355 - Seat reconditioning | FerrariChat

355 Seat reconditioning

Discussion in '348/355' started by DanRC30, Feb 17, 2025.

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  1. DanRC30

    DanRC30 Karting

    Dec 8, 2011
    204
    NJ
    Full Name:
    Dan
  2. sherrillt

    sherrillt Formula 3
    Rossa Subscribed

    Jan 1, 2009
    1,119
    Northern Virginia
    There are several products available. Here’s one.

     
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  3. JM280z

    JM280z Formula Junior

    Aug 22, 2020
    878
    Full Name:
    Jake
    My leather is like cardboard at this point. I’d love to send the seats out to be redone. Any suggestions to remake seats for these cars? I heard of a guy in California but this was many years ago and at the time, I think he was retired too.
     
  4. krazykarguy

    krazykarguy Formula Junior

    Apr 17, 2014
    732
    Fort Mill, SC
    Full Name:
    Matt
    Colourlock seems to have been bought out by 'Koch Chemie' and I cannot find the correct Ferrari tan on their site any longer. It seems as though Koch would rather sell you a master kit to mix your own custom (read: not matched) tan color which is aimed at a business that does leather restoration rather than a DIY solution.

    The colourlock website now takes you to https://kcxusa.com and I'm all ears if you can give a link to the correct Colourlock product that is mentioned dozens of times on this site for seat restoration.

    If not, another suggestion for tan leather restoration would be appreciated!
     
  5. DanRC30

    DanRC30 Karting

    Dec 8, 2011
    204
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    Full Name:
    Dan
    This came with my car when I bought it from my friend. He said he used it once and it looked great for a couple of years. I'll use it again if nobody has better options. He said the color match was perfect. Anyone else used this product?
     
  6. DanRC30

    DanRC30 Karting

    Dec 8, 2011
    204
    NJ
    Full Name:
    Dan
  7. POLO35

    POLO35 Formula Junior

    Feb 21, 2005
    783
    Treasure Coast Florida
    Full Name:
    MATT
    A good upholstery shop can prep sand fill and dye those seats and will look 95% better they won't look new but they will look significantly better you just have to find the right shop. Or if you're handy you can DIY but this is one of those things where a little experience will provide a significantly better result. I did my Mercedes armrest last year with Leatherique and it came out absolutely perfect and flawless. It is a water-based product but dries very quickly and it's easy to work with.
     
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  8. DanRC30

    DanRC30 Karting

    Dec 8, 2011
    204
    NJ
    Full Name:
    Dan
    There are no upholstery shops anywhere near me, and I'm pretty confident I can do it myself successfully. I need to find out what cleaner to use and what sanding pads to use. The previous owner gave me the filler and leather "paint" he was going to use on the seats, and he said the color is a perfect match. So I have that stuff. I see videos online about cleaners and pads, but they don't mention the specific brands they use. I was hoping someone would chime in with some product suggestions. I'll keep researching. Spending thousands of dollars on aftermarket replacement covers isn't where I want to spend my money, especially since the passenger seat is so nice. If I just replaced the driver's seat, I'm afraid of an imperfect match and it would look weird.
     
  9. POLO35

    POLO35 Formula Junior

    Feb 21, 2005
    783
    Treasure Coast Florida
    Full Name:
    MATT
    I can't remember but go on the Leatherique website I think they have their step-by-step instructions.
     
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  10. johnk...

    johnk... F1 World Champ
    Owner

    Jun 11, 2004
    11,219
    CT
    Full Name:
    John Kreskovsky
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  11. DanRC30

    DanRC30 Karting

    Dec 8, 2011
    204
    NJ
    Full Name:
    Dan
    I'm pretty sure I already have that, but haven't used it on anything yet. I think the cracks in the top layer of the leather are beyond leatherique. It needs to be cleaned, sanded down, filled with flexible filler, and recoated.


    Wow, that looks great! Any before pics? What did you use to refinish?
     
  12. ChoonHound

    ChoonHound Formula 3
    Silver Subscribed

    May 13, 2022
    2,215
    Saint Michaels, MD
    Full Name:
    Lucas
  13. johnk...

    johnk... F1 World Champ
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    Jun 11, 2004
    11,219
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    John Kreskovsky
    I used a home made concoction.
     
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  14. steved033

    steved033 F1 World Champ
    Owner Silver Subscribed

    Apr 12, 2017
    10,051
    Atlanta, GA
    Full Name:
    Steve D.
    I'll probably use the colorplus people (who color match to a sample) for the GT4. the leather is in good shape, but needs to be dyed.

    https://colorplus.com/
     
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  15. BMW.SauberF1Team

    BMW.SauberF1Team F1 World Champ

    Dec 4, 2004
    14,428
    FL
    I don't have an Fcar, but I do have rare leather sport car seats no shop near me would touch. I ended up DIY'ing it given it had a tear plus extensive cracks. Please be aware using filler like I had to do and sanding will remove the normal grain finish and not look right so maybe don't use filler unless deep cracks and a tear like I had...it will be a smooth finish. AMMO NYC youtube guy did a video of something similar where he used an airbrush or something to recreate the grain texture. That was on a trip to a BMW shop in NC or something if you want to see his technique.

    The product I used does have Ferrari colors, but I will say my color was not 100% spot on likely due to age of the seats and UV light (convertible) so it's best to dye (paint) the entire seat...and both...to match uniformly. https://www.leathertouchupdye.com/ I have no affiliation to them and bought the product on my own full price, which was reasonable.
     
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  16. DanRC30

    DanRC30 Karting

    Dec 8, 2011
    204
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    Full Name:
    Dan
    Probably about 2 hours...
     
  17. DanRC30

    DanRC30 Karting

    Dec 8, 2011
    204
    NJ
    Full Name:
    Dan
    Well, it came out ok. Color is close, but not perfect. Close enough though I think since it definitely looks way better IMO and once it gets used it'll probably blend better instead of looking so freah. Perhaps replacement will happen one day.... We'll see ..
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  18. deeej84

    deeej84 Karting

    Jun 9, 2013
    64
    Sylvan Lake, Alberta
    Full Name:
    Dustin Johnston
    That's a huge improvement! Especially for doing it yourself with no background in redying. I had mine done about 6 years ago at a local shop but I plan on getting an upholstery shop to releather it. Problem is, I'm in Alberta, Canada and if I'm going to do it, I want it as close to OEM as possible. Does anyone have any suggestions in Western Canada or West Coast USA. I'm willing to drive the seats somewhere if I know it's going to be done correct.
     
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  19. ShineKen

    ShineKen F1 World Champ
    Silver Subscribed

    Aug 3, 2007
    19,892
    Southern California
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    Nostradamus
    Did some die color come off while you were cleaning with acetone?
     
  20. cuneo

    cuneo Formula 3
    Silver Subscribed

    Nov 20, 2006
    2,469
    Local guy in SoCal did this yesterday on the F355, bummed I didn’t do it sooner. My car has 80k miles and I’m pretty sure it was original unrefinished leather before yesterday.
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  21. ShineKen

    ShineKen F1 World Champ
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    Aug 3, 2007
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    Nostradamus
    Shop name?
     
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  22. johnk...

    johnk... F1 World Champ
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    Jun 11, 2004
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    Yes.
     

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