Leather repair - Cracked and faded leather

RaydiantDetail

RaydiantDetail

New member
Hey Autopia fam,

Does anyone have experience with repairing damaged leather car seats. Specifically leather which is cracked, has some holes, faded etc.?

I have been looking in to a product called ColourLock and the kit they provide looks pretty good. The products are made in Germany. Does any one have experience with this specific product or other leather repair products? Id like to learn and start offering this as a service in the future but I have a car in the family that needs some repair work that Id like to begin practicing on.

I have a customer car coming in the next few weeks as well that needs some serious work on the leather as its been neglected for almost 10 years. Ill be doing a full leatherique treatment and the customer has showed interest in fixing the cracks and holes. I am thinking to practice as much as possible first on the family car so I can provide the service to the customer as well when it comes in. Of course I would take my time as I have the car for about 6 days since its getting some extensive work done.

Full Leather Repair Kit

Any feedback/ help is appreciated.
 
For immediate gratification, a auto upholstery shop can fix/blend/dye them.

IME, if the usage is minimal post the ~dye~, seats look great.
IF it sees some level of usage, aka, front drivers daily driver, - the former cracks do telegraph to the top.

Option B which will cost much more is a straight recover with new material.
 
mobiledynamics said:
For immediate gratification, a auto upholstery shop can fix/blend/dye them.

IME, if the usage is minimal post the ~dye~, seats look great.
IF it sees some level of usage, aka, front drivers daily driver, - the former cracks do telegraph to the top.

Option B which will cost much more is a straight recover with new material.
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Thanks mobiledynamics. On the family vehicle it`s something I would like to do myself as opposed to outsourcing. Not looking for 100% perfection as it`s a daily just want to make the appearance better. Also would like to get practice doing that type of work.

The cost of reupholstering currently makes it out of the question.

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I hear ya. I`m just posting in my years of even having guys who dye/upholster for a living, what dye looks like from new versus the ~telegraphing~ of the former cracks to new with use.

FWIW, when they dye, the use chems and *abrasives* to scuff even good leather so when they recoat the entire seat, it helps the dye take in. Not for the faint of heart...I would not bear even doing that ;-) I would need to grow some bigger ones.

Just so you set the correct expectations - not for your own rides, but those that you do. The new redye looks great when brand new and fresh like everything in life....but it does come back
 
IME leather that seems utterly trashed...cracked, minor holes, you name it...can actually hold up quite well with a good cleaning and conditioning. The leather seats in the Tahoe were in "you`ll have to reupholster that" condition when I got it, but years later they aren`t any worse.

Cracks aren`t always functionally significant; I have Allen Edmunds dress shoes that have been cracked in the "crease areas" for decades but are still just fine. When I sent them for their last resoling, I said to go ahead and refinish/restore them if they thought it was necessary; they complimented my spit-shine and said they wouldn`t dream of trying to improve anything, all they needed was the new soles. My leather coats/jackets are the same way, been cracked/creased for decades but it`s never been a problem.
 
The leather in my ‘89 Cadillac has never worsened over the years and I too only cleaned and conditioned it. I think with good conditioning and leather seats will stay the same if not improve.

Accumulator, I’m glad to hear about your Allen Edmonds. I see they make a style of sneaker similar to the kind I bought this year. I do an awful lot of walking and like my car seats, I expected them to last a real long time with just some conditioning.
 
Accumulator said:
IME leather that seems utterly trashed...cracked, minor holes, you name it...can actually hold up quite well with a good cleaning and conditioning. The leather seats in the Tahoe were in "you`ll have to reupholster that" condition when I got it, but years later they aren`t any worse.

Cracks aren`t always functionally significant; I have Allen Edmunds dress shoes that have been cracked in the "crease areas" for decades but are still just fine. When I sent them for their last resoling, I said to go ahead and refinish/restore them if they thought it was necessary; they complimented my spit-shine and said they wouldn`t dream of trying to improve anything, all they needed was the new soles. My leather coats/jackets are the same way, been cracked/creased for decades but it`s never been a problem.
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Thanks accumulator. My plan of attack is generally the same for interiors as paint. Start with the least aggressive/least consuming to get the outcome needed.

These seats have not been cared for in 10 years of ownership. Probably barely cleaned and definitely not conditioned properly if at all.

My first course is going to be a full scale leatherique treatment to see what type of outcome is provided. If its satisfactory then I see no need in going much further with the process. However some cracks have broken through the leather. I agree it doesnt have any functional impact. You can still sit on the seat fine. The seats purpose remains as is. It`s more for aesthetic reasons at that point.

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I used Leatherique years ago. I bet you ought to get some softening of the leather and it will come out cleaner.
 
Bill D said:
I used Leatherique years ago. I bet you ought to get some softening of the leather and it will come out cleaner.
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From what I have seen Leatherique can really do a nice job in rejuvenating leather in poor condition. It will be my first time using it as most of the cars I work on just usually need a good thoroughly cleaning and conditioning and thats always more than enough but man these seats are the worst I have come to work on so far. ill definitely be sure to document the before and after. I think its going to be a big difference. When I did a simple test spot with gyeon leather cleaner I could already see a big difference however I knew it was going to need multiple applications as I could still see embedded dirt/ oils etc in the leather grain even after two applications of gyeon leather cleaner and srubbing with a leather cleaning brush.
 
If the Leatherique isn’t good enough, I bet Roger Koh from Leather Doctor offers something that will really turn it around. Accumulator has experience buying from him.
 
RaydiantDetail- Heh heh, that Leatherique process seemed so daunting that I ended up giving mine away instead of using it!

I`m confident that what you`re dealing with isn`t any worse than the Tahoe was, so I bet it`ll turn out OK. Well, depending on our definition of "OK" ;) I might set the bar kinda low on this one by Autopian standards.

Bill D- AE is one of the few companies still making "B" widths (and whose sizing hasn`t changed), so they get my business. I could go on a rant about how I`d improve the designs of their more casual/active offerings (longer tongues, for one thing), but their "Traveler" was my Driving Shoe back when I was doing the VDI stuff. IME their "recraftable" shoes are a lifetime purchase.
 
Accumulator said:
RaydiantDetail- Heh heh, that Leatherique process seemed so daunting that I ended up giving mine away instead of using it!

I`m confident that what you`re dealing with isn`t any worse than the Tahoe was, so I bet it`ll turn out OK. Well, depending on our definition of "OK" ;) I might set the bar kinda low on this one by Autopian standards.

Bill D- AE is one of the few companies still making "B" widths (and whose sizing hasn`t changed), so they get my business. I could go on a rant about how I`d improve the designs of their more casual/active offerings (longer tongues, for one thing), but their "Traveler" was my Driving Shoe back when I was doing the VDI stuff. IME their "recraftable" shoes are a lifetime purchase.
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Oh yes, i agree on the daunting part. I have the car for about 6 days so the first thing that will happen after the initial wash/decon process will be the leatherique treatment. I`ve heard it takes multiple applications over 2 to 3 days to really let the rejuvenator oil do the work. Its definitely not a quick fix type product from the videos I have watched on it.

Either way I`m never excited about interior work but this transformation I am excited to see lol



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Yes, 2 to 3 days would be what is needed in your case given the condition of the seats at present. Mine only required one but the condition wasn’t that bad.
 
I like to leave the leather work to the leather guys. If someone is really concerned about the leather, have them look for a removed passenger seat from another vehicle to reupholster the drivers seat with, only if both the drivers and passenger seat are interchangeable.
 
RaydiantDetail said:
Oh yes, i agree on the daunting part. I have the car for about 6 days so the first thing that will happen after the initial wash/decon process will be the leatherique treatment. I`ve heard it takes multiple applications over 2 to 3 days to really let the rejuvenator oil do the work. Its definitely not a quick fix type product from the videos I have watched on it.

Either way I`m never excited about interior work but this transformation I am excited to see lol



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Mi Hermano !
Just make sure as best you can to have as much warmth/heat going on out there if possible, to help that oil soak in...
You`re going to do a great job !
Dan F
 
Stokdgs said:
Mi Hermano !
Just make sure as best you can to have as much warmth/heat going on out there if possible, to help that oil soak in...
You`re going to do a great job !
Dan F
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Thanks Dan! Hope all is going great with you.

Yes, I was thinking about how to do that. Maybe run a small little heater inside the car or use a heat gun safely because it`s not hot enough to leave the car outside. The garage gets pretty cold over night as I dont have a heated work space.



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Search SWEET PROJECT CARS on youtube. They have a leather seat rehab video which uses silicone caulking and leather seat paint.
 
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