How to fix cracked leather seats

[cmcfaul]

My seats are not terrible but cracking. I want to make them look better and last longer without changing the color (Beige). Photos are a year old and they are cleaner now but cracks are worse. Any tips are appreciated.

Chris
89 Carrera

[freeform911]

Clean and condition with leatheriques...amazing stuff...

Clean with leatherique cleaning product with a soft bristle brush ( dont need to be hard with it) wipe off with microfiber towel...
This will take the dirt out of the cracks which make the cracking look worse then it probably is..

Condition with leatherique conditioner...
I apply it with a sponge paint brush..apply a nice heavy coat n let sit in the hot sun for awhile..come back n wipe off..you can apply multiple times..

Your leather will be soft again helping to eliminate any further cracking

The seat leather looks pretty dry in the pictures..

[911 Rod]

^^^^ Perfect advice right there.
I do it a couple of times a year.

[sugarwood]

Leather conditioner can not fix cracked leather, only prevent more cracking.
Look into leather filler and dye

[GH85Carrera]

Nothing will heal leather. You might make it look better, but a crack is forever.

[josephvman]

Have the seats been dyed previously? Sometimes a buildup of dye on a seat can crack, but underneath the actual leather is okay. I had a 928 GT with the same color interior, and the seats had been dyed heavily before I got the car. After using the car for six months they started to look like yours. I figured I had nothing to lose so I stripped them with acetone, and the underlying leather was okay. It's a pretty messy job but not difficult. Once I had the majority of the dye stripped and down to bare leather, I repeated a few applications of Leatherique rejuvenating oil and then had a professional respray them. If you do have actual cracks and want to save the seats, you're going to have to strip the existing dye anyway to use some sort of filler before you refinish them.

If the seat cushions are fine and you're planning on keeping the car for awhile, I'd probably just have them recovered with correct high-quality replacements from Classic9 or one of the other reputable suppliers.

[slow&rusty]

All good advice given above.

On one of my car's my experience was identical to josephvman's. I had poor experience with a so-called leather restorer that caked on so much product into the cracks that after a few months it broke apart and looked worse than before. Its similar to a woman that buys her make-up from the paint aisle at Home Depot.

It took one day to remove all that nasty caked on stuff with solvent and then had the seats re-dyed by a shop who know what they were doing and the leather is holding up nicely now.

I will say that Porsche leather from the '80s is a very good strong stuff, save it if you can before considering a re-dye or new skins. Classic9 is definitely a go to for new skins.

[cmcfaul]

They have not been dyed before. I will try the leatherique but I feel they probably need to be filled. Don't like the dye part. In a year since the pic they have gotten worse. Probably because I am driving it a lot now that I am home all the time.

Chris

[cmcfaul]

Figures it is by far the most expensive ;/

[freeform911]

Originally Posted by cmcfaul

Figures it is by far the most expensive ;/

Well worth it...I'm sure you'll be surprised how well the seats come back to life...

This definitely WILL NOT fix cracks but will get the grim out of the leather and soften it back up to help eliminate any further cracking..
Good luck and let the conditioner sit in the hot car...

[DanielDudley]

I had just the affected pieces replaced in my seats, not the entire cover.

[76FJ55]

you could check out ColorPlus, I've used their conditioner and dye with good results. They have kits that include crack filler.

[cmcfaul]

I ordered the $80 stuff. Will go that route first. Maybe I will go the ColorPlus route if not happy with the leatherique.

Will post pics of the before and after next week.

Chris

[josephvman]

Even if the seats haven't been previously dyed, it's not likely that the cracks are all the way through the leather itself. It's try to strip the dye from the cracks and see what you're dealing with underneath. You might find that what looks like cracks are just accumulated dirt in the deep creases where the dye itself has cracked. You'll get a much better result with your re-dye if you can get as much of the old finish off the seats as possible first. If you fill the deep creases (or cracks) and dye over the existing finish, they'll look great for a short period of time, but probably end up worse than before after some wear.

Originally Posted by cmcfaul

They have not been dyed before. I will try the leatherique but I feel they probably need to be filled. Don't like the dye part. In a year since the pic they have gotten worse. Probably because I am driving it a lot now that I am home all the time.

Chris