High-quality vinyl dye?

[speeder]

I've heard of leatherique for leather and looked at their (very impressive) web site but it doesn't seem that they make dye for vinyl. I need to re-dye some Mercedes *MB Tex* seats and need the good stuff. IOW, accurate color and durable, non-running/fading, etc...

Any suggestions?

[A930Rocket]

I want to say it will wear off over time, especially in Hugh wear areas, but I got my stuff from a auto paint shop.

[Joeaksa]

Have used vinyl spray paint several times with good success. Granted its not for seat cushions where you slide on and off of them all the time but otherwise worked well.

[island911]

What color are you going to? (Black, I hope - else, you want to use the vinyl spray . . .which wears poorly.

Rit dye will absorb into many plastics. ...but you had better be going darker.

[speeder]

Nope, light tan factory MB "Palomino". I want to re-dye factory seats that are in perfect shape other than extreme color fading. Looking for *leatherique quality* stuff for vinyl. Spray paint won't do. Has to be color-correct.

[Tobra]

Get the windows tinted so you don't have to do it again in 15 years. Try call an upholstery shop, maybe one that works on boats/marine applications

[Zeke]

The good stuff was taken off CA shelves years ago. What you can get today you might find at an automotive paint store. I bought some and it seemed to be no more than some very thin lacquer paint.

I saw SEM Brand flexible color coat recommended. That may or may or not be what I used.




2 shots of a 914 vinyl seat dyed red from black. Dye from auto paint store. No problems.

[Eric Coffey]

I'd check to see if either of these places can help. I've dealt with both in the past with good results/service:

World Upholstery
GAHH


Also, found these guys on the net. Might be worth checking out. Appears as though they have all of the MB vinyl color codes to choose from:

Classic Dye Products

[cbush]

I have used Surflex on leather, but it is supposed to work on vinyl. a great product- they do standard colors, and colors to sample.

"Restore (or change) the color of both leather and vinyl. SURFLEX is a superior water based polymer dye used for refinishing leathers. SURFLEX will not crack, chip or become brittle with age. SURFLEX restores the natural leather appearance and does not look "painted". SURFLEX will not fill in or cover up the natural leather or vinyl grain pattern. Achieve excellent results without previous experience or special equipment. Non-toxic and low odor, SURFLEX cleans up with soap and water."

"• SURFLEX can be easily applied using a soft brush or proper spray equipment. SURFLEX dries to a natural finish in about 20 minutes. The new SURFLEX finish will remain permanently flexible. Clean with soap and water when soiled. (Please wait at least 6 weeks for the new finish to "cure" before cleaning or conditioning .) At a fraction of the cost of reupholstering, your leather or vinyl will look beautiful. And - restoration of original interiors, rather than replacement, increases the value of a vintage automobile."

Just google SURFLEX to find it.

[Laneco]

I did the vinyl and plastic bits in my Dad's car with SEM including the vinyl prep agent. That car went from 80's Chevy maroon to a much more tasteful gray. Prep work is everything. I also used Leatherique on another car, again with extensive prep work. The Leatherique can be used on vinyl, basically the same process as for leather except the reconditioning is easier.

When I say prep work, I'm really serious. Scrub, scrub, scrub, bust out the sand paper and lightly sand, use the prep agent, then the product. Go light coats. If you do this properly, you can do it on seating surfaces.

angela (before and after - fabric bits recovered, plastics/vinyls are dyed)

[island911]

Originally Posted by speeder

Nope, light tan factory MB "Palomino". I want to re-dye factory seats that are in perfect shape other than extreme color fading. Looking for *leatherique quality* stuff for vinyl. Spray paint won't do. Has to be color-correct.

Ah. Color correctness might be a big problem -iirc, the 'color' is actually a couple shades dappled together... Though I expect one could get close enough.

I actually have some front covers (W123) that might work for you - with some work. Currently they have vinyl spray green.

I've just tested a couple chem-removers, and it looks like "Goof Off" dissolves the vinyl spray color w/o ruining the base material.

Here's the test area...



Let me know if these are worth the postage to you. I have only the front seat covers (head rests are OE green) The bottom piece pictured is the passenger side. The driver's side doesn't have as much body to the center 'ribs.'

[speeder]

Thanks to all!

Island: Very generous offer but 123 seats are different than 126 seats, (what I have), and I already will have good covers that only need color-refreshening.

The good news is that I am not changing colors. Just want to re-dye the exact factory color back over them. The bad news is that it's absolutely on seating surfaces. That's where it needs it most.

Angela: Nice job! I've seen other well-executed interior dye-jobs in the past, always impressive.

I'm going to research the links supplied by cbush and Eric, Thanks guys!

[speeder]

Well, I talked to customer service @ Leatherique and they told me that their product works just fine on MB vinyl. As always, the prep is very important. I might give them a try since they're known for accurate colors.

[sc_rufctr]

Angela

I'm impressed. God job

Originally Posted by Laneco

I did the vinyl and plastic bits in my Dad's car with SEM including the vinyl prep agent. That car went from 80's Chevy maroon to a much more tasteful gray. Prep work is everything. I also used Leatherique on another car, again with extensive prep work. The Leatherique can be used on vinyl, basically the same process as for leather except the reconditioning is easier.

When I say prep work, I'm really serious. Scrub, scrub, scrub, bust out the sand paper and lightly sand, use the prep agent, then the product. Go light coats. If you do this properly, you can do it on seating surfaces.

angela (before and after - fabric bits recovered, plastics/vinyls are dyed)

[jhynesrockmtn]

I did my old Jag using the surflex on both the leather and vinyl bits years ago. Surflex and leatherique are very similar products and both vendors say their products work on the vinyl as well which you found out. My vinyl was on the door panels and console though, not seats but it's worth a try. It might be worth getting the equipment to spray it on if you have a compressor already. Getting it to cover on those seats without pooling will be tough with a brush.

[Laneco]

Oh - same color re-dye? THis is a Leatherique re-dye same color over leather and vinyl. It will be three years this spring since I finished this one up. I've got one spot where the prep work evidently was shaky and I'll need to touch it up. Not on the seat bottom, but on the inside of one bolster. Outsides of bolsters, seat bottom, etc., still perfect on a daily driver.

Leatherique custom tints your dye. You send them a small sample and they mix to match.

Before and after.
angela

[Steve Carlton]

Angela is getting quite good at photoshop!

[Laneco]

I got mad skillz!

angela

[Jagshund]

Originally Posted by A930Rocket

I want to say it will wear off over time, especially in Hugh wear areas.

What's a, "Hugh wear area?"

Does Hugh scoot his butt around on seats, causing more wear? And if so, why"