Faded leather. Leave as is, dye?

Tinkering with doors this winter.

I am going to get the plastic parts refinished.

I started to notice the color variation of the leather on the interior. To my eye, it's so bad I began wondering if it is all original. It is. Car started out in FL and got faded.

I am wondering if I should try some of the dyes available?
Even it out a little or leave as is?
I would be interested in hearing if anyone else has tried it and how it went!

I really didn't realize how dirty they are until I got them out of the car for the pictures! The color under the grab handle is probably representative of what it looked like originally.

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It's funny where the dark part is actually where the door is closed section. And the light part is from the sun. I would try a extremely deep clean. Check out Larry from Ammo. Some of his videos might help. But a clean will make it better butnot perfect.

 

Agree that cleaning will make it better, especially that arm rest. However, the damage has been done. Unless you dye the entire panel, it's never going to match. up. There are some pretty good dye guys, but it's mostly a top coat that will be sprayed on, dying your thread in the process. I would much rather look for a good used set from a coupe on eBay, resell yours afterward to gain back some money. Should end up cheaper than a good dye job and the leather will be all original. Then you'll realize that your seats don't match

 

First step is to do the leatherique Pristine cleaner treatment, I think you will be surprised how well that will come up.

 

^^^^ Try this first.

I have a Crema interior and I did the Leatherique deal. First the cleaner then followed with the matching "dye" from Colourlock.

The color match was right on but unfortunately it is more kind of a paint instead of something that will soak into the leather. It worked out OK but you need to kinda find a system of how you apply it so it looks natural. It did seem to get a better look after a few hundred miles and it does clean up nicely.

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I get what you mean with that stuff its good to do a small patch or creases scratches but not a whole panel, it will look rubbish!

To full reno a door panel or seat / bolster, it needs to be done by a pro and costs Dollar, a plaster is no good!

 

Its Rejuvenating now... I had to order more Pristine Clean.
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I am also attempting to repair some of the plastic parts prior to refinishing.
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Loctite Super Glue works great on the plastic pieces.
In my business, I have experimented with all brands of "super glue" and they are not created equal.
But with that said, I'd probably order new plastic bezels (if available).

Keep us here posted on the progress

 

Body oils can be another factor in color fading. I like the Leatherique system to deep clean. Then maintain with whatever you like the smell of.

 

If you are okay sending me the broken parts. We will happily recreate a new one for you and send you back the original.

 

Here are a few examples of what we do.
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These are still available new. They aren’t even that expensive

 

That is what I used!

They are not quite as pretty as I hoped, but they are amazingly stiff and strong now. I super glued at the cracks and then bonded some .003inch stainless steel shim stock to them.
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I think I have read every negative article about Leatherique I can find on the web. I feel that if you follow the recommended process with the Rejuvenating oil for a few days and follow that up with a Pristine Clean they look as good as they can. If you wait 24 hours after the Pristine Clean to assess your work, I think you will be really happy!
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This photo really shows how much the leather has faded! There is black goo holding the driver's side molding onto the door. I don't know what it is and if it its supposed to be there or someone put it there. I am afraid to remove it.
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I know. I have had them offered. I think new ones are actually less expensive than getting these refinished. That was my backup if this failed completely.

However, as Dave says, new ones will get sticky too! New ones will also crack again too! They could crack, but I doubt it.

 

An actual glue up...

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Very nice! Good idea with the shim stock. I've been using gem clips with epoxy for broken plastics on my old Landcruiser.

 

I have been working up to dyeing my leather. When I was a kid I built Tamiya models and had an airbrush. I got it out and started experimenting...

So far, pretty happy with the results. I am not trying to achieve "like new" perfection, just more uniformity.

You can really see the variety of colors here.
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