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Thread: Best leather refinish/repair/dye products? Horror stories?

  1. #1
    2,000 rpm - light wheelspin, no bog here!
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    Best leather refinish/repair/dye products? Horror stories?

    Hello all-

    I am looking to refinish my leather seats (in OEM tan) and was looking for any 1st-person experiences with any of these kits available. I read dozens of reviews, from Miata owners and others, and there seem to be a few that most folks really like. But there are actually very few negative reviews for any of them. I'm guessing this is because any of the better products do at least a decent job and most people only do this type of restoration once. Nonetheless, I am still trying to decide between these products. Here they are in order of those with more positive reviews (and, not coincidentally, those which I am leaning towards):

    http://leatherique.org/
    http://www.leatherrenew.com/
    http://www.leatherworldtech.com/
    https://www.liquidleather.com/
    https://colorplus.com/

    I do understand that, like many things, preparation is key to success with any of these. So let's assume that I would go with whichever company's full kit and follow directions thoroughly. Any and all input is appreciated!
    '94 M-Edition - Stock - SOLD
    '94 Laguna/Tan - Stock [currently being restored]

  2. #2
    6,000 rpm - mere mortals would shift HarryB's Avatar
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    Interested as well in leather recondition/recolouring, especially for tan!

  3. #3
    3,000 rpm - starting to feel the power freedomgli's Avatar
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    IMO there isn't much that can be done to restore the factory leather in NA and NB Miatas. It's made of relatively poor quality leather that's been treated with a variety of chemicals to make it withstand owner abuse for about the first 10 years. After that, all bets are off. Once it starts to break down, there's little that can be done to save it. There really isn't much you can do to maintain them, either, as the sealant applied over the spray paint finish prevents the leather from absorbing most common leather care products.

    It's not like BMW or Jaguar or Ferrari leather, which is often made of full-grain or top-grain leather that can be revitalized by cleaning, re-dying and treating with moisturizers. Many Japanese automakers in the 1990s lead the entry-level-lux market in equipping their vehicles with "leather" seating but they used inferior materials to save cost and weight. Great value for the first owner, not so good for long-term ownership.

    Your best bet is to strip the seat covers off, install new high-quality aftermarket full-grain or top-grain leather seat covers and then maintain them using quality leather care products. Then after 10-15 years of use, when they're scuffed up and looking tired you can then rejuvenate them using Leatherique or whatever cleaner, crack filler, dye and moisturizer combo you prefer.

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    NotableGuest (09-09-2016)

  5. #4
    6,000 rpm - mere mortals would shift HarryB's Avatar
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    Actually was asking for taking care of my Elise seats rather than the OEM ones

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    RustRat (09-09-2016)

  7. #5
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    That's good insight, freedomgli. I sort of intuited something along those lines, but it's helpful to hear confirmation. Even so, I'm still going to give it a whirl. I just changed out my original seats for some I found on Craigslist from a BRG that are in remarkably good condition. Not pristine, but the driver side has no tears, not even along the bolsters. So I guess I'm just looking to preserve them for as long as possible before the inevitable re-covering with Katskinz or whatever.
    '94 M-Edition - Stock - SOLD
    '94 Laguna/Tan - Stock [currently being restored]

  8. #6
    Ninja Messiah kung fu jesus's Avatar
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    I looked into a few of these products in the past. The Bimmer guys swear by Leatherique. Ultimately, though, FreedomGLI is right. Go talk to an upholsterer. Sometimes you can just have a few panels replaced and be fine with it. Honestly, I think there are better options out there besides leather, but you decide for yourselves.

  9. #7
    2,000 rpm - light wheelspin, no bog here!
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    You know I'm reminded that I always thought one of the good used parts dealers (Treasurecoast, etc) should hook up with a shop in Japan or UK, where they obviously drive in the other side, and trade driver's seats. I know for a fact they have the same problem finding good ones while having plenty of nice passenger seats. Bulk, commercial freight can be pretty affordable.
    '94 M-Edition - Stock - SOLD
    '94 Laguna/Tan - Stock [currently being restored]

  10. #8
    3,000 rpm - starting to feel the power freedomgli's Avatar
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    There are tricks for minor repairs like using the vinyl repair goop stuff, spray painting the dye and resealing with clear. But you'll never get rid of that cheap, plasticky feeling of the OEM leather until you go with new covers like Katskinz or custom upholstery.

  11. #9
    2,000 rpm - light wheelspin, no bog here!
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    I hear ya. Just need to bite the bullet and reupholster them soon.
    '94 M-Edition - Stock - SOLD
    '94 Laguna/Tan - Stock [currently being restored]

  12. #10
    Idling - Listen to it purr...
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    I used the Leatherique restoration kit to fix cracks and redye my seats. First attempt the dye came off in sheets. I didn't clean them properly. When done the seats looked great. Six months later small cracks started to appear, which continued until all the crack filler had separated from the leather. I'm convinced that it was my prep work as my friend has done major repairs without issues. But my seats got all cracked up.

    On the other hand the dye has held up great, with no noticeable wear. In fact I bought a set of upholstery covers for another set of seats from ebay, which the color is off and the dye job is terrible. I plan on stripping them and redyeing with leatherique, in the future.

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    HarryB (11-18-2016)

  14. #11
    2,000 rpm - light wheelspin, no bog here!
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    Yeah I actually just used the steering wheel restoration kit to refurb a shift knob and brake handle. I was going to post a write-up, but it was so hard to get right that I decided not to. The main issue I was having was getting it applied properly, leaving no drips or brush marks. After a couple redos, I think it's ok. We'll see.
    '94 M-Edition - Stock - SOLD
    '94 Laguna/Tan - Stock [currently being restored]

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    lowandrusty (11-22-2016)

  16. #12
    Idling - Listen to it purr... Irishguy's Avatar
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    This guy uses a little semi-matching spray paint and some lacquer thinner on a rag, follows up with some 303 protectant, and the results are pretty impressive, at least on the video...



    My seats on my 1995 were some dealer installed black leather seats and the quality of the leather is impressive and they are still in excellent condition, however the next "Fixer Upper" Miata I buy, I'm going to try the technique shown in this video.

    What do you have to lose, if it doesn't work you can still get them reupholstered or do it yourself with one of the upholstery replacement kits.
    Last edited by Irishguy; 12-26-2017 at 06:17 PM.

  17. #13
    Stalled - Fire it up! 93LE595's Avatar
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    I tried this on a pair of LE seats and was truly amazed at the results.

    Sent from my Z982 using Tapatalk

  18. #14
    2,000 rpm - light wheelspin, no bog here!
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    I do like the 303 products, but I ended up finding some good, used driver side (their pass side) seat covers from a shop in the UK. If anyones interested, both MX5City and AutolinkMX5 occassionally get them in and are good to work with.

    Sent from my VS996 using Tapatalk
    '94 M-Edition - Stock - SOLD
    '94 Laguna/Tan - Stock [currently being restored]

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