I've got a linen on black leather interior on my S2, and the linen leather seats in particular are looking a bit yellow and grubby. I'd like to refresh them, firstly by giving them a good clean, and later on perhaps refinishing with a coloured leather paint.

What products are recommended for stripping off the patina of 20 years on a leather interior? I think if I'm going to repaint, they'd have to be pretty clean for the new paint to adhere properly.

Any interior detailing advice or tips appreciated.

 

I am watching for answers to the yellowing of the linen leather. I just thought it was the unreverseable damage from the sun. On the top edge of the glove box it actually looks burnt. I hope there is a cure.

I did get new seats and now the rest of the interior looks worse than before.

 

Why don't you take it by a good dry cleaning or upholstery shop? Those folks have to deal with all kinds of cloth, fabrics, leathers & may be able to give you some good info on products that release the dirt from the fabric. Unfortunately old is old, PO's may have used cleaners that have stripped coloring and fabric durability over time and a little expert advice could be a big help.



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Well, it's a bit like why I don't take my car in to the shop when there is a mechanical problem -- I'd rather do something on my car myself than pay someone else to do it, if i can.

But of course, there are limitations to what can be achieved in DIY. I'm just noticing that there are a few interiors that are as old or older than mine that look pretty clean -- perhaps they have all been professionally detailed, I don't know.

I thought a thorough cleaning would be the place to start. So if anyone has been down this road, please chime in...

I did have a quick look at the price of a full professional leather interior detail -- expensive, so I'm guessing it's pretty labour intensive. One trick I've noticed they use is the repainting of the leather, and I have managed to find a place that sells the linen colour -- but as in any treatment like this, I'm sure correct prep and application is key to good results.

 

Leather responds best to gentle cleaning agents, but when you want to re dye it I agree you need a more aggressive approach.

I use Colourlock leather care products.

If you're looking to strip the buildup from years of use, they have a "Leather Fresh Set" and the procedure they recommend with it is:

1) Treat leather surface with their "Leather Cleaning Spirit" product that removes oils, wax and silicone. This comes in a glass bottle and smells like turpentine. You apply it lightly with a clean rag until the leather starts to "lose its shine."

2) Apply "Strong Leather Cleaner" product using a small sponge and working out stains and buildup with a soft brush. Work in panels, and allow to dry when finished.

3) Use provided sanding pad to lightly sand areas to be re dyed. Again, work in panels.

4) Apply leather dye to sanded areas using a small sponge. Correct procedure is to apply light coats, allowing to dry in between. The trick here is to apply as many light coats as necessary to hide the creases and other sanded areas that need coloring. Work in panels. After the desired effect is achieved, allow the newly dyed seats to dry overnight.

5) Apply "Leather Protectant" to the seats, again in thin coats, and allow to dry.

HTH

 

Thanks Luis, that's very useful info -- gives me an good idea of what's involved.

 

I use Leatherique. If the leather is in good shape and just needs cleaning conditioning, Rejuvinator Oil & Prestine Clean work great. I always buy the 32oz special (32oz of each product) so I can keep it on hand and I use it on vinyl too.

 

CurtP - great resource, thanks for the lead!

 

i have an interesting problem with my seats; my drivers seat is a darker, greyer color than my passenger seat. both seats were redone at the same time and were identical when i got them...i think it might be the dye in my jeans seeping into the seat lol

 

a friend of mine has light tan or mabey linen seats, and he used some kind of armorall wipes on them and turned his seats a nice shade of light blue

 

Leatherique was a perfect match to touch up my Linen seats. If they're that bad you may need to completely re-dye them though.

 

Luis has the right idea. Do whatever you can to clean them, and, if they're even close to looking good, stop. Paint/dye is never going to be as good as factory.

I've seen light colored interiors in all kinds of cars end up grimy and yellow from overapplication of cheap (or sometimes even decent) cleaners and "protectants". They get sun baked in over the years, and start to color shift.

If you're lucky, and find a good cleaning system, you might be able to get that out. But you also might need professional level chemicals and a steamer to really clean it.

 

Mark944na86, maybe I gave the wrong impression. If we all carried our vehicles to a repair shop to have work done, then why even have a forum? It is EXPENSIVE to replace an interior and can be hazardous, and that is the point I was trying to make. I also know where you are coming from, not only the labor costs but the trust involved in somebody else doing the work is understandable.

Most honest people will give you honest information about the work they do and give you an estimate of what is involved at very little or no cost. They will also tell you what chemicals or cleaners to stay away from because of experience and if you tell them that you are planning on doing it yourself they will sell you the correct chemicals to use. Why would they do this? Because they are professionals at their job and anybody that takes pride in their work is often more than willing to share the do's & don'ts.

Please note that your own safety is involved when it comes to paints & cleaners since it is retained in the car. Chemicals released in the car as the sun heats the interior are harmful and could hurt your eyesight as well as breathing. Sometimes DIY is not the best option when it comes to your health.

Not trying to be a PITA, but I work on electronic & computer systems and I can't tell you how many times I have had to repair work done "by my best friend" or a family member. Often work that I could have done at a very economical cost has been expanded to a high cost because of what a person thought was a "cheap" cost - and it was a "cheap" cost - to the person that gave the advice that destroyed my customers data or harmed their hardware - not to my customer.

The bottom line is that it is your car and your decision, just think about getting professional advice at an economical expense you can afford, you may find in the long run it will be more than worth it to yourself.


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My interior had the same problem. I tried everything to reverse that effect so eventually I replaced the dash with a solid black unit. Much better. But it made the rest of my interior look bad. The work never ends.

 

hey 'snake,

My bad -- you're point was clear, I wasn't reading carefully.

Thanks for your considered advice. Sensible advice, too, particularly about taking a straightforward job and turning it into a big deal.

The chemical issue is important too -- I notice the leatherique ppl use a water based dye, but I wonder if their cleaners are also solvent free? I'll have to find out a bit more.

After reading a bit on this whole business, I suspect that my problem is build-up of dirt and cleaning agents over the years, rather than the dye changing colour per se. Apart from the layer of yellow and grime, the leather is in very good shape. So, one step at a time, I'll probably progress by just carefully doing some cleaning, with some good quality specialist cleaning agents (maybe get some advice from a friendly "pro" as you suggest), and reassess after each step.

I've never been much into real detailing past a basic car wash, occasional polish, and an interior clean and vacuum, so a lot of the specialised products and techniques is new territory for me. The leatherique cleaners and conditioners look like a likely starting point. So thanks everyone for your excellent pointers and suggestions so far!