Side Bolster Wear/Cracking
 

I know this is a common issue with the sedans, especially the drivers side. I have the Two-tone red/black interior and I believe the previous owner tried to fix the cracking by covering up a lot of it by painting the outer portion black. I believe the entire side bolsters is supposed to be red from the factory (can anyone confirm?)

The pictures below better show what I'm talking about. I've given it the leatherique rejuvinator and pristine clean treatment. But the side bolster will need some more detailed work.

Have any of you had success in restoring these, or have any advice on how you would tackle this?

The car is a 2012 with about 57k miles so it seems the previous owner was very rough getting in and out of the car.

every c63 i seen has bolster problem like that. Unless it is non leather car.

Best way is to set 3 memory to move the seat back further so you can get in and out of the car without rubbing against the bolsters.

Read through the leatherique website, you are going to need to fill the cracks, sand it and then reapply matching die - leatherique sells it all and has some good instructions and examples.

The leather used is a top coated leather (not really dyed) so think of it as painted leather, they basically spray a topcoat on the leather to color it and that is what cracks and wears off, not the leather itself, so you need to basically fill it like you would paint scratches and chips and then repaint. You can either wipe on or spray the dye.

http://www.leatherique.com/do_it_your_self_instruction/

If you google, lots of DIY's that people have made on how to do it, it is not too difficult (will take a weekend though to get through the steps and let a couple coats dry and deal with the 2 colors), take your time and it will look like new again.

Thanks, I saw some DIY's and I'll most likely go with the Leatherique fill and re-dye process. I might wait until it warms up a bit before attempting it.

Now I have to fret about finding the matching dye...

v

I have the same interior and only the centre panels are black.

Have you investigate a quality body shop or interior specialist who might do it for you?

You could try

https://www.fibrenew.com/colorado_sp...lstery-repair/

or

http://www.renewmyauto.com/

Both are in Colorado Springs and do leather renewal work - these places will usually mix die and match .

This damage is actually quite severe. Leatherique won't do much to that. Call Fibrenew. I've used them before with good results.

I have not used them for a car but I have used them on Lazyboy leather furniture and I swear their finish is tougher than the OEM coating they use.
I agree. Call your local guy. Just keep in mind these are franchises and the skill of the individual may determine the outcome.

I think sanding, filling in the cracks and re-dying is the way to properly do this. I'll get quotes from fibrenew and renewmyauto though before deciding.

Thanks for providing those links!

I use Lexol leather cleaner and protectant. I'm at 30,000 km and almost 2 years - and my car is kept outside year round (-20C to +30C), and I have zero cracking or creasing.
I apply the leather conditioner every 6 months.
I have the nappa leather which is probably even more sensitive to cracking because it's quite soft?