I had planned on reupholstering my seats, but after thinking about it, they would probably benefit from a good repair and reconditioning. There are no tears, but there are signs of wear around where your legs rest, with some slight discoloration. I did some searching in the forum and couldn't find any real conclusive answer. Does anyone have a system and product that they would recommend for TAN, 1999 Z3 COUPE SEATS? Thank you so much.

Leather Care (Natural Leather n/l):
The care of vegetable dyed natural leather only differs from covered leather in that it needs cleaning, conditioning and ultra violet (UV) protection as it doesn’t have a polyurethane protection. Water-based products will help natural leather to re-hydrate, but it also needs its oil content to be maintained.

1. Cleaning-
1. Using a soft horse hair brush (Groit's Leather & Interior Brush) and/or a vacuum to remove any dust,
2. Apply a cleaning solution (Water /Woolite® or Dreft® 6:1 ratio or stronger) on to an applicator pad and apply to one area at a time (i.e. a seat back).
2a.Using a sponge, apply a small amount of Leather Master soft/strong cleaner as necessary and work it until it foams, then remove with a damp micro fibre cloth
3. To remove stubborn dirt or grime gently agitate the surface with a boar's hair cleaning brush (this will not harm the leather) then use a clean, damp Microfiber towel to rinse.

Alternate - Leather is a fibrous substance, which normally absorbs liquid, but the biggest obstacle to good absorption is that the leather pores have become blocked, i.e. use of a silicone product on the leather, or a heavy wax build up caused by previously used products. I would suggest a thorough cleaning of the surface with Prestine Clean – itdoes not contain any harsh chemicals or petroleum distillates to dry and destroy fine leathers, contains a conditioner that cleans and conditions vinyl, even rubber trim pieces.

Use to clean leather after application of Rejuvenator Oil has done its job or as maintenance cleaner - http://www. Leatherique.com

Maintenance cleaning- use a cleaning solution (Water /Woolite® or Dreft® 10:1 ratio) on to an applicator pad and apply to one area at a time

Stubborn stains- dependent upon the leathers condition or how dirty it is consider using a leather-cleaning product. (Leather Master Strong cleaner, Leatherique's Prestine Clean, Zaino Leather in a bottle, Groit's Leather Cleaner or Autoglym Leather Cleaner)

2. Conditioning -vegetable-based tanned natural leather loses its fat liquors and it dries out and these need to be replaced with suitable oils. Leather is a fibrous substance, which normally absorbs liquid, but the biggest obstacle to good absorption is that the leather pores have become blocked, i.e. use of a silicone product on the leather, or a heavy wax build up caused by previously used products. I would suggest a thorough cleaning of the surface with

Rejuvenator Oil - known for its ability to soften even cardboard hard leather, a complex blend of animal oils and proteins, Collagens and other beneficial ingredient, it will not stain or discolour leather. Simply massage into the leather with your hands, and let it be absorbed into the fibres, its' unique capillary action forces the oils and proteins into the leather and the dirt out.

This product is not a leather conditioner per se; Leather Master’s Vital penetrates leather (c/l or n/l, except Nubuck) to soften it. It can also be used when doing repair work to help soften the area. Once the leather surfaces have been cleaned, apply the product to a clean micro fibre towel and wipe a very, very thin even layer on the surface. It is better to apply several thin layers than a heavy application.
Allow each layer to dry and be absorbed. Leather Master Vital a water-based conditioner- http://www.topoftheline.com (http://www.topoftheline.com/).

Allow either product to be absorbed into the hides for several hours on a sunny day, or overnight. Warmth makes the leather fibres pores open allowing the proteins and collagens to be absorbed readily. Park the car in direct sunlight, cover seats with black plastic trash bags, and roll up the windows to create a steam room to allow the Rejuvenator to fully penetrate into the hides.

Alternative product - Aged Leather (c/l or n/l) Revitalizer - http://www.topoftheline.com

If you do decide to get them reupholstered, I highly recommend GAHH.com. According to them, they sell hides that are from the same tannery that BMW buys from. They're computer stitched and fit beautifully. You will, of course, have to have them installed by a professional.

Yes, they are not cheap. But then, neither is your car. ;)

I just had my front seats and center arm rest re-done with their stuff, and it looks and feels like brand new.

Check out the Leatherique web site. They sell dye kits if you really need it. I use their Rejuvinator Oil and Pristine Clean.

I have also used Letherique products and they are the most effective I have ever tried. Their dyes are water soluable and they match beautufully. Their pristine clean and rejuvenator oil are fantastic products that can work miracles.
If your seats are not torn and do not have holes I would definitely try these products before considering reupholstery -- no matter how good a reupholstery kit might be it is still not original and will be expensive.
Jay

Check out the Leatherique web site. They sell dye kits if you really need it. I use their Rejuvinator Oil and Pristine Clean.

Try this before you reupholster your seats.

I wanted to post some pictures of my seats, but when I tried it said that I needed permission. Does anyone have any suggestions?

Here are a few pics. I found a leather place that said that they will strip, dye, and recondition for $175/seat. Is this a job that can be done with leatherique?
http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff129/gregpohl/photo2.jpg
http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff129/gregpohl/photo.jpg

Leatherique will help, but I'm guessing you're still gonna see some cracking. On the leather shop, that seems like a reasonable price, but I'd question them very closely about exactly how they go about doing this, and what products they use. I say that because when I bought my car, I found a receipt in the glove box for "refinishing seats." Turns out that their idea of refinishing meant that they spray-painted the seats with vinyl paint. Which is why I ended up getting new leather installed.

Nick, thank you for the advice. I'm going to swing by the place today and get all of the information.

The LEATHERIQUE is a great Product to use.

I'm in the middle of using Leatherique products to attempt to resurrect my '95 325is casual beige (sand) interior. I've had great success using the RO and PC...I'm now using 400 grit to sand off the prior idiot sales prep technique of spray painting the seats. I'll try to post pics...the dye looks good in the bottle. I should have something by this weekend.

...so far, so good...

Thank you. I'm supposed to bring the seats into the leather place tomorrow. If I hear anything about spray paint, I'm pulling out!

Anyone know if it's possible to remove the leather and pads from the seats with standard seats like it is with vaders? That could really help with the reconditioning I'd think...