Leather car questions

Firm believe in Leatherique here. I have used most of their products and do so just as you describe above. I have also used the orange and brown bottle stuff. The brown is good, the orange I have found too violent for maintenance. I stick with Leatherique.

-rick, '79 308GTB

 

Jeff,

I use Leatherique on my 328 (tan), 911SC (black), and BMW 3.0 CS (tan). Initially, I followed Leatherique's advice and did a triple application: oil/Prestine, repeat, repeat again. A lot of work, but the results were absolutely amazing! Soft, supple leather. Now I apply the rejuvenator oil/Prestine once per year, during the hot summer months, and do a quick wipe down with the Prestine several times per year, usually before shows.

 

I have the Leatherique stuff sitting here waiting to be applied, but I ran out of warm weather and everyone says to apply it when it's hot outside.

I'm assuming you can use the Leatherique products on door panels and dashes, too?

 

I only use the oil on leather, although I believe you can use the Prestine Clean on vinyl; I don't. I use Zaino products for vinyl...

 

Aren't the dash and door panels (and center tunnel) covered in leather on the 328?

 

Yes, at least I know the late ones are. My '79 308GTB has a vinyl dash and console. Door panels are leather except for armrests and map pockets. They are vinyl. Speaker grills are aluminum.

-rick

 

You do NOT have to wait until it is warm to treat the leather...it may ENHANCE penetration, but do it now, rather than wait.

328's have vinyl dashes....as do the 308's. Door panels are a combination of leather and vinyl portions. Consoles are vinyl on early 308's. Leather on later 308's and 328's.

 

OK, I guess I have time for one Leatherique treatment before the car goes into storage for the winter. We'll see how it works at 40 degrees Fahrenheit

 

Are we talking options or year-models now? My friend's '89 328 has a leather dash and console. The dash and instrument pods are that slightly brown color. My '79 308 is a vinyl beauty!

 

Has anyone re-dyed the seats in a 328? Does it work well, or is it better to replace them. Mine have slight ware and cracking. They look fine from a distance but up close, one can tell the cracking is there.

 

Here is the thread of my dye job. Also search for Mike Charness. He had a wealth of knowledge on the subject. The people at Leatherique are very helpful.

http://ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=110240

Regards,

Stew

 

Thanks, I'll check this out as it may be a good winter project. However, I may need to wait until things warm up to spray them.

With the seats out of the car, how long did the project take?

 

Thanks Jeff. Watch out for rust if you are serious about a 3.0! Warm/hot weather for application works best, it alllows the oil to penetrate deeper...

 

Lexol is the brand in the orange and brown bottles. I have used it on all of my new cars, but not on my 308 yet. I am trying to decide between Lexol and Prestine. Since I have many bottles of Lexol, I'd rather use it than buy yet another bottle to put in my overflowing cabinet!

Anyone use Lexol on their Ferrari Leather yet?

 

Ok, here is the very short version. If you search under leatherique on Fchat you will discover that the leather dye used on the Connely leather on our Fcars was laquer based until a few years ago. The touch up spray cans were also laquer based. As the dye got older, the laquer based dye dried and hardened and formed a "plastic like" barrier. The modern leather dyes are water based and don't do this.

Anyway, if the leather is dry and cracking or just old, you won't have much success with Lexol and even with Leatherique.

Look at my old post.

http://ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=110240

The first step is to strip off the top layer of dye with laquer thinner, then use leatherique rejuvenator for a few days to soften the leather, then apply a fresh layer of dye. The results are amazing. Leatherique has everything you need.

Regards,

Stew

 

Yes. The following pictures are taken with a flash and that makes the color look more gray. The seats are matte blue with a black dash, console and carpet. The door panels are not yet done but the driver's side is off right now and soaking up Rejouv. Oil in prep for a respray of Leatherique dye.

rick '79 308gtb
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The heat just speeds up the process. One of the procedures discussed is to lather up the leather with R-Oil then cover the surface with plastic wrap. That controls evaporation. The heat just helps the process along.

BTW, you are going to be pleased.

rick