[MidnightCoupe]

I am a proud owner of a 2014 Honda Accord Coupe EX-L, about a year old now. Love this car and have zero complaints really. However recently I have noticed a concerning spot on the leather of the driver's side door panel. Its a little spot where the leather seems to peeling. Almost as if there is a thin layer of something over the top of the leather that is peeling off. The only thing I can think of is that this is a spot where I rest my elbow a lot while driving.

Yet this a only a year old car, and I take care of the car pretty well. Don't know why this would be happening already. I normally clean the interior with Meguiar's Interior detailer and leather conditioner. Neither seem to be working for this problem. I have attached some pictures. Any ideas on what this problem is/what would be a good option to try and fix it? Thanks so much in advance guys.

 

[soulja4187]

Weird, maybe ur sweat is breaking it down.

 

[rexgo]

Do you regularly clean and apply a preserver? The oil in you skin affects the leather. Ive used several products but settled on this brand:

 

[JenerationX]

Do you regularly clean and apply a preserver? The oil in you skin affects the leather. Ive used several products but settled on this brand:

Lexol is good stuff. I'm not sure the conditioner is needed for vehicles as the leather is coated, but it isn't hurting anything either.

 

[TH23]

That part of the door is actually vinyl, so you can't treat it quite like leather. It looks like the vinyl's top coat is wearing off from exposure to your skin's oil and perspiration, which makes sense if you rest your arm there a lot. I don't think anything can be done to fix that with DIY methods, but you can use a protectant to help minimize future damage to that area.

Amazon.com: 303 (30313-CSR) Aerospace Protectant Trigger Sprayer, 32 Fl. oz.: Automotive



It's also good to regularly clean those vinyl areas with warm, soapy water, though a leather/vinyl cleaner works too. Getting it clean of skin oil and keeping it protected will help prevent excess wear like you're seeing here. The door panels and center console armrest are all vinyl, and the most prone to such damage.

Since the car is only a year old, you may be able to convince your dealer to fix it for you. It's worth a shot.

 

[LAF]

303 is a great product. Been using it for 10 years now.

I do not think it will fix that.

I do think it is salt eaten for you skin and skin oils.

Take it to the dealer and play dumb or at least do not tell him you rest your arm there all the time.

Regardless if he is a good dealer he will do it especially in a year time as that is literally bumper to bumper including appearance items.

Not sure if you need a whole panel or if that part can be separated off the panel?

Let us know and I think your chances are good at a dealer as 1 year something made to be rested on should not change in appearance like that is.

 

[ExFed]

Understand that only some parts of the front seats are leather and that's the only leather in the car and even the front seat leather is vinyl covered. The rear seat is completely vinyl in the coupe as are all the door material and other trim.

 

[LAF]

ExFed makes a great point.

I learned some things about seats and leather and vinyl from having custom seats made for motorcycles over the years.

Seats, like where your rear touches is leather. Sides will be vinyl and the reason is it holds it's shape better then leather and does not crease and crack like leather when stretched.

Think about what happens when you sit in your seat and sit back. Everything is sent to the sides of the seats.

Anyone who does custom seats should tell you that. Of course it depends if you are show or go on a motorcycle.

In the car seat factor in the air bags and vinyl becomes very important.

 

[MidnightCoupe]

Thanks for all the replies. I appreciate the help. I took it in to the dealership today and the reiterated what you guys have said. The oils and salt from my elbow is probably what wore it down. That area of the door and the center console are the areas most susceptible, which is curious since this would be the most common areas to rest your arms.

Honda won't replace the panels because it is caused by the driver technically, but my dealer said they have a "guy" who can make it look good as new. I will post a picture once the work is done to show you guys how it went.

 

[TN9thSi]

......Honda won't replace the panels because it is caused by the driver technically, but my dealer said they have a "guy" who can make it look good as new. I will post a picture once the work is done to show you guys how it went.

Good luck! Interested to see the result of the repair.

 

[Btlew81]

Definitely from your elbow. As far as products to use, I would NOT use Lexol. It contains animal fats and other "oils" that really dont do much for coated leather (what we have). In fact, if you do get any cracking, the Lexol can make it much worse as the oils penetrate the cracks.

I would us 303 or something similar.

 

[MidnightCoupe]

Here are the "after" pictures from the work I got from the dealership. I am beyond happy with the result. The door looks great, you can't even tell where the spot was. And the dealer didn't charge me a dime, which for something like this I wasn't exactly expecting. Overall, immensely satisfied.

I guess for future reference be mindful of where you rest your elbows!

 

[OldFart]

It would be nice to know what they did to fix it.