[icanhazbeast?]

I've done some searching, but most of the leather repair threads I found were for more serious damage than mine.

First, my car has the black "sport" leather seats, nothing special that I am aware of. I have a number of small scratches or scuffs in the centers of all of the seats except the driver's, and similar scratches/scuffs on the driver's door panel leather. Makes me think a small dog or something similar was allowed in the car by a previous owner. These marks are very narrow and usually under a centimeter long. The images below are of the passenger seat center bottom cushion.

These marks are pretty minor, but they upset my OCD, and are an offense to my clean beast interior. Any ideas on how to fix these? Q-tip and some black shoe polish? A leather product I haven't heard of?

 

[KevinM]

Have your local leather refurbisher fix this. If you don't have any contacts, ask any local high-end dealership who they use for their used car sales. I wouldn't use shoe polish unless all your trousers are black. You should be good to go with a professional restorer.

 

[mudmojo]

I've seen some use Leatherique to good effect but it does seem to require reapplication every couple of years... give or take a year depending on usage patterns. I imagine pressure areas like seat cushions and bolsters will be more attention needy.

 

[icanhazbeast?]

Maybe I'll give the Leatherique a spin, given the minor level of damage I'm not sure a trip to a local leather refurbisher will be cost effective. Wouldn't be opposed to using one down the line if other wear comes up.

 

[blackxs]

Leatherique is like a vinyl paint. Its hard to describe. I would NEVER use it in my M5 though.

Especially for such small "scuffs" it wont be worth it to get this crap all over your seat. Trust me on this, you are better off going to a local upholstery shop and paying them a couple bucks to give it a good condition and a little re-dyeing.

 

[nixter]

Leatherique is like a vinyl paint. Its hard to describe. I would NEVER use it in my M5 though.

Especially for such small "scuffs" it wont be worth it to get this crap all over your seat. Trust me on this, you are better off going to a local upholstery shop and paying them a couple bucks to give it a good condition and a little re-dyeing.

I think we're talking about 2 different things here. This is leatherique... Home Page | Leatherique Restoration Products High quality cleaning and conditioner system, not a vinyl paint by any means. They have a dye system too though. This stuff is big with the Ferrari crowd.

 

[blackxs]

Oh I gotcha. Their dye stuff is what I have experience with and its just... not anything I want in my M5. The conditioner and the rest of it I have no experience with though

 

[KingJaffeJoffer]

I would also suggest the Leatherique

I've only treated my Beast with it once, but I scoured this board beforehand and the Leatherique products were recommended in several posts. Try the detailing forum, if you haven't already.

 

[nixter]

I can recommend Lexol products for cleaning and conditioning. You should always do this before a re-dye. You can save yourself a few bucks by doing the clean/condition yourself before handing it over to the detailer or upholsterer for a re-dye. I was quoted a mere $200 by a good upholsterer to entirely re-dye both my front seats in my E34. He's he one who got me on to the Lexol.

 

[bimmernut1]

Your interior looks fine.

I would not consider a total redye. Leatherique however can very closely match the color if you remove a swatch from underneath the seat and send it in. I don't agree that it looks like vinyl paint or that it scuffs off easily. It scuffs off if not applied correctly. Your scratches are so minor you will most likely be stuck with a large amount of excess since you have such small marks to cover. In your case, if I did dye the marks, I would try wiping dye over the scuffs gently with a soft cloth then quickly dab up the excess. The rest of your leather looks too good to do a total redye at this point. I'll look around and see if I have any extra black from Leatherique I can send to you for free.

I've done two seven series total redyes and also redyed the seats in my Porsche 911 and touched up my M5. The redye in my SC is going on 6years and shows no more wear than original leather would. The only wear is where the seat belt goes over the seat piping. Here's a link I posted on Pelican Parts of the entire process. If I can dye seats from brown to tan and 6 years later it looks good, I think a few scratch marks will survive the process.

My Seat Dyeing Procedure - Pelican Parts Technical BBS

 

[icanhazbeast?]

bimmernut1, any spare supply you have would be most appreciated. Agree that it's not worth doing anything drastic, and your approach is something I can do on the driver's door panel as a test to see if it will work on the more visible seat cushions.

 

[bimmernut1]

I'll search tomorrow and see if I can find the Leatherique black. I know I bought some to match my M5 so it should be the same as yours. If I find it, I'll send you a PM with my email address so I can get your mailing address. I'll have to find a shipping container for liquid. Shouldn't be a problem because you don't need very much.

I'd test on an inconspicuous area; for example behind the rear seat if you have fold downs. Just darkening the scuffs should make them look a lot better. In your case, the less the better, I believe. Maybe a toothpick or q-tip to apply then dab off the excess. Play around with it before you use it on the seat bottoms.

 

[CSBM5]

I would not consider a total redye. Leatherique however can very closely match the color if you remove a swatch from underneath the seat and send it in. I don't agree that it looks like vinyl paint or that it scuffs off easily. It scuffs off if not applied correctly. Your scratches are so minor you will most likely be stuck with a large amount of excess since you have such small marks to cover. In your case, if I did dye the marks, I would try wiping dye over the scuffs gently with a soft cloth then quickly dab up the excess. The rest of your leather looks too good to do a total redye at this point. I'll look around and see if I have any extra black from Leatherique I can send to you for free.

I've done two seven series total redyes and also redyed the seats in my Porsche 911 and touched up my M5. The redye in my SC is going on 6years and shows no more wear than original leather would. The only wear is where the seat belt goes over the seat piping. Here's a link I posted on Pelican Parts of the entire process. If I can dye seats from brown to tan and 6 years later it looks good, I think a few scratch marks will survive the process.

My Seat Dyeing Procedure - Pelican Parts Technical BBS

That's a great link on your seat redye in the 911. Thanks. It gives me some thought about doing the seats in my 850R. We've had the car for almost 15 years now, and it's seen a lot of daily/beater use, so the leather is cracked pretty badly (sadly, I didn't treat it with Lexol nearly as often as my other cars over the years, but Volvo leather isn't very high quality either to say the least). However, the seats are mostly Alcantara (center sections) with just leather along the sides, so I guess I could tape off the Alcantara section and just dye the leather (after a lot of prep/sanding work). This leaves me with my next thought which is the Alcantara is worn (already used sweater shaver on it numerous times when it starts to look poodle-like), so I think I'm stuck as there is no way to refresh it that I know of?

Chuck

 

[Justin13]

I have the Leatherique dye (I gave them color code 05SW) and the match is pretty damn good if you are touching up small inconspicuous areas. Keep in mind that pulling a swatch from under the seat will not yield a perfect match because that leather has not been exposed to any UV rays. Bimmernut's advice to use less is correct and I would only add that you would be wise to buy a high quality paint brush (very small in size) which will provide maximum control of dye application. Try this first and see how you like the results.

If this method doesn't work then take to an upholstery professional. If the rest of the seat is in top condition then have them remove the seat from the car and mask of the bolsters, head rest, etc. prior to the re-dye. The best results will be attained by an air brush or hvlp gun. Do not have the rest of the set re-dyed unless it's absolutely necessary. Less is definitely more in this regard.

 

[bimmernut1]

bimmernut1, any spare supply you have would be most appreciated. Agree that it's not worth doing anything drastic, and your approach is something I can do on the driver's door panel as a test to see if it will work on the more visible seat cushions.

I found the black dye. I'll PM you with an email address. If time is not an issue play around with the dye on some scrap leather picked up from a shoe repair shop. You need very little dye for the scuffs. I'd mix up maybe three batches, full strength, some with one part water, and maybe another with 2 parts water. Scratch the scrap leather and play around with the different strengths and applicators before attacking your interior. Stir the dye mixture, don't shake (to keep bubbles from forming and ending up on the leather).

CSBM5, not sure about the Alcantara. As for the cracks, I have not been happy with the results of Leatherique's Leather Crack Repair product on large cracks. It tends to crack when used heavily. It works ok on very light cracks where you can use minimal putty then sand it down.

Like Justin, I used high quality brushes followed by an air brush for my full redye jobs.

 

[CSBM5]

CSBM5, not sure about the Alcantara. As for the cracks, I have not been happy with the results of Leatherique's Leather Crack Repair product on large cracks. It tends to crack when used heavily. It works ok on very light cracks where you can use minimal putty then sand it down.

Thanks. That's just what the 850R has too...some large cracks. I think it's probably not worth fooling with at this point.

Chuck

 

[icanhazbeast?]

Many thanks to bimmernut1 for sending some Leatherique my way.

I spent some time this weekend applying it and am very happy with the results. I used a very small punch (odd tool I know) to apply it in small increments and then dabbed off excess with a Q-tip. The scratches were TINY but noticeable in most lights, the repairs are all but invisible unless you are very close and look DIRECTLY at them in good light and at certain angles.

 

[bimmernut1]

Glad it worked out. I've found the leatherique works well for small repairs and total redye's.

 

[dan.]

i have been using leather renovator on mine for 4 years,fantastic product that colours and feeds the leather
and is real easy to use,i do mine every year .
i took my car to them to get the proper shade of black .
Woolies Trim - Leather Renovation