nellees

got myself a bottle of Dynamix Dye to try and repair a rather sad looking driver seat bolster, seats were rather grubby and had some major scuffs to the normal places, it looks like dirt on the photo but they were sort of down to the bone and the stitching has begun to come away.
Before i take the plunge and have the whole panel replaced i thought i would try Dynamix dye, results below, colour match is perfect (alpaca grey) best results come from, cleaning the area with methylated spirts (as per instructions) then lightly dabbing the areas with the dye to get a good finish, as wiping in a brush fashion just seems to thin the finish.
I have to say, ive given them three coats now, and cleaned the seats and a fine wipe all over with the remaining dye, and the look pretty damn new, im amazed at how good they have come out, i will certainly be doing the door cards now, i cant recommend this stuff enough if your seats are in a bit of a state. I spoke to Ryan from Dynamix and they are really helpful on the phone, great product great company.

http://www.dynamixdyes.com/index.php

The after photo still needs to be finished with leather conditioner.

dynomite05

It looks much better. I'm guessing you did the whole seat?

nellees

just started doing the rest of the seat, complete it tomorrow (weather permiting)

dynomite05

Cool, looking forward to the results. Does the rest of the seat look lighter than the part you did already?

nellees

no its a perfect colour match, when you apply it it looks about half a shade lighter when going on, but dries perfectly, I spoke to the guy who runs the company and it seems they go to great pains to get the colours right, you can even send them a sample swatch from an over cut and they will match it perfectly, i think mine looks lighter on the photos as the "before" photo was before the seat was cleaned etc, then the dye has coloured all of that nasty engrained stuff that was left, the seats look damn near new now, im stunned at how good they have come up.
http://www.dynamixdyes.com/index.php

92bubble

thats amazing results!! I have to get the correct color of my interior and get this asap. I have just a few touch ups.

nellees

i just rang my local MB dealer with my chassis number and they told me the colour and gave me the MB colour code over the phone.

dynomite05

Thanks for the info. I already ordered some. I have a few ideas for this stuff.

92bubble

thanks...ill do this in the am...

1998CLK320

This is crazy I was calling up local upholstery shops referred from MB today and left messages to get this fixed!!

I want to do it on my own however from every post I was discouraged about the whole time consuming process.

I just have a few have a few questions:

Did you/are you going to do the middle of the seats?
If so, are you going to take the seats apart?

Any sanding done?
Any use on the armrest or steering wheel?

nellees

as you can see from the photo, mine were bad in the normal place, no sanding, just cleaned with meths as per instructions, then dye applied with the sponge left for 24 hrs, then applied another 3 coats, im lucky as i dont use the car that much, but i did use it once inbetween coats, no harm done, then conditioned, seats have come up like new, but you do need to follow the instructions, if you do mess it up the dye can be removed with meths and re-applied. in my view, before i went to an upholsterer, i couldnt really make them look any worse, now i dont need an upholsterer until i get a split.

MarcusF

I haven't used the product that Nellees recommends, but I've used something similar several times on a number of cars. No sanding is needed. Anything leather (and most vinyl) can be done. Almost ANYONE can do it. It takes VERY little time, costs VERY little money, and most seats look VERY GOOD compared to how they started. No, it doesn't come off on your clothes after the seats are dry. I've sat in seats after getting sweaty playing basketball and NOTHING came off. Lastly, two tone (either redo or making it from a mono-color interior) is simple. Here's the link to a page I put together on refinishing seats. The prep work on my page refers to seats in horrid condition - like those in the photo on my page.

nellees

nice website Marcus, some god tips, bookmarked it

1998CLK320

Marcus that's a great website

Do you have to take the seats out?
Can you do the steering wheel as well with the same process?

nellees

i didnt take my seats out, but may re-do it in the summer for something to do..!!, my interior is like a two tone, light alpaca grey with darker steering wheel and trim, im sure if i purchased the correct colour for the wheel i could be done too, im sure there is a photo of one on the dynamix site...?
http://www.dynamixdyes.com/gallery-p...galleryimage39

MarcusF

Thanks for the compliments.

I've done a lot of seats. Some I've removed (those in HORRIFIC shape), most I've left in the car. Yes, steering wheels can be done the same way. So can door panels.

1998CLK320

Marcus,

I was looking through your instructions and just had a quick question

After you condition the seats do you wait 2 days??

Or can you work right after that?

I do like the concept of just reworking the leather rather than touching up

MarcusF

Washing the seats removes any conditioner that hasn’t completely soaked in. For me, the goal is to get as much conditioner as possible absorbed into the leather before the wash. The seats probably have absorbed all they can in 30 minutes, but I’m usually not in a rush, so I wait a couple of days. Condition one weekend, and wash/color the next. I've done it without conditioning as well. It depends on the condition of the seats.

nellees

i found that using the conditioner before dyeing, doesnt allow the dye to cure properly, my first attempt i didnt clean throurghly, the dye looked like it had took, but when i conditioned over the top of the dye, it started to come off on the cloth, the conditioner had stopped the dye from staining i think, in the instructions from dynamix, it states to clean the seats throuorghly with methylated spirits to remove any wax etc etc.

1998CLK320

Marcus where do u buy the surflex?

MarcusF

I use Color Plus. They have factory colors and will supply custom shades. There's a link at the bottom of my page.

big_mike1979

Nice.. I got the same prob.... thank u.
how much was it?? I did not see a price on the site unless i was blind.

MarcusF

$35 for standard colors and $85 for custom brews (there are more standard colors available than shown on their website). Car Care Specialties has similar pricing. And in case you're wondering, 8 ounces is PLENTY.

dynomite05

Awesome info.

nellees

heres the link for the stuff i used too in the photos above if anyone is interested.

http://www.dynamixdyes.com/buy_dyes.php