Seat dye.. To do or not to do?

[MT325is]

So my seats are in good shape just little cracks that filler will fill if I die them.
I was going to re wrap the car, and I realized how expensive new leather is.
I was wondering that once leather is dyed does it effect it or crack faster then it should?
Anyone have experience with it?

[AndrewBird]

Technically speaking, the "dye" kits you get that include filler are not dye at all, they are paint. I personally would never use them because I think they look like crap and foresee both the paint wearing off over time and the cracks re-appearing. Basically what you do to the seats is just about the worst thing you could do to leather. But people seem to be happy with it.

Why do you want leather anyway? I hate having leather seats and would much rather have cloth. Cloth is cooler in the summer, warmer in the winter and you don't slide around on it like you do with leather/vinyl.

[E30Runt]

I just picked up a worn rear blue leather seat with pass thru with intent of reconditioning and dying black. It looks straight forward with oil dyes (not paint) and it should last as long as you take the proper, clean, prep, and dye, dry, dye...finish with a condition.

Why do you want leather anyway? I hate having leather seats and would much rather have cloth. Cloth is cooler in the summer, warmer in the winter and you don't slide around on it like you do with leather/vinyl.

I had that same dilemma but cloth just gets worn faster and stains easy. But then again this is guy who just got a sweet deal on black Recaro cloth seats up front. haha I'm confused.

[StereoInstaller1]

What I did years ago was what I would consider a flawless re-dye.

OK, first, the product: http://appliedcolors.com/shop/black-dye-8-oz

I used it straight out of the bottle in a $10 (told you it was a long time ago) Harbor Freight spray gun.

I gently scrubbed the seat with a white (finest) scotch-brite and acetone, then wiped it carefully in one direction with clean cloths and acetone, making sure to leave no residue anywhere. I sprayed the black color over the beige everywhere, did 3 or 4 coats, including the armrest, which got more like 10.





Its been years and it still looks great, can't tell in any way it isn't factory. I had zero flaking at all, have never had any residue on a cleaning rag, shines up really pretty with normal protectants and just generally is perfect. That dye kicks ass IMO. I highly recommend it, assuming the product hasn't changed.

I did try some repair on my old sports, but have no pictures. They were hideous, cracked, worn and nasty.

Watch this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GPCnTg6cZ9k

I had such hope. I wanted nice, smooth, clean looking Sports in a bad way, I just could not find a set. Well, a set I could afford, that is. I saw this video, or one just like it and thought I would try.

Do not believe a fucking word of this video. I spent about 20 hours on my sports and they still looked like deep-fried ass. I spent my entire childhood sanding shit for my Dad, who was a bodyman for 50 years. I followed their instructions perfectly, not one bit of it was as described. That shit is a miserable nightmare IMO, like half-gummy goo that just won't sand...but the dye was awesome. If you want to try a repair, please prove me wrong...but I finally gave up and had them re-upholstered.

All I can say is that seats are a pain in the ass to re-finish no matter what you do, good luck and have fun.

BTW, I plan on tackling my E34 project shortly, planning a "Silbergrau Hell" interior, but I really want to use Vaders. I plan to spray them using the same technique that I used so successfully on the rear seat on the E30...but in a crazy-light gray on all seating surfaces and much of the dash as well.

The look I am aiming for is this: (not my car, just a pic of an incredible Silbergrau Hell interior)



So, considering the experience I had, I won't be surprised if this stuff holds up to 15,000 miles a year on the drivers seat, and even if I have to respray them every couple years, thats OK.

[Semblance]

I had good results with leatherique. You can call it a paint if you want. But it doesn't create a skin the way, say, a latex paint does - there's no peeling and if you try to scrape the paint off you just dig into the leather. I did a seat and also my steering wheel about a year ago. Both have held up great, no cracking or peeling, even on the steering wheel which gets daily use and abuse. If you do use it, be careful not to sand all the grain off the leather, it will look unnaturally smooth.