How To Restore Auto Leather

by Doug Briggs

Copyright © Doug Briggs, 2001

 

       This article describes the restoration and re-dyeing of the leather seats in a 1988 BMW 735i. The condition of the leather ranged from outstanding to downright shabby, but there were no holes to patch. Evidently the car was frequently parked with the left side exposed to the sun, leather's worst enemy. The left seats, front and back, were in poor condition while the rest of the leather was in good shape. The driver's seat and armrest showed the wear and tear of 170,000 miles on the car.

       The materials used on this job came from Leatherique Leather Restoration Products Ltd., phone 904-272-0992, email lrpltd@bellsouth.net, Leatherique's web site, www.leatherique.com, is loaded with information.

       The table below is a reference to the steps involved, and it provides the approximate time needed for each step.

Time line

Step	Description	Time	Wait time
1	Turn car's interior lights to "always off," then vacuum	30 min.	0
2	Clean leather thoroughly with hot water and detergent	1 hour	1 hour
3	Scrub with lacquer thinner and steel wool or Scotch pad	4 hours	0
4	Wet-sand leather	6 hours	1 day
5	Apply Leatherique Rejuvenator Oil	6 hours	1 day
6	Clean with Leatherique Prestine Clean	1 hour	2 days
7	Apply Leatherique Prepping Agent	1 hour	2 hours
8	Repair cuts	?	till glue dries
9	Fill cracks and repaired cuts with Leatherique Crack Filler	4 hours	2 days
10	Dye leather, then allow completed job to cure	6 hours	2 days

 

Ordering Dye and Other Materials

       When ordering materials you must send a swatch of the original leather so the color can be matched. The sample needs to be at least a square inch, and such a piece can be found tucked under the back seat cushion. The materials for a complete job using Leatherique products will cost about $170. They consist of:

   One quart of Rejuvenator Oil

   One quart of Prestine Clean

   One quart of Prepping Agent

   A small jar of Crack Filler

   One quart of Custom Color

 

You'll also need:

   A gallon of medium-drying lacquer thinner

   Several sheets each of 240 and 400 Wetordry sandpaper

   A bucket

   Masking tape

   A pair of gloves, like Playtex cleaning gloves

   Some plastic garbage bags for masking

   Cotton terry hand towels and wash cloths. I prefer cotton wash cloths to so-called shop towels, and buy them by the bundle at Walmart or K-Mart.

   A couple of tired bath towels

   2 good-quality plastic spray bottles

   A plastic wire tie for the parking brake boot on a BMW

   Two brushes for applying the color, a 2-inch-wide nylon-bristle brush and a half-inch-wide brush for tight spots. The brushes should be of top quality to avoid bristle shedding. Long bristles seem to lay the color down smoother. I found a small round artist's brush useful for applying filler to cracks.

   A two-inch natural-bristle paint brush for cleaning

   A wooden paint stirring stick to keep the dye stirred.

      

       The job will take about thirty man-hours spent over a week (the car is driveable most of the time). When finished, the car should sit undisturbed for two days. This job should not be undertaken in cold weather unless a heated garage is available. Warmth is needed during each step.

       The doors will be open for long periods, so before beginning turn interior lights to "always off." If your car has no such switch remove the fuse for interior lights.

       Color change? It's like painting a car a different color — tedious work to get every solitary nook and cranny repainted. But it is entirely doable. The seats should be removed from the car.

 

Take out the seats or not?

       It is easier to work on seats on the workbench, and here the color can be sprayed. Overspray precludes spraying inside the car. Removing the seats is not a daunting job. But the car is driveable during the week-long process with seats in. I also wanted to see the results of applying the dye by brush—some do-it-yourselfers don't have spray equipment. Brushing was entirely satisfactory.

       The rear seat cushion must come out. Remove it by pulling the front edge straight up to disengage the clips. The BMW rear center arm rest comes out simply by squeezing the triggers behind it together and pulling the unit straight up. The cushion and arm rest go to the workbench, which was my dining room table.

       Remove the four 10mm nuts that secure the bottom of the seatback. Then prop the bottom out with wood blocks to move the back away from windlace that runs along each side. Remove the lower seat belt attachments and lay the belts out of the way on the rear window shelf. (Make a sketch of how they are attached so you won't be scratching your head days later.)

       Remove the parking brake boot. Push forward on the boot frame and raise the back end, and out it comes. Pull the boot up the brake handle shaft and turn it inside out. It was secured with a plastic wire tie before being turned down. Cut the plastic wire tie and remove the boot.

       Turn the boot right side out. Wrinkles will have taken a set. A balloon inserted into the small opening then inflated will puff the boot out so it can be worked on. Prep the boot as described for the seats. Fill any places that need it – the top surface on this one was worn down to suede.