The two right side bolsters (seat and squab) on the driver's side were scuffed and pretty tired looking, so I decided to invest in a small leather restoration kit from http://www.furnitureclinic.co.uk

What appealed to me was the fact that they could provide the exact colour of the Jaguar Ivory (code NED). The kit arrived with a daunting-looking 6 bottles, spray kit, abrasive pad, sponge and cotton cloth. They even provided a pin to unblock the spray nozzle with - that's what I call attention to detail.

The 2-page instructions are extremely well-written and clear and the whole process went off without a hitch. I followed their advice to the letter and am very pleased with the results. I decided to do the two bolsters only, rather than the entire seat, so this involved masking off the entire front part of the car AND cutting 2mm strips of masking tape to cover the anthracite stitching on my Recaros. That took me an extra hour!

From start to finish, and to allow each coat to dry thoroughly, you really need to allow for two half days (I did mine on two successive afternoons). You are then advised to wait 24hrs before using the seat. Although I had enough of each product, I was only doing two bolsters. I would imagine that there would only just be enough to do two seats completely.

The colour match and finish (choose satin to match the OEM sheen) is incredibly good, perfect in fact. I can see no difference at all in the two 'halves' of the seat.

At £40 the kit is very good value for money.

Before:


Masking off:


Half-way through:


Finished result:

 

Very nice job! Time well spent.

 

He used Audi seat protectors

 

that's very impressive, good work. Won't ban you this time for the audi promomotion.

My driver lower bolster and side bolster is really scuffed and cracked in many spots, the seams are very rough in a few spots, not to mention my center console is worn pretty well, both areas have been dyed before by a mobile shop, costing me about $150 each area. With regular cleaning, my dye has faded, and its ugly again. In stead of re-doing another dye job as temp fix, I've decided to invest in replacement leather skins instead. The leather is really the only thing letting the interior down at all.

 

Sorry about the gaffe. There's no Jaguar dealer near where I live (the French don't go for Jaguars much - too expensive), so I had to blag some seat protectors from a mate at the local VW/Audi garage.

I'd be interested to know how much they cost. They will obviously be much nicer than the semi-temporary repair work I have just done. I imagine I will have to go down the same route sooner or later.

 

Well done and we appreciate the photographic details. I have the same color XKR coupe with the same Recaro seats. At present it is just the driver's side bolster that is showing the wear, so I will plan to do the same as you have done.

 

I know I'll probably get bashed, but I am thinking of replacing the front seat covers with vinyl seat surfaces. The tops are the only leather part anyway and the vinyl will outlast the leather without cracking.

 

(Edit button is missing!) They are available here: http://www.worlduph.com/jag7.htm

 

I did try to call them once Lew, a couple weeks ago, and they never returned my call. I wanted a price for the leather. I decided to go with topsonline.com (thru ebay) as they offered the center console and cupholder pieces in the package price.



They look sooo soft! My previous owner didn't condition them enough, therefore, dried out and cracks easy.

Frog, if you can't find any at a decent price over there, let me know, I'll be an middleman for you and ship them over...with the exchange rate, that'll be pretty affordable I think!

 

Many thanks for the offer. I might take you up on the offer, although from what I could see on eBay and their website, I'm not sure whether I'd be able to get the Recaro covers. Pity, because they do look good.

I sourced a similar set of covers for my 1998 Mazda MX5 (Miata to you) a few months ago from a supplier in Germany and they have completely transformed the interior of the car.

 

Job well done
It's ok to have Audi protectors lol
This is from me who uses Mercedes Benz cover on his air compressor

 

Color of this blue Jaguar is fantastic!!!

I too need to refinish my driver's seat. Mine is black, so I hope this will not be too hard.

 

Thanks. It is frost blue and was offered on the run-out 2005 models. I would imagine that restoring black seats would be easier than ivory, which is such a difficult colour to match. The scariest part is rubbing the leather with the abrasive pad & leather prep at the start, but spraying on the various liquids quickly restores the colour and texture.

 

Those seats sure do look nice. How did you get Recaro seats in your car ? How are they different from the stock XK8 seats - looks like they have the same controls (?) I wonder how to get a set ?

 

Matt,

Are you going to try putting the covers on yourself?

 

They were a £2000 option on the XKR in 2004 & 2005. Fortunately, the previous owner took them!

 

You would still pay £2000 if you wanted to fit a set...... I have just bought a complete Recaro interior including, center console, all door cards and rear quarter panels, carpet, seat belts, basically the entire interior, everything.

They are a completely different seat to the original, and if I am perfectly honest I dont find them as comfortable, but they do look pretty damn good.


What is more sort after are the 2 colour, the Recaros with the cranberry inlay are wonderful!!

 

i would agree with you there: they look ultra comfortable/supportive, but they'renothing special in reality. The headrest is too far back for one thing...

I didnt know the rest of the interior was Recaro-specific.

 

Gonna pay a local upholstery shop to do it, I'll let you know what the cost is when its finished (I haven't even received the skins yet)...i'm expecting $300-$400 for the labor involved.