digitaljok

A sloppy (low rent) windshield tint job has left a part of my leather dash with seemingly permanent water damage. Looks to me like water was left standing during the tinting and got absorbed by the leather at the seam. Installer/shop owner does not dispute the cause, but is unwilling to pay for a replacement, which of course is way more $$$ than the cost of the tint job. Situation is complicated by the fact that no upholstery shops are able to offer any kind of repair, so replacement seems to be the only option at this point.

It's a little hard to describe the effect, but the affected area seems to have lost some elasticity and "give" when poked. It's like when the leather dried out it stretched thin and is now more tightly wrapped and "indented", "dimpled", or "recessed".



Has anyone seen this kind of damage before? Any other options besides full replacement? It looks like the airbag cover is sewn into the dash, so what happens after an airbag blows? The whole dash really needs to be replaced afterwards? I've kept my cool with the installer so far but do I have any other recourse short of small claims court?


Additional details for context: Brought the '09 Cayenne TTS in for 3M Cystalline tint on the two front doors and windshield. Cautioned the installer about the full leather dash and alcantara headliner and was assured that laying a towel on the dash was unnecessary. They said they had done a Panamera turbo the week before just fine.

Fast forward 2 hours later and the film/install look good. Pull out to leave when I notice that the seam between the airbag and dash is still damp and that the leather around the seam feels slightly raised to the touch (swollen), but not wrinkled. Bring the car back ASAP and raise the issue with the installer/shop owner. He says that's weird, but just let it dry out over the next few days. And if it still looks noticeable, that I can have one of his detailer friends take a look at it.

Fast forward almost 2 months and multiple visits to a detailer, an upholstery shop, and a dash re-wrapping specialist. No ones thinks the problem can be repaired. So now I'm looking for help here.


Lesson learned so far is to not cheap out with the second lowest bidder. Third lowest bidder all the way from now on!
(Mods, I figured a 957 Cayenne leather dash issue would be general interest enough to be in this section, but please move the thread as necessary or if there is a higher visibility area, thanks)

No HTwo O

Have you tried a quality leather cleaner (I use a dilute solution ofLexol in the orange bottle) and then followed by a quality leather conditioner (I use Zaino Z10)?

You may want to cross post this on the Concours Forum or ask a moderator to move for more play.

klum1971

Put a dash cover on it.

parkerfe

I would replace it with an OEM Porsche replacement upper dash piece and then sue the window tint company in small claims/magistrate court for the parts/labor.

Jaredtown

Hello, new member here... just picked up a 2006 997 S and proceeded to have the windows and windshield tinted. Long story short, my dash now looks similar to yours. Were you able to rectify the problem at all? See attached pics...

Stutters

Throwing my hat into the ring with same issue on my 996TT dash. During tint, water was left near airbag and resulted in the same stretched leather look. Mine, however, is complicated by the fact that I have Natural Brown leather and is very noticeable.

Any help or ideas aside from re-cover or replace would be amazing.

digitaljok

Sorry to hear about the new cases popping up out there. Never did find a remedy except for replacing the dash and going after the installer for the costs. I'm not sure if the tint shop in my case went out of pocket or made a claim with their insurance, but they did end up paying for the damage.

However, I had to take it upon myself to get the work done at the dealer first before the shop reimbursed me so that was very risky and not ideal. Another poster's suggestion to go to small claims court might be a more prudent way to proceed, but IANAL.

Good luck to new posters and keep us posted.

bkrantz

Sorry you have a potentially expensive and aggravating problem to fix.

But I have to ask, why risk putting a film on the windshield, especially since good film installation requires lots of water--right above a sensitive leather surface?

Simple physics (as revealed by some quick internet searching) shows that most glass blocks UV-A and UV-B, and laminated glass (like in windshields) blocks both by 99.9%. And all glass naturally blocks infrared ("heat")--that's how greenhouses work. Besides, most of the energy in sunlight is in the visible spectrum, and no "clear" film will block that.

So it seems like these recent "clear" windshield tints are more scam that science, and just more clever marketing.

drcollie

I'm in the leather business, that's a water stain and it's permanent. The only solution is to replace the panel. Sorry to have to tell you that.

coreytrv

Just had the same thing happen on brand new Cayenne. See attached. I just notified the shop of the issue, but am likely going to have to order replacement panels from the dealer as well.

carpetyd

Had the same happen to my 14 Cayman.
Tried everything & nothing worked till I picked up a few containers of Amour-All Leather Wipes.
What I did was to take an individual wipe or 2, roll it up to the size of marble & squeeze the liquid onto the stitching leaving a small puddle in the stitching groove & a decent amount on the leather depression.
I have done this maybe 20 times in the last 2 weeks with much improvement. I also rubbed the high spot on the flat leather portion. My damage was about an inch wide & 8 inches long, but now is 1/4" by 2". Have never used this product, but it has helped.

Bahman

For those contemplating window/windshield/rear window tint, before letting a shop touch your car, make sure it has a legitimate and valid Garage-keeper or Shop-keepr Liability Insurance from a reputable insurance company. Most insurers will cover damage due to negligence, incompetence, damage to car while in the shop (e.g., lift arm hitting the car, spilled brake fluid stripping the paint, backing the car into a wall, etc.)

I know of a shop whose insurance paid for a $20,000 damage to a friend's M-B SL's hydraulic suspension/steering system because the tech put brake fluid into the hydraulic system fluid reservoir. The entire suspension system had to be replaced since all the seals were blown by the mistake.

SukSquezeBangBlo

delete

SukSquezeBangBlo

Did your issue look like the images posted in this thread?

I have a similar issue; has anyone had any luck trying to reduce the crease marks? Replacing the whole dash really isn't an option...

Tony

Ill add my experience to this list after being lead here via a google search for a solution.

Porsche owner but this is my 13 Jag XKRs..pristine dash. Had all the windows tinted and noticed this last night when i got back in the car after i left the shop.

Fkd 100%