azkaty

Well today was an afternoon well spent for Bob.. attached are photos of the before and after results of the seat sanding, taking off the old color, and respraying of his SC, which ad been done before by a professional, but subsequently had cracked . Also the color started to wear off, showing a yellowing of the leather surface.

We are very happy with the results! I think Bob has a new calling..leather repair!
Katy

azkaty

Another picture..

What do y'all think?!
Katy

talwang

iTrader: (4)

looks brand new again.

Roofless

Wow. Well done!!

TooCoolSC

Wow! That looks fantastic. He's going to be so pleased every time he gets in that car now.

VVTiBob

Very impressive Bob! How much time did the entire process take?

scrdstr

wow that looks great what product did you use. My 04 Solara only 20k on it and its cracked like that on the drivers side. My sc leather is perfect i thought they used top grain leather in lexus sc's.

azkaty

How much time? Well, this was my "first pass" at doing this type of repair, and I was very, very nervous...I am a perfectionist, and EVERYTHING takes me longer.... I would say that cleaning the seat, sanding, and then cleaning took about an hour...then I waited for an hour to let it dry, then used the SEM "Vinyl Prep" spray, washed it off again with water, waited an hour...masked off...then painted, 3 coats (light) and waited 15 minutes between. The sanding part was the most scary part...finding out the seat had been painted numerous times, and never sanded when repaired...which is why the cracks seemed so deep before the repair. Bob... PS...the driver's seat DOES look better than the passenger seat now...like everyone said.... next weekend I will do the passenger seat!

The product is called SEM Color Coat - Phantom White 15003.

Thanks to Harold for telling us about this product..

Bob

scrdstr

well it looks good, is leather died orig? or painted like your doing and do you know how long what your doing will last. I honestly never thought about how leather got its color lol
My Solara color is still like new just cracked.

azkaty

. I think the leather is originally died. Looks to us that it was painted by some other people--then the prior owner also got suntan lotion on it.. that made it yellow out. so all the old white layers had to be removed, before the new work could be done. We believe it should last for years, especially with the amount the car is driven.

dag8882

BOb,
Congrats, Seat looks awesome! is it possible to go into further explanation as to how this sanding process works? like.. how many different grid sandpapers did u use?
did u have to sand multiple times? etc...
thanks in advance.
-Dave

azkaty

Dave, I used 700 grit (water). I sanded about 3 times...wiped off the old dye residue each time after sanding, and it it dry for 15 minutes inbetween sanding episodes... I was amazed at how much old dye there was on the seat! The previous owner (1) had it detailed 2x year since 2003 at his local Lexus store...and I am sure that they never sanded the seat between re-coats. The sanding thing is a personal decision...looking back, I probably could have sanded the seat a bit more..but this was my first time, and I was concerned about going too far...the nicest thing about this process is that if you are not satisfied with the results the first time...you can do it again! With the cost of the paint ($11.95) and the denatured alcohol (4.95) and the sandpaper $1.03 a sheet (I used 1/2 sheet) and the SEM vinyl prep (13.31)...it is a relatively cheap way to go....and I believe that my repair is much better than the one I paid for back in August of last year ($200.00)...it looks, and feels much better...and I still cannot believe that the paint match is absolutely 100%!! I was seriously considering selling my girl because of the yellowing and wear on the driver's seat...hated to spend $1000 on a replacement OEM coverand then labor on top of that...but I love the Absolute Red color, and now that I have an inexpensive way to keep the Ecru seats in top shape..it makes no sense for me to sell/trade my 100% mechanically perfect car to update....so, I am going to get her rock-chipped hood repainted, along with the front and rear bumpers, get a clear bra and guess what...??? I will have almost new car for much, much less than a replacement...and I know what I have to start with!! Bob

KaiserSea1

Great Job,

I have the same color interior. Can you please detail this out, what you used, where you bought it, and step by step how you repaired it. Mine could use this treatment. Where did you get the paint?

Thanks

azkaty

http://theinteriorguyllc.com/fix-leather/

Here is the link which we got from Harold57..

Here is just one link from goggle

http://www.semproducts.com/

There are lots of places that sell the product. We got it from our local paint store.

Here is one source to buy..plus the color chart

http://www.vinylprosem.com/page/1285420

Here is the color coat chart..

http://semproducts.com/Catalog.asp?prod=190

Katy and Bob

scdroptop

iTrader: (1)

WOW! Bob-you did it again!

Great job man!!! Looks amazing! It's great to know you have an option to do this yourself. I still cherish my "hookup" with the guys in the back of the lexus dealer detailing cars for about $50 they do the same thing for me. I've watched them do it, and it is just as you and harold have described the process. Only negative thing, just like any kind of painting...spend 2x the time with prep work than you do painting....one time they got overspray on my dash because I believe it was windy.

Ecru is the toughest to keep looking new. I will probably be looking for the pimento red touch up job sometime down the road. MMMMMM...wonder if they make in red???