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Something that I think we all have to deal with eventually is degrading leather. Especially in the convertibles. In my case the Florida sun had started to take its toll on the front seats due to the top being down 95% of the time.
The passenger seat was getting the worst of it, more due to it not having an occupant as much. The leather surface was not badly worn but was starting to get some cracking. Seemed like time to try some restoration. I had seen a few threads on here that had good results.
A few before pics of the passenger seat bottom. Not great for sure.
Before I started on the seat I decided to test the leather colorant on an old console lid cover.
Before applying I cleaned the surface with denatured alcohol as recommended.
When I first applied the color I was worried that it was too light. But it did a good job of filling and coloring the worn areas.
After drying the color settled in to more of a match. Seemed good to go for the seat next.
I did a section at a time. Not planning to do the centers right now.
Again the color looks wrong before it dries. Gotta have faith and press on.
The inside section is already starting to dry and color is looking very close.
The included applicator works really well and is easy to get into corners and such.
The color needs to be worked in at first to get a good fill in the cracks.
Then you use the applicator to "pad" the surface and remove any stroke marks.
Front section done and first section is looking better and better.
Here's a good before/after showing how well it covers. It is not very thick at all.
While the seat bottom dries I moved onto the seat back. Similar aging there.
Another good before/after as I applied the color.
It only takes a minute or so to cover a section. Remember to "pad" as you go.
Once you start doing this it becomes clear just how much the seats have aged.
All done and waiting for it to dry and even out the color.
Bottom dried and the match is nearly perfect.
Top is almost dry....
And finally its dry. Looks awesome.
After doing that much of the seat I have only used about 20 percent of the colorant.
The applicators are reusable and cleanup was just with water.
The kit manufacturer says that you can either treat the newly colored areas with typical leather conditioner or optionally they offer a clear coat. I am debating about what I want to do. I think I will first try my conditioner on the old console lid and see what that looks like. Have to wait a few days before I do that.
I will do the driver seat for sure once I am completely done with the passenger side.
Not bad for $30 and 30 minutes.
How does it 'wear' now that you have had it completed for a few months??
Any word now after a few months now as to how this material wears. Has it continued to 'Hold' to the material??
I have had zero issues with the color/clear coats bonding to the leather. It all still looks as good as the pics I took right after I applied it. Really happy with the results.
I also double coated the clear in the common wear areas like driver bolster and console lid to resist wear as much as possible.
I'm getting ready to replace the rear shocks on my 05 convertible and have copied your excellent article on how you did this on your 04, using a scissor jack. My only question so far is, how you placed the scissor jack. Or, between what? I got the part about placing it on the wishbone, but did you place the other end on the axil shaft. If the wishbone bends the shock plate with-out to much trouble, applying pressure to the axel shaft shouldn't be a problem. Am I missing something? Or did you place it somewhere else that I missed during my observation of how to do this? I certainly don't what to screw things up.
Thank you again for the excellent write up and pictorial.
Its been a while since I did this work. Sorry if I did not make that part clear enough.
I removed the wheel speed sensor and used the flat spot on top of the hub and the frame rail. It is not a perfect alignment but its stable enough to get the hub pushed down.
Thanks routhwell,
Since asking that question I took the photo showing the jack, enlarged it and could see how you placed it. I feel I'm ready to do the job as soon as I get all the things I need.
Again, thanks for the write up and excellent pictorial-- Your energy in all your post is totally amazing and if you happen to come through Panama City, I would love to see your beautiful machine.
I covered the driver seat and the console lid with the clear coat. Turned out same as passenger seat - great!
I am impressed by how the color coat covered the different color leather. Console lid will match again. Even matches the button now!
I think I will apply another coat of clear to the console lid for extra wear protection since the leather does not have to be as pliable. Might do that to the driver seat bolster too since that usually gets worn faster. Will have to wait at least 6 hours before I can re-coat.
Worth mentioning that you cannot vacuum too much. I did it before applying each coating. Lint is the enemy of this process. Even with all my trying I can still find micro specs of lint in the clear.
If anything can be gleaned from this effort it was "do your seats before the wear gets too bad". For around $50 and a couple hours you can improve the looks and protect the leather in ways no cleaner/conditioner can match.
What type of clear did you use? I believe this supplier has a number of different levels of clear from Satin to Dull, curious as yours came out so well
What type of clear did you use? I believe this supplier has a number of different levels of clear from Satin to Dull, curious as yours came out so well
I bought the gloss and satin versions. The gloss was too much but I thought the satin match was good for the seats and console.
I did learn that the clear coats can be blended to get the right amount of shine for matching.
I can bring the car by for you to get a close look if it would help.
You are fortunate that you caught it before it leaked a lot.
I have had two latch cylinders go bad and leak slightly. Both times there was hydraulic fluid in the upper console like you show in the photo..
You can buy used latch cylinders or there is a company that will refurbish yours for about $150.
The latch cylinder isn't that hard to replace.
I live in Phoenix, so the summer temperatures likely have an impact on the longevity of the header latch cylinder.
Remove the console and determine if it is the hose fitting or the latch cylinder that it leaking. Pray it is the latch.
I posted this in the wrong thread earlier:
Rothwell, do you have any leather left to sell for the A-pillars and header retrim? I'm going to do the same thing as you did and nothing I've found comes close to what you have. Let me know. Great work.
Last edited by tomfurie; Jan 16, 2024 at 12:50 AM.
Also, If you happen to know how wide the header material needs to be please let me know. I may not get to my storage unit for a week or so to measure it.
How does it wear??
