Leather Dilemma

[noahabel]

So, like many a used car owner I`m facing a problem with cracked leather. I thought I would ask the knowledgeable crowd here about my best course of action.



Overall, the seats are in exceptional shape (`98 M3 Sedan) but the driver`s outside bolster has some issues. Observe:

http://photos.e46fanatics.com/data/500/Leather_001.jpg

Up Close:

http://photos.e46fanatics.com/data/500/Leather_004.jpg

and

http://photos.e46fanatics.com/data/500/Leather_003.jpg



Compare this to the worn but un-cracked seat-back bolster:

http://photos.e46fanatics.com/data/500/Leather_005.jpg



So I`ve contemplated Leatherique, and figure the RO and PC system would do wonders on the rest of the seats, but wouldn`t address the cracking bolster. For that, I fear, I need the crack filler/dye combo. The leather itself isn`t cardboard brittle in that area, but isn`t buttery soft either.



My concern is whether I can just dye that bolster, and if so, will it look odd or stand apart from the rest of the seat? Anyone have any experience using the Leatherique restoration process on small sections of seats?



Bottom line: can this be fixed, by me, with the restoration kit and not look goofy or out of place? Am I better off redying the whole seat? Should I just take this to a professional?



Thanks for the help.

[mhadden]

I`ve never been able to restore seats that are cracked like that. Maybe our resident leather person can answer...

[jayjacque]

Well I`m not Judy, but I fix 7 or 8, sometimes 10 of these a week. I can tell you the process, but without the proper chemicals you won`t get good results. Might be good info though, so here you are...



1. Sand down with 180-300 grit wet sandpaper or scrub pads til completely flat and nothing frayed remains. Sometimes that is easy, sometimes not. A wet chemical may help during sanding. Sometimes it`s better to take off a lot of the color, sometimes that only makes for more fraying.

2. Clean thoroughly with something strong enough to cut through any dressing/conditioner and into the finish to get the dirt. Some put this as the #1 step, but it really doesn`t matter that much whether before or after sanding. Since you`re re-coloring the area, you can even use a keytone solvent if that is advantageous.

3. Need to fill any remaining cracks (crack filler). Again using the correct chemical is crucial.

4. Need to apply another chemical which will seal any exposed raw leather, with a very light 400-600 grit sanding after dried.

5. A tack coat of leather primer is sometimes needed.

6. Only then would you be ready to re-color. The dye needs to be water-base and exactly matched. There is no forgiveness with this step. It has to be exact. If the rest of the seat or other seats are even slightly dirty or faded, that affects your color match.

7. And there needs to be a catalyst added into the paint to ensure no lift.

8. How to apply is also crucial. Spraying through a large nozzle airbrush is the preferred method. There are also other ways such as foam brush, but unless there is a lot of grain, they tend to show brush marks, and there is no ability to feather in. Whole sections or seat will need to be dyed.

9. Masking is of course also important, but since it is water-base, there is some ability to wipe off overspray before it has cured.

10. Heat lightly with a heat gun or hair dryer between each chemical or dye coat. (Try to not work in direct sunlight)

11. As the last step a clear waterbase topcoat with catalyst after the dye coats have dried is also essential for proper protection.



Sorry about all that, but I`m not exaggerating. It takes a full 11 steps and a number of industrially purchased chemicals to do a good leather repair/dye job. I go through these steps very automatically without even thinking about it, but I don`t envision it being nearly that easy for most folks, since they`ve never done it before. Additionally there are now some sites that sell the DIY supplies, swearing that if you send them a sample swatch of the color they will match it and give you directions how to complete the job yourself. They even have testimonials (but my guess is those were on the very simplest jobs). So by the time you buy their supplies and go thru the hassle (on a repair that might turn out less than perfect), you might save 20 or 30 bucks over a professional coming in and doing it right.

[salty]

Thanks for the info jay.

[jayjacque]

I probably should`ve said on very minor jobs a few of those steps could be skipped, and that is probably the reason some of those successful DIY testimonials show up on those sites. But viewing the pics of the OP, all or most of those steps would be necessary. Also I personally wouldn`t recommend leatherique for this job, since the biggest need is to repair/recolor rather than rejuvenate.



Also for the OP: One thing you definitely don`t want to do is to try and skip the sanding step. If you tried filling with crack filler without sanding all or mostly all the way down, once you put the color on, it would end up looking like a heaped up mess.

[noahabel]

Wow, quite the procedure. It indeed looks like a job for a professional.



Are you saying, then, that the Leatherique dye kits, despite their similarities to your process, are insufficient? They include a prepping agent and crack filler, but would lack adequate substitutes for your steps 4, 5, 7 & 11 and would not provide proper application of the dye in step 8? Crikey.



With your process in mind I will try and get a few estimates from local upholstery shops. Can`t imagine the Los Angeles market price is very fair, but let`s hope I get lucky.



Thanks, Jay, I would also welcome any other opinions.

[jayjacque]

Conversely, I would think L.A. would be a consumer`s market. I would bet there are a dozen or more leather repair techs close enough for you to get quotes. Send them the pics and get an over-the-phone quote. That`s the way we do it with retail customers. Don`t contact upholstery shops though. They would just be a middle man wanting a cut, hence hiking up the price. Do an internet search for leather repair restoration and the name of your city.



About your question about whether leatherique`s kit would suffice in that it skips a few steps: There are a few suppliers that sell their dyes claiming to not need catalyst (or cross-linker is another name for it) or just to conveniently not mention it. And only a very few do not strongly recommend a topcoat. I have my doubts about good adherence without a catalyst and lasting endurance without a topcoat. My experience has been otherwise and the majority of industrial suppliers is to need both catalyst and topcoat. This would be especially true for a constance use area such as sliding in and out of the driver`s seat. I think the DIY kit suppliers are just trying to make it as user friendly as they can, but it would be very risky to skip either of those steps. Also if sanding brings the finish down to some raw exposed leather (which it likely will), to not apply either a sealer or a primer of some kind will likely compromise the dye`s ability for coverage.

[noahabel]

Wow, the science of car leather. Another reason Autopia rules: some serious expert knowledge.



Thanks for the tip on leather repair vs. upholstery, I`ll start some calls on Monday. It really is only this bolster that is at issue, the rest of the seats and interior look as good as new.



Jay, would you recommend doing a deep cleaning procedure (like Leahterique RO and PC) before I had the bolster repaired and dye-matched? Probably don`t want them matching dirty leather, right?

[jayjacque]

You could go before or after about the Leatherique. There`s pro`s and cons for either way. I`d probably lean toward before or not at all because sometimes when you apply conditioners over recently repaired/re-dyed seats there is a different look to the repaired area (actually making it show up more). Honestly I`m not sure if that is true with leatherique though. If you do the leatherique before, you should let the technician know in case that affects how he preps it. I knew of one repair tech who would charge more if a repair had been messed with by the customer or a previous tech, so come to think of it that might be a good question to ask when you get the quote.

[noahabel]

Yeah, I suspected that any sort of intense cleaning/conditioning would affect whatever repair might take place in the future. Perhaps I can do the Leatherique on every area except the bolster.

[noahabel]

Monday morning bump for any other thoughts.

[Eliot Ness]

Monday morning bump for any other thoughts.My thoughts are to pay a pro to have it done right. That bolster gets the most wear and you`ll want a repair that is done correctly. As jayjacque mentioned, I`d ask the person doing the repair about cleaning or conditioning before or after their repair.

[jimmie jam]

have you checked the price of new seat covers? how about salvage yards? that is a pretty common interior color. or, just get a price on having those sections replaced. i would not try the repair method due to unknown results.

[noahabel]

Jimmie Jam, there is an OEM replacement kit for the leather upholstery, but it`s for the entire seat and NOT cheap. Salvage is possible, but the majority of E36 M3 seats that end up there are going to be just as worn or worse. And in all honesty, I think having new leather there might look somewhat out of place.



But, all good thoughts nonetheless.

[noahabel]

Any other thoughts?