My leather Recaro Sportster CS seats have some scuff marks on the bolsters from getting in and out. I’ve found some topics about cleaning products for leather seats, but I’m not sure if these will help with masking the scuffs. I’m not expecting the wear to disappear completely, but someone can recommend me a treatment to make them look better?
I've used scuffmaster leather kits before with good results, worked 'okay' with the leather recaros in my focus.
I have a Scuffmaster leather kit at home, but I've never used it. I'm a bit scared that I might ruin the seat. Did you use it as a touch up or did you dye an entire section?
I think so too. According to the Recaro website, the Sportster CS comes standard either in cloth or synthetic leather. Real leather is optional, but I'm 98% sure that Renault went for the cheapest option.
I used it to touch up a section the shape of my wee finger, the seat had been rubbed greyish getting in and out. I used the sponge and just took it slowly, and blended it with the surrounding area. If the megane 'leather' is like the focus, it'll be almost more like a dark grey, so I mixed up the dye with a little of the lightener they supply too. It will also look darker until it's applied and dried.
Thanks for the info. They look rather dark grey indeed. I think I'm just going to give it a try this weekend. I'll test the colour beforehand on a small, non-visible, section of the seat. I'll post the outcome here.
As promised, here are the results of the dyeing-process on the seats: The product I used is Gliptone Scuffmaster Black leather kit which costs around 20 pounds. Because the ‘leather’ of the Recaro’s is just faux leather, I wasn’t sure how this would turn out. The kit comes with 65ml of black dye, and three 5ml toners (white, blue and a gloss enhancer) so you can match the colour of your seat. What I started out with: First I used a small amount of spirit to clean the scuffed area and I masked off the white stitching with some masking tape. Because the Recaro’s are dark-grey, I had to lighten the black dye with a bit of white before I could start applying. I kept adding white and testing the colour in a small area until I was satisfied. Then I used the sponge to that came with to kit to rub it on whilst I tried to blend it in with the area. After about 3 layers, with 15 minutes between each layer, I ended up with this: I didn’t use any gloss enhancer as the scuffed areas don’t have as much leather-texture like the rest of the seat, so they are a bit smoother and shinier. This becomes less over time. Pretty happy with the end result. The overall look: If you have any questions, feel free to ask.
Good job! Eventually I guess the material will just get to the stage when it'll need replaced - a good retrimmer will be able to sort that for not much. Think I'd heard of folks quoted between £50-80 here in NI.
Yeah, that seems a reasonable price. But as long as passengers keep sliding over de bolsters as they get in and out the car, I'll leave it like this.
Mind me asking, is the yellow recaro stitched in, or did you get the whole seats retrimmed? Wanna do mine red
I was expecting someone to comment on that . I'm a bit ashamed to tell you, but it's just a simple sticker. I came with the idea to make the Recaro logo yellow a few months ago, and the cheapest way to test if I'd like it, was to measure the length (73mm) and order a vinyl sticker. Because the seats aren't made of real leather, I didn't see a reason why a sticker wouldn't stick. I stuck them on using a bit of heat and it looks great in my opinion. As the Recaro logo is engraved in the seat, the sticker also lies deeper than the surface and therefore isn't prone to peeling in use. I've got them on for 2 months now, and so far the've been holding up great! Also no problems when cleaning the seats. I know it's not the most elegant way to do this, but if they ever come off, I'll look into stitching or retrimming.
I bought them on eBay: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Recaro-De...325497&hash=item25dcad760d:g:ZPgAAOSwnFZXUGCo You just need to add a message that says that the length has to be 73mm.
I don't know the exact height, but the seller will resize the sticker using the original ratio. If you order it with a length of 73mm, the height will be fine for the logo in your seat.
The seats looks great! Really like that sticker placement too. Might have to have a go at the bolsters on my seats too. It is really annoying; I've always tried to be as gentle as possible getting in and out of the car, but to no avail! That and the matted alcantara on the steering wheel - I had a go at that with some Autoglym upholstery cleaner and actually managed to bring it back! Considered setting up my own detailing business after my immediate success my Felix Baumgartner moment lasted approximately 16 seconds, don't worry!
I know! It took quite some time for me to get used to getting in and out those seats without sliding over the bolsters. I think I've got the hang of it now, but I do look like an idiot while doing it . Passengers that've never been in the car before, are the worst! I always have to look away as they get in. The letters are individual indeed. It's a die-cut vinyl decal with backing paper and transparent tranfer paper. Just remove the backing paper and place the decal over the 'engraved' logo and press the letters in. It's advised to use a bit of heat as the texture of the leather isn't smooth.
@RickBTG how did you get them to stick, ordered a few, so far tried three and they don't even come close to sticking. Totally cleaned seats, and heated decals, but not going to stick to the seat. They would look great as well.
Hmmm, that's strange. Did you order the decals from the link? What did you use to clean your seats? I used a small amount of methylated spirits to clean my seats. Off course, the decals won't stick as good to the leather texture as they would to the bodywork of a car. But when you remove the transparent transfer paper, the letters should stay in place.
I rubbed down with a little white spirit and then dried with hair drier, but it would just not take on them at all. I am just wondering if the faux leather is slightly different on the recaro's, (2016 plate) its not truly smooth in the indents of the wording. I will try another one this weekend if it stays dry, but suspect the surface will not create a bond.
@GTMegane My car is from 2012, so it could be that the texture is a bit different, but the indents in my seats aren't truly smooth too! Therefore I used a heatgun so the decal can adapt to the texture. Good luck!
