subject: Repairing Your Car Seat Leather [print this page] Due to the rise in popularity of leather finishes in modern cars and the high number of classic cars that are now on the roads leather restoration products have improved drastically. You can now restore almost any leather no matter how badly damaged it is. However, to get good results you need to use the more expensive products.
The most vital step in restoring your car's leather seats is to get a good colour match. In your owners manual you should find a series of colour codes for your car. If that information is not available there, ask your local dealer or the vehicles owners club instead. In addition, the companies that sell leather restoration products can often supply an exact match if you tell them the make, model and exact date of first registration of your vehicle. Failing all of the above cut a small piece of leather from under the seat and send that away to the leather restoration company.
Once you have your dye start by hoovering the seat you want to restore, then clean it with a damp cloth. Next, clean it several times with a good leather cleaner. Make sure that you use the correct cleaner. Cleaners designed for use on furniture can sometimes damage the leather that car seats are made out of. Do not scrub too hard, it is better to clean the same area several times gently than to scrub. If there are areas that remain dirty you can use a soft bristled brush and plenty of leather cleaner to clean them. Use a circular motion and be gentle.
Pick a small area that is not easily visible to test the dye on. Be sure that the product is completely dry before deciding if the result is OK and treating other areas. If you are happy then begin by treating any cracks or creases with some of the dye, which has been diluted by 30%. When this is done and is dry you can then treat the whole seat.
The day after dying your seats treat them with a good leather conditioner. Use the same brand of conditioner as the cleaner and dye you have just used.
