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BMW 3-Series (E90 E92) Forum > E90 / E92 / E93 3-series Technical Forums > Cosmetic and Lighting Modifications (exterior/interior) > How do I make my red leather beautiful again



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      09-04-2017, 07:39 PM   #1
sidenei
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How do I make my red leather beautiful again?

Hi everyone, so I have a 2007 328xi with 191,xxx miles that looks like its brand new. But I recently got to sit in a friends 2011 E92 and his seats felt so soft and now Im looking down upon mine. Theyre not cracked severely like Ive seen in some older models, but theyre 191,xxx old... Im desperate to know if and how I can restore them back to a better stage than they are at now (Or who can restore them). Ive read a few forms and hoping for a little more help.
Please and thank you for your responses!
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      09-05-2017, 07:55 AM   #2
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It depends on the condition of your seats. When I clean my interior I use Lexol leather cleaner and conditioner. It's the best cleaner product you can buy in my opinion. If you have more wear/tear and discoloring you will need to buy a repair kit. You'll have to remove the seats. There are stages including sanding, prepping, and painting.

My driver side seat is in bad shape so I'm looking into getting it reupholstered.
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      09-05-2017, 01:52 PM   #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Jarronbwall View Post
It depends on the condition of your seats. When I clean my interior I use Lexol leather cleaner and conditioner. It's the best cleaner product you can buy in my opinion. If you have more wear/tear and discoloring you will need to buy a repair kit. You'll have to remove the seats. There are stages including sanding, prepping, and painting.

My driver side seat is in bad shape so I'm looking into getting it reupholstered.
By ?reupholstered?, do you mean your getting new leather/ReFabricating your seats? If so, how much would that cost you for your driver seat?
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      09-06-2017, 09:04 AM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sidenei View Post
By ?reupholstered?, do you mean your getting new leather/ReFabricating your seats? If so, how much would that cost you for your driver seat?
I will remove the seat and take it to an auto upholster shop. Not sure how much it will cost me. Hopefully someone else can chime in here...?
It would be cool to have custom leather inserts, tri color stitching, etc. but like anything else I'm sure it increases the price.
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      09-06-2017, 09:10 AM   #5
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https://www.amazon.com/COLOURLOCK-El.../dp/B00J7XSNZU

if it's dry this stuff is great i think they have a matte finish too.
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      09-06-2017, 09:55 AM   #6
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sidenei you might not even have leather seats in your 328xi. Is possibe that you have leatherette. Additionally, 3-series come with 2 different leathers, Dakota which is rough and Nappa that is soft. So without knowing what you have and what you sat in is impossible to advise.
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      09-08-2017, 12:21 PM   #7
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Search for any number of leather restoration/leatherique threads. They have all the info you need.
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      09-20-2017, 04:18 PM   #8
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You can use a number of leather restoration products, however I enjoy using Adam's Polishes Leather and Interior Cleaner followed by their Leather Conditioner for my clients.

It really rejuvenates the color and feel of the leather in addition to creating a nice new car smell.

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      09-21-2017, 08:54 AM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Jarronbwall View Post
I will remove the seat and take it to an auto upholster shop. Not sure how much it will cost me. Hopefully someone else can chime in here...?
It would be cool to have custom leather inserts, tri color stitching, etc. but like anything else I'm sure it increases the price.
I've looked into upholstery before, I was shocked at how much people charge. I guess its pretty labor intensive. They were saying well over a thousand for the 2 fronts and rear seat. Maybe for just one seat its a few hundred?
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      09-21-2017, 11:43 AM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Tim603 View Post
I've looked into upholstery before, I was shocked at how much people charge. I guess its pretty labor intensive. They were saying well over a thousand for the 2 fronts and rear seat. Maybe for just one seat its a few hundred?
Hell I'm doing half the work taking the seat to them, and I won't be able to drive it for a week! The previous own did a crap job of repair on the bolstering. I think it's a "painted on" leather patch.
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      09-21-2017, 12:22 PM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Jarronbwall View Post
Hell I'm doing half the work taking the seat to them, and I won't be able to drive it for a week! The previous own did a crap job of repair on the bolstering. I think it's a "painted on" leather patch.
Lol taking the seat out is most definitely not half the work but it should help reduce the price I would imagine. Keep us posted on what a local place quotes you!
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      09-23-2017, 05:37 PM   #12
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SwissVax FTW..!

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      09-26-2017, 11:57 AM   #13
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I purchased the SwissVax kit for my coral red interior and looking forward to freshening it up this fall. My red seats were heavily soiled and have some typical bolster wear from the previous owner. I've cleaned them well but now hoping the SwissVax can give me half the results I've seen elsewhere!
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      11-02-2017, 10:31 AM   #14
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look into leatherique. its not cheap and labor intensive but they have awesome cleaning and conditioning products. i've used plenty of other products on market for maintenance and cleaning already good condition leather but for revitalizing, leatherique has beat every product i've used first hand.

if your car was mine, i'd hit it with leatherique prestine clean then do couple stages of leatherique rejuvenator.


i wasnt impressed with lexol line at all. the cleaner was decent but the oil made leather sticky no matter how much i tried to buff out residue. i also wasnt impressed with mothers and chemical guys line. they all do decent job cleaning your leather but all three lines did little to truely bring out a dried out leather or soft feel thats closer to new leather seat. the fact is i own all these products already and use it regularly as my e90 leather is always well cleaned and conditioned so any of these works. in my family or friend's cars(with neglected leather) is where i get to truly test how good these products perform.

Last edited by mifesto; 11-02-2017 at 10:44 AM..
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      11-02-2017, 08:22 PM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mifesto View Post
look into leatherique. its not cheap and labor intensive but they have awesome cleaning and conditioning products. i've used plenty of other products on market for maintenance and cleaning already good condition leather but for revitalizing, leatherique has beat every product i've used first hand.

if your car was mine, i'd hit it with leatherique prestine clean then do couple stages of leatherique rejuvenator.


i wasnt impressed with lexol line at all. the cleaner was decent but the oil made leather sticky no matter how much i tried to buff out residue. i also wasnt impressed with mothers and chemical guys line. they all do decent job cleaning your leather but all three lines did little to truely bring out a dried out leather or soft feel thats closer to new leather seat. the fact is i own all these products already and use it regularly as my e90 leather is always well cleaned and conditioned so any of these works. in my family or friend's cars(with neglected leather) is where i get to truly test how good these products perform.


What particular leatherique products would you use? I'm surprised to see it's a Canadian company as well
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      11-02-2017, 09:42 PM   #16
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Obsessed garage does a good job explaining the Leatherique cleaning process.



Here's my thread using Leatherique oil, dye and cleaner.

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showth...ight=scanspeak
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      11-02-2017, 11:20 PM   #17
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Thanks man , appreciate it
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      11-03-2017, 12:21 PM   #18
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5 parts distilled water, 1 part Woolite. Thank me later.
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      11-09-2017, 10:19 AM   #19
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I can handle alot of repairs, but I speculated that leather repair/maintenance might be abit beyond me and unforgiving if I missed up. I hired a local guy from Fibrenew to clean the seats and repair a few worn seams. Looks like brand new!

If you're feeling DIY swissvax is great. If you're not, Fibrenew did a great job for me and it looks like they have locations in your area and have pretty solid reviews on Yelp.
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      01-26-2018, 04:34 AM   #20
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Turtlewax Powerout Leather Cleaner (the one with the brush, 5 or 6 bucks at walmart)
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