My 2002 VDP Seat Leather Re-Dye Project
#1
My 2002 VDP Seat Leather Re-Dye Project
Sorry in advance for the big pics.
The wife has been complaining about her car and how its been neglected over the years. In reality its 10 years old and has hauled 2 kids a blond lab etc. So to stave off the next 'I need a new car' rant, I fixed the coolant leak on Monday and ordered some leather dye to freshen up the well worn interior. I gave World Upholstery the interior code and they sent me two cans of dye. The drivers side bolster had 2 nice holes from usage and the rear seats were riddled with cracks. Two cans is said to be enough for 2 seats. I stretched it a bit and got the front seats, rear seat bottoms, center console, and front door handles out of the 2 cans. The rear seat backs didn't need any work other than a good cleaning.
Here is my process: Used Acetone to lift all stains and rough up the top coat of old dye. Sanded everything down with 240 grit for added adhesion. Made a patch kit for the holes out of canvas and poked it underneath the holes in the leather. Used a craft glue to hold everything down. The glue I used is strong, flexible and sand-able. I also used the glue for the really deep cracks. Once dry, resanded to get rid of the sheen and wiped everything down with lint free rags and window cleaner. Masked off the piping with 1/8? masking tape. Then shot everything down with many fine coats of dye. The center console I removed from the car and disassembled to get underneath the lips of the edges. Total cost $45 and about 6 hours of labor. We are going to let it fully cure for the next 2 days to give the dye a chance to really adhere to the leather. I could have used another can of dye as I wanted to do the lower portions of the center console. As far as color matching goes....the dye is really close. But you have to take into consideration that you are trying to match 10 year old leather that has developed its own 'patina' from usage and sun damage. Thats where creative masking and blending comes into play.
Ive gotten some great info on this forum. This is my way of giving back. Hope it helps someone with a case of nasty interior-itis.
Before Shots
After Shots
The wife has been complaining about her car and how its been neglected over the years. In reality its 10 years old and has hauled 2 kids a blond lab etc. So to stave off the next 'I need a new car' rant, I fixed the coolant leak on Monday and ordered some leather dye to freshen up the well worn interior. I gave World Upholstery the interior code and they sent me two cans of dye. The drivers side bolster had 2 nice holes from usage and the rear seats were riddled with cracks. Two cans is said to be enough for 2 seats. I stretched it a bit and got the front seats, rear seat bottoms, center console, and front door handles out of the 2 cans. The rear seat backs didn't need any work other than a good cleaning.
Here is my process: Used Acetone to lift all stains and rough up the top coat of old dye. Sanded everything down with 240 grit for added adhesion. Made a patch kit for the holes out of canvas and poked it underneath the holes in the leather. Used a craft glue to hold everything down. The glue I used is strong, flexible and sand-able. I also used the glue for the really deep cracks. Once dry, resanded to get rid of the sheen and wiped everything down with lint free rags and window cleaner. Masked off the piping with 1/8? masking tape. Then shot everything down with many fine coats of dye. The center console I removed from the car and disassembled to get underneath the lips of the edges. Total cost $45 and about 6 hours of labor. We are going to let it fully cure for the next 2 days to give the dye a chance to really adhere to the leather. I could have used another can of dye as I wanted to do the lower portions of the center console. As far as color matching goes....the dye is really close. But you have to take into consideration that you are trying to match 10 year old leather that has developed its own 'patina' from usage and sun damage. Thats where creative masking and blending comes into play.
Ive gotten some great info on this forum. This is my way of giving back. Hope it helps someone with a case of nasty interior-itis.
Before Shots
After Shots
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#2
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flsteve (07-01-2014)
#3
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#6
Sure Adam,
I put the whole list in my original post.
Acetone
Aerosol Dye
220 grit sand paper
Crack filler (I used craft glue because I was impatient and didnt want to scurry around town looking for Leather crack filler.) I would recommend buying the crack filler since you will have to buy the paint as well.
This is the 3rd car I have re-dyed. First was my old Porsche 964, and the second was my Lotus Esprit with Magnolia interior.
Patience and preparation is the key in any paint job. Clean the surface with the Acetone or leather approved dye stripper. You dont need to rub off all the coloring, just the top layer. It gets all the body oil off. Then start sanding the hide to rough it up. On the bigger cracks sand them enough to get the loose parts off then fill with filler. Re-sand to feather out the edges. Vacuume everything then wipe down with a damp, lint free cloth. Allow to dry. Leather 'dye' paint is very forgiving. Its not so much a dye as it is more a paint that has a ton of elastimer(sp) in it. For a complete interior job get 4 cans. Im ordering another 2 cans to finish the backrests on the rear seats and the lower center console. Its not a hard job If you take your time to prep and mask properly. Best part is you can do it without removing the seats.
I put the whole list in my original post.
Acetone
Aerosol Dye
220 grit sand paper
Crack filler (I used craft glue because I was impatient and didnt want to scurry around town looking for Leather crack filler.) I would recommend buying the crack filler since you will have to buy the paint as well.
This is the 3rd car I have re-dyed. First was my old Porsche 964, and the second was my Lotus Esprit with Magnolia interior.
Patience and preparation is the key in any paint job. Clean the surface with the Acetone or leather approved dye stripper. You dont need to rub off all the coloring, just the top layer. It gets all the body oil off. Then start sanding the hide to rough it up. On the bigger cracks sand them enough to get the loose parts off then fill with filler. Re-sand to feather out the edges. Vacuume everything then wipe down with a damp, lint free cloth. Allow to dry. Leather 'dye' paint is very forgiving. Its not so much a dye as it is more a paint that has a ton of elastimer(sp) in it. For a complete interior job get 4 cans. Im ordering another 2 cans to finish the backrests on the rear seats and the lower center console. Its not a hard job If you take your time to prep and mask properly. Best part is you can do it without removing the seats.
#7
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#8
#9
#10
Plums,
I can only comment on the World Upholstery brand as it's the only one I have used on my last projects. for what it's worth, they specialize in vintage soft parts for Porsche Ferrari, Jag etc. I gave them the color code NED as it's the interior color code found on the vin plate on the door jam IIRC. There should be two sets of color codes, interior and exterior on the vin sticker. I gave the gal on the phone the year and code (NED) and she said "that's ivory". I already knew that, but it was nice to hear conformation.
Color bomb? Not sure exactly what that is. It's specialized spray paint, in an aerosol can. like I said before, the color will not be a 100% match. Your leather has changed colors due to age, UV damage etc. You can blend or respray the entire piece. I used masking tape and paper towels to protect from over spray.
The hardest part was getting over the mental block of "I'm going to mess up my car seats." The first car I re-dyed was my old Porsche. The front seats were really bad and I was planning on getting them recovered so a $20 temporary fix was a no brainer. Well, they came out so good that I never had them recovered and did another quick touch up 3 years later on the side bolster.
I can only comment on the World Upholstery brand as it's the only one I have used on my last projects. for what it's worth, they specialize in vintage soft parts for Porsche Ferrari, Jag etc. I gave them the color code NED as it's the interior color code found on the vin plate on the door jam IIRC. There should be two sets of color codes, interior and exterior on the vin sticker. I gave the gal on the phone the year and code (NED) and she said "that's ivory". I already knew that, but it was nice to hear conformation.
Color bomb? Not sure exactly what that is. It's specialized spray paint, in an aerosol can. like I said before, the color will not be a 100% match. Your leather has changed colors due to age, UV damage etc. You can blend or respray the entire piece. I used masking tape and paper towels to protect from over spray.
The hardest part was getting over the mental block of "I'm going to mess up my car seats." The first car I re-dyed was my old Porsche. The front seats were really bad and I was planning on getting them recovered so a $20 temporary fix was a no brainer. Well, they came out so good that I never had them recovered and did another quick touch up 3 years later on the side bolster.
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plums (11-19-2011)
#11
#13
"Why not remove the seats?" Good question.......Hmmm. This isn't my car so I dont have the intimate knowledge like on my Range Rover. Thus quite frankly, I didnt know if removing the front seats was going to be a 5 minute job or a 45 minute job and breaking little plastic clips in the process But now I know, Thanks! Besides the most damage was on the seating surfaces not lower portions of the seats. With the generous for and aft movement of the seats I was able to get down enough to blend. We ordered 2 more cans of paint so I can finish the rear seat backs and lower console plus have some spare for touch ups. Picky me will probably remove the front seats now that I know its an easy job.
#14
Thanks for the post. My seats look bad but not as bad as what yours looked like. I went to a local Tandy leather dealer awhile back and was told my seats are too far gone to bother with. Now you've given me another project that I can do on my own. My one question is about the glue you used, but a quick google on leather crack filler took care of that.
#16
For the crack filler I decided to use a 2 part epoxy because any of the other products I used either lifted or cracked again within a few weeks.
It's been over 6 months and the cracks have not returned. The seats look just like the day I did them.
Use the epoxy sparingly. You don't want to build it up to high or you'll be doing a lot of extra sanding. I thinned mine and used a good artist paintbrush to get it exactly where I wanted it.
It's been over 6 months and the cracks have not returned. The seats look just like the day I did them.
Use the epoxy sparingly. You don't want to build it up to high or you'll be doing a lot of extra sanding. I thinned mine and used a good artist paintbrush to get it exactly where I wanted it.
#17
I have the same interior as your car but it wasn't as bad as yours when I came into possession of it, however it was quite dirty. Sean B gave me some gliptone which cleaned it up fairly well and I got a tin of special compound that restored the colour to the lovely white of original. Then quite by accident we discovered that tar & insect remover spray cleans it better than anything else!
Well done on your job though, no doubt many users will find your guidance useful.
Well done on your job though, no doubt many users will find your guidance useful.
#18
Last edited by plums; 01-10-2012 at 12:15 PM.