Evening all....

Last few weeks have been a bit grim - broke my ankle after slipping while walking the dog then in and out of hospital for weeks which culminated in a cancer scare (thankfully MRI all clear and issue found treatable and I should be fine). However, my XK Soft top had not been used for a few weeks - used it last week and found that the trim near the rear n/s quarter light near wind deflector has completely deteriorated ! It was 100% fine when I put the car away so wondering if something has been wiped/left on it...maybe dreaded hand sanitiser. The other side is absolutely fine as is the rest of the panel.

Gutted. Don't really want to replace that panel. anyone Else had this ? Was thinking of just stripping back/scalpeling the bits ringed in red, sanding and then using a textured leather/vinyl filler to try and repair it and blend it in. Again, any recommendations gratefully received.....felt really gutted seeing it like that as the rest of my interior is near perfect. :-/ Thanks in advance

 

Wow, sorry to hear this happened. Mine had a bit of water get to the edge and lift the vinyl. I cut it back, filled with body filler to the right height, then textured it with upholstery repair compound...followed with the dye. It is noticeable to me but it blends well enough so that I do'nt feel inclined to reupholster the entire panel.
Good luck and if you determine the root cause, please enlighten us.
WJ

 

Thanks bud, appreciate it. Yeah it's bizarre that it happened but the illness scare gives me a sense of perspective on it...it's only cosmetic, even if annoying !! I think your suggestion sounds the way forward. If I hear from anyone else with the issue I'll post it. Thanks again for your tip !! Best - Martin (Mr Wolf)

 

I had that leather section basically vaporize on me after getting wet once and the ultimate solution was that I gutted the entire interior and changed it to a different color. Unfortunately, in my experience, that panel isn't easy to come by used in good condition since it isn't shared between the coupe and convertible and a lot of the used ones have similar issues. Having it reupholstered is probably the cheapest option if you don't think you're up to repair of that nature yourself.