Tyre marks on leather

Tyre imprints on vehicle leather are a common phenomenon in regions of winter snow. When changing from winter to summer tyres or when such car is on sale, the older tyres are sometimes rested on the back-seats. In the case of bright leathers, tyre prints can occur quickly. The lettering and the profile are clearly recognisable as brownish - blackish discolouration. Sometimes only a few hours of contact are enough, and the marks occur even when plastic bags are used for protection. The oils contained in the tires migrate into the colour layer of the leather and cause a stain.

Tyre marks or discolourations thereof are as easy to remove as tattoos from the skin. Dye from the tyres deeply penetrates the leather and cannot be removed by normal cleaning methods or products. These marks cannot be coloured over either. Just as the imprint is absorbed into the leather, it also moves back again through the colour and after a few days the marks become visible again on the surface.

There are only two ways to solve such a problem: The colour repair by a specialist or having the seats re-trimmed with new leather. The work of a specialist is not cheap, since the oily dyestuffs from the tyres pass through colouration so easily, the paint layer must first be removed by a time-intensive process and remaining residues must be absorbed with special products. Then the colour can be applied again after a blocker-treatment. Therefore, the price for renewing leather should be checked first. Only when the repair price is competitive, the repair can be considered as an alternative.