Seat dye project- pics inside

[BlackjackM]

So as I stated in another post, I purchased a set of M seats locally out of a '98 Roady (thanks Daniel!). The problem is that they are Estoril and black and my interior is tan. I did a ton of research and decided to redye the Estoril pieces to Classic Beige using the Leatherique kit. I have almost completed one seat, just need to wet sand it down and touch up a couple of spots. I'm very happy with the way it looks so far, the color matches great. The 2 tone with beige over black really looks great in person. Here's how they appeared when I bought them. They were in good shape with normal bolster wear and shiny patina:



I then treated them and renewed the leather using Rejuvinator Oil and let it soak in for 2 days. After cleaning them again, it was time to sand the Estoril dye to break it down. It doesn't completely come off but breaks down so that the new dye will stick (please excuse the cluttered basement, we are doing some work)



after wet sanding the leather with 400 and 800 grit using the prep solution they provide, I let them dry for a couple of days. It was then time to apply the dye. I bought a very high quality artists brush, about an inch wide. I put on 4-5 coats, starting with the seams. The dye went on great and there are barely any brush strokes that I hope will go away when I do the final wet sand. Here's the almost finished product, you can still see some blue:



looking better here:



close up (you can see where I need to touch up the bottom)



And finally one without the flash to get a better idea of the color:



So like I said, I'm very pleased so far with the progress. The real test will be how the dye holds up to use, but from what I've read as long as you prep properly it should hold up well. I can say that it feels soft and flexes just like the regular leather did before. I will continue to update this thread as time goes on. If anyone has questions just let me know.

[Bigcjim]

Great job! You are right prep is the key as leathers hold oils from our skin making it difficult for dyes to adhere unless spotlessly clean. Yours looks very cool.

[Terry F.]

That looks great. Very nice results. Look forward to an interior shot once the seats are installed.

Terry

[Bimjam96]

Definitely like where this is going, ill have to check out the kit

[dfjaws]

gorgeous! makes me want to do mine in cinnamon.

[jacksails54]

Awesome! Did any of the tan dye "bleed" under the tape onto the black panel?

Jack

[robrez]

Great job! How well does the color match the rest of your beige?

[JWin]

I want to see the driver's side bolsters.

[bimmerbri2]

Looks great! Can't wait to see how they look installed.

[BlackjackM]

gorgeous! makes me want to do mine in cinnamon.

thanks. The DIY I followed most closely was a guy who did his entire 3 series interior in Cinnamon- google Neil1138 interior and it should come up. His came out great.

Awesome! Did any of the tan dye "bleed" under the tape onto the black panel?

Jack

Yes, but not a lot. What did I was able to clean off using the prepping agent and some elbow grease. Remember, I didn't sand or prep the black pieces so I was able to get the dye off them.

Great job! How well does the color match the rest of your beige?

thanks Rob, yes it looks great. I cut a swatch from my old ebrake boot and sent it to them for the color match and it matches nicely. Classic Beige is darker than the the Oregon tan you see in most Zs and isn't a bad color at all.

I want to see the driver's side bolsters.

I will post plenty of pics. The driver seat and bolsters are both in very good shape and once I sand the leather in those areas and dye over any wear they should look nearly new. There were some small scratches in the leather on the passenger side that came out completely after sanding them.

That looks great. Very nice results. Look forward to an interior shot once the seats are installed.

Terry

thanks Terry!

Great job! You are right prep is the key as leathers hold oils from our skin making it difficult for dyes to adhere unless spotlessly clean. Yours looks very cool.

Thanks!

Looks great! Can't wait to see how they look installed.

Same here!

[Bcar]

damn, solid work! thats a project of labor!

[Pthurlow]

I think after seeing this, I'm going to dye my Oregon beige black.

[mpire]

I can't comprehend why you just didn't die the rest of your interior Estoril to match the seats.

[BlackjackM]

I can't comprehend why you just didn't die the rest of your interior Estoril to match the seats.

I figured you would chime in

[Wres157]

Truly impressive work. Definitely need more pics.

[lokijibber]

Wow Mike, it looks great! Very nice work, and very inspiring.

[BlackjackM]

Wow Mike, it looks great! Very nice work, and very inspiring.

Thanks Todd. I can't wait to finish them and get them in the Zed.

[JWin]

I will post plenty of pics. The driver seat and bolsters are both in very good shape and once I sand the leather in those areas and dye over any wear they should look nearly new. There were some small scratches in the leather on the passenger side that came out completely after sanding them.

I figured it would end up looking better. Can't wait to see the finished project.

[Mr Bingley]

Looking good--like you say, the question is how they hold up. Looking forward to seeing them in the car.

[CaliAgents]

Good work, that looks great!

[fmcfad01]

I can't comprehend why you just didn't die the rest of your interior Estoril to match the seats.

haha, i was waiting for this comment from mpire.

Oh yeah, and looks great.

Would you say this is a good process to go through to rejuvenate the black/colored leather sections of your seats that may have some creases and loss of color?

[BlackjackM]

Absolutely. If I wasn't changing the color the process would be much simpler ie no taping off panels, etc.

When the seat or bolster is worn, typically the leather is still fine, it's just the dye that has worn away. With some quick wet sanding and a coat of the original color your seats should look as good as new.

One thing I found was that after rejuvenating them with the oil the kit came with, the leather was much softer and supple but any wear areas were still just as apparent as before, so dye is still necessary.

[dimm6]

I'm impressed. To be honest I wasn't expecting your outcome. I thought this would end up bad, but it didn't. The seats look great. And once you're done you'll have a pretty rare set of ///M seats.

[mcoupemindy]

I need to get of my rear and redo my drivers bolster. Thanks for posting this up.

Would you mind pulling the links to all the products you used and post it here?

[z3papa]

I'm impressed. To be honest I wasn't expecting your outcome. I thought this would end up bad, but it didn't. The seats look great. And once you're done you'll have a pretty rare set of ///M seats.

This. I've shown this thread to several non-Z folks just because the result was so good. Thanks for posting this up. I'd really gig someone doing this to make my interior more two tone.