Seat restoration results (seat doctor )

[rmspider16]

Just spent two days working on my front two seats. Got the dye from seatdoctor.com based on results someone else posted earlier.

Steps I did:
1. Wash seats down with leather cleaner.
2. Wash seats down with simple green (10:1 diluted)
3. Sand down major problem areas with 600 grit sanding sponge I got off Amazon.
4. Fill cracks with leather filler.
5. Sand down the filler.
6. Apply dye using lint free paper towels.
5. Apply 4 more layers with foam brush.

Things I learned.
1. The rub on method doesn’t work well enough. It’s far too streaky and doesn’t leave enough product behind. The foam brush painting on method worked better.
2. It takes much more applications than I expected. So I’m glad I got the larger bottle (32oz)
3. I should have washed the seats more. Last week I applied several coats of leather protection, before I found out about seatdoctor. There was some adhesion issues. Not sure how long the dye will last, but if it peels. I’ll wash more thoroughly and then re-apply.

 

[rmspider16]

More after pics.

 

[suprarx7nut]

Wow, that looks... amazingly good. Does that typically last a while?

 

[rmspider16]

Wow, that looks... amazingly good. Does that typically last a while?

No clue. I did have some adhesion issues because I think I left too much residual leather protector behind. Next time I would have got a scrub brush and really went to town on them. I just added two more coats of “top coat” which I was told by seatdoctor would be overkill. But over doing things is my style. I’ll update this post as time goes to let people know.

I’ll be leaving them to dry for 48hrs now.

Final pics of driver and passenger seats.

 

[terryscott621]

Hell yeah! Great Job. Looks fantastic!!!

 

[rmspider16]

Just wanted to update this thread for anyone in the future. Although the seats still look much better than before, the dye and leather filler don't seem to hold up so great. After very little/light use, the cracks have already come back through and the dye is starting to peel in certain spots. It will only delay the inevitable recover. Still not a super expensive way to extend the window before recover, but certainly not a lasting solution. Just an FYI for future users.

 

[Super77]

I’ve found the crack filler works best in spots that are not getting stretched. It’s holding up great on my center console, which was severely scuffed. Not so much on the seat bottoms. The dye requires meticulous prep to adhere. Wash, scrub, rinse, dry, scrub again, scuff with #600 sandpaper. Even then, the stuff that Seat Dr sells is more of a paint than a dye, it does not really soak into the leather, it kind of sits on top.

On badly worn seats made of crappy leather (like ours), it’s a $60 way to kick reupholstering down the road for a year.