Before:

by "Steve is equipped with Electronic Fool Injection" (itsalwayssteve)
Published 03/07/2017 at 10:49

Tags: Cst ; Classic Soft Trim ; Worklopnik
STARS: 4

As y’all know I work in an aftermarket leather shop. This is one reason why this company exists:

After shots to follow when the guys finish.

Replies (21)

"CB" (jrcb)
03/07/2017 at 10:55, STARS: 0

Did someone go over the seat in pen?

"MarquetteLa" (marquettela)
03/07/2017 at 10:55, STARS: 0

What’s the cost to do this?

"Textured Soy Protein" (texturedsoyprotein)
03/07/2017 at 10:58, STARS: 1

Is it weird that I immediately recognized the interior as a Sonata?

"Steve is equipped with Electronic Fool Injection" (itsalwayssteve)
03/07/2017 at 11:05, STARS: 1

Retail is about a grand at our shop.

"Steve is equipped with Electronic Fool Injection" (itsalwayssteve)
03/07/2017 at 11:07, STARS: 1

No. But the multitude of cigarette burns give an indication of one possible cause of the stink and stains.

"Steve is equipped with Electronic Fool Injection" (itsalwayssteve)
03/07/2017 at 11:07, STARS: 2

Enterprise’s Rental car of choice from 2011-14

"CB" (jrcb)
03/07/2017 at 11:08, STARS: 0

That steering wheel looks awful with the beige insert.

"Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer" (smallbear94)
03/07/2017 at 11:12, STARS: 0

The seats look like they’re from the mid 90's, but the console clearly shows that’s not the case. What is it?

"carzcarzcarz" (carzcarzcarz)
03/07/2017 at 11:53, STARS: 0

That looks crazy dirty, I’m still wondering how it got like that All over the seat, not just where’d you slide in and out from. Please show the after, and how restoration was performed if possible.

"Steve is equipped with Electronic Fool Injection" (itsalwayssteve)
03/07/2017 at 12:04, STARS: 2

14 Hyundai Sonata.

"Steve is equipped with Electronic Fool Injection" (itsalwayssteve)
03/07/2017 at 12:05, STARS: 2

The “restoration” will be cutting the cloth off of the seats and putting leather interior in it.

"Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer" (smallbear94)
03/07/2017 at 12:06, STARS: 0

‘14!?!?!?!

uh

"Steve is equipped with Electronic Fool Injection" (itsalwayssteve)
03/07/2017 at 12:07, STARS: 0

With about 80k miles.

"Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer" (smallbear94)
03/07/2017 at 12:16, STARS: 0

I’m thinking less of the condition than the overall design.

Gray and puffy. And the zebra stripes don’t help it look newer either.

Here’s an 03'-05' Sunfire, which was dated at the time:

An 88'-93' Grand Prix, albeit in leather:

etc.

"Steve is equipped with Electronic Fool Injection" (itsalwayssteve)
03/07/2017 at 13:05, STARS: 1

To be fair, the Zebra striping isn’t as noticeable if the car’s clean:

Also it’s a Hyundai. It’s supposed to be boring and familiar. I imagine that there were quite a few people who moved into Sonatae when their GM W-body cars got up in age.

"carzcarzcarz" (carzcarzcarz)
03/07/2017 at 13:09, STARS: 0

Ah, that wasn’t what I was expecting, good to know. Any tips or recommendations to keep this from happening to light colored leather?

"Steve is equipped with Electronic Fool Injection" (itsalwayssteve)
03/07/2017 at 13:25, STARS: 4

Wipe down any spills as soon as you can - a damp soft cloth will do
Condition at least twice a year
Get a decent leather cleaner - Lexol has a kit with a mild solvent and a conditioner. It’s not expensive - about $25 for the pair. It’s pretty much the industry standard because it’s cheap and it works.

Don’t wear new, dark jeans in the car without having the cleaner. Leather is a porous natural hide and will soak in dye in a matter of minutes.

"Noah - Now with more boost." (antriebverliebt)
03/07/2017 at 14:04, STARS: 0

I’ll keep my eye out for the after shots, is this getting a clean or a reupholster?

"Monkey B" (monkeyb)
03/07/2017 at 20:25, STARS: 1

Lexol is the worst offender I’ve come across when it comes to trapping dirt. You can not condition top coated leather, it’s the same as wiping skin cream on it...it just sits there and traps dirt. Just about every made for leather cleaner/conditioner available are poor choices and a result of marketing.

For brand new cars use a 50/50 mix Woolite and water mix, regular cleanings and you have clean seats with no sticky residue that traps dirt. If you wipe it regularly enough with a warm damp towel then using soap can become something needed sparingly depending on how clean the car is kept. There’s one leather you can condition used in automotive applications and that would be old King Ranch F150's...which you’d treat with products made for saddles. I believe the newer models have switched to using a traditional top coated leather. As for dye transfer, you can’t protect against it and it normally can’t be removed. Some leathers can discolor when wet, wipe off the moisture and let dry and they will dry normally...Honda leather comes to mind for being the type that the top coat changes color when wet. If you scrub aggressively on these you’ll remove the top coat.

source: I’ve been repairing and reconditioning leather in mostly automotive and aircraft applications for 17 years. I’ve never seen proof of conditioners doing anything positive. The only way to condition top coated leather is to remove it and treat the bare side.

"Steve is equipped with Electronic Fool Injection" (itsalwayssteve)
03/08/2017 at 08:55, STARS: 0

Well I’ve learned something new. I’ve just been giving that information because it’s what has been told to me.

"Monkey B" (monkeyb)
03/08/2017 at 17:29, STARS: 0

find a piece of leather in the shop somewhere that is no good, put it on a flat surface and put water on it....you’ll notice as it sits the bare side will never get wet. So if water doesn’t penetrate the top coat, how will a little conditioner? If it somehow did penetrate the top coat enough to get the hide wet, it would ruin the topcoat in the process.

BTW, Woolite is recommended because it’s mild. You can use more aggressive soaps but it comes with risk. The most important thing when cleaning leather is moving quickly. Scrub fast and towel dry immediately.