Don't like the adverts?  Click here to remove them

Dye Leather Car Seats

H

helen07

Member
Joined
Nov 30, 2012
Messages
103
 
Wow! what a difference. :thumbup:
 
Looking great, could you take us through the steps to get it to the new shiny condition?
 
OK just to be sure you know these started out as blue seats and i dyed them black . Seats are only held in with 4 floor bolts .

Firstly i used deglazer , this is often suggested to be a cleaner but in reality i would call it an acid , it removes all the wax shine that leather is finished with so they dye can soak into the skin . I took the seat outside because the deglazer is potent stuff and stinks to high heaven . Simply paint the deglazer on with a paint brush and promptly rub it off again with a rag . Do a panel at a time to avoid my mistake of missing one !

I then left the seat in the UK sun for an hour to dry which is likely not long enough but i'm not the patient kind .

2 inch paint brush again to apply the dye all the while trying my best to use too much dye . I used a little art brush where the leather meets carpet on the back of the seat so dye didn't run and around seat belt lock because i couldn't be bothered to remove it .

Left the seat to dry overnight and the following morning i rubbed it over with a dry rag to remove the excess dye . The result is a patchy finish but don't worry . I then took a shoe polish brush and smothered the seat in good old fashioned Dubbin (got a big tub on ebay for a fiver) . Left the seat to soak up the oil in Dubbin for a couple of hours then smothered it again . I done this 3 times , lastly before i went to bed .

In the morning i decided the leather had had enough nourishment so just gave the whole seat a good rub down with an old tea towel until i was happy nothing would rub off onto your clothes when the seat is used .

And that's it job done . A 5 year old could do it .
 
LeatherSeatDye007_zps2b658d64.jpg


WOW ! What a great job and from what you say, a little bit of patience and elbow grease and a remarkable transformation. That really looks brand new!

:icon-cool:
 
Last edited:
Don't like the adverts?  Click here to remove them
Time wise i'd say you could complete all the seats in a day if you wanted to make a job of it , though i would suggest letting the Dubbin soak in overnight .

For those not wanting to change colour i imagine it would give your seats a new lease of life if you just used the deglazer then nourished the leather with Dubbin . My seats have had 15 years to dry out so the leather was as hard as plastic which is what caused the cracks . Now its as flexible as new so oil the leather before the cracking starts and your probably adding another 18 years to the seats life .
 
Last edited:
Nice work, they look great. :clap:
 
Fantastic job. Well done thay look excellent.
 
Dye is rubbing off onto my jeans . Obviously Dubbin is not the stuff to seal the dye in with . I have asked for some quotes to have the seats done professionally while at the same time i am searching the web for a hard wearing flexible sealer .
 
I did similar a few years ago and had the same out come. Looked far better but rubbed off a little. They actually paint the leather professionally i think. Call re colinising.
 
karl webster said:
I did similar a few years ago and had the same out come. Looked far better but rubbed off a little. They actually paint the leather professionally i think. Call re colinising.
Click to expand...

I'm pretty sure Connolly Leather used to be near me in South London but they are now in Weybridge http://www.ukhide.co.uk/connolly/

Connolly supplied most if not all of the leather for the British car industry, including but not limited to Rolls-Royce, Bentley, Aston Martin, Jaguar, TVR, and MG-Rover (which under its umbrella includes Land Rover, Range Rover, Rover cars, and MG) as well as non-British makes including Lexus, Ferrari and Lincoln. This leather was also used for the seats in the Supermarine Spitfires used in World War 2.

There may be some tips on their website for treatment of leather.
 
Interesting Chas. That must be where the name comes from maybe
 
There are renovation kits that filler for the cracks and colour matching so that you can get it back the same colour.
 
Kits are deliberately sold in small packages so you would have to spend thousands to actually repair and finish a whole seat in a different colour . I have been looking at tailored seat covers (Clazzio look great) but it seems nobody does them for a 90 .

By the way what why or who is this truck . I began searching for things under landcruiser 90 , then LC90 , then i found Prado , then i found kzj90 . almost forgot it's called a Toyota Meru in Venezuela ! . Lots of websites have categories for every type of landcruiser but nothing the 90 or 95 or Colorado . Doesn't this truck have a universal name ?
 
The more i read the more i'm forced to accept leather seats don't actually exist . In truth the leather is just a platform that is coated in vinyl to make it last . Unfortunately because i have soaked the "leather" in Dubbin no vinyl coat is likely to stick . So my choices are -

1. buy cheap and nasty universal seat covers
2. pay way over the odds for so called tailored seat covers which i imagine will fit only slightly better than the universal ones .
3. pay for a pro re-trim .

Any suggestions for a cheap re-trim in south wales ?
 
Hallelujah !

It seem's i'm not the first with this problem . The dye rubs off because it is not finished . I really must start reading instructions before throwing them away ! .

The dye must be coated with Fiebings Acrylic Resolene or it will rub off . My research reveals many don't like doing this as they say it makes the seat look plastic but IMO all new leather looks plastic and takes a while to settle in .

So now i have to remove the seats again . I will probably rub them down with thinner or methylated spirit to remove any Dubbin , paint them with dye again and seal with the above mentioned acrylic .

Note to anyone trying this - its imperative that the seat is allowed to fully dry each step of the way so my earlier suggestion that you could do the whole car in a day is nonsense .

Can't start yet though the trucks in the paint shop so i should be able to post some pics at the weekend of my 285/75 R16 tyres fitted without a lift .
 
That's good - all is not lost with regards to the work you have done on the seats.

Look forward to seeing pics of your truck, especially with those 285s on.. :icon-cool:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

stuzbot
'For Your Viewing Pleasure' -- Suggestions for Hidden YouTube Gems?
3 4 5
Replies
90
Views
6K
SteveJB
SteveJB
Raj
LC200 First Impressions
2
Replies
38
Views
4K
Higgy
Higgy
J
Prado 90 Series 1kz Faults - Transmission, overheating, alternator, brakes, suspension, noises & seat cushions
Replies
5
Views
3K
prado2233
P
Gary820
Coast to coast
2
Replies
20
Views
4K
Gary820
Gary820
J
Prado 90 Series 1kz Faults - Transmission, overheating, alternator, brakes, suspension, noises & seat cushions
Replies
2
Views
891
Mikeinbris
M
Back
Top