I would like to ask the membership for an opinion:
My two cars (’95 XJS, ’96 VDP) both need significant repairs to the leather upholstery. The leather in both cars is dry, shrunken and split. My XJS is an absolute mess, the VDP is in better condition. I’ve come to the conclusion that the “spay on” factory finish is the culprit; do you all tend to agree?
The factory finish is impervious to any conditioning materials and I’ve tried them all on a regular basis over long periods of time. The upholstery in my XJS is a friggin’ disaster. I believe the leather dries out and shrinks and pulls away from the stitching in the vinyl. My VDP with 30,000 miles more on it is in much better shape because the seats are all leather and not the leather/vinyl mix, but the leather is still dry and stiff. I intend to strip the factory finish from all leather in my VDP and re-dye with a water based dye (?).
Thanks,
Roger

 

Anyone in the know advise Roger?

 

Roger,

As the saying goes, 'thing's ain't what they used to be' and this is most certainly the case with modern leather.

Up to the early 70's when the leather itself was dyed, it could be conditioned and gradually develop a beautiful patina with age. The modern surface spray finish on a thinner leather looks and feels better when new but actually disappears with abrasion from use.

Here's an example from an X308 I had:



Typical wear on the side of the driver's seat (RHD). The surface has gone completely in places, exposing the base coloured leather beneath.

I considered having the section replaced but was advised by a local vehicle upholstery specialist to refinish the existing with water based dye and clearcoat.

The results was better than hoped:



Several companies supply cleaners, matched dyes and clearcoat or even complete kits.

Although I've only done this on individual panels - the seat back shown above and the driver's cushion shown here..............





............. I know others have done entire seats with satisfactory results. I certainly wouldn't hesitate to do a full seat or full interior if required.

The secret is thorough cleaning and abrading. Other than that, I'd apply both dye and clearcoat by spraying to obtain an even finish.

Graham

 

Thanks Graham, you confirm what I believe to be the facts. I had re-dyed the interior of an '83 XJS I once owned and the results were impressive. I have to replace the front seat covers in my XJS - they are completely ruined. If I have to strip and re-dye the new leather with water based dye I will. Re-dyeing new leather is a waste to a certain extent, but in leaving that lacquer on I will have the same problems in a few years anyway. I only need to replace one seat panel in the VDP and it and all of the other leather will be stripped and re-dyed. I imagine I'll be somewhat of a Jaguar trim expert when I'm finished with all of this...

 

Looks great. I would have never thought you could restore the original seats to look so good.

 

Nope! :-)









IMHO what you've described with your cars isn't a case of the leather being impervious to conditioners but, instead, a case of the leather being too far gone for conditioners to save it.

The leather on my 1995 XJR has always soaked up conditioner quite well.....and is as soft and supple as can be.

It does have the driver's seat bolster wear but that's obviously not a finish or conditioning issue. The bolster is simply a "high wear" area. The very design of the seat dictates that the bolster takes lots of abuse.

I've just seen too, too many 80s-2000s cars with gorgeous leather to accept that the dying/finishing process creates a problem with conditioning.

One of my favorite examples (which usually comes up in "What conditioner do I use?" threads) is a pal of mine who owns a 2000 Toyota Avalon. The car now has 170k miles (I know because I just drove it the other night) and the leather is just as soft and beautiful and wrinkle-free as can be.

Right from day one he has conditioned the leather 3-4 times a year using non-exotic and inexpensive ($8.95) Meguiers leather conditioner.

I think sunlight and heat are the biggest enemies of leather. In that respect we're lucky up here in the Pacific Northwest :-). If you live in the south then you better conditioner your leather from day one and never let up. In some cases dry leather can be softened again but once it shrinks it'll never "grow back".





I'll bet money that it was neglected for many years before you owned it.




That's good, but it won't make the leather any softer :-)

Cheers
DD

 

Thanks Doug, you just "chucked another spoon into my pot"...?