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Can anyone tell me why my leather seats have a white film on them????

31K views 91 replies 22 participants last post by  LadyRam 
#1 ·
Hey folks,

I was wondering if anyone could shed some light as to why my leather seats have a white film on them.

I have a 2011 Dodge Ram Longhorn with only 1900 kms. I opened my truck the other day and noticed that the entire interior appears to have a white film on the seats. I wiped it off with my hand but it came back...

Can anyone tell me if they have experienced the same issue or is it possible that the leather is drying out????

My truck is in my garage that is heated and has not been driven this winter. Am I missing something here.

Thanks,

Ed
 
#32 ·
Anytime...it's what we do here :D
Keep us updated, I really want to see if the dealer will take care of it.
 
#33 ·
When I spoke to him and informed him about the info that you gave me he said that he would look into it right away. I was also informed about saddle soap however with that said he stated that he would call me back after speaking to his district manager.

I am soooooo happy to be part of this forum... I really appreciate all the input from the members...

Thanks again and I will let you know as soon as I do....

Ed
 
#34 ·
I'd never come across this with any of the leathers I have or even the saddelry we have out at the ranch. Maybe it's due to the softer type of leather used in upholstery as compared to boots and tack.

You can order it online through leathermaster.ca, or if you lived out here, it's available through the Lammles western wear stores.

http://leathermaster.ca/products.php?product=SPEW-REMOVER-250ml
 
#35 ·
CdnoilRam,

Thanks and as a matter of fact I do have family out your way so I will get them to purchase some and send it to me... The other good news is that I received a call from the dealership and they are going to apply it just in case something goes wrong then there are no questions about the warranty issue....

Again thanks alot, it is really appreciated...
 
#37 ·
Hey irnwkrkev,

I have been told from some members that it is the natural oils coming up through the leather... Its called 'SPEW". This is new to all of the folks at Dodge... There is a SPEW remover that will actually take the white out of the seats...

I am waiting right now for them to get back to me... They will be treating my seats and I will let you know how it goes.. If you can, post a pic... My rear seats are completely white... I did try and treat them with the leather conditioner that my dealer provided but it came back within 15 minutes????

I am hoping that this thread will help out some people that have the same issue.... It just goes to show that it pays to be a member of the Z!!!!!!!

Thanks... Let me know how you make out...

ED
 
#38 ·
I'm going to order the LeatherMasters spew remover ($30.00+ for 250ml!). I'm sure my case isn't as bad since I'm in Miami Fl. One of the links I read about "spew" mentioned how the cold brings it out so I'm sure that is why your case is severe. I'm glad you made this thread. I just bought my longhorn in December and have been reading up on everything here. Apparently this isn't a very common problem but happens with high-end leather.
 
#40 ·
Yeah I totally agree... First thing that I was told when I called was that they will not be replacing the seats until they diagnose the problem... So I am still waiting to hear back from the dealer... I will up date you as soon as I hear...

I will also post a few more pics to show how bad mine is getting...

Ed
 
#41 · (Edited)
I learned something today, i have been reading this post from the beginning.
Today i decided to see if i could find anything online, i just typed
Leather Spew, this video was the first thing that i noticed

SPUE is FATTY OIL

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-hbyp-wmVO8

A study was done on SHEEP SKIN
If the skin is not degreased & the fatliquoring was not done properly & more than 3% of the FAT is left on the hide, you can get SPUE

fatliquoring is the use of drying oils

-------------------------------------------------------

it seems to me, that the reason it shows up in Chillier climates, when it gets colder, the hide contracts & tends to squeeze the material together, forcing out the fatty oils. Warmer climate causes the hide to expand & the fatty oil just stays within the hide
 
#42 ·
I am hoping that this gets resolved... The dealer has no idea what to do at this point... Waiting to hear back from Dodge Canada... I did check out other vehicles compared to mine and they have no sign of this.... Just went to another dealer and opened up some trucks today and there was nothing at all....

It will get fixed plus it's under warranty for three years.. It has to be resolved by then.... Well I would like to think so... I still love my truck though....
 
#43 ·
Chunkem
you should read this article, it is about how to fix leather spue or spew

http://www.howtocleanstuff.net/how-to-remove-leather-spew/

show it to your dealership, so they will know next time
the hide was not cured properly, not the dealers or auto makers fault, but their suppliers fault
Almost any hide can have spue, whether made into seats, coats, couches, etc.
 
#46 ·
good morning i also have a 2011 Long Horn laramie and my leather interior has that white film on it. My truck has been sitting in the garage for 2 months. i put charcol in pans in the front and rear but it seems to have come back???
I'm very frustrated
Someone said (spew) not quite sure what that is but i have had leather interiors before and never had this issue. anyone have any ideas before i call the dealership?

thanks
 
#47 ·
Hey JVBFARMS,

Yeah it is a pain to have that happen I know trust me... What you need to do is contact your dealer... They will want you to attend the dealership so that they can take pictures.

Once that is completed then they will contact the rep for that territory and then try and diagnose the issue...

I am still waiting. I will post some pics.. Let me know if this is what you have....

No worries my friend this is a great truck that has a small issue... I am sure it will be resolved....

Ed
 
#51 ·
Well, I haven't heard back on anything as of yet.. Being told that it may not be a warranty issue??? How can that be..... My truck only has 2000 kms on it.. It's in the garage and is not abused...

So what is the point of a warranty....I am going to try and make it over to the dealer next week and see what happens... It appears that they think I have put something on my seats to go that way... I explained that nothing has ever been on the seats.... So I guess I will have to see where this goes.... I still love my truck though but dealing with people can be difficult....
 
#52 ·
Yep thats spew. Have had to treat a few saddles for my soon to be wife. It only occurs in soft leathers and usually one treatment takes care of it for good. Now this business of it "not" being a warranty issue is bull. :poopstorm: Its a naturally occurring event of the leather, and since Dodge installed the leather, seems pretty cut and dried to me. Hopefully they keep up with the great customer service you say they've been giving.
Good luck
 
#53 ·
Well, long story short.... Took my truck out of the garage and tried out some new wax that works great.... While my truck was outside I opened the doors and as it sat in the sunlight I started to watch the white film substance actually go away.... I noted the seat looked wet and it appeared that they were turning back to it's original colour...

I am heading to the dealer tomorrow to speak to the Service Manager... I have already been informed from some other members that this is in fact SPEW.... SO I am hoping that they will be ordering the treatment so that this can be fixed... It appears that I may have some trouble with regards to this being a warranty issue however I disagree, this should in fact be covered.... So I will hopefully have some answers tomorrow....

Has anyone else that reported this had any problems with their dealer???? Or having it classified as a warranty issue.....
 
#58 ·
It appears to be a temperature controlled issue. I'd go back to the dealer on a cold day with a halogen work light in the truck. Let the truck get nice and cold sitting in the lot so the white film is good and evident and then hit (1) seat with the work light for a few minutes to simulate the sunlight warming the leather (as it did in your driveway). You should see the film dissipate. That still might not convince the dealer to do anything for you but it's another piece of evidence that points to the spue theory.

If this really is spue, there is a formula to get rid of it (in (1) treatment no less!) and the dealer is threatening to not cover it under your warranty, why don't you spend the $30 and treat the seats yourself? If it works then you're golden (and you can choose to fight the dealer over the $30 treatment cost). If it doesn't work, what have you really lost? He already thinks you've applied something to the seats anyway.
 
#54 ·
Chunkem-
What exactly did you mean by SPEW?

Good find, I was actually started to get bothered that this thread was going to page 6 and you didn't find a solution. I'm pretty glad you found a solution, post later what the dealership says. If they were anything like my dealer in Omaha, they would make you give up your first born for a warranty fix and a extra kidney for a "complimitary" car wash. Good luck!
 
#55 ·
Well went to the dealer and they want to try some saddle soap.....So I am going to send the dealer the link to this thread and let him have a look for himself..... I was told that they can't seem to locate any of the SPEW Remover in Ontario???? So I guess I will try the saddle soap and see how that works..... I will let you know...

Sorry about this long thread......

Ed
 
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