Anyone DIY re-dye their seats?

I am tossing around the idea of re-dying my seats to bring them up to perfect condition. I have been doing a lot of reading and I was just curious to hear from anyone that has done it of their experience/tips/tricks etc. This is a great article that I have read through a few times, and from all I have read, Leatherique truly is an amazing product.

Ferrari Re-dye by Mike Charness | Leatherique Restoration Products

I'd love to hear from anyone who has had experience with this or thoughts from the crowd about pitfalls etc.

 

Not a big fan of it. All I can say is they look "re-dyed"
A friend just had his old mercedes done and is not happy at all, won't even talk to anyone and it's been a month.

 

I have just finished a re-dy of the seats, door panels, and console on my 94 348. The seats and console are light grey while the door panels are black. A good precleaning is essential. My seats had been sprayed by the PO with the generic dye sold in stores like Auto Zone. The color was wrong plus the dye builds up on the surface rather than penetrate the leather. I used lacquer thinner to clean this off with the added benefit this also removed any buildup of oils, prior treatments with agents like Amorall, etc.. This suggestion came from Leatherique.

I found the grey to be difficult to work with and ended up applying multiple (5-6) light coats to obtain the desired results free of streaks. Also I used a high quality china bristle brush rather than paper towels mentioned on the Leatherique website. Also brush the dye in by stroking in multiple directions with progressively lighter pressure The black was much easier to work with maybe because I had learned on the grey. After the dye had cured for 48 hours minimum I rubbed everything down with 1000-1200 grit sandpaper. The end result was a smooth surface with consistent color and no streaking/brush marks. I am very happy with the results but found the time required to achieve was much longer than I originally anticipated. I spent in excess of 25 hours from start to finish.

Hope this helps. Let me know if you have specific questions.

Brewman

 

I re-dyed my 348 seats last year and I'm happy with the results. My seats were in a really bad shape, and they needed something to be done. So before putting new leather, the best way and the more expensive too, I tryed the dye.

My advice; if your seats are not too bad, let them as they are and use some specialized conditioning products. Re-dyed leather looks pretty good, but has a different touch.

Here is the link of my seats restoration thread:

http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/348-355-sponsored-bradan/424902-seats-restoration-diy.html

 

Brewman,
Awesome tips and pointers. My plan would eventually be to do the entire interior to guarantee a 100% match/finish/shine of the whole cabin. Did you use the Leatherique products? What would be your thoughts on using a spray gun instead of brushing it on?

 

I did my 308 console a few years ago with Leatherique. I used an air brush. Was thrilled with the results, but it wasn't easy. The dye is very thin, and yet contains particles that constantly clogged the air brush. The air brush has to be thoroughly cleaned between each application. To avoid runs, you want the part you are spraying to be laying down on its back, side to be sprayed straight up facing the ceiling. After the dye dries, reposition and spray another area. The color (I used beige) wasn't hard to blend. But this process called for the largest piece of the console needing like 6 separate spray applications. Anything more where you were spraying around a curve or a side standing vertically, the dye would run.

A thorough cleaning with lacquer thinner and prep per the Leatherique instructions was essential. The lacquer thinner will soften the glue holding the leather to its backing, so using the right amount - not too much, but enough to clean and remove the hard outer coating of the old dye, is essential.

In the end, I had no idea how faded my leather was, until I completed a few pieces of my console and compared them to the rest of the car. Take a look:

http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/308-328/356814-do-you-want-see-something-amazing.html

If you make a mistake, it's not the end of the world. Just lacquer thinner the part clean again, and restart the dye application process.

 

Phil,
Loved your thread and the associated pics...you've convinced me that the Leatherique system is the way to go. I may ping you for some extra tips via PM if you don't mind in regards to the airbrush etc. Thanks for sharing! I'll take plenty of pics to document my process.

 

I did mine with leatherique...

I actually updated my tan color to the "newer" version off Ferrari tan which is a little darker. That was a mistake because any scratches make the older, lighter color appear so my first suggestion is to send a piece of leather to leatherique so they can scan it and keep Your existing color. Also, the dye is not actually a die, it's more of a paint.

My interior has held up well since I did it 2+ years ago and I am happy with the results.

Don't even bother brushing the dye, all the streaks and brush marks will show. The only way to do it is with an airgun. I bought one on ebay and it was fairly cheap.

see pics of my work here:

http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/348-355-sponsored-bradan/341922-my-355-mini-restoration-story-10.html

 

A airbrush may have to small of a needle.

You need to get a small touch up gun and spray it. It should come with different needle and cap so you can spray it right.

The stuff works but your car is only original once.
The truly best way to remedy the interior is with new leather.

Try the leatherique and then if it doesn't work you can always get new leather.