Tuto993 for sale, but his set is from a 997.1 and mine is 997.2. His Hi resolution picture shows the leather to be more texturized than mine. I have extended leather on my car but not sure if that make any difference. Doe anyone know if the leather used in .1 and .2 were the same? 997.1 A pillar from Tudo993
Stain
Last edited by speedracerf4i; 12-09-2020 at 12:52 PM.
The texture difference is probably because yours is real leather while the one you’re looking at is vinyl made to look like leather (for cars not having the full leather option).
I see, I have full leather ($3,655) option, but I thought it only included:
Upper Dash
Lower Dash
Center console surrounding radio panes
Door Uppers
Door centers
Rear interior side panels
If the A pillars were also leather, then I would definitively try to clean the stain out first. Any suggestion in removing that stain?
Last edited by speedracerf4i; 12-09-2020 at 12:49 PM.
Just clean with any quality leather cleaner. I use Lexol in the orange bottle. Let dry overnight. Then treat with a high quality leather conditioner. I like Zaino Z10. If it's not leather, use Aerospace 303. That might not be stain, as much as it's lifted grain from the water/moisture. And that will be hard to make 'go away'.
Looking at the water stain on your piece, you don't really know if there may be any mineral residue from the water that is remaining in the leather (which could be part of the reason for the stain.) For that reason, I don't believe that using just water will remove it.
If this was my car, I would do the following:
1) I would wet a terry towel with very warm water. You want it to be damp / wet but not dripping wet. Take the towel and dab it / press it on the leather exposed surface of the full length of the component for about a minute or so. Doing this should open the pores of the leather.
2) I would use Lexol leather cleaner (cleaner, not conditioner) next. With the pores of the leather open, use a wet (but not dripping wet) microfiber pad - put a small amount of the Lexol cleaner on it and clean the entire leather surface. I would work the Lexol in the stained area a little bit more. Let the Lexol (very lightly suds) cleaner remain on the surface of the leather for a minute or so.
3) Next use a terry towel moistened with very warm water and remove the Lexol cleaner from the surface. The terry towel should not be dripping wet - just moistened enough to completely remove the Lexol cleaner from the leather surface.
4) Dry the piece with a dry terry towel. Examine the piece to see if the stain separation line is still visible. If it is, I would repeat the steps outlined above.
5) After completing the above, allow the piece to air dry for about 15 minutes or so.
6) When dry, apply Lexol conditioner to the entire piece. I usually use a microfiber pad for this. You don't need to use much of it. Work it into the leather. Let it penetrate into the leather for a couple of minutes and then buff with a dry / clean terry towel.
Looking at the water stain on your piece, you don't really know if there may be any mineral residue from the water that is remaining in the leather (which could be part of the reason for the stain.) For that reason, I don't believe that using just water will remove it.
If this was my car, I would do the following:
1) I would wet a terry towel with very warm water. You want it to be damp / wet but not dripping wet. Take the towel and dab it / press it on the leather exposed surface of the full length of the component for about a minute or so. Doing this should open the pores of the leather.
2) I would use Lexol leather cleaner (cleaner, not conditioner) next. With the pores of the leather open, use a wet (but not dripping wet) microfiber pad - put a small amount of the Lexol cleaner on it and clean the entire leather surface. I would work the Lexol in the stained area a little bit more. Let the Lexol (very lightly suds) cleaner remain on the surface of the leather for a minute or so.
3) Next use a terry towel moistened with very warm water and remove the Lexol cleaner from the surface. The terry towel should not be dripping wet - just moistened enough to completely remove the Lexol cleaner from the leather surface.
4) Dry the piece with a dry terry towel. Examine the piece to see if the stain separation line is still visible. If it is, I would repeat the steps outlined above.
5) After completing the above, allow the piece to air dry for about 15 minutes or so.
6) When dry, apply Lexol conditioner to the entire piece. I usually use a microfiber pad for this. You don't need to use much of it. Work it into the leather. Let it penetrate into the leather for a couple of minutes and then buff with a dry / clean terry towel.
Hope this corrects it for you.
Great instruction, I will give it a try and post picture of the result. Thank you.
I still need to hunt down where the water is coming from. My car was never driven in rain, always parked inside. My driveway inclines up about 10 degrees (kind of steep) and that's where I park to wash my car. Water leaks are the worst.
I removed my A-pillar this weekend and tried to clean the stain with Ironman88's instruction. Unfortunately, it didn't work. I tried wiping it, saturating it with conditioner..etc without any success. I can still see the water stain outline.
My next course of action would be to paint it. Doe anybody know how to successfully paint leather? I watched a ton of Youtube videos on painting the leather, but I am worried that it may not match Porsche's texture and color. Does anyone have any experience or recommendations?
Last edited by speedracerf4i; 12-14-2020 at 02:35 PM.
Just replace the parts. Call a place like LA Dismantlers for used parts, I see you are in CA. GL. You've done the hard part already (removing). Let's see if the resident leather expert on Rennlist, @drcollie has a recommendation. I think your main issue is the moisture raised the grain, and I don't know/think that's easily reversible.
I'm sorry, but there is some bad advice here. One doesn't clean a water stain with more water, any more that one puts out a fire by adding gasoline to it. I'm in the leather business and have been for thirty years now. Water damages leather, end of conversation. That's why we never put leather in physicians or medical offices, or hospitals due to human fluid leakage (blood, urine, all water-based). They get vinyl, which is a form of plastic which can withstand water saturation. You really have only three options if this is made of leather.
1) Replace the leather (most good, high-end upholstery shows will be able to match this)
2) Replace the pillar cover
3) Longshot - send it to Pam at Leather Solutions International in Asheville NC, She's a magician and best in the industry at restoring leather. She will tell you if its repairable. https://www.damagedleathersolutions.com/
I'm sorry, but there is some bad advice here. One doesn't clean a water stain with more water, any more that one puts out a fire by adding gasoline to it. I'm in the leather business and have been for thirty years now. Water damages leather, end of conversation. That's why we never put leather in physicians or medical offices, or hospitals due to human fluid leakage (blood, urine, all water-based). They get vinyl, which is a form of plastic which can withstand water saturation. You really have only three options if this is made of leather.
1) Replace the leather (most good, high-end upholstery shows will be able to match this)
2) Replace the pillar cover
3) Longshot - send it to Pam at Leather Solutions International in Asheville NC, She's a magician and best in the industry at restoring leather. She will tell you if its repairable. https://www.damagedleathersolutions.com/
Good luck finding the leak.
Originally Posted by LexVan
Just replace the parts. Call a place like LA Dismantlers for used parts, I see you are in CA. GL. You've done the hard part already (removing). Let's see if the resident leather expert on Rennlist, @drcollie has a recommendation. I think your main issue is the moisture raised the grain, and I don't know/think that's easily reversible.
The advice was not to saturate or submerge the leather with / into water. Far from it. Lightly moistening the leather will not damage it (regardless of your 30 years of experience.) I've been working with leather for over 50 years. The advice I provided would not have damaged it further - certainly not "putting gasoline on a fire..." The point you've made drcollie is exaggeration.
LexVan has gotten it right it sounds like and I believe that the best solution is replacing the part.
To the OP - I hope you're able to locate a suitable replacement component.
Thank you all for your sound advise. Replacing the part may be the way to go after reading all your comments. Last hope before going that route, painting the leather isn't a good options right? I ordered Porsche color matched leather/vinyl paint from Amazon in hope that this would be a good way to go
In regards to the leak, I poured water into the upper right sunroof drain, and into the roof rack base trap opening, the water all drained fine. No water drop was visible from inside the car. I also washed the car and emphasized on soaking the front right area of the roof. Not a single drop of water was present. The windshield is original and no water sipped through the A-pillar. I hate water leakage problems.
Last edited by speedracerf4i; 12-14-2020 at 03:39 PM.
I have no experience with painting leather. The challenge in this instance is with the A pillar section being next to the leather dash - so any variation in color / texture would be readily apparent I think.
If you are of the mindset that it is 95% likely that you'll have to replace the A pillar with a new (or good condition used) one, the paint option may offer a last-ditch effort to get by (at minimum cost.) If that fails, any further chance to restore your existing one may be lost.
Looking at this information from Suncoast Porsche, (and in response to one of your initial questions), it appears that the A pillar parts are consistent throughout the 997 model range (.1 and .2 are the same).
The leather interior upgrade that your car has is probably responsible for the difference in the leather texture (smoother texture) on your existing A pillar.
This is a passenger side, black leather (used) A pillar. If you study the photos in the lower section of the sale page, you'll see the part # and the designation "Leder" - signifying that this piece is covered in leather rather than vinyl. It does however appear that the texture of the leather is different than the one in your photo of your car. I believe it does answer the question that there are most likely two grades of leather that are used on these parts.
This is a passenger side, black leather (used) A pillar. If you study the photos in the lower section of the sale page, you'll see the part # and the designation "Leder" - signifying that this piece is covered in leather rather than vinyl. It does however appear that the texture of the leather is different than the one in your photo of your car. I believe it does answer the question that there are most likely two grades of leather that are used on these parts.
I saw this too and was afraid of buying the wrong one. This is probably what I need https://www.ebay.com/itm/12-Porsche-...8AAOSwdP9fUABE but there is what looks like a glossy and a water stain. I send my concern to the seller to see if he can clean that up before I buy it.
I saw this too and was afraid of buying the wrong one. This is probably what I need https://www.ebay.com/itm/12-Porsche-...8AAOSwdP9fUABE but there is what looks like a glossy and a water stain. I send my concern to the seller to see if he can clean that up before I buy it.
12-09-2020, 12:25 PM
A pillar leather water stain removable?
