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Leather Interior

Claying, polishing, waxing... share your secrets in here.
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Pooltee
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Leather Interior

Post by Pooltee » Thu Apr 02, 2020 5:03 pm

I am looking for suggestions on how I can improve the appearance of the black leather seats in the Z4.

I’m guessing the previous owner was not too bothered by keeping on top of cleaning the seats and feeding the leather as there are several wear marks to the seat side bolsters and also the centre console.

Is there any products that will help make the seats look new again or am I going to have to look into having the seats / seat covers replaced?
2013 Z4 20i sDrive.

Remapped, and currently “interior” rattle free.

Early midlife crises and so far loving every minute of it!

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Chippie
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Post by Chippie » Thu Apr 02, 2020 5:17 pm

you could try a leather dye and then a leather sealer over the seats, can you post a photo to give an idea of the wear
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ibasniper
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Post by ibasniper » Thu Apr 02, 2020 5:22 pm

Try first for repair

https://www.furnitureclinic.co.uk/Leath ... 6WEALw_wcB

then this to feed leather

https://www.onbuy.com/gb/renapur-leathe ... x2EALw_wcB

worked for me a few of times
Cheers Gary

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Pooltee
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Leather Interior

Post by Pooltee » Thu Apr 02, 2020 5:33 pm

Thanks for the suggestions. I have attached some pictures of the seat.
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2013 Z4 20i sDrive.

Remapped, and currently “interior” rattle free.

Early midlife crises and so far loving every minute of it!

Angelus666
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Post by Angelus666 » Fri Apr 03, 2020 11:01 am

First job is to give them a really good clean, but they don't look too bad. I'd suggest some diluted 10:1 all-purpose cleaner and a magic eraser sponge....it's amazing how much dirt you'll get off these. Then once properly clean you can see exactly what you're working with. The leather dyes seem to work ok if the surface is well prepared.

Getting them recovered will set you back £700+ so ask yourself is it really worth it.

idej_z4
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Post by idej_z4 » Fri Apr 03, 2020 11:27 am

Given the amount of damage (you've not really got any cracking or heavy damage) and the fact that they are black, I would recommend cleaning them with the below, getting some leather dye (I got mine from eBay, only costs a few quid) and then sealing them with the below. I did mine recently and it worked a treat!

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dodo-Juice-Sup ... B00FIB0LQY

Description of product, well worth a read:
A gentle, but highly effective, leather and vinyl cleaner. A gentle water-based formula for sympathetically cleaning leather cloth, genuine leather and vinyl. The blend of soaps and mild solvents remove a wide range of dirt and contaminants, including blue dye from jeans in most cases. Residue-free to prevent sticky deposits from oils attracting dirt, and to help subsequently-applied leather sealants bond effectively. Usage instructions included. Dodo Juice Supernatural Leather Sealant Spray 250ml A ‘dry’ sealant for protecting and conditioning all types of leather. Oil and wax based protectants can trap contaminants which are then ground into the leather, possibly degrading the finish. Supernatural Leather Sealant is a high performance ‘dry’ sealant that will only repel dirt and other deposits. It also helps ‘elasticise’ the surface, conditioning the leather and increasing pliability. This results in fewer cracks and wrinkles in the mid to long term. Use Supernatural Leather Cleaner first for best results. Usage instructions included.

Pooltee
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Post by Pooltee » Fri Apr 03, 2020 11:37 am

Thanks very much for the advise gents. I think I know what I shall be doing this weekend :D
2013 Z4 20i sDrive.

Remapped, and currently “interior” rattle free.

Early midlife crises and so far loving every minute of it!

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Post by tomscott » Fri Apr 03, 2020 11:42 am

That is really minimal compared to others...

It doesnt exist anymore but I used liquid leather cleaner then got a die and used it with a cocktail stick to dab it in, rather than using a cloth so the die went where I wanted it. Left it a few mins and then rubbed it in to blend and let it dry. Finished with a liquid leather conditioner.

I dont have a before pic but mine was similar to yours, this was the result

ImageBMW Z4M Coupe by Tom Scott, on Flickr

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Post by baconJazz » Fri Apr 03, 2020 11:51 am

Pooltee wrote: Thu Apr 02, 2020 5:03 pm I am looking for suggestions on how I can improve the appearance of the black leather seats in the Z4.

I’m guessing the previous owner was not too bothered by keeping on top of cleaning the seats and feeding the leather as there are several wear marks to the seat side bolsters and also the centre console.

Is there any products that will help make the seats look new again or am I going to have to look into having the seats / seat covers replaced?
I used this on my black seats. Found it to be excellent .
Screenshot 2020-04-03 at 11.48.45.png
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2007 3.0si sport e86 coupe Black Sapphire 93k and rising at approx 2k a year.

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Pooltee
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Post by Pooltee » Fri Apr 03, 2020 12:16 pm

tomscott wrote: Fri Apr 03, 2020 11:42 am That is really minimal compared to others...

It doesnt exist anymore but I used liquid leather cleaner then got a die and used it with a cocktail stick to dab it in, rather than using a cloth so the die went where I wanted it. Left it a few mins and then rubbed it in to blend and let it dry. Finished with a liquid leather conditioner.

I dont have a before pic but mine was similar to yours, this was the result

ImageBMW Z4M Coupe by Tom Scott, on Flickr
This is exactly the finish I am looking for! I understand that I will never get them looking brand new l, but a nice clean, matte crack free finish I will be very happy with
2013 Z4 20i sDrive.

Remapped, and currently “interior” rattle free.

Early midlife crises and so far loving every minute of it!

Pooltee
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Leather Interior

Post by Pooltee » Fri Apr 03, 2020 12:34 pm

With regards to the leather dye, do I need to try and get one to match my colour via vin decoder, or will any black leather dye do the job?
2013 Z4 20i sDrive.

Remapped, and currently “interior” rattle free.

Early midlife crises and so far loving every minute of it!

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Post by baconJazz » Fri Apr 03, 2020 2:56 pm

Pooltee wrote: Fri Apr 03, 2020 12:34 pm With regards to the leather dye, do I need to try and get one to match my colour via vin decoder, or will any black leather dye do the job?
Any black dye should suffice. On mine the instructions said to apply more coats for a blacker black. I put 2 coats on and then finished off with a leather cream.
2007 3.0si sport e86 coupe Black Sapphire 93k and rising at approx 2k a year.

Mazda mx5 mk3
Fiesta ST
Subaru WRX Blob eye
Mini Cooper S JCW
Mx5 mk1
Ford Puma.
Opel Manta GTE (1984)
Mk 1 Ford Capri 1.6 GT (1973)
Austin Maxi 1750 HL (269 BC)

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Post by tomscott » Sat Apr 04, 2020 12:51 pm

I bought my die from liquid leather using the code. Any black die will... won't in my opinion. There are a lot of shades of black and you will be able to tell, unfortunately I don't have mine to hand but I found the code on the forum somewhere the above was back in 2014.

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Post by Wyldie85 » Sat Apr 04, 2020 11:21 pm

I got a black leather dye from eBay and put that on. Let it dry and buffed. Cleaned the leather and then fed it with a cream feed moisturiser. Came up an absolute treat. Yours doesn’t look bad and should be easily rectifiable.
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