Driver seat bolster - Leather redye DIY | FerrariChat

Driver seat bolster - Leather redye DIY

Discussion in '360/430' started by GWARREND, May 7, 2013.

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  1. GWARREND

    GWARREND Formula Junior

    Sep 23, 2012
    525
    Ontario, Canada
    Full Name:
    Greg
    #1 GWARREND, May 7, 2013
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
    My 01 360 with 12K miles had a 2 inch wear on the driver side bolster. I repaired it using color-matched dye and instructions from Bespoke Leather. Very pleased with the results and recommend Bespoke to anyone interested in a leather repair DIY. Bespoke Leathering.com

    Detailed application instructions at bottom of page here :
    Buy Leather Repair Online (I am in not associated with Bespoke)

    STEPS:
    1. Pop off the seat belt leather cap and send to Bespoke to have the color matched. Alternatively, send your leather fob cover assuming it is an exact match to your seats. It is worth the wait to have a perfect match. Take a "before shot" to compare your final work to - I forgot to and wish I had.

    2. Read the instructions a few times before starting and practice on something other than your seat. I redyed my fob first which was in really rough shape.

    3. Before applying the dye, I removed the seat which makes it easier to clean, prep and work with. Bright light is an asset. http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/360-430/247697-360-seat-removal.html

    4. With seat removed, be sure to remove the center bottom cushion section which is attached with 2 clips at back of seat (see pics), velcro and a plastic metal clip at front. Remove rear clips first, then seperate the velcro bottom then remove front clip. You will be shocked at the dirt between the center cushion and seat. I found tags, coins and other mystery things here.

    5. Clean the seat with dishsoap which makes the biggest difference with the stitching. I then used Leatherique cleaner until no more dirt came out (4 rounds of scrubbing). At this point the seat looked like new except for the bolster. I then used 1800 grit and lightly wet sanded the bolster area. It will look worse than when you started which is part of the healing process.

    6. I applied the dye as follows using a sponge first - 3x applicaitons in tough areas - 20% dye/80% - then used airbrush - 3x applications 20% dye/80% water to build up a thin base, then 3x 40%/60% and 2x 50%/50%. Most important step here is to ensure each application is dry before applying the next. Working with the seat in late afternoon sun helped a lot.

    7. Use this opportunity to clean the carpets under the seat and reinstall.
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  2. cm2

    cm2 Formula 3

    Sep 26, 2012
    1,451
    SF Bay
    Full Name:
    Nathan
    Super cool! Thanks for the post!
     
  3. Chiaroman

    Chiaroman Formula 3
    Rossa Subscribed

    Apr 21, 2004
    1,657
    New Jersey
    Great Job!!!

    After the Leatherique did you wash thoroughly with soap and water to clean off the oily residue?
     
  4. GWARREND

    GWARREND Formula Junior

    Sep 23, 2012
    525
    Ontario, Canada
    Full Name:
    Greg
    Thanks. I used the Leatherique soap which did not leave an oily residue. After cleaning and before application the seat had a matte finish. Incredible really for a 12 year old seat.
     
  5. RWebber

    RWebber Formula Junior

    Apr 17, 2013
    304
    Grasslands, USA
    Full Name:
    R Webber
    Can you elaborate on removing the bottom seat cushion please?
    Are they snaps or "U" clips?

    Looks so fantastic and easy that you make mne want to do it
     
  6. GWARREND

    GWARREND Formula Junior

    Sep 23, 2012
    525
    Ontario, Canada
    Full Name:
    Greg
    See above pic #3 above - underside of cushion. You will see the 2 rear seat u clips (black) on left side of the picture. With your seat installed in the car, you can reach these with your hand an unclip them. Give it a try. Hope this helps!
     
  7. Trent

    Trent Formula 3

    Dec 10, 2003
    2,013
    Indialantic, FL
    Full Name:
    Trent
    Great write up. Its this type of post that keeps me coming back to FChat!

    NOTE: Before pictures on this type of cosmetic DIY are priceless.
     
  8. mark5scuba

    mark5scuba Formula Junior

    Nov 27, 2012
    266
    Vero Beach
    Full Name:
    Mark Ross
  9. GWARREND

    GWARREND Formula Junior

    Sep 23, 2012
    525
    Ontario, Canada
    Full Name:
    Greg
    #9 GWARREND, May 7, 2013
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
    Give you an idea..my before pic looked similar to this with mild cracking and a 2 inch section along the seam where the tan color had worn off.
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  10. Tony360

    Tony360 Rookie

    Oct 30, 2012
    20
    USA
    Full Name:
    Tony
    My concern is the fact these seats are urethane coated. How does the dye penetrate through this coating and actually re-color the leather? Most car seat dyes are actually paint since they cannot get through the urethane. Want proof it is urethane? Put a large drop of water on your seat and you will notice it will not absorb. Instead, it just sits there or beads and runs off. Water canot get through the urethane.
     
  11. HighandDry

    HighandDry Formula Junior

    Jul 24, 2012
    447
    Seattle
    Full Name:
    Steve
    If you read, the OP wet sanded the seat.
     
  12. E60 M5

    E60 M5 Moderator
    Moderator Owner

    Jan 2, 2006
    8,061
    Wash DC area
    Full Name:
    Robert
    Great post!! Added to the DIY sticky. Thanks for sharing!!
     
  13. GWARREND

    GWARREND Formula Junior

    Sep 23, 2012
    525
    Ontario, Canada
    Full Name:
    Greg
    #13 GWARREND, May 8, 2013
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
  14. blkdiablo33

    blkdiablo33 F1 Rookie

    Jul 12, 2004
    4,351
    wow looks great
     
  15. Mo T

    Mo T Formula Junior

    Nov 26, 2011
    478
    Saudi Arabia
    Full Name:
    Mohammed
    +1 ... great thread thanks for sharing the process and the results.
     
  16. futureferraribuyer

    futureferraribuyer Formula Junior

    Jun 23, 2010
    296
    Fantastic results and look forward to trying it on my own car.
    How do you remove the seat belt to complete take out the seat?
     
  17. GWARREND

    GWARREND Formula Junior

    Sep 23, 2012
    525
    Ontario, Canada
    Full Name:
    Greg
    You will see a leather cap down by where the belt is bolted to the seat. Remove it with a credit card and use a socket set. All the best!
     
  18. rbellezza

    rbellezza F1 Rookie

    Jun 18, 2008
    2,792
    Henderson, NV
    Full Name:
    Roberto Bellezza
    Really great job !
     
  19. Deiger

    Deiger Formula Junior

    Jul 4, 2011
    453
    I am beginning this process with my drivers seat. A couple of questions.

    How did you determine the damage was bad enough to dye vs. just cleaning and applying conditioner?

    My wear mark does not appear as bad as yours, but I am unsure of the threshold to dye or just condition.

    Last question, using the Leatherique Clean and conditioner, did you notice any darkening of the seat color?

    Thanks for the feedback!

    Deiger
     
  20. GWARREND

    GWARREND Formula Junior

    Sep 23, 2012
    525
    Ontario, Canada
    Full Name:
    Greg
    Suggest you try leatherique first and stop there if pleased w the outcome. I do use leatherique and it is an excellent product.
     
  21. nsortor12

    nsortor12 Formula Junior

    Feb 1, 2013
    436
    Louisville
    Same process for the headrests? Both of mine are beginning to crack and I was looking to redo them very soon (within a week) but I'm worried about the embossed Cavallino on the headrest itself. If I strip the dye off, will I lose the Cavallino when I redye?
     
  22. GWARREND

    GWARREND Formula Junior

    Sep 23, 2012
    525
    Ontario, Canada
    Full Name:
    Greg
    Can you post a pic? Cracking headrest seems odd.
     
  23. nsortor12

    nsortor12 Formula Junior

    Feb 1, 2013
    436
    Louisville
    #23 nsortor12, Jul 10, 2014
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
  24. GWARREND

    GWARREND Formula Junior

    Sep 23, 2012
    525
    Ontario, Canada
    Full Name:
    Greg
    Interesting... I have not seen that before...like a shattered glass window.

    I would take the headrests out and to a leather repair shot. The cracks need to be sanded before a re-dye process.
     
  25. nsortor12

    nsortor12 Formula Junior

    Feb 1, 2013
    436
    Louisville
    Will give a shop a call tomorrow. Hopefully I can have this done by next week!

    Thanks!
     

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