Will the real "how to restore leather"...

[jelloslug]

I have actually just washed (in a washing machine) a leather seat cover before and it came out nice and soft. Quiet often the reason the leather is hard is not because it's just dried out, it's because the pores in the leather have absorbed so much sweat, dirt, Armor-all, cheap-o leather conditioner, or other junk that they cannot absorb the oils they need even if your try. When you are condition old, dry leather you are trying to do 2 things: put the natural oils back into the leather and “float” out any junk that the leather has absorbed over time. I bet the Goop is doing a good job of breaking down the junk in the leather and it does have oils in it that can be absorbed. Time will only tell if it has the correct stuff in it to not only clean but keep it from drying back out. I think I’ll pick some Goop up and give it a try, you may have discovered a fountain of youth for leather.

 

[91taurisho]

I have actually just washed (in a washing machine) a leather seat cover before and it came out nice and soft. Quiet often the reason the leather is hard is not because it's just dried out, it's because the pores in the leather have absorbed so much sweat, dirt, Armor-all, cheap-o leather conditioner, or other junk that they cannot absorb the oils they need even if your try. When you are condition old, dry leather you are trying to do 2 things: put the natural oils back into the leather and “float” out any junk that the leather has absorbed over time. I bet the Goop is doing a good job of breaking down the junk in the leather and it does have oils in it that can be absorbed. Time will only tell if it has the correct stuff in it to not only clean but keep it from drying back out. I think I’ll pick some Goop up and give it a try, you may have discovered a fountain of youth for leather.

I tried it! My seats haven't looked this clean since My mom had them in her 1995 SLO SE when it was new(she never washed them but once or twice)! They are a little dull compared to my headrests(head rests have always been clean), but I plan on using meguiars after I clean the entire interior. That'll put the oils back in it. actually the leather feels really soft compared to what it did! It looks it too. The Citrus in the hand cleaner really works!

 

[Hubes]

i will give it a shot too. might as well, and then afterwards i will use some conditioner. the problem i have is that i can never find just leather conditioner, it always has to be a cleaner/conditioner. an auto detailer reccomended meguiar's leather conditioner to me.

 

[platoribs]

Hey, I'm really happy to hear a few of you actually tried this instead of simply dismissing it cause it's not conventional. I constantly look for unorthodox applications of products, building materials, etc...

Regarding conditioning, I suppose neetsfoot oil if you can wait a while for it to soak in and surface dry, or saddle soap (while it didn't do too good a job of cleaning it does contain the right stuff)

The Goop container I had listed Lanoline as a component, seems like that should provide good conditioning. Since I plan on having this car for some time I'll be watching for any adverse consequences.

Thanks for the acknowledgement from the few.

Regards,
Plat0

 

[jelloslug]

Neetsfoot oil will work but it will smell like a baseball glove . Saddle soap is a bit too harsh, I would avoid it unless it's a last resort.

 

[shojuan]

Hey, I'm really happy to hear a few of you actually tried this instead of simply dismissing it cause it's not conventional. I constantly look for unorthodox applications of products, building materials, etc...

Regarding conditioning, I suppose neetsfoot oil if you can wait a while for it to soak in and surface dry, or saddle soap (while it didn't do too good a job of cleaning it does contain the right stuff)

The Goop container I had listed Lanoline as a component, seems like that should provide good conditioning. Since I plan on having this car for some time I'll be watching for any adverse consequences.

Thanks for the acknowledgement from the few.

Regards,
Plat0

I'm willing to try it on my stock old seat in the rear. The dog's seat. I'm too cautious to try it on the 95 seats I have in the front until I see what the long term effects are on the rear.

 

[platoribs]

OK I picked up on something here... this leather isn't dyed? it's some sort of paint??

How would one go about refreshing the color once all the dirt is removed?

If there is something on the leather that would prevent dye from setting, and dye is the most conventional remedy, how to restore color?

 

[jelloslug]

The leather seems to be dyed and "painted". Most car manufactures "paint" their leather so they get a more uniform color between lots. The paint has a soft feel to it (just like the 93-95 center console plastic does) but over time the leather car easily dry out and then it's very hard to rehydrate the leather. I have a back seat that is peeling, you can peel off the paint in large pieces. This was factory because it was applied before the seat was stiched together. Underneath the leather is the correct color and still kind of soft. Leatherique sell dye (not paint) that is waterbased and will not seal the surface of the leather.

 

[SHO92]

Someone made a post about a year ago about how he restored his Gen 3 seats. He actually sanded the original finish off of then seats and then redyed all the leather. It seemed like a lot of work, but he was happy with the results. If I remember correctly the seats had a darker shade to them after they had been redyed.

 

[jelloslug]

That was someone (I cannot remember who) that put 3rd gen seats in a 2nd gen. The tan color on the 3rd gen seats was not the same as mocha so he used the dye from Leatherique and redyed them. I have use there dye it it works well provided you follow their instructions exactly.

 

[Denny]

Goop is a hand cleaner? I cannot find this. I am finding GOOP glue/sealant though

 

[91taurisho]

any kind of orange hand cleaner(with pumice) from an autoparts store. Gojo, Fastorange or anything like these will work.