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I have a pair of 2009 C63 seats. I need to restore the bolsters and make some other minor repairs.
What is the best match (brand of product and color code) for this year and color? I’ve read several posts on this topic, and I am open to any suggestions that anyone would like to share regarding products and techniques.
Just went through this. Having a really hard time finding something that will last. I have now re-done the driver's side bolsters three times. The latest attempt seems to have stuck, but only time will tell.
The first try with with leatherique rejuvinator oil only. The seats came out much softer, but it didn't help much with the worn bolsters other than darkening the worn spots slightly. (I didn't try their dye.)
The second was by sanding and re-doing with black dye from autoleatherdye.com. The black dye they sent was a near perfect match for our stock color. The problem I ran into was that the dye began to crack after a couple months at the natural stress cracks in the bolsters.
The third was a re-dye using the same dye but with the crack filler from a 3M kit I found locally. This lasted about a month before the stress cracks started showing through.
The last attempt was with the deep crack filler from autoleatherdye.com. This seems like it may hold up a lot better than the 3M filler. Only time will tell.
While the re-dye looks good from a few feet away, it isn't factory perfect from inches away. Also, it is really tough to keep it factory smooth when putting dye over top of the thread in the bolsters, which becomes pretty rough when it dries.
If the latest fix doesn't hold up for more than a couple months, I will consider having an upholstery shop sew in new leather on the bolsters.
Thanks for the reply. The seats are not in my car, so I may ask a couple of upholstery shops for a repair estimate before I install them.
Do you know the color code for the black dye from autoleatherhyde.com? Or, is it obvious when you use their web site? I am installing the seats in another Mercedes and I don’t have a VIN for a C63 or anything else that may identify the color. On the web sites I’ve looked at, there are several different blacks. The seats appear to be more like “charcoal” than a deep black.
The second was by sanding and re-doing with black dye from autoleatherdye.com. The black dye they sent was a near perfect match for our stock color. .
Do remember which color black you bought? They show several different blacks on their Mercedes color chart. My guess is dark charcoal or charcoal. They also offer a custom match service, but I don’t want to cut off a piece of leather and send it to them.
I found an old listing in the Market Place. The car had seats like mine the seller included a photo of the window sticker. The color code shown on the sticker is 201AMG Premium Leather.
I chose that company because they blend their dyes using the VIN and color code rather than a color chart. Although I don’t own the car in which the seats began their life, I think the information I found on a similar car should be be a good substitute. I will post photos of the results.
I brought photos (on my iPad) of the damaged leather to an upholstery shop. The owner would not provide an estimate without seeing the seats, but I came away with the impression that replacing the damaged bolster would cost a minimum of $300. I decided that I would first assess the results of dyeing the worn areas before I committed to that expense. It would also be inconvenient to bring the seats to the shop.
The SA Code on my Data Card says - 221A Leather - Black/Anthracite (but no color code)
My car has the two tone red/ black - X50 Leather, Designo, Two-Color. X83 Designo Classic Red Two-Tone Leather.
I am not 100% sure but the black in my 2012 looks to be the same shade as the Black Napa in my 2010 C63.
This red and black combo look magnificent! Its a high bolster, and when MB made these Nappa Leather seats, they were very thin, soft leather. It's a gorgeous seat but will wear badly. I also get in and out very particularly...
My dye from Seat Doctors arrived on Monday night. The company is great to work with. They sent me bottles of both Black and Anthracite dye at no additional cost because they were not sure when Mercedes made the color change.
On Monday, I tried small amounts of both colors on inconspicuous spots. Both were good matches, but I ultimately decided that black was the best match. On Tuesday I used a Preval sprayer to apply the dye. I initially worked on just the worn areas, but the dyed area looked so good I re-dyed both seats. The Preval spray attachment wasn't perfect and in areas that I considered the dye too thick I blotted it with a foam make-up sponge that I confiscated from my wife.
I am pleased with the results:
I am particularly pleased with the improvements to the bolsters - the driver's side turned out better than I hoped.
I am planning to buy some crack filler and improve the results I had with the small tear on the passenger seat bottom. The dye makes the tear less noticeable, but I can tell it is still there.
Last edited by KevinH2000; Mar 27, 2019 at 09:46 PM.
Here are some photos of the seats installed in my 2005 C230 Sports Sedan.
They are a nice improvement over the stock C230 seats. I know that C63 owners have experienced the AMG seats since the beginning of their ownership. I hope that you appreciate what you have. The leather contributes a more upscale feel compared to the MB-Tex with leather seating inserts in the stock seats. The bolsters add a "connected" feeling and the full power adjustment make it easy to find the perfect seating position. While I haven't found it necessary to tighten the bolsters, I make full use of the dual lumbar supports.
Last edited by KevinH2000; Apr 4, 2019 at 10:38 PM.
Jesus, that looks amazing. I'm curious to see how it holds up. Not crapping on you, I'm just in a similar boat and was weighing whether to redye like you did or get new seat leathers. Nice work.
I am too. I use the same technique to enter and exit the car that I use on my Boxster to avoid rubbing the bolsters. (Sit in the car perpendicular to the steering wheel and then gently turn clockwise and avoid rubbing the bolster.) Even so, I expect to have to re-touch the bolsters occasionally. I'll update this thread with photos when I have used the seats a few months.
I paid $300 for the seats and cannot justify buying new seat skins for a project that was intended to be an inexpensive upgrade. I had to buy some used parts to adapt the seats to my C230, and I have already spent more than I planned.
Two month update and repaired the tear in the passenger seat
The repairs to the bolsters appear to be holding up well after two months. I will post another update in two or three months to see if the heat of the summer has had any detrimental effects.
I had a small tear in the seat bottom of the passenger seat. Although dying the seat disguised it, it was still fairly visible:
I used a product recommended by the company that sold me the dye to fill the crack. It was a little pricey, but I will be using the leftover filler to repair a steering wheel so the cost will be spread over two projects.
The tear is less prominent after using the filler, but I can still tell it is there. The flash makes it more visible than it does under normal lighting conditions.
Although the repair isn't perfect, I think filling the tear will prevent something from catching the edge of the damaged area and making it worse.
Looking good still! Have you been getting in and out of your car regularly since the repair? Just wondering how much use the seat has gotten. Also, I know you said seat doctors sent you both black and gray dye; did you use the black? The seats definitely look blacker than before you dyed them (trying to figure out what color I need).
I have another car, but I drive the C230 about 80% of the time. I estimate that I have gotten in and out of the seat about 350 times. I meticulously avoid rubbing against the bolster when entering and exiting the car. The passenger seat didn’t experience much use during the test period.
Seat Doctor sent me two colors, black and anthracite. I will snap a photo of the bottles tonight so that you can see the color codes. I used the black dye and I think you are correct that it made the seats slightly darker. The seats had probably faded a bit before I bought them. When I tested the colors, anthracite was slightly lighter.
Last edited by KevinH2000; Jun 4, 2019 at 07:06 AM.
Getting in and out has been a process since day one. The “nappa leather” is soft and nice but too thin. There is almost no way around rubbing against the bolster, or all bolsters for that matter...
Thanks
I anticipate that I will need to touch up the bolsters on a regular basis.
By the way-I normally don’t read this forum, but I have been lurking a bit since I started my seat project. Now I am wondering whether I should buy a C63.
My C230 is a daily driver. It handles and stops well, but takes about twice as long to go from 0-60 as the C63. I guess the two factors holding me back are that I don’t want to give up my C230’s fuel economy or my manual transmission.
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