Hi folks , well I've had a trouble free summer with the XKR since the fuel pump failure issue was sorted out and I thought it would be a good idea to renovate the drivers side seat bolster which was looking a little shabby , I ordered a leather repair kit from a company here in the UK that I have used before to do some similar work on the seat on my XJS and was very happy with the result.
So having given Leather Repair Company my XKR,s trim code, IVORY NED and ordered the kit I proceeded with the refurb , however, despite applying 3 coats the final colour finish match is way off the original ,it is more grey tinted than the original rather cream colour .
Having queried this I was told that "thats the colour Jaguar says it should be and if you cut off a piece of original leather from the car we will match it , for an additional cost " well firstly i have no idea where i'd cut a piece from and to my mind the colour should be correct even allowing for time/fading etc .
My question is ; has anyone out there found a suppler who can provide a good match to this leather trim colour IVORY NED ?
Thanks again for any help or advise

 

As you are in the UK, the confusingly named Furniture Clinic supplies colour match Jaguar leather refurbishment kits:

www.furnitureclinic.co.uk/Colour_Chart?Jaguar

I used their AGD dye on the driver's seat in my 2001 XK8 with Oatmeal interior and it was a perfect match.

Graham

 

Hi Graham , yes i,m in the UK , Thanks for the advise i'll contact them , regards David

 

Here's a thread showing re-coloured seats on my X308:

https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...esolved-80080/

I'd used a Gliptone kit on this car but it was a good match.

Graham

 

I recoloured my driver seat bolster with dye from the "furniture clinic" using just the colour code, it was not a great match. I have used them in the past too for my Merc and sent them a piece from under the seat and did get a good match then.

I suspect the the colour of the jag seat may have changed over time. Anyway its a couple of years since I made the repair and as time goes by it is blending in better.

 

I used furniture clinic and my code was ivory NED. It was a perfect match and I must say the advice I got was excellent. It is possible that your seats have changed colour over time, or a previous person has restored the seats with a bad match

 

Thanks to all for the advise , I am sure the trim has not been recoloured in the past as it is all very even and there is virtually no wear anywhere except the seat bolster , anyway i have ordered a quantity of recolourant /restorer from Furniture clinic so will see how it turns out , i'll keep you posted.
Regards

 

I just finished satisfactorily dyeing my outer driver's seat back bolster panel on the third attempt, and I thought I'd share what I learned in case it helps someone else. My interior is Ivory soft-grain (2006 XK8 Victory Edition--in the UK and Europe that would be the "S" final edition or "white badge" edition). I got my leather dye from Seat Doctors, from whom I've purchased before. There are multiple sources for factory-match dye. I've seen Furniture Clinic products endorsed more than once by UK folks.

The tricky bit is that our cars are old enough that you are not going to get an exact match with the dye out of the bottle unless your car has lived in a dark hangar all its life. My interior is very nice, but the dye as mixed by Seat Doctors is noticeably too white. I knew I needed to alter the color to get an exact match.

I'll share my "recipe" here--the final one, that I was happy with. Disclaimer: definitely do a spot test before committing to a larger job, as each interior is likely to be just a bit different--perhaps imperceptibly, but better safe than waste work and material. 2006 Jaguar XK8 Victory Edition with Ivory soft-grain leather



To 1 tbsp. Seat Doctors standard Jaguar Ivory dye, add:

--2 drops yellow food coloring;

--2 drops red food coloring;

--2 drops green food coloring;

--1 drop jet black ink.

Use the smallest drops that will fall from the tube; control it.

Mix very well.

They always say this, but in this case, it’s essential: test first, with a small spot, let it dry for a couple minutes, and check for color match. You can always wipe it off with leather cleaner at that point if it needs adjustment.

Two tbsp. solution will do sufficient light coats to cover a seat back bolster.


The red and green food coloring in even quantities make brown. Brown, yellow, and black are your "aging" tints. Yes, they'll say start with a completely clean surface, and you should, but this isn't just about dirt. It's about color alteration from years of "life."

I also decided that doing an entire panel, from seam to seam, is a safer bet than trying to blend inside a panel, but I have a caveat to that below, garnered from experience.

Tape off the panel, just covering your stitching with the tape edge, especially if you have contrastinjg stitching.

As with any kind of painting or varnishing, don't go too heavy on any one coat; it will take multiple light coats--but maybe only three. For my dye, it's 20 minutes dry time between coats.

Here's what's kind about leather dye--it's forgiving. You can wipe off an "oops" instantly with a soft cloth sprayed with a bit of leather cleaner, no harm done. You can also--and I wish I'd figured this out a little sooner--use that same cloth and leather cleaner to blend the dye.

I found it impossible--whether with sponge used blotting-style, sponge used wiping-style, or brush--to get a perfectly consistent finish, even after multiple coats. But from despair came elation when I experimented with trying to blend the surface coverage with a soft cloth and leather cleaner. (I use Chemical Guys leather cleaner but there are so many good ones out there--just make sure it's a cleaner-only, not a cleaner-plus-conditioner; you don't want conditioner on there yet).

With gentle wiping after the last coat has had the requisite between-coats drying time (20 min. for mine), I was able to remove brush streaks and color inconsistency where I had applied one batch over an older one. Within a couple minutes, I had blended the panel perfectly uniform. If you do a partial panel, or just a small area, this would be an excellent way to blend your work in, as long as your color match is perfect. The cleaner does not remove material aggressively. That's the ticket.

You can even do limited adjustment with cleaner the next day, though it will require a bit more effort. I'd try to be satisfied with your result before you walk away for the multi-hour cure. (My dye instructions say 48 hours to full cure.)

Tip: Definitely best to do this in full sun. The sun tells the harsh truth and exposes all your sins. The shade makes you look good. Until you go to a show. And display your car with the top down. And notice how splotchy your dye job looks. Bummer.

I am by no means anything more than a DIYer here. Just sharing experience for what it's worth. I'll include some pictures.

In this and the next, you can see the streaking from the brush and color inconsistency. This is not the final coat.

With the outer bolster having some natural wrinkles, you have to distinguish between those and streaks of dye.

Finished, post-blending. Tomorrow I will buff with a dry soft cloth (permitted by the dye instructions).

Finished, view from other side.

 

Infinity supplied me with NED Ivory dye. A perfect match.
You can order online and they respond really quickly.

 

Just wanted to add that I had good results using the tip of a kebab skewer dipped in alcohol to remove dye from my contrasting stitching when I did the panel edge. I used a shot glass for the alcohol and found that one dip would do two stitches. Didn't take that long for me to go down that side seam. Then I just wiped it with a dry microfiber cloth.

Using the kebab skewer and alcohol to uncover my stitching the day after the dye job.