Vert interior re-dye project

Hi all, im working on re-dyeing my interior to cinnamon and need some help on the seat disassembly process for a vert. Im simply looking to separate the upper and lower seat portion without having to rip apart the entire seat. Here's where im at. I've circled in red the bolts removed so far, however, the bottom t-50 bolt just doesn't want to budge no matter how hard i try. Im not entirely sure if these are even the right bolts to remove... Any insight would be greatly appreciated.

Ive also added a couple of pics of the dyed parts completed so far for those interested. I will be posting the end result pics along with a few useful tips that i learned along the way that made the prepping and dye process a lot easier

cheers,
Oli

Hmmm.. nothing helpful in the Bentley - I was just wondering if that bolt had a high torque which would need a breaker bar.

(and I'm only posting the sorry I can't help in order to say - absolutely beautiful work !)

Thanks , i gave up trying to disassemble the seat and went ahead with prepping and dyeing the bottom seat portion... Here's a couple more pics. I still need to add a top coat finish but so far im pretty happy with the results.

Damn. These look really good.


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Wish mine were in good enough condition to dye them. I settled for a two tone.

Ok, now you gotta tell us how you're doing this. I was thinking you were just sending it out somewhere, but did you post a DIY? I noticed your initial color was grey, but ... like you are professional at this?

(Should I be looking for light grey seats in order to get a black/dark red two tone? Or can I "tone up" a section of black to the red?

Originally Posted by mach.schnell

Ok, now you gotta tell us how you're doing this. I was thinking you were just sending it out somewhere, but did you post a DIY? I noticed your initial color was grey, but ... like you are professional at this?

(Should I be looking for light grey seats in order to get a black/dark red two tone? Or can I "tone up" a section of black to the red?

Thanks for the compliment but Im far from being a professional. I messed up on the first set of door panels and had to start all over... Let's just say that i wouldn't recommend wet-sanding.

You can pretty much use any shade of color as long as the seats are in decent shape. The main objective is to ensure that the seats are properly prepped in order to obtain the best results ( a top quality deglazer is my weapon of choice). The rest is a fairly easy process as long as you've got the right set of tools and prepping/finishing products... I havent posted a DIY but if you have any questions ill certainly try and help.

I haven't done much work on the seats yesterday but here's a couple pics of the front headrest as well as some of the products ive been using. FYI, removing the front headrest is real pain just make that the headrest is properly leveled/positioned or else it won't come off.

What are you using for color? Spray paint or something? Or is there a special dye? Does BMW have dye codes for various leather seats? I'm assuming you have leather seats.

So you deglaze the current leather to "rough" up the finish. Apply the dye by cloth? Then what, buff it somehow? Don't need a detailed DIY, but just a general overview. I have a friend with an E36 who has a black scuff on his tan leather seats and the dealer wants $$$$ to fix it. (I'd only charge half the $$$$ ;^)

Originally Posted by mach.schnell

What are you using for color? Spray paint or something? Or is there a special dye? Does BMW have dye codes for various leather seats? I'm assuming you have leather seats.

So you deglaze the current leather to "rough" up the finish. Apply the dye by cloth? Then what, buff it somehow? Don't need a detailed DIY, but just a general overview. I have a friend with an E36 who has a black scuff on his tan leather seats and the dealer wants $$$$ to fix it. (I'd only charge half the $$$$ ;^)

Here are the steps ive used to re-dye my seats. Keep in mind that this is simply based on my own personal experience. Ive consulted several leather gurus and did my share of homework before attempting this re-dye.

Here are the steps.

1- Apply deglazer with white cotton rags ( Feebing's #12) to remove top coat, silicones/wax and partial dye. You don't need to remove all of the original dye on the seats, you simply want to remove the existing top coat and open up the pores of the leather for the new dye to penetrate.

2- Once the seats have been fully deglazed use damp rag and lightly wet the seats. This will further help the dye sink in to the leather.

3- Now your seats are prepped ready to be dyed. Apply a very thin coat of your choice of leather dye using an airbrush ( Badger) . I used leatherique's dye but would strongly recommend Refinishing Coatings http://www.refinishcoatings.com/. Ive heard good things about them and they should be able to match imola red to perfection.

4- Wait approx 15-20 between each coat. I applied 4 light coats and then wiped any excess pigments with a clean white cotton cloth. One final light coat is applied to give it a nice clean finish. Let dye cure for approx 12 hours before moving on to the next step.


5- Apply a water based leather conditioner with a lint free cloth let dry for at least 30 min and then lightly buff it out to a shine. I used Zelikovitz leather conditioner and was very pleased with the results. http://www.zelikovitz.com/


6- You are now ready to apply the top coat finish again using an airbrush ( 2-3 coats should suffice waiting approx 30-40 between coats). I used Zelikovitz top coat matt finish just make sure you properly shake the bottle before using. The top coat is probably the most important part of the re-dye process as it protects the leather and gives it that factory look leather finish!!!

BTW, i highly recommend Zelikovitz products. Jaime and Frank were extremely helpful and provided me with all of the necessary products with the exception of the dye.


One final note. I initially purchased leatherique's re-dye kit. I followed the procedures step by step from conditioning to prepping to redyeing the leather.... The biggest issue i found was that i lost pretty much all of the grain in the leather by using their prepping agent along with wet-sanding. I will be taking a few pictures of the front headrests vs the back headrests and you be the judge.

Well that's pretty much it folks. Hope this little bit of info will be helpful to other board members. Ill be posting more pics as my project moves along.

Cheers,
Oli

Originally Posted by mtl330ci

5- Apply a water based leather conditioner with a lint free cloth let dry for at least 30 min and then lightly buff it out to a shine. I used Zelikovitz leather conditioner and was very pleased with the results. http://www.zelikovitz.com/


6- You are now ready to apply the top coat finish again using an airbrush ( 2-3 coats should suffice waiting approx 30-40 between coats). I used Zelikovitz top coat matt finish just make sure you properly shake the bottle before using. The top coat is probably the most important part of the re-dye process as it protects the leather and gives it that factory look leather finish!!!

Glad I found this thread. I gather that the top matte coat was able to bond to the conditioner? When I think of a conditioner, I think of something that is oil based.

Would you have any pictures of the seat with and without the matte surface?

Did you thin the paint? If so - how much?

I'm in the middle of my own project now. I'm prepping the leather by using lacquer thinner to remove most of the old factory paint on the leather (its paint not dye=]). I used a scrub pad. I did notice some lose of grain but do notice that the leather still retained it.

I'm going to use leatherique to soften the leather before i begin painting with an air gun.

Would love to hear your opinions.

Originally Posted by phamine

Glad I found this thread. I gather that the top matte coat was able to bond to the conditioner? When I think of a conditioner, I think of something that is oil based.

Would you have any pictures of the seat with and without the matte surface?

Did you thin the paint? If so - how much?

I'm in the middle of my own project now. I'm prepping the leather by using lacquer thinner to remove most of the old factory paint on the leather (its paint not dye=]). I used a scrub pad. I did notice some lose of grain but do notice that the leather still retained it.

I'm going to use leatherique to soften the leather before i begin painting with an air gun.

Would love to hear your opinions.

A good water base conditioner will not affect the top coat application.

I don't have any at the moment as most before and after pics were taken on different days/lighting conditions... Ill try and snap a few pics in the next couple of days.

It depends on the type of airbrush used. I thinned mine 20-30% using distilled water.

The prepping looks good and using a pad instead of sand paper will certainly help keep some of the grain. Why wouldnt you just use a bunch of white rags instead? Be careful using harsh products such as acetone and lacquer thinner. I was advised to stay away from these products as they can damage and dry out the leather. Id recommend using feebing's deglazer as it wont harm or dry out your leather. It's a little more expensive but well worth the investment.

Im not sure how the leather will react... Using leatherique's oil treatment before hand may close up the pores and prevent the paint/dye from setting in ? Let me know how that works out for you.

Cheers,
Oli

If you were local, I'd pay you to dye my seats for me.. or pay you to come and show me on a few pieces of how it's done!

Awesome work! Looks brand new..

You should definitely make a DIY..

Holy smoke, the leather and color looks so perfect.

Very awesome job! The color looks great and I love the two-tone with carbon fiber on your door panels. I'm sure the project, once complete, will be well worth the looks and compliments.

Thank you all for your positive feedback, im glad you guys like what ive done so far. It's been pouring rain here so i haven't been able to work on my seats. I did however take a few close up pics to show you guys the quality finish comparison between using Leatherique's wet sanding technique vs using a deglazer alternative. Notice how Nappa like the back headrest turned when using the wet sanding method... In case you are all wondering, I initially followed leatherique's recommendation which was to remove as much of the dye possible without creating a suede like texture to the leather... When i contacted them to find out if loosing the grain in my leather was normal i was told that this was completely normal and that my original dye was actually acting/creating this grain like texture and not the leather itself ...??? The bottom line is if you decide to use the wet-sanding technique expect your leather to loose some if not all of it's grain texture.

Originally Posted by mtl330ci

i was told that this was completely normal and that my original dye was actually acting/creating this grain like texture and not the leather itself ...???

Actually that depends upon the part of the cow used. And yes, certain tanning proccess do use chemicals that bunch up the "nap" creating a texture (think of dried skin). But it wasn't the dye, it was another chemical in the process to give the texture. A smooth leather jacket starts out that way. Same with a "rawhide" leather belt - smooth. One doesn't take leather with grain and then smooth it.

If it was the dye, then your dye would have put that texture right back. So in a way they're right, but in a way they're wrong.

Personally I don't like the smooth finish but adding the texture to begin with adds cost (of course). I Like the texture - gives it character.

did you ever find a solution on separating the seats?

these look great!

Originally Posted by burntass

did you ever find a solution on separating the seats?

these look great!

Nope, i gave up trying to separate the seats... It simply made the prepping and dyeing job a little more challenging but i managed.

Thanks.

Thats so sick.. Amazing job