Wondering if you can get a mini-kit (for say < $25) and try it out on the stock shift ****.

 

Exactly. Cowhide comes in one color. There's not some ranch that raises black, brown and burgundy cows All leather is in fact dyed in order to give it color. I've never heard of the brand described here but know of others that do work. They merely re-dye the leather.

As long as the leather isn't cracked or holed these types of products offer a permanent repair.

 

No..... Really?
Re-dyeing leather is one thing. I think duplicating the original surface of the leather and blending it in with the unworn portion is another. I assume that's what the thread starter and possibly DaleClark intended to convey. But that's great that you have some experience with this stuff. Please share.

 

I've used color-plus for years and it is really good stuff.
The dye they supply sinks into the leather. It's water based.
They have standard colors but will mix special colors for an extra cost.

Holes in the leather are easily fixed with their flexible filler. (fix the hole by gluing
a piece of vinyl under the hole, fill with the filler and sand) real easy to sand.

You can also fill the wear creases and re-color.

 

the $2000 question is:

Will it bleed if it got wet/moist on your $2000 hugo boss suit/dress if the wife
comes for the ride.

 

Oh, and you can do both seats with one pint.
Their Jaguar biscuit color is very close to the Mazda tan, but if you do both seats
it doesn't matter.

You can brush it on but on a bright sunny day you'll see the brush marks.

I use a small spray bomb that you can find at an auto parts store. It's made by
'Preval' and has a glass jar that you can use over and over.

If you have a textured leather you can probably brush it on but with the FDs
smooth leather, you'd be better off spraying it on.

 

Softener could weaken the leather. Leather is fibrous stuff with a organic binding material that holds the fibers together. Any treatment that 'softens' this matrix is likely to reduce the strength some. If there is a weak spot or near-hole, the softener could weaken it enough to quickly form a hole.

Dave

 

use a towel



seats look awsome, i need to find something for cloth though. my black has some worn spots that are turning light grey from wear and the sun.

 

my friend used the powder dye called rits or something like that. its a dye for clothes but he used it on base seats came out ;not good but better than what he had!

<ULTIMATE WARRIOR.....NICE!>

 

I have driven my dads porsche and gotten the seats wet, and they have not wiped off.

And i understand that it weakens the leather, but if you dont apply pressure to the area thats weak i still dont see how applying conditioner would break apart the leather. If there is a hole it can be patched and sanded.

 

. . .Still waiting for the pics of g/f vacuuming the car!

 

Are they greasy or slippery?

 

Final pics after third coat??

 

Finally after drying them and the third coat these are the results. They are NOT slippery or oily at all. Overall it was a stupid easy process, just have to wait, and im extremely happy with the results!

 

what if you had tan seats? Would that stuff work?

 

To color them black? I doubt it. To restore tan seats, yes

 

The results look excellent. And since it's been explained that this is a recoating, not some armor-all dress-up crap, it's clear that longevity is the only real question left open. But I'm guessing a little google time should answer that.

Bummer is that it won't work for R2 seats.

 

the pics look like it was actually fixed
but kinda pricey

 

This works great but it IS just a band-aid. Don't expect to get another 14 years out of your leather...If you don't believe me get some leather cleaner and scrub the seats with it, you'll find it WILL come off if your scrubbing a black mark or some sort of defect in the seat. I assume with black seats this is not nearly as big of a problem.

When I got my car the drivers seat had a massive rip, so I had it reupholstered. The passenger side seat was still clean, but they had to redye and blend it to the other seat and they used a method similar to this to do it. It has been a year and a half since then, and while the passenger seat still looks great,cracks have reappeared in a couple spots while as the new drivers side leather is MUCH MUCH softer and still looks brand new. Also you have to take into consideration that 90% of the time the car is on the road there is nobody in the passenger seat.

I'd recommend this to anyone who does NOT daily drive their 7...

 

It's $500+ for new covers, so relative to the cost of replacement it's cheap as long as the effects are long lasting.

 

Heres the seat mentioned above, treated by a professional a year and a half ago...
It hasnt been cleaned in a while so its a little dirty, but you can see what I'm talking about.





Not to bad at all, but sitting in it and then the new seat is night and day....

 

My daily driver, which is a 1991 Miata in British Racing Green with tan leather seats, is in great condition (seatwise), however the leather IS worn on the drivers side entry edge and the leather has gotten pretty stiff over time.

Did you say that this treatment not only restores the appearence of the leather, but also helps to soften it again? Please reply, and thanks for posting this thread!

 

I thought about using Rit dye, but that involves me removing the seat fabric itself to allow it to soak. Thats going to be a pain in the *** and I would rather not have to do it. Eh, oh well I can deal with it, its a DD what can I expect.

 

It does restore the leather and it makes it a little softer. After about 4 months you are supposed to repaint it with the leather softener to seal it and maintain the seats

 

dang man
it looks seriously good after the work
lets just pray that the paint doesnt come off on your $1000 suit

after its completely dry, try put a soaked towel on there and see if the color comes off