Leather care on older neglected Ferrari

Leather care on neglected older Ferrari: my 1985 308 QV has a black leather interior piped red. I've seen that Ferrari leather interiors wear rather quickly, but because this car, although old, only has 11K miles on it, the leather seems in good shape- but dry. Not cracked, though. What products have any of y'all found to be useful in rejuvenating these interiors? Advice much appreciated.

 

Griots garage has something called Leather Rejuvinator, that I really like for the 308 interior. Smells like leather too, which keeps the interior smelling nice.

https://www.amazon.com/Griots-Garage-11141-Leather-Rejuvenator/dp/B002LNJZKU

 

Hi Jim, this topic has been discussed many many times here. Use the search function to catch up on the various products. Leatherique seems to be very popular. There are others.

 

Thanks to all!

 

Lexol is the best I have found. It is thinner and seems to be absorbed into the leather better than other products like Leatherique, Griots and Gliptone that I have tried.


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i've used leatherique these past few years with good results. nice people who know their stuff also.

i'm getting old and creaky and have trouble getting my seats in/out of the car, so i missed last year's treatment.

but..... if you follow their directions, you will be most impressed.

 

Let the Leatherique sit on the leather for 24 hours before you use the cleaner. It's very good stuff.

 

I did a complete Leatherique restoration of my black seats 18 years ago. Stripped the brittle leather paint completely and redyed it with Leatherique dye strictly following their instructions.
Still holds very well with just a little bit of wear on the side bolsters.

Best from Germany
Martin

 

i used color plus "soffener". I love it...I got an old spraybottle to apply and leave it on. The seats in my 348 have actually unshrunk and de-wrinkled a bit. I"ve used in it an austin healey that was so dry you could poke your finger through the leather. It made the seats useable again.

sjd

 

This?

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https://colorplus.com/products/soffener-leather-conditioner-1-2-pint

https://colorplus.com/

 

Works for single color seats. But what about dying seats that have different color piping?

 

thats the stuff...

if your leather is dry, like it was on my 348, it can split the leather at any sewn seam (like it did on my 348), so be very very careful in the meantime because it can be like a perforated piece of paper.

Check with them about using it on light colored interiors! I've only ever used it on black, and can't remember if there are any discoloration warnings.

sjd

 

I have used Leattherique in the past - worked well but allow it to sit in the sun for good results.

 

I used Leatherique also with good results

 

I did mine. Turned out great,
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You aren't kidding it did.

 

Did yours with what product?

 

Impressive!

 

AutoLeatherDye

 

All 308 Connolly leather had a lacquer top coat applied which basically makes absorbtion of any applied leather product useless. Removing the top coat is essential in refurbishing the leather. Leatherique has a good tutorial ans well as the numerous threads in FChat.

 

Absolutely. That's what I did. Removal of the old laquer top coat and all paint with laquer thinner was a PITA though working outside during late fall 2001. Sometimes I had the feeling, that my fingers, though protected with thick rubber gloves, will get frostbitten.

Working on the seats:

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Paint stripped:

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Finished:

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P.S.: no clue how to perform the job on seats with piping and vinyl-applications in a different colour

Best from Germany
Martin

 

can also try Leather Balm from Four seasons,
let is sit for a while before wiping off.... Four Seasons Leather Balsam waterproofer and conditioner helps condition and seal your favorite leathers. Not to mention, it hydrates leathers and protects them from everyday elements and stains. This Leather Balsam comes in a convenient 5.5 ounce container to help revive most of your leather goods for a newer look. Simply apply to your favorite leathers and see instant improvement. You’ll be glad you did!

https://luckyfeetshoes.com/product/four-seasons-leather-balsam/?gclid=CjwKCAiAmNbwBRBOEiwAqcwwpV4Xlam9o-VjDn9r7HyHgcnBCi2NWAS8KsupZkV0KI4C07YOEFvULBoCu2MQAvD_BwE

 

Like Carl T. (cmt6891) said. Probably useful on modern leather which has an open surface, but totally useless on our old Conolly leather, which is laquered and therefore isolates anything 'softing' or 'conditioning'.
On these leathers most products just smell good and are otherwise money thrown out of the window.
The advantage of a full Leatherique job including stripping the old paint, is, that the new dye doesn't create an isolating paint layer and therefore future repeated Rejuvenator Oil treatmens actually care for the leather.

Best from Germany
Martin

 

I've been going through this on my 348. some fool did one of those airbrush touchup jobs and the finish literally gets sticky in hot weather.

sjd

 

This is my leather refurb using Leatherique:
http://www.leatherique.com/do_it_your_self_instruction/ferrari-re-dye-by-mike-char.html

and photos of the result here:
http://www.mlcpartners.com/ferrari/interior/