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I noticed that the drivers seat is turning a slight yellow where my wife's legs rest. We have the ivory color interior. I don't know if it is the suntan lotion or bare legs acting with the leather. I tried the Jaguar leather cleaner/conditioner, it helped a little, but I am worried I might of set the color change. Any suggestions on fixing it, or is the only way to fix it is to replace the leather?
You definitely don't have to replace the leather. As explained below, if your Ivory leather doesn't clean up and look like new, you can re-dye it yourself - a quick and easy DIY job. I know because I've done it myself with my Ivory leather. I'm pretty sure that your wife's accumulated suntan lotion caused the discoloration, and all you need to do is a thorough cleaning to remove the oil-based residue. If, after cleaning, the color is not to your satisfaction, you can re-dye just that small off-color section and gradually blend the dye into the rest of the seat. After the dye dries, that seat will look brand new.
You want to use a product that is a cleaner only, not a combination cleaner/conditioner, in order to completely remove that oil-based residue and, hopefully, restore the original Ivory color. The leather must be thoroughly clean if it is to be re-dyed successfully.
When I bought my 2009 XKR Portfolio convertible in 2010 it was immaculate and in showroom condition ... or so I thought. About a month later, when I did my first detailing, I noticed lots of infinitesimally small black spots all over the interior. Those spots weren't apparent when I took delivery and I couldn't prove it was the dealer's fault, so I decided to try to remove them myself. Those spots weren't visible from 3 feet away, but they became obvious if you looked closely for them. They were everywhere, on the Ivory leather upholstery and the touchscreen. But there were no spots on the exterior. It was as if the car was parked in a paint shop with the top down and got covered with black paint overspray.
I researched various interior cleaning products and decided to try Griot's Interior Cleaner, which is marketed as being safe for all surfaces, including leather and plastics (touch screen). It is a slightly thick, clear liquid and I suspect it may be liquid glycerin. I was amazed as to how well it worked with just a little elbow grease to remove all the black spots and make the ivory leather and the touchscreen look like new, without leaving any scratches or trace of a residue. I was satisfied with my clean up job, and didn't re-dye any of the upholstery at that time. I followed up with Griot's Leather Care Spray https://www.griotsgarage.com/product...e=&from=Search , but any quality leather conditioner designed for modern coated leather will suffice. I like the Griot's Leather Care product because it is a very thin liquid, just like the OEM Leather Conditioner suppled with my car from the factory.
So, on to the story about the leather dye. About 2 years ago, I noticed that the upper side bolster of my driver's seat was beginning to show some wear. This happened because I always got into my car by putting my right leg in first, and then I slid my butt across that bolster and sat down. I now know that to keep that bolster from prematurely wearing, it is better to get into my XKR by first sitting on the seat and then swinging both my legs in, without sliding across that bolster. Anyway, back to the re-dye job.
The first step was to thoroughly clean the bolster, including the worn area and surrounding areas, with the Griot's Interior Cleaner. That removed all the dirt and oil residue, so that the water-based dye would properly adhere. After the bolster was clean and dry, I used the little sponge that was supplied with the dye to dab the dye onto the affected area, and then blend it into the surrounding areas. After it dried, the color match was a little light at first but it kept getting darker and within a couple of weeks the color match was perfect, and I can't tell it was ever redyed. That leather dye is manufactured in the U.K. by Dynamix JAGUAR CAR LEATHER DYE MINI 30ml and I recommend it highly.
I also have Ivory leather, and whilst it looks good, can be a pain to keep clean. The best cleaner I have tried so far is Xymöl, yes, spelt in the German way with an umlaut on the 'o'. However it is made in the USA, so should be freely available there.
I clean with this, then put some leather conditioner on afterwards. My leather is still looking good at 13 years since the car was made, and 6 years of my ownership.
XJ leather seat turning yellow
