Reviving leather.......

[simonbuk]

Has anybody had a go at reviving their leather ?

Got grey leather seats and they could do with a bit of colour back in them. The leathers fine, no rips, tears, etc, just worn a little on the bolsters. I would only do the outer part leaving the black perforated part.

I know I could get some colour reviver in grey but there must be lots of different shades of grey so could end up with a battleship grey which I really don't want !!

I have thought about dyeing them all black as I think they would look quite good, but would then lose the red stitching in the middle.

So anybody had any trials with this sort of thing ?

Photo of seat attached -

[Rambo]

Can't help with leather colouring options I'm afraid but you might want to consider these a bit further down the line....

viewtopic.php?f=39&t=24268

[simonbuk]

Funnily enough I had just read that topic !! Look good !!

[Rambo]

Short term I would go with the "all black" treatment and to hell with the red stitching

Short term I would also check the foam in the seat/bolsters etc.. and the clips underneath are all in place

Another option is a complete seat re trim but this is expensive so RX8 may be the way forward?

[maz_r]

OR, in the interests of balance & impartiality, S2000 seats are an option.

There is an advert on eBay for Leather reviver that lists 'Dark Charcoal' as appropriate for 1990 Lotus Elan. Never tried it, so just saying....

[Rambo]

S2000 seats are indeed another option. I've seen a few that have been fitted and they look very contemporary

[SimonR]

The best way is to actually clean and degrease them ... then you actually fill and sand any cracks and then the leather is resprayed in the correct colour

There are various places to DIY or you can pay to have them done on a mobile basis

I've seen the results from these people ... http://www.furnitureclinic.co.uk/Leathe ... nt_Kit.php

It doesn't come off if the prep work is done correctly

[tigerdog]

I've been very happy with a good cleaning followed by a quality leather dressing. My favorites come from the local rich-guy equestrian supply shop: these people spend as much on a saddle as we do to buy our Elans, so the stuff must be good! I use Belvoir Leather Balsam and the associated spray cleaner. I use a soft bristle scrub brush to work the cleaner in, then absorb it with lots of clean towelling. Once dry, I apply a thin spread of conditioner. It mostly soaks into the leather, darkening it up only slightly, making the color more uniform, and softening and protecting. Unconventional approach to automotive care, but it's served me well. The Belvoir conditioner even softened up the rock-hard leather in a '90's vintage Mercedes I used to own. You know how tough that stuff can be.

You could always check a shoe repair shop for Meltonian shoe cream. I think number 137 on the chart would be a close match, better than black anyway. A small amount massaged into discolored cracks would make the color more uniform. I'd do this after cleaning, before conditioning.

[Simon_P]

I've just had some leather repair liquid colour matched. To my S2 seat

Will report back when I have done a trial.

[Lotusman33]

I recommend Woolies leather kits, you send a sample swatch which you can take from the tucked in leather by the seat adjuster and they accurately match the colour.
Take you time with their products and seats will come up like new, I have used it on Excel's, Esprit's and my Elan's. The darker colours are easier to do, works great on the gear and handbrake gaiters.

http://www.woolies-trim.co.uk/c-117-lea ... ation.aspx

Dave

[simonbuk]

Well I finally bought some stuff and had a go. As I'm tempted by S2000 and 911 seats i wasn't going to spend a lot of money.

I bought Scratch Doctor deep clean leather and grey colour restorer.

The cleaner worker really well and got a lot more dirt of than other previous stuff obviously hadn't !! Very dirty white cloth at the end.

Applied the grey color restorer a couple of times and all the grazing and worn areas have disappeared. Good result.

If I'm honest I should have just gone black and done the whole lot as now I want to do the middle part of the seat as well !!

I'm happy with what it's done as no cracks, grades, light patches on the bolsters. It's not a perfect match as its a slightly lighter/bluer colour grey but nobody else would notice but me !!

Time will tell obviously how durable it remains, they suggest adding some sort of conditioner/top coat as well.

Thought I took some pictures but forgot so maybe tomorrow.

My cracks have gone.............