Interior trim codes- leather seats??

[BlueDevil]

I've been down that road before the summer. Bought 4 different colour kits based on "looks like that" or "that's the name", some from UK even, add the S&H, only to find them all wrong.

Finally made a visit to a local shop that does this, they mixed and tested the dye directly (until the dye is fixed it can be easily removed), and when they came to the exact shade (you must understand that sun, usage and time change the colour, so even if you got the original from factory, it will be different on your seats), they mixed the amount I asked and sold it to me, together with a set of sponges and foam to clean before the coloring, the fixating cream for after and instructions on how to do it.

Or they can do it for me, of course. I did it myself, and it's not that hard once you have the right shade.

What I'm saying is - save yourself a lot of money and nerves, call a shop/reseller and see if they will match / sell you the shade you need.

[Auldgit]

[QUOTE=BlueDevil;2919512]I've been down that road before the summer. Bought 4 different colour kits based on "looks like that" or "that's the name", some from UK even, add the S&H, only to find them all wrong.

Finally made a visit to a local shop that does this, they mixed and tested the dye directly (until the dye is fixed it can be easily removed), and when they came to the exact shade (you must understand that sun, usage and time change the colour, so even if you got the original from factory, it will be different on your seats), they mixed the amount I asked and sold it to me, together with a set of sponges and foam to clean before the coloring, the fixating cream for after and instructions on how to do it.

Or they can do it for me, of course. I did it myself, and it's not that hard once you have the right shade.

What I'm saying is - save yourself a lot of money and nerves, call a shop/reseller and see if they will match / sell you the shade you need.[/QUO

Sound advice I'm sure. Not sure if there are any leather specialists in this area, but I'll certainly have a look. Cheers!

[FreshAir]

Originally Posted by Auldgit

I think mine is closer to the Ivory image. Difficult to be sure, that's why a code or reliable colour name would be so useful. I think mine may be just past a simple recolouring solution, it's a bit abraded (but not actually cracked) so I need something with a bit more body I think.

The product is like a paint, not sure why they call it a dye.

[Auldgit]

Originally Posted by FreshAir

The product is like a paint, not sure why they call it a dye.

That's interesting, dye to me is a very thin fluid that has no filler content. If this is more like a paint it may be ok for what I need in the short term. Cheers.

[Simmy]

all coloured leather is painted not dyed. for some one who dose colour matching try the furniture clinic . always do full panels on car seats to make any repair /repaint look less obvious. colours will change as the seat is used so dont worry if it looks a bit bright when first done.

[BlueDevil]

Originally Posted by Simmy

all coloured leather is painted not dyed. for some one who dose colour matching try the furniture clinic . always do full panels on car seats to make any repair /repaint look less obvious. colours will change as the seat is used so dont worry if it looks a bit bright when first done.

True, true. English being my 3rd language I do tend to make some mistakes. It's paint, sure enough, not dye.
And also true, you need to do entire panels, from stitch to stitch, otherwise the line will be visible. And also true, the *will* be some slight difference in colour, but it will fade.
On mine, which I did back in June, you wouldn't notice the difference unless I told you "go check my seat, I did a repaint myself" - then you'd see there was slight difference between the panel I did and the one I did not. But some 3 months later and you'd have to know what to look for and you'd have to bring a lamp with you to see it. Holding up well so far...

The shop does it better because, as they described it to me, 1st they take the seat out of the car. Then they degrease/clean it. Then they use fine-grit sanding paper if/where necessary to create a rough(er) surface for the paint to better adhere. Another alcohol rub, and then at-least-3-passes of paint by spraying it on. Letting it dry. Checking for problematic areas, and if needed sanding them down again & respraying again. Applying the fixating/protective cream to seal it all in. Applying the leather-specific care-cream.

Whereas I manually cleaned it well, a few times, and then applied colour by sponge (dubbing it) which took ages, reapplying over and over andf over until I got it to be uniform (never was as uniform as airbrushing), and finishing off with sealing cream etc.

I guess in the end it took more time to do it in car than it would for the shop to take the seats out and put them back in.

To me they estimated 300€ all included for front two seats (rears not needed), which would include even adding foam under the leather if that would be needed upon inspection. Leave the car at 8 am and pick it up at 5 pm.

[Auldgit]

Originally Posted by BlueDevil

True, true. English being my 3rd language I do tend to make some mistakes. It's paint, sure enough, not dye.
And also true, you need to do entire panels, from stitch to stitch, otherwise the line will be visible. And also true, the *will* be some slight difference in colour, but it will fade.
On mine, which I did back in June, you wouldn't notice the difference unless I told you "go check my seat, I did a repaint myself" - then you'd see there was slight difference between the panel I did and the one I did not. But some 3 months later and you'd have to know what to look for and you'd have to bring a lamp with you to see it. Holding up well so far...

The shop does it better because, as they described it to me, 1st they take the seat out of the car. Then they degrease/clean it. Then they use fine-grit sanding paper if/where necessary to create a rough(er) surface for the paint to better adhere. Another alcohol rub, and then at-least-3-passes of paint by spraying it on. Letting it dry. Checking for problematic areas, and if needed sanding them down again & respraying again. Applying the fixating/protective cream to seal it all in. Applying the leather-specific care-cream.

Whereas I manually cleaned it well, a few times, and then applied colour by sponge (dubbing it) which took ages, reapplying over and over andf over until I got it to be uniform (never was as uniform as airbrushing), and finishing off with sealing cream etc.

I guess in the end it took more time to do it in car than it would for the shop to take the seats out and put them back in.

To me they estimated 300€ all included for front two seats (rears not needed), which would include even adding foam under the leather if that would be needed upon inspection. Leave the car at 8 am and pick it up at 5 pm.

Seeing the price of some of the "repair kits" I think 300 Euro is a very fair price for the two seats........!

[simboc2004]

I get colour matched paint/dye from Gliptone - I send them a small sample of the leather (usual find a turned over bit somewhere that can be snipped off)and they mix the dye to match. Always been excellent. As are their cleaners and nourishers. I used their stuff to do a leather armchair at home that had faded by being in the sun and you'd now be hard pressed to know what was repaired - and that was at least 6 years ago.

[Auldgit]

Originally Posted by simboc2004

I get colour matched paint/dye from Gliptone - I send them a small sample of the leather (usual find a turned over bit somewhere that can be snipped off)and they mix the dye to match. Always been excellent. As are their cleaners and nourishers. I used their stuff to do a leather armchair at home that had faded by being in the sun and you'd now be hard pressed to know what was repaired - and that was at least 6 years ago.

Well that's very interesting, just looked at their Ebay listings- seems very comprehensive- look in more detail tomorrow. Cheers.

[simboc2004]

I first used Gliptone when I had my last 940 - the seats were a bit worn and I got them back to a pretty good standard. it's amazing how much difference a good leather cleaner makes - and then some "feed' And it smells much nicer too. I still have the original cleaner/nourisher i bought for the 940 (early 2000s!). In fact I just remembered I used it to renovate a very dirty Barcelona Chair I picked up from clearance place in 2020. It looks almost as good as new now and the leather is much more supple.