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Little burn mark on interior upholstery

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by MarkB1000, Mar 22, 2008.

  1. MarkB1000

    MarkB1000 New Member

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    Hopefully someone can offer a solution for this. I had my driver side window open while waiting in line to get into the parking lot at a community event. A kid came close to the car with a sparkler, walked up right next to me. And of course his sparkler went POP and now I have a nice little burn mark on the upholstery right above the driver's side door. Not to mention a tiny burn on my cheek, but that heals itself at least.

    I could actually cover this up if I knew of something like a felt tip marker with matching color (2008 Bisque interior) that was safe for fabric. But I haven't been able to find anything like that at this point after hours of searching online. I sent an email to the dealer and haven't heard back yet.

    So I thought that maybe someone here would have an idea.

    I did order this:

    Fabric Upholstery Repair Kit at AlwaysBrilliant.com

    Thinking that maybe if I am REALLY careful I can match the color.

    It's just a couple of small burns, dot marks a little larger than pencil marks. But since it's the first visible damage to my 2008 baby, I'd really like to get it back to as close to pristine as possible.

    Thanks in advance for any advice...

    Mark
     
  2. Boo

    Boo Boola Boola Member

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    Hi Mark,

    If the fix kits or markers don't work out, or even if they do work out, you might want to consider getting an extra set of OEM bisque seat covers from eBay. For instance, I got a brand new set of 2008 OEM gray seat covers for $49.99. And here's a set in bisque that's available now, but the vendor is asking for at least $89.99:

    eBay Motors: Toyota Prius 06-08 factory seat covers (item 160219855617 end time Mar-24-08 17:13:20 PDT)

    3 caveats though:

    1. If any OEM seat covers are available, make sure the front seat covers are for side airbags.

    2. If any OEM seat covers are available, be aware that the 2008 Base/Standard Prius (no options whatsoever) front seat covers do not have pockets in the back. So if you find a set that you're interested in, ask the vendor if there are front seat pockets.

    2. These are not slip covers. They're upholstery covers. A perfect fit requires partial disassembly and reassembly of the seats, including disconnection and reconnection of wires, removal of the original covers and their 100s of hog rings, and installation of the new covers with 100s of new hog rings. Not an easy task for the layperson -- even an accomplished DIYer. It's a job best left for professional auto upholsterers.
     
  3. MarkB1000

    MarkB1000 New Member

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    Thanks Boo, I'll consider that for the future. But right now I'm talking about a burn mark that's above the driver's side door; I guess you'd call it the "headliner". Has nothing to do with the seats.

    Mark
     
  4. Boo

    Boo Boola Boola Member

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    That's good. I think I'd rather have damage on the headliner, instead of the seat covers.

    Re markers: One thing to consider is to try to match the headliner cover with an artist/art supplies store marker since those markers come in hundreds of colors and shades. But it can be hit or miss with trying to match the color perfectly since you don't exactly have a swatch of
    the headliner material to bring to the art supplies store.

    Anyway, good luck.
     
  5. MarkB1000

    MarkB1000 New Member

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    Yeah, that's why I opted for that fabric repair kit. At least I can try to match the color by mixing the fibers while I'm actually inside the car. I was just hoping that someone on the the forum might say, "Oh, same kind of thing happened to me and I used XYZ felt tip and it worked perfectly!"

    Thanks,

    Mark