Leather seat restoration

[Boisebimmer]

So I'm getting some sport seats tomorrow, I'm curious what products people use to bring the leather back to life. It's not soft or supple and I recall reading a post once about using a conditioner that brought the leather back from being hard and worn.

Any advice or suggestions would be superb. As I recall it too application of the treatment a few times a day for a few weeks, but my memory might be failing me.

[thejlevie]

Leatherique is the best.

[wikkid]

+1 on Leatherique. Great stuff.

[Boisebimmer]

Is there anywhere around town I could buy it? Or is it only sold online?

I assume it comes with instructions?

I remember reading a thread where a guy gave his seats some TLC and included photos. I searched for it for about an hour last night with no luck.

[wikkid]

Online only. Instructions, photos, etc Here: http://www.leatherique.com/do_it_your_self_instruction/

[Boisebimmer]

How much will I need? I'm doing two front sport seats. Black in Colour.

Looks like they sell a 8 OZ rejuvenator and 8 OZ Pristine clean for $30 Will I need more then this?

[DC325]

How much would completely redoing the interior cost?

[millsamus]

http://www.lexol.com/

[sachmo12345]

Leatherique for sure. Get a 16oz of Rejuvinator and Pristine Clean and a gentle horse hair brush.

Park your car in the sun and let it bake with rejuvinator on the seats and trashbags over the seats. I did it on a 103 degree day. I let it sit for about 24 hours.

Apply pristine clean and scrub gently with brush. I put the pristine clean in a spray bottle to make it easier to use. Then wipe with a microfiber.

[Luciano36]

I used Classic Dye Products (http://www.classicdyeproducts.com/) for the leather dye with awesome results. I bought Leatherique Oil and Pristine Clean for the prepping of the leather.

Here is my old thread in case you wanna check out results. I'd be glad to answer any questions in case you have.

http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum...ts+restoration

Aloha!

Luciano

[Boisebimmer]

Here is my old thread in case you wanna check out results. I'd be glad to answer any questions in case you have.

http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum...ts+restoration

Aloha!

Luciano

So these seats I got are in bad shape, they are rather hard.

With the Leatherique what should I expect to get? Soft, supple leather? or will I need multiple application over a few weeks to get that? Or will that even get what I expect?

I see you had crackingish.... did the dye fill those in? Or was it the leatherique?

[nike001]

^You can expect the Leatherique to take the shine out for a more natural leather look. It softens up the leather a good bit as well.. but the E46's leather is known to not be the softest so I'm sure you will probably notice more than I did when I did mine.

[Boisebimmer]

Sweet, so I don't mind the "real" leather look. I kinda dig it actually. I think I'll do the leatherique and see where that gets me and go from there, whether I want to dye it or what not.

[Luciano36]

So these seats I got are in bad shape, they are rather hard.

With the Leatherique what should I expect to get? Soft, supple leather? or will I need multiple application over a few weeks to get that? Or will that even get what I expect?

I see you had crackingish.... did the dye fill those in? Or was it the leatherique?

I would first sand off the lacquer finish (600-800 grit sand paper) and see how the leather feels. In my case, the leather of the back seat (not shown in pics) was really hard, but after I sanded the lacquer finish, I realized the leather was soft. I don't know how bad are your seats, but in most cases what gets hard is the finish and not the leather per se. The same story with cracks. In my case, I did not use filler since the cracks were on the lacquer and the dye, and not on the leather per se. If the crack goes all the way to the suede, you may need to use filler.
I used a technique for filling cracks using the dye that was already on the seat: Spray a solution of 50% denatured alcohol and 50% acetone on the cracked area, and at the same time use a 200-grit sand paper in a circular motion.The dye will turn into a semi-liquid paste, so you'll be "filling the cracks" with semi liquid dye. It is important that you spray and use the sand paper at the same time. Once you "smoothed" the cracks, then use a 600-800-grit sand paper to finish and make it even smoother.
Once the seats are sanded and clean, apply the dye. The prepping of the leather is the most crucial part in leather restoration. If the prep is bad, the dye will not penetrate the leather properly and won't last more than a few months (ask me how I know).

Regarding Leatherique Oil (which is not oil, btw), what it does is to make the leather "feel" new. It softens the leather by penetrating in the fibers and taking dirt and grime out (that's why you really need to wash the seats after applying the oil). For better results, apply the oil on the seats (lots, and massage it in with your hands) and leave it overnight. Apply again if it still feels hard. Some people apply the oil on the seats in the car and expose the car to the sun. Cover the seats with plastic or a towel to avoid direct sunlight and leave it hot for a few hours (now it's the right time to do this since it's summer).

I hope I could help. If you have more questions, let us know. Cheers!

Luciano

[Boisebimmer]

^^^ Wow! Thanks, I am going to totally do that. So if I use the sand paper I need to re-dye the leather?

The worst part is the passenger seat leather got unstapled on the fron edges and that got bunched up and extremely hard, I need to get that soft again so I can pull it back and have it stapled or pinned back in place.

Today I got them very clean with some leather cleaner. I won't be able to use the leatherique for a few weeks.

Do you think it would be easier to pull the seats out of the car if I am wanting to use the sand paper/fill in the cracks method?

I really appreciate you spending the time to write that up for me.

[Jacksone30]

Pull the seats for certain
I used an airbrush to apply the leatherique - the results were stunning to say the least

Sent from my iPhone using BF.com

[Luciano36]

In my case, I disassembled the seats completely because I was restoring them. You should def. take them out of the car and place them on a table or work bench.

If you use the sand paper, you def. need to redye the leather (but that's the easiest part).
This is how you should do it:
1. Sand all cracks with the method I described (200 grit with solution, then 600-800 grit dry).
2. Sand the rest of the seat with 600 grit (look in my thread, scroll down and see how seats look after sanding)
3. Clean the seats. I used a multi purpose cleaner.
4. Wait till the seats are dry (use a hair dryer to speed up the process)
5. Apply oil (Leatherique Oil)if necessary (leave it overnight)
6. Clean the seats thoroughly (Leatherique pristine clean)
7. wait until seats are completely dry
8. Clean again the seats using the 50% alcohol, 50% acetone solution and a clean cloth.
9. Let it dry
10. Apply dye. I use "cosmetic applicator" sponges for the first two coats (the first one is really light). Then, I used an airbrush to apply the third and forth coats. Get this airbrush (it's awesome): http://www.harborfreight.com/quick-c...kit-93506.html. It works with any small (3 gallon) compressor. Let the dye dry between coats
6. This is alternative (depending on the dye you get): apply 3-4 coats of clearcoat, for extra protection and durability.

To get the leather pin back again, buy a pair of hog ring pliers and hog rings.

Cheers man! And we're here to help!
Aloha

Luciano

^^^ Wow! Thanks, I am going to totally do that. So if I use the sand paper I need to re-dye the leather?

The worst part is the passenger seat leather got unstapled on the fron edges and that got bunched up and extremely hard, I need to get that soft again so I can pull it back and have it stapled or pinned back in place.

Today I got them very clean with some leather cleaner. I won't be able to use the leatherique for a few weeks.

Do you think it would be easier to pull the seats out of the car if I am wanting to use the sand paper/fill in the cracks method?

I really appreciate you spending the time to write that up for me.

[Boisebimmer]

In my case, I disassembled the seats completely because I was restoring them. You should def. take them out of the car and place them on a table or work bench.

If you use the sand paper, you def. need to redye the leather (but that's the easiest part).
This is how you should do it:
1. Sand all cracks with the method I described (200 grit with solution, then 600-800 grit dry).
2. Sand the rest of the seat with 600 grit (look in my thread, scroll down and see how seats look after sanding)
3. Clean the seats. I used a multi purpose cleaner.
4. Wait till the seats are dry (use a hair dryer to speed up the process)
5. Apply oil (Leatherique Oil)if necessary (leave it overnight)
6. Clean the seats thoroughly (Leatherique pristine clean)
7. wait until seats are completely dry
8. Clean again the seats using the 50% alcohol, 50% acetone solution and a clean cloth.
9. Let it dry
10. Apply dye. I use "cosmetic applicator" sponges for the first two coats (the first one is really light). Then, I used an airbrush to apply the third and forth coats. Get this airbrush (it's awesome): http://www.harborfreight.com/quick-c...kit-93506.html. It works with any small (3 gallon) compressor. Let the dye dry between coats
6. This is alternative (depending on the dye you get): apply 3-4 coats of clearcoat, for extra protection and durability.

To get the leather pin back again, buy a pair of hog ring pliers and hog rings.

Cheers man! And we're here to help!
Aloha

Luciano

Wow sweet, Okay I think this is doable even for a dummkopf such as myself.

I won't be able to do it for a week or two since I can't order the Leatherique until tomorrow. Currently I have the passenger seat out of the car (it's the really bad one. I DD my car, so this is what worries me. How long will the total process take. I have two days off in a row. I was thinking I could do the seats and the timing belt and such at the same time since both need done.

I need to go over your thread in more detail also.

You have a passion for seats it seams like. I like it.

Also, I must say those sport seats aren't made for large people hehe

[Luciano36]

Wow sweet, Okay I think this is doable even for a dummkopf such as myself.

I won't be able to do it for a week or two since I can't order the Leatherique until tomorrow. Currently I have the passenger seat out of the car (it's the really bad one. I DD my car, so this is what worries me. How long will the total process take. I have two days off in a row. I was thinking I could do the seats and the timing belt and such at the same time since both need done.

I need to go over your thread in more detail also.

You have a passion for seats it seams like. I like it.

Also, I must say those sport seats aren't made for large people hehe

The time required to do the seats depends on how much and how far you wanna restore them. It took me about 2 hrs to disassemble the front seats. I had a broken hinge that I needed to fix (very loose back part of the seat). Here are two good diy threads to do so,in case you wanna go for it and fix, clean, lubricate seats:

http://www.e30tech.com/forum/showthread.php?t=82306

http://bmw.e30tuner.com/articles_seatfix.php

Let's say, without taking the seats apart, I'd say it'll take you two days considering you might need to leave the oil penetrate in the leather overnight. 90 percent of the total time spent will be dedicated to the prepping (the most important part). If you have everything ready at the time you start (prep solution in a spray bottle, sand paper, multi purpose cleaner, oil, pristine clean, dye, sponges, air brush and compressor, hair dryer), you'll save time and you may be able to get it done in two days. At least get the prepping done. Dyeing won't take much time, since it's just applying the dye and let dry between coats. Leather dye dries fast.

I did all the seats of my car, and the dyeing process took me about 2 hours total, for all the seats (using a hair dryer between coats). The rest of the 3 days total time was dedicated to fix the seats and prepping the leather. Sanding actually takes time.

However, you might not be able to use those seats for another 24hrs after dyeing, since the dye needs to fully dry and that takes about a day (I heard people saying seats can be used if left drying for 3 hours...well, I never tried that, so I personally waited two days before I used my seats simply cause I could afford to do so - had spare seats-)

It'd be great if you show us pictures. By doing so, we'll be able to tell you what's needed for that particular seat and so on.

Cheers!

Luciano

[Boisebimmer]

The time required to do the seats depends on how much and how far you wanna restore them. It took me about 2 hrs to disassemble the front seats. I had a broken hinge that I needed to fix (very loose back part of the seat). Here are two good diy threads to do so,in case you wanna go for it and fix, clean, lubricate seats:

http://www.e30tech.com/forum/showthread.php?t=82306

http://bmw.e30tuner.com/articles_seatfix.php

Let's say, without taking the seats apart, I'd say it'll take you two days considering you might need to leave the oil penetrate in the leather overnight. 90 percent of the total time spent will be dedicated to the prepping (the most important part). If you have everything ready at the time you start (prep solution in a spray bottle, sand paper, multi purpose cleaner, oil, pristine clean, dye, sponges, air brush and compressor, hair dryer), you'll save time and you may be able to get it done in two days. At least get the prepping done. Dyeing won't take much time, since it's just applying the dye and let dry between coats. Leather dye dries fast.

I did all the seats of my car, and the dyeing process took me about 2 hours total, for all the seats (using a hair dryer between coats). The rest of the 3 days total time was dedicated to fix the seats and prepping the leather. Sanding actually takes time.

However, you might not be able to use those seats for another 24hrs after dyeing, since the dye needs to to fully dry and that takes about a day (I heard people saying seats can be if left drying for 3 hours...well, I never tried that, so I waited two days before I used my seats simply cause I could do so)

It'd be great if you show us pictures. By doing so, we'll be able to tell you what's needed for that particular seat and so on.

Cheers!

Luciano

Sweet, yeah i've taken photos already I just didn't have time to post them. I think I will start a restoration thread. Unless that's overkill.

I will post some photos of them tonight.

Okay, thats doable. I can ride my bike to work one day if I need. The 100 degree temps are killer on a 10 mile bike ride, let me tell ya.

I don't think I'll need to take the seats apart. They are fully functional and tight, the bigest thing is the seat leather on the passenger side. You'll be able to see it in the photos I put up.

I'll read over those threads and try to gain some knowledge so i'm not asking redundant questions.

[Luciano36]

Pics???