I went into an interior/upholstry shop this afternoon and asked about leather seat work and getting the cracks filled in, she said they do not do the leather seat cracking but she said to go to my local hardware store or Home Depot etc. and buy some interior leather spray and do it myself.

Is it really that easy and how will my results be?

I have to do a s500 armrest in tan and the two front seats of an xk8 in black.

Thanks!

 

I would go to a quality auto repair parts house and buy some spray can paint that is intended for seat repair. I used Rustoleum brand on my old BMW and on my boat. IT held up reasonably well but PREPARATION is key or it will look like crap and flake off. use acetone to thoroughly clean the are you want to cover. I would suggest removing the parts from the car for sure. the fumes and over-spray get everywhere. BE careful to disconnect the battery before you remove the seats. the Air bag sensor and associated computer wont like it if you remove the seats with the battery connected and they will trap a code that will require a trip to the dealer. (Ask me how I learned that little tid bit)

There is another brand that body shops use with many more color option. I think it is SEMA but I could be wrong. try googling "Marhyde"

Good luck

Barry

 

Leather renovation products designed for domestic use are not too successful in vehicle applications because the wear rate is different. You've probably noticed wear is concentrated on the driver's seat bolster and one side of the armrest. Harder wear needs a tougher product.

Have a look at:

Home Page | Leatherique Restoration Products

There are many specialists offering similar products but Leatherique seems to be the most populasr in the US and Canada.

The process starts with a thorough cleaning followed by filling and then colouring - either original or a colour change. Typical results are:




The driver' seat leather on my XJ8 was badly cracked with ingrained dirt. The recolour lasted well.

Graham

 

Windy, I know its not the cheapest option but you can call Creative Colors there in Chitown and they will fill the cracks and respray dye the seat and armrest and match the color. I know them well from when I had my huge reconditioning shop in Chicago. Nothing else on the market in the US will work but its apparent that the product out of the UK will if you want to spend the time and money doing it yourself. Nothing wrong with that and Im going to buy some myself here soon but Creative Colors can also handle this for you and they have trucks all over the state.

Its also called Creative Colors International.

 

I will give them a call, what product in the UK?

Can someone give me some exact products to look at for DIY, thanks!

 

Did you look at post # 3?

This seems to be the other favourite. http://www.liquidleather.com/

 

Here's two UK suppliers:

Leather Care | Leather Cleaner

Leather Colourant Kit

Liquid Leather are long established and have a good reputation. I've used their products a number of times.

Furniture Clinic is a relative newcomer to this market sector but is rapidly establishing a good reputation from product
reviews and tests in the car magazines. There's a video on the above link which will show you the products and application process.

Graham

 

Sorry to potentially go off topic here, but one of my frustrations with leather treatment on my XKR is "separating the men from the boys" - meaning, which is real leather, and which is high quality vinyl that needs different treatment?

I can't find this documented anywhere. Have I missed it?

My guess is the seat fronts, the center armrest, (and more of the console?) and arm rests and perhaps the center door panels are actually leather. Everything else is vinyl.

Two different approaches to maintenance and repair.

Any wisdom out there?

Dave in Atlanta
2001 XKR Convertible, with black leather (and other) interior

 

I strongly recomend Leatherique. I used it on a 40 year old wing chair and ottoman and even the lady of the house was pleased.

 

go to www.leather magic.com they have re-dying kits for any car. it comes with an aerosol charged jar to apply with, but i used a good quality purdy paint brush 1" with the end cut on angle. it might sound like an odd way to do the job however, it eliminates overspray. (assuming you can handle a paint brush) my seats and arm rests came out mint and by using the brush method you can do minor touchups any time wear re-appears good luck estimated cost around 60.00

 

I'm in the process of refurbishing the driver's seat on my 1998 XK8. The bottom cushion is very torn and beyond repair, but I managed to find a company to supply a new leather cover for me, which arrived yesterday and I'm in the process of fitting. At the same time I'm using Furniture Clinic's kit to restore the seat back. I already did the steering wheel and it looks like new. The whole process will be on a video in the next week or two.

This leads me to my current problem - the seat control switch. The vinyl side piece of the cover (only the actual top part is leather) is sandwiched between two mouldings and I can't see how to get these apart. Apparently there are tabs to be released at each end, but I can't find them. It's so easy to break something that I don't want to try unless I know exactly what I'm doing. Can anyone help?

 

There's a securing tab (arrowed in the diagram) positioned here:

XK8 1997 - Seat Switchpack.pdf

You may have to move the foam to see it. Release it by pressing with a small screwdriver. Beware - easily broken!

I'll be interested to know how the Furniture Clinic kit works out. Heard good reports but haven't had a chance to see the results yet.

Graham