Drivers side door covering

Jetta_Pilot

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Apr 14, 2005
Location
West Hill, Ont.
TDI
2015 Passat Highline TDI Candy White (SEL Premium) long gone 2002 Jetta TDI
I just wonder if anyone else experiences this in their car.
It happened in my former 2002 Jetta and is now doing it in my Passat.

The plastic door covering around where your elbow and or arm would be is discolouring sort of fading like, it's almost having me think that my skin is excreting an acid while the arm is resting there.

NO I do not sweat a lot just for what it's worth..
 

joshuafail

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 25, 2018
Location
Springfield, MO
TDI
2015 Passat SEL Premium
I just wonder if anyone else experiences this in their car.
It happened in my former 2002 Jetta and is now doing it in my Passat.

The plastic door covering around where your elbow and or arm would be is discolouring sort of fading like, it's almost having me think that my skin is excreting an acid while the arm is resting there.

NO I do not sweat a lot just for what it's worth..
I'd say normal wear and tear, you'd be surprised how dirty the extremities can get just from doing daily things. Most of the time the discoloration is simply dirt and can be removed with a damp microfiber cloth and a mild detergent.

You could also use a magic eraser, but I'd careful with scrubbing pressure since too much could damage the surface of the leather.
 

Jetta_Pilot

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Apr 14, 2005
Location
West Hill, Ont.
TDI
2015 Passat Highline TDI Candy White (SEL Premium) long gone 2002 Jetta TDI
Joshuafail, I'll try your suggestion. But having said that my Passat has barely 25,000 miles on the clock, though I have many more than that on my personal clock. :)
 

740GLE

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Aug 19, 2009
Location
NH
TDI
2015 Passat SEL, 2017 Alltrack SE; BB 2010 Sedan Man; 2012 Passat,
25,000 miles but pushing 4+ years of UV abuse.

is this the actual arm rest or the top of the door car by the window?
 

oilhammer

Certified Volkswagen Nut & Vendor
Joined
Dec 11, 2001
Location
outside St Louis, MO
TDI
There are just too many to list....
I am in and out of a LOT of cars, many times over the same car (year, model, etc.) and the variation of wear and tear... what they hide behind the word "patina" in the classic collector car world, varies greatly. Some cars look, feel, smell, sound, like brand new, even after a decade of use and 1/4 million miles covered. Others are trashed pig pens and are downright disgusting to have to sit in, let alone do any sort of interior work.

I suspect in the case of VAG's soft touch interior bits, which also seem to wear with a great swatch of variety, some personal hygiene products such as soaps, shampoo, hand sanitizers, lotions, etc. can also have at least some impact on surfaces in the interior. Not to mention fabrics, laundry detergents, fabric softeners, etc.

Not sure this is any answer to your question, just a comment on your observation.
 

Jetta_Pilot

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Apr 14, 2005
Location
West Hill, Ont.
TDI
2015 Passat Highline TDI Candy White (SEL Premium) long gone 2002 Jetta TDI
25,000 miles but pushing 4+ years of UV abuse.

is this the actual arm rest or the top of the door car by the window?
No it's the vertical surface between the armrest and the moulding at the window.

In my Jetta, every other month or so I would take one of those liquid shoe polish things with the sponge and do a light coating and then wipe it off and the original colour would almost be matched.

This obviously is not a life and death or safety issue, just curious if anyone else experiences this too. Maybe it's Tequila leaking out of my pores :)
 

jrm

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 24, 2013
Location
Oregon
TDI
2013 Passat SE with nav (totaled)
I just picked up a SEL after the wife totaled my SE, that surface is much different on the SEL, feels like a soft rubber vs the plastic on the SE
 
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