I just did this on a Range Rover Classic. I considered buying new upholstery, doing a full leather restoration, etc. This came out great. Almost unbelievably so. It also took some of the hard patina off the seat and made it seem years younger and softer. I think I spent $20 or so and an hour of time.
Im a professional detailer and all I can say is damn. I wish I would have done this about 8 hours ago before I started this restoration job on leather seats. He bypassed the whole waiting process and its cost efficient. Folks he is absolutely correct. It doesnt change texture. The lacquer thinner acts as a cleaner and paint promoter mixed with new paint and this technique causes it to blend instead of changing the texture on the substrate. Good job man!!! Why didnt I think of this
I suppose what's key is the color match..for 30m of work I gotta say its impressive. I use lacquer thinner all the time to clean paint. So many shy away from it. Gotta know how to use it. I think it would be good to experiment first to get comfortable with the process. I have professionally dyed leather and replaced too. I'm gonna def try this out even if just out of curiosity. One thing I know for sure. If the leather has worn to a suede texture no amount of dye or blending will change that. Thanks for the tip.😊
@@erniepatai6644 I have been doing this method since I've seen his techniques. Takes a little practice. Not much. You will have the process down after the first seat or try as we all tend to overthink things on out first run. It saves money but i only do it for quick repairs or small jobs. Not an entire seat. It comes out a little to shiny for my liking versus oem. Painting or reupholstering the seat is always the best. Just time consuming and some customers can't or won't pay for that type of job. But it's a great method for customers on a budget or your cheaper cars. Not recommended for high end vehicles.
After watching a professional leather person restore a seat with his special products that cost a lot of money, it was clear that he was doing exactly what you did for almost nothing. He went on and on about it. but you came to the point in minutes. Another great video.
Really don’t understand people who hit the dislike button.. why on earth you would do that..a guy gives you a cheap easy solution to restore you leather seats... strange!
Maybe the people that hit dislike didn't like the technique and thought it came out shitty. This "cheap and easy" fix looks like a cheap and easy fix in the end. I guess people that look down on the finished look don't consider this is a ten dollar investment...not a one hundred dollar investment.
minuteskill you are very correct it was a 10 dollar fix and we have done it 100's of times and it works perfect, those who would not like it we found are just skeptical by nature and some were mad they never thought of such an easy cheap permanent fix.
This technique is NO bulls**t! It worked like magic on my 2000 BMW 323! I did this to all of my seats with rustoleom camouflage beige color spray paint. The armrests and everything are pretty much brand new! Thanks so much for this tutorial, I am a new subscriber! ❤️
Your videos are always short , sweet and to the point. I haven't seen a video of yours yet that hasn't been applicable to most everyday people! Thanks for everything!
Just done my red leather in my 3series I was hesitant but omg soft top down let the sun shine my seats look awesome gotta climb in the back next weekend :)
Sweet Project Cars Hi buddy I don't have theses cracks but last year someone's jackets buttons marked my carbon black nappa leather seat out of my e63s AMG'. It bucket style seats and the side has scrape showing the hide underneath , do you think just using lacquer thinner will bring out? It's not that old but that looks not nice
I went on youtube looking to find the best leather restore product and found this video .. Wow!! I did this with Rustoleum flat black paint with the thinner and the seats look new... super easy and it works! Thank you!!
This totally worked for my 2001 SAAB leather. First I brush the leather dye on. Then I use the Lacquer Thinner to smooth it out.. Then I apply a leather conditioner. Final step is to use a leather balm. 100% works. Thank you very much !!!
WOW,I have a light Almond color leather seats in my 01 Grand Marquis and I followed your process...OMG they came out great...I do have some pretty good cracks that are not not all the way through, but it still came out way better than anything else...Thanks...
I showed a couple of friends that have the same problems and they had a similar result..They weren`t sure if it would work or not but their`s came out better because they didn`t have as mush cracks as mine....
I have to tell you, I've done your technique on my 2005 325i BMW on my gray interior with Satin Granite Rust-Oleum 2X Painters Touch Paint and Primer with the same brand "paint" thinner you used because I didn't have the "lacquer" thinner. I watched this video, and then followed with the black leather and your other tan/beige leather video. I used Surf City Garage Voodoo Blend Leather Rejuvenator that I saw in another video...AH'MAZING RESULTS!!! I am restoring my BMW. This technique is actually good enough for restoration projects. It absolutely does not rub off on your clothes or your rag after you use your leather conditioner. You are a wizard! Thanks so much for your videos. People are flipping out over my before and after results! I tell everyone about you. I wish we could show you pictures! I do wear gloves...lol. I even did a little sanding on my seats and armrest. This technique still gave full professional coverage. It's flexible and durable. 😎👍
@@SweetProjectCars I have a general motors leather , vinyl, plastic refinisher spray paint .. would this work , I have leather cashmere seats in my escalade
I just did this to my 04 xc90. Your technique worked better then the leather dye I had. I applied a bit of the thinner first to remove remnants of shoe dye that someone put on seats to hide the wrinkles. Over time it wore off/discolored. It stood out as a bad dye job. I also removed blue jean dye that got on side of seat. Then dyed seats per your vid. They look great now! Husb thought I was destroying seats. Showed him your vids. Now he's hooked. Lol.
Yet another brilliant tip.. I’ve always used duplicolor vinyl paint in a rattle can, which works if the color matches perfectly. But for the other 9 out of 10 times that it doesn’t match perfectly, this looks like the way to go. Thanks for the tip
Wow! great job. I've tried everything from shoe polish to magic marker on my black leather but nothing beats your method for quick, inexpensive and high quality results. Thank you.
Bought my mom a used caddie with low miles, but the seats were an eyesore. Did this...and it was a total transformation! Wish I could post before and after videos, but it worked great! Thank you!
I wrote a while back asking about this technique and a suede leather couch.i finally got around to doing it and it worked like a charm!!!the couch looks brand new!! I want to thank you for the great videos you make I watch all of them!
Just watching some of your old videos....That's plain nuts! My daughter is going to love me (at least for a bit) when I restore her leather seats in her Forester. Every video I watch just boosts your amazing status up a notch Dan! Oh, and I've been using 303 for probably 10 yrs. With your advice I'm using it in many more ways. Ok one last thing. I've been looking at used cars and now I know that leather seats in this condition are not an issue and can be easily recovered.
Man! I just finished the seats in my Harley Davidson F150...I was pretty worried about trying this technique, but it looks AMAZING! Like new! Thanks so much for showing this procedure. I didn't use spray paint though, I went to a local body shop and had them mix me half a litre of paint, using the Ford paint code. I did pour some lacquer thinner in it when on the cloth as you did, perfect match. Thanks again!
Did this to my SL500 leather driver seat Came out unbelievable Had a guy quote me $200 to "spray" seat. Haha I turned this trick onto a few of my friends that can't believe how easy it was to do Thanks again and keep the vids coming
Sweet Project Cars do you think if I use ColorBond LVP Leather, Vinyl & Hard Plastic Refinisher Spray Paint it would make a difference since it's for leather seats?
You are very welcome Lisa we are so glad we could help you would do a lot of videos every week for the DIYer just like you make sure your subscribe so you do not miss any of them. Have a great week my friend
Sweet Project Cars just tried it on my worn black leathered E36. Looked better but i seeked for even better resault. So i endee up painting the leather with the can 😂😂
Impressive. My seats never got that bad due to occasional conditioning and keeping out of the sun but for a few small areas, never thought of some of these things, useful info!
Thanks for posting this, I had some red seats in a car I was getting ready to sell, they were a bit worse that these. Followed the guidance and they turned out really well, car sold and customer actually commented on how nice the seats were on a 15 yr old car....I have 2 others in my workshop who's seats will be getting same treatment....before seeing this I didnt know where to start with them.
Glad to hear that Francesca! Thank you so much for watching and sharing your fabulous results, hope you have a great week my friend. mad Mike the hammer SPC
Fantastic. I did this treatment on my bmw 325 convertible 1993 and they're black again. I actually used matt black spray because I was afraid it would be too shiney on gloss paint. Perfect result and no paint comes of.... Amazing trick guys. Thanks a lot!! Dutch regard
i have a 2007 gs300, with cracked leather seats, just like the video. Thanks to this video, I managed to make my seats look almost brand new! my friends didn't believe when i told them it cost me less than $30 to fix my leather seat. thanks sweet car project for sharing this sweeeeeeet trick!!! :)
Absolutely fantastic video! I quit my job to start flipping cars with my husband. Every bump in the road you seem to have covered on your chanel. Much love and many thanks man.
That is awesome! It's our pleasure to share, Scarlett! Thank you for watching and sharing, we really appreciate it, hope you have a great day and all the best in your future endeavors my friend. mad Mike the hammer SPC
Hey mate greetings from Australia. I just used your trick on my holden caprice. It had exactly the same look as the seat you repaired which Is fairly typical of a car that age. My leather is a cream shale colour. Went to the local hardware and grabbed a can of paint as close as possible to mine. Used the lacquer thinner and bang, job done looks a million times better. My best mate is so impressed I’m doing his car this weekend. Thanks for the simple informative video. Your a legend.
That is awesome news Gary and welcome from Australia glad to have you here with us glad that our method works for you if you can share our channel we would truly appreciate that have a great day my friend
No problems with sharing your channel mate as I’m in the car trade I’ve shown this to at least ten people today and they are stunned 😦 all the best from aus and a big 👍
Im seeing a trend here... laquer thinner, 303 protectant, Mothers Mag and Alum., Mothers products in general, and Im sure im missing a few but I understand you have done this for years and probably decades and have found WHAT WORKS!
autO you are very correct we worked for years trying to find the products that work and we did, now we are sharing them and our method with the world :)
*Thank you! It worked wonderfully well on a 2007 VW Passat with 120,000 mi, black interior.* I live in a very warm region with lots and lots and lots of sun, the car spent to 30-50% of it´s time under the sun (not anymore). Now I am trying the same on the steering wheel, which is badly faded. I am into the 4th. application. It has improved BUT is still far away from being "normal". Planning to use some leather dye next.
Just did this yesterday on my 1994 Mustang Cobra. It wasn't working at first, then I realized I needed to reapply a good amount of lacquer thinner to the towel for each pass. Worked great, and thank you so much for showing the method.
OMG! All I can say is, "W-O-W"!!! Thank you for sharing this much needed DIY video. My 2001 S430 AMG J-U-S-T received a wonderful facelift on its leather seats and center console. The newly restored look is unbelievably breathtaking!!! You're the absolute best for sharing these budget friendly and cost effective restoration projects. I could hardly wait to show the finished restoration project to my Bestie. The project was not only admired but was Bestie Approved. 🌞👍☀️
@@SweetProjectCars, you're welcome! I'm still quite surprised that the restoration project was so simplistic, effective and a budget friendly "cure". Your videos are inspiring as well as being needed. T-H-A-N-K ☀️ Y-O-U, A-G-A-I-N!!!
Thank you David we appreciate that look for the last two videos we loaded this week those are pretty awesome as well they were done on our S 500 project car
This worked amazing on my fiat 500 abarth seats !!! I had a small leather repair kit with I was going to use but instead I just used the dye from the kit and followed your directions with amazing results ty for posting this !
I think it’s amazing. I got a 06 Tahoe, no tears, just faded worn on the edges where someone’s shoulders would be. Tan in color, sure there’s another name for it. But I will give this a go! So laquer thinner, and the paint you recommend, follow up with aerospace 303. Which I buy by the gallon. That stuff is hands down best interior protectant I’ve ever seen. Thank you sir
You got it Keith!! Check this product out too amzn.to/3O67Gi7 it's our new go to, it works GREAT and is more economical than the 303, plus 303 is getting harder to find. Thank you for watching and sharing, have a fantastic weekend my friend. mad Mike
That actually impressed me a lot didn’t expect the results to be that good makes me wanna do that to my seats too but mine are tan so idk if I can match the exact tan color sadly
My brother has a 1972 Chevrolet Corvette convertible ,and at first I asked my brother if I could help him get his leather seats looking brand new.he replied with a simple (No) as an answer.and one day when he went out for a trip to New Mexico for a month. I decided to try this and see if it worked and if it didn't I would of simply just bought him brand new leather seats... But it actually worked! And when my brother came back from a long trip. He just stared at the car and said to me "how in the hell did you do that?" I simply replied and said. A RUclips video! He gave me 200 hundred bucks, and at the same time he sort of got me in trouble for not listening.but he's very thankful for what I did. :)
I used this process on my (25 year old) living room leather furniture, finished with the "Lithium Leather Love" you recommended in another video. Results were phenomenal! Thanks much!
WOW! I have to admit, I was a skeptic at first. I wasn't sure if this was one of those youtube pranks to fool us all into wrecking our cars, but I decided to give it a try on some inconspicuous sections of leather and it worked amazingly. I recently bought a set of door panels off of a '98 Volvo V70R to install in my aging '00 V70 with separating stretched vinyl (the R had leather door inserts that don't separate). They were in slightly rough shape. I used this trick on them, and they look almost new. There were a couple of small nicks I was going to use one of those leather repair kits on, but now I don't even know if I am going to bother, as I can barely see them. Since the door panels worked out so nicely, I also did the drivers seat in my 2009 Volvo S80 T6 which as been getting ugly, and the difference is like night and day, with very little work. I am amazed. In this day and age where everyone shares everything online, you don't expect there to be many of these hidden insider secrets left. Thank you for sharing this trick, and not being one of those selfish professionals who keep secrets so they can charge others for work they can do themselves!
Nice thanks for the tip. Besides the fact you made the video, I hope you usually use gloves and a painting mask when working with lacquer thinner, even with good ventilation it is very hash on the body and can cause nerve damage.
Can Peter but my nerves are already shot LOL I raised four kids and dealt with thousands of customers over my life so there’s no nerves left that video you watched we just threw it together in a few minutes but we usually wear our gloves if you see our other videos you will see them thank you have a great day
Had a bad crack in my leather seat and used your method I can hardly see the crack now I was going to buy a new seat you have saved me hundreds thanks.
That’s great paul glad we can save you a lotta cash have a great day my friend you should see the new video we just put out yesterday it’s pretty awesome we will see you Sunday
Steve Stoltz there you go, we have a lot of great video like this that will need to make room for in the storage area of your brain lol...glad to have you with us :)
Wow, really worked well. This is perfect for cars that may not be worthy of a full professional job, but you still love them enough to bring them back to life. Great job!
You are 100% correct my friend! Thank you so much for watching and for getting it, that's why we are here, to show people how to do these processes themselves, save some $, and still have something nice until they can afford their dream vehicle. Hope you have a great day Ryan. mad Mike the hammer SPC
Luis it last for years with good conditioner applied at normal intervals...also we have done this for 20 years with never an unhappy customer...it works with no ill effects of ny kind.
Yeah, because his time is valuable. Nothing funny about it, you want a job done you pay the cost of materials and pay the man for the time he took to work on it.
You can also strike pre-emptively with a bit of leather conditioner once a month and never worry about cracks in the first place. Lol. But if it’s a new purchase used car then I totally get the
You're like an amazing wizard man from the land of tips and tricks! I'm so glad I subscribed to your channel. You've got all the best tricks! By the way, how many people tell you that you sound like Adam Carolla?!
Just bought a used Cadillac for my mom. It needs a little cosmetic TLC before i give it to her. Among some other absolutely great videos on how to rejuvinate road-rashed wheels, fix moisture in the headlight assembly, and fix minor surface scratches.....I originally thought, "man, i wish these black leather seats looked better". They not torn, just cracked a bit.....and now, thanks to you, I'll be adding this to my list of inexpensive but highly effective how-to's! Thank you very much!
You’re very welcome my friend we actually have one just like this video that we do on a 2007 DTS that has black leather if you look through our videos you will find it I’m great day
I just found a full set of black leather seats for my 3000GT in the junkyard today, it all looks good except for some of these cracks and worn spots. Very excited to try this restoration method!!
Modern leather seats are not the same as older ones. The newer seats have a vinyl coating over the leather.... I’m guessing the lacquer thinner is removing that coating and allowing the paint into the leather?
No that’s not what we do you need to watch the video maybe a couple times and you’ll understand what it is were doing it’s a very simple process my friend
I just found this while doing some research (I'm restoring a 1963 Chrysler 300 K model that my uncle left to me, not only because it was a project that he'd wanted someone else to complete since he knew he never would, but I think it'd make a beautiful show car), and I have to say-- I'm no professional and I don't know damn near anything about cars, but this method looks great. and I checked it with my dad who also said that it was a great way to restore seats on the kind of budget that I currently have. Honestly, I'm going to try this! I couldn't use it on my seats since there are holes from it sitting on my dad's car lot for 20+ years without any good maintenance, but luckily enough for me, there's a twin car that I can use for interior parts since it's far beyond repair in the mechanical aspect of things, so I'm definitely going to try this with the twin's seats to make them look new. Thank you for this!
I just did this on a Range Rover Classic. I considered buying new upholstery, doing a full leather restoration, etc. This came out great. Almost unbelievably so. It also took some of the hard patina off the seat and made it seem years younger and softer. I think I spent $20 or so and an hour of time.
Great to hear John! Thank you so much for watching and sharing your sweeeeet results we really appreciate it, hope you have a fantastic week. mad Mike
@@SweetProjectCarsHey mate, would cleaning these seats after doing this be the same as how you would do it before?
Im a professional detailer and all I can say is damn. I wish I would have done this about 8 hours ago before I started this restoration job on leather seats. He bypassed the whole waiting process and its cost efficient. Folks he is absolutely correct. It doesnt change texture. The lacquer thinner acts as a cleaner and paint promoter mixed with new paint and this technique causes it to blend instead of changing the texture on the substrate. Good job man!!! Why didnt I think of this
I agree, this gentleman is terrific!
I suppose what's key is the color match..for 30m of work I gotta say its impressive. I use lacquer thinner all the time to clean paint. So many shy away from it. Gotta know how to use it. I think it would be good to experiment first to get comfortable with the process. I have professionally dyed leather and replaced too. I'm gonna def try this out even if just out of curiosity. One thing I know for sure. If the leather has worn to a suede texture no amount of dye or blending will change that. Thanks for the tip.😊
@@erniepatai6644 I have been doing this method since I've seen his techniques. Takes a little practice. Not much. You will have the process down after the first seat or try as we all tend to overthink things on out first run. It saves money but i only do it for quick repairs or small jobs. Not an entire seat. It comes out a little to shiny for my liking versus oem. Painting or reupholstering the seat is always the best. Just time consuming and some customers can't or won't pay for that type of job. But it's a great method for customers on a budget or your cheaper cars. Not recommended for high end vehicles.
Can I use leather dye with lacquer thinner? Or does it have to be paint for this method?
@@angrycabbie1 Can I use leather dye with lacquer thinner? Or does it have to be paint for this method?
After watching a professional leather person restore a seat with his special products that cost a lot of money, it was clear that he was doing exactly what you did for almost nothing. He went on and on about it. but you came to the point in minutes.
Another great video.
The only thing he had in his "toolbox", was a filler for cracked leather. A filler.
@@andrewdomenitzdmd Then he wasn't a professional.
Thank you everyone else video 30 min...he right to the point
Wow ! Ifollowed this video and my 23 years old Audi A8 just got brand new light grey leather seats. THANKS from Denmark.
Thank you very much we're very glad you are here with us and it worked for you .. :)
Leo Zingenberg i
Car seat leather repair
Sweet
Project Cars
Leo Zingenberg Just one thing, how did u get rid the thinner strong odor?
I use thinner for regular paint ,it has a really devastating odor.
Really don’t understand people who hit the dislike button.. why on earth you would do that..a guy gives you a cheap easy solution to restore you leather seats... strange!
Rafi Peled there are just many jealous people out there...they get upset that they did not think of it. thank you for being here with us my friend :)
Maybe the people that hit dislike didn't like the technique and thought it came out shitty. This "cheap and easy" fix looks like a cheap and easy fix in the end. I guess people that look down on the finished look don't consider this is a ten dollar investment...not a one hundred dollar investment.
minuteskill you are very correct it was a 10 dollar fix and we have done it 100's of times and it works perfect, those who would not like it we found are just skeptical by nature and some were mad they never thought of such an easy cheap permanent fix.
@@SweetProjectCars does the paint fade or come off over time?
Wouldn't want my nice linen pants getting stained red.
Haters gotta hate. Just glad I'm not "that" guy. would suck to be them.
My seats aren't even cracked but I had to see how this turned out! Looks awesome!
thank you
thank you
Lol I don't even have leather seats and still had to see.
Elizabeth I don't have a car , I have a donkey but I had to see
Santos Banuelos I don't have a donkey. I have a potato but I had to see also.
This technique is NO bulls**t! It worked like magic on my 2000 BMW 323! I did this to all of my seats with rustoleom camouflage beige color spray paint. The armrests and everything are pretty much brand new! Thanks so much for this tutorial, I am a new subscriber! ❤️
glad we could help Gabby
How do the seats feel? Any different before and after the paint?
@@morganmartinelli1219 feel great, just like brand new seats, slightly smoother than before to be honest.
@@nativebabe9913 how is it holding up?
Give it a shot Robert try it for yourself you’ll see the amazing results you got nothing to lose and all the gain
All the dislikes come from detailing shops lol
Best comment lmfao
2 yrs later big FACTZ Ray.
Your videos are always short , sweet and to the point. I haven't seen a video of yours yet that hasn't been applicable to most everyday people! Thanks for everything!
Just done my red leather in my 3series I was hesitant but omg soft top down let the sun shine my seats look awesome gotta climb in the back next weekend :)
GREAT SUBS !!!!!!!!!! YOU ARE GREAT PROOF THIS METHOD WORKS AND IT WILL LAST FOR YEARS WITH GOOD CONDITIONER..
Subs How many subs without uploads ? which 3 series generation do you have and is it the real leather or BMWs leatherette?
Subs How many subs without uploads ? 3 series huh? Thats a bmw, right? and uhhhhh....lemme ask ya Subs, do ya pull off the ladies?
68 mopar no mate married but still like the top down
Sweet Project Cars
Hi buddy I don't have theses cracks but last year someone's jackets buttons marked my carbon black nappa leather seat out of my e63s AMG'. It bucket style seats and the side has scrape showing the hide underneath , do you think just using lacquer thinner will bring out? It's not that old but that looks not nice
I went on youtube looking to find the best leather restore product and found this video .. Wow!! I did this with Rustoleum flat black paint with the thinner and the seats look new... super easy and it works! Thank you!!
Awesome! Thank you so much for watching and sharing Dana, we truly appreciate it. Have a fantastic day. mad Mike the hammer SPC
This totally worked for my 2001 SAAB leather.
First I brush the leather dye on. Then I use the Lacquer Thinner to smooth it out.. Then I apply a leather conditioner. Final step is to use a leather balm.
100% works. Thank you very much !!!
WOW,I have a light Almond color leather seats in my 01 Grand Marquis and I followed your process...OMG they came out great...I do have some pretty good cracks that are not not all the way through, but it still came out way better than anything else...Thanks...
you are welcome Paul we have been trying to tell the world this is the easiest, cheapest way to make you seats look good.
I showed a couple of friends that have the same problems and they had a similar result..They weren`t sure if it would work or not but their`s came out better because they didn`t have as mush cracks as mine....
Paul Stuart you know it's hopeless when the crack is the size of Kim Kardashian's😝
Thats Awesome Paul...
awesome great to hear....
I have to tell you, I've done your technique on my 2005 325i BMW on my gray interior with Satin Granite Rust-Oleum 2X Painters Touch Paint and Primer with the same brand "paint" thinner you used because I didn't have the "lacquer" thinner. I watched this video, and then followed with the black leather and your other tan/beige leather video. I used Surf City Garage Voodoo Blend Leather Rejuvenator that I saw in another video...AH'MAZING RESULTS!!! I am restoring my BMW. This technique is actually good enough for restoration projects. It absolutely does not rub off on your clothes or your rag after you use your leather conditioner. You are a wizard! Thanks so much for your videos. People are flipping out over my before and after results! I tell everyone about you. I wish we could show you pictures! I do wear gloves...lol. I even did a little sanding on my seats and armrest. This technique still gave full professional coverage. It's flexible and durable. 😎👍
thank you so much, Mandy and we are very happy it worked for you...
Mandy Lewis
Is rustolium a rust or regular paint. Im not in the US i cant find the brand
I'm looking forward to your answer. Can I use a regular car paint in spray or it has to be oil-base ?
Yes, paint thinner of the same brand.
It's a multi-purpose paint. It is, however, awesome for rust prevention as well.
That is how youtube video should look like! Short/interesting/useful info. Thank you good sir!
THANK YOU :)
RUclips before 2015 was perfect like this
@@SweetProjectCars I have a general motors leather , vinyl, plastic refinisher spray paint .. would this work , I have leather cashmere seats in my escalade
100% agree with you, and I'm in the "trade" :)
This worked like a charm. I tried it on my car and couldn't believe the results!
Just implemented this procedure to address some scuff marks on my leather motorcycle seat. Worked like a charm. Great video!
I just did this to my 04 xc90. Your technique worked better then the leather dye I had. I applied a bit of the thinner first to remove remnants of shoe dye that someone put on seats to hide the wrinkles. Over time it wore off/discolored. It stood out as a bad dye job. I also removed blue jean dye that got on side of seat. Then dyed seats per your vid. They look great now! Husb thought I was destroying seats. Showed him your vids. Now he's hooked. Lol.
This is by far the best, most effective, and affordable method I have come across. Thank you sir. You are a legend!
hi thank you very much
Yet another brilliant tip.. I’ve always used duplicolor vinyl paint in a rattle can, which works if the color matches perfectly. But for the other 9 out of 10 times that it doesn’t match perfectly, this looks like the way to go. Thanks for the tip
you are genius sir ... love it .. love it .. I always buy cars with leather seats
Thank you Paul :)
Thank you :)
Konrad C Why? What would happen? Could you please elaborate?
WE HAVE DONE THIS REPAIR FOR TWENTY YEARS WITH NO ILL EFFECTS EVER !!!
IT WORKS MY FRIEND...IT WORKS!!! been doing it for 20 years with perfect long long lasting results. thanks for the kudos
Just did it yesterday to my 06 Pontiac GTO and the seats now look brand new. Thank you!
Nice work! Thanks for sharing Robert! Have a great day. mad Mike the hammer SPC
Wow! great job. I've tried everything from shoe polish to magic marker on my black leather but nothing beats your method for quick, inexpensive and high quality results. Thank you.
Thank you Chris we truly appreciate that my good friend
Bought my mom a used caddie with low miles, but the seats were an eyesore. Did this...and it was a total transformation! Wish I could post before and after videos, but it worked great! Thank you!
Glad we could help you Nick glad to hear you’re taking care of mom we only have one that’s for sure
I wrote a while back asking about this technique and a suede leather couch.i finally got around to doing it and it worked like a charm!!!the couch looks brand new!! I want to thank you for the great videos you make I watch all of them!
Gus thank you very much and we are glad it helped you and we are very glad to have you here with us :)
Just watching some of your old videos....That's plain nuts! My daughter is going to love me (at least for a bit) when I restore her leather seats in her Forester.
Every video I watch just boosts your amazing status up a notch Dan!
Oh, and I've been using 303 for probably 10 yrs. With your advice I'm using it in many more ways.
Ok one last thing. I've been looking at used cars and now I know that leather seats in this condition are not an issue and can be easily recovered.
Leonardokite thank you very much for your very kind comments and you are correct on the 303 we use it on everything :)
best trick ever.just tried it and it works
thanks
Sweet Project Cars only issue and im being very picky. is i need something to soften the leather.also my car is a 96 lol
yes just use leather conditioner everyday for about 20 days...it will soften..
Lexol Leather Conditioner. 303 is great for some things but not conditioning and softening leather.
Lexol is good as well....basically anything for leather is better than nothing and that's what the prior owner used...nothing.
Man! I just finished the seats in my Harley Davidson F150...I was pretty worried about trying this technique, but it looks AMAZING! Like new! Thanks so much for showing this procedure. I didn't use spray paint though, I went to a local body shop and had them mix me half a litre of paint, using the Ford paint code. I did pour some lacquer thinner in it when on the cloth as you did, perfect match. Thanks again!
Good job Steve glad to hear that that’s the whole idea of our channels to perk your imagination and make it happen Captain
This is something that repair shops never share to consumers. Thanks for ur efforts!
YeEvlL you are very welcome my friend....we are here to help the DIYer
Did this to my SL500 leather driver seat
Came out unbelievable
Had a guy quote me $200 to "spray" seat.
Haha
I turned this trick onto a few of my friends that can't believe how easy it was to do
Thanks again and keep the vids coming
You are very Welcome Mike we are glad to help!!
Sweet Project Cars would it hurt to use a leather spray paint - or does it have to be the regular spray paint to work ?
A BM you can use any color as long as it is enamel or Lacquer base
Sweet Project Cars do you think if I use ColorBond LVP Leather, Vinyl & Hard Plastic Refinisher Spray Paint it would make a difference since it's for leather seats?
try it on a small area and see if you like the results
Seriously, thank you for just getting to the point. Nobody cares about peoples drawn out intros, especially DIY and how to videos.
Our pleasure Cecilia! Thank you for watching, we really appreciate it, have a great week. mad Mike the hammer SPC
I did this today in my 03 Z4! Amazing! My seats are black and beautiful again! Very easy and very inexpensive and my seats look amazing. Thank you!
You are very welcome Lisa we are so glad we could help you would do a lot of videos every week for the DIYer just like you make sure your subscribe so you do not miss any of them. Have a great week my friend
I can not believe it. It works!! Thank You. Ed Newhart
thank you :)
Sweet Project Cars just tried it on my worn black leathered E36. Looked better but i seeked for even better resault. So i endee up painting the leather with the can 😂😂
gotcha
I done it today on my black worn out leather, and it works! I wish I am able to attach the pic here!
Thanks a million, sweet....
That's actually a good idea... YT is going to jump on it.
@@parram.3942 Does it still look good?
Impressive. My seats never got that bad due to occasional conditioning and keeping out of the sun but for a few small areas, never thought of some of these things, useful info!
Thanks for posting this, I had some red seats in a car I was getting ready to sell, they were a bit worse that these. Followed the guidance and they turned out really well, car sold and customer actually commented on how nice the seats were on a 15 yr old car....I have 2 others in my workshop who's seats will be getting same treatment....before seeing this I didnt know where to start with them.
Wow IT worked. I used it on my old Rolls Royce 1985. It looks like I just took a brand new seat and replaced it.
Thanks from sweden🇸🇪
thats awesome to hear my friend good job
I truly wish I could like this video more than once awesome tip
thank you
manuel matias a million times more?
Thanks Manuel
Just did this on my 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee with black leather and turned out incredible! Thanks for taking the time and sharing this video 😍
Glad to hear that Francesca! Thank you so much for watching and sharing your fabulous results, hope you have a great week my friend. mad Mike the hammer SPC
Fantastic. I did this treatment on my bmw 325 convertible 1993 and they're black again. I actually used matt black spray because I was afraid it would be too shiney on gloss paint. Perfect result and no paint comes of.... Amazing trick guys. Thanks a lot!! Dutch regard
MrNicoe36cabrio AWESOME glad to hear that my friend :)
Ultimate seat saver!!!! I just saved thousands of dollars
works best with black leather. My friends mercedes seats look brand new now
Ray Ant damn my seats are tan
@trajan hercules I have a Tan interior. Can I use thinner then black matte??
eMCEE86 can u do my Mercedes? 😏
i have a 2007 gs300, with cracked leather seats, just like the video. Thanks to this video, I managed to make my seats look almost brand new! my friends didn't believe when i told them it cost me less than $30 to fix my leather seat.
thanks sweet car project for sharing this sweeeeeeet trick!!! :)
Absolutely fantastic video! I quit my job to start flipping cars with my husband. Every bump in the road you seem to have covered on your chanel. Much love and many thanks man.
That is awesome! It's our pleasure to share, Scarlett! Thank you for watching and sharing, we really appreciate it, hope you have a great day and all the best in your future endeavors my friend. mad Mike the hammer SPC
You did a fantastic job.
I’m trying to restore my leather seats on my old suburban and teach my boys how to do it. I’m gonna try this. Thank You ☺️
How did it turn out?
Wowwww I wasn't expecting that good of a result thumbs up man
Thanks Titan
You Epitomize the reason for the net, helping with smart and economical solutions to save us money!!! "You Can Do It !!!"
Hey mate greetings from Australia. I just used your trick on my holden caprice. It had exactly the same look as the seat you repaired which Is fairly typical of a car that age. My leather is a cream shale colour. Went to the local hardware and grabbed a can of paint as close as possible to mine. Used the lacquer thinner and bang, job done looks a million times better. My best mate is so impressed I’m doing his car this weekend. Thanks for the simple informative video. Your a legend.
That is awesome news Gary and welcome from Australia glad to have you here with us glad that our method works for you if you can share our channel we would truly appreciate that have a great day my friend
No problems with sharing your channel mate as I’m in the car trade I’ve shown this to at least ten people today and they are stunned 😦 all the best from aus and a big 👍
Captain Kaos welcome Australia and you are very welcome :)
Must admit I was worried when this started out with a "closely matched" rattle can of paint, but this is rad! Thank you!
dieconashi thank you very much :)
Im seeing a trend here... laquer thinner, 303 protectant, Mothers Mag and Alum., Mothers products in general, and Im sure im missing a few but I understand you have done this for years and probably decades and have found WHAT WORKS!
autO you are very correct we worked for years trying to find the products that work and we did, now we are sharing them and our method with the world :)
AutOdometer and what's what.
the trend is we use the same products as we are not a channel that does many reviews on tons of products
I feel so conflicted! But the results speak for themselves! Once leather goes you might as well do this until it starts ripping open. Good job!
José you are correct if the people who own this car would have used this amzn.to/2jCHktN the seats would still look new today.
*Thank you! It worked wonderfully well on a 2007 VW Passat with 120,000 mi, black interior.*
I live in a very warm region with lots and lots and lots of sun, the car spent to 30-50% of it´s time under the sun (not anymore).
Now I am trying the same on the steering wheel, which is badly faded. I am into the 4th. application. It has improved BUT is still far away from being "normal". Planning to use some leather dye next.
freddy here are 2 videos that will help you ruclips.net/video/ViDbxl-93W4/видео.html and ruclips.net/video/cadDotf5LZU/видео.html
Just did this yesterday on my 1994 Mustang Cobra. It wasn't working at first, then I realized I needed to reapply a good amount of lacquer thinner to the towel for each pass.
Worked great, and thank you so much for showing the method.
Nice work! Glad to help. Have a great day. mad Mike the hammer SPC
Do you have saddle color leather on your mustang? If so what color and brand paint did you use?
Love this dude. All his videos are awesome. A total no bullshit channel. Well done.
Your awesome thank you so much just saved me $100 I just cancelled my appointment!!! Great 👍
Glad we could help Carolina :)
OMG! All I can say is, "W-O-W"!!! Thank you for sharing this much needed DIY video. My 2001 S430 AMG J-U-S-T received a wonderful facelift on its leather seats and center console. The newly restored look is unbelievably breathtaking!!! You're the absolute best for sharing these budget friendly and cost effective restoration projects. I could hardly wait to show the finished restoration project to my Bestie. The project was not only admired but was Bestie Approved. 🌞👍☀️
Glad it helped! Thanks for sharing, we really appreciate it. Have a great day my friend. mad Mike the hammer SPC
@@SweetProjectCars, you're welcome! I'm still quite surprised that the restoration project was so simplistic, effective and a budget friendly "cure".
Your videos are inspiring as well as being needed. T-H-A-N-K ☀️ Y-O-U, A-G-A-I-N!!!
My mind is blown! that is absolutely amazing! I will remember this for sure
thank you very much for your great comment, it's great for the whole chain to have good people like you here :)
Holy crap dude that looks brand freaking new, excellent job.
Thank you David we appreciate that look for the last two videos we loaded this week those are pretty awesome as well they were done on our S 500 project car
David White it looks good but I guarantee what ever clothes you wear it will leave dye stains all over the back.
The Seat was a paid actor...
I was the seat
HAHAHAH
😂😂😂
The seat was probably arsed into
This worked amazing on my fiat 500 abarth seats !!! I had a small leather repair kit with I was going to use but instead I just used the dye from the kit and followed your directions with amazing results ty for posting this !
Glad we could help you
This is unbelievable 😃. I do auto detailing and I wish I had found this out years ago. Amazing Job 👍
Glad to help Rendell! Thanks for watching and sharing. Hope you have a great day. mad Mike the hammer SPC
@@SweetProjectCars i have a spray general motors cashmere paint. For my escalade , would this work as well ? It's a leather paint
Wow, that's my morning sorted for tomorrow, off to the paint store!
Amazing! Now I’m not afraid of buying a car with cracked leather. Thanks!
I think it’s amazing. I got a 06 Tahoe, no tears, just faded worn on the edges where someone’s shoulders would be. Tan in color, sure there’s another name for it. But I will give this a go! So laquer thinner, and the paint you recommend, follow up with aerospace 303. Which I buy by the gallon. That stuff is hands down best interior protectant I’ve ever seen. Thank you sir
You got it Keith!! Check this product out too amzn.to/3O67Gi7 it's our new go to, it works GREAT and is more economical than the 303, plus 303 is getting harder to find. Thank you for watching and sharing, have a fantastic weekend my friend. mad Mike
That actually impressed me a lot didn’t expect the results to be that good makes me wanna do that to my seats too but mine are tan so idk if I can match the exact tan color sadly
Why am I even watching this at 3 in the morning?? None of the leather seats in any of my cars is in this condition.....
Won't even remember it if I need to and will have to look it up again anyway.
LOL
Kronos lmao. it's 3:01am right now and idk why I'm watching this.... I don't even have leather seats!
Kronos mine are not even leather.
Kronos 3:49 For Me. Sounds Like RUclips Has Set Us Up
My brother has a 1972 Chevrolet Corvette convertible ,and at first I asked my brother if I could help him get his leather seats looking brand new.he replied with a simple (No) as an answer.and one day when he went out for a trip to New Mexico for a month. I decided to try this and see if it worked and if it didn't I would of simply just bought him brand new leather seats... But it actually worked! And when my brother came back from a long trip. He just stared at the car and said to me "how in the hell did you do that?" I simply replied and said. A RUclips video! He gave me 200 hundred bucks, and at the same time he sort of got me in trouble for not listening.but he's very thankful for what I did. :)
Derek zarn lol 😂
Y derek
Jonthan Ortiz 😂 hahah nice 👍👍👏😀
Derek zarn 😂 hahah
You experiment on your brother's car then take 200 bucks off him?? Wow!!!
I used this process on my (25 year old) living room leather furniture, finished with the "Lithium Leather Love" you recommended in another video. Results were phenomenal! Thanks much!
Nice!! Thank you so much for watching and sharing Don, we truly appreciate it. Have a great day my friend. mad Mike the hammer SPC
Xylene is great for meshing 2 surfaces together as well!
WOW! I have to admit, I was a skeptic at first. I wasn't sure if this was one of those youtube pranks to fool us all into wrecking our cars, but I decided to give it a try on some inconspicuous sections of leather and it worked amazingly.
I recently bought a set of door panels off of a '98 Volvo V70R to install in my aging '00 V70 with separating stretched vinyl (the R had leather door inserts that don't separate). They were in slightly rough shape. I used this trick on them, and they look almost new. There were a couple of small nicks I was going to use one of those leather repair kits on, but now I don't even know if I am going to bother, as I can barely see them.
Since the door panels worked out so nicely, I also did the drivers seat in my 2009 Volvo S80 T6 which as been getting ugly, and the difference is like night and day, with very little work. I am amazed.
In this day and age where everyone shares everything online, you don't expect there to be many of these hidden insider secrets left. Thank you for sharing this trick, and not being one of those selfish professionals who keep secrets so they can charge others for work they can do themselves!
Thank you very much glad we could help
Nice thanks for the tip. Besides the fact you made the video, I hope you usually use gloves and a painting mask when working with lacquer thinner, even with good ventilation it is very hash on the body and can cause nerve damage.
Can Peter but my nerves are already shot LOL I raised four kids and dealt with thousands of customers over my life so there’s no nerves left that video you watched we just threw it together in a few minutes but we usually wear our gloves if you see our other videos you will see them thank you have a great day
Had a bad crack in my leather seat and used your method I can hardly see the crack now I was going to buy a new seat you have saved me hundreds thanks.
That’s great paul glad we can save you a lotta cash have a great day my friend you should see the new video we just put out yesterday it’s pretty awesome we will see you Sunday
I dont even own a car
They re cool to have that's for sure...maybe someday..
Christopher Boudib try it with your pump shoes
😂
Or bicycle seat
Christopher Boudib same lol
This is a really good video. Now I want to try it myself. It's kinda satisfying to watch
That's awesome, I'm going to keep this tucked into the recesses of my brain.
Steve Stoltz there you go, we have a lot of great video like this that will need to make room for in the storage area of your brain lol...glad to have you with us :)
Wow, really worked well. This is perfect for cars that may not be worthy of a full professional job, but you still love them enough to bring them back to life. Great job!
You are 100% correct my friend! Thank you so much for watching and for getting it, that's why we are here, to show people how to do these processes themselves, save some $, and still have something nice until they can afford their dream vehicle. Hope you have a great day Ryan. mad Mike the hammer SPC
I wish I had known this when I had my old car, I have a new car now. Good job!
Batgirl P thank you very much we truly appreciate that more than you know :)
How much time does this last? And it is not gonna leave the color of the spray paint in your clothes, right? Would appreciate your response
Luis it last for years with good conditioner applied at normal intervals...also we have done this for 20 years with never an unhappy customer...it works with no ill effects of ny kind.
Gmc savanna van thermostat repair
Thanks for the tip! Did you clean the seats before applying the paint?
we clean most everything before we do any work on them so yes we did my friend
OMG I don't even have this problem. But it's how-to stuff like this that makes RUclips so awesome! Love the idea. Thanks for sharing.
You could charge people $200 to restore their leather seats for $10 worth of supplies 🤣
Yeah, because his time is valuable. Nothing funny about it, you want a job done you pay the cost of materials and pay the man for the time he took to work on it.
You can also strike pre-emptively with a bit of leather conditioner once a month and never worry about cracks in the first place. Lol. But if it’s a new purchase used car then I totally get the
You're like an amazing wizard man from the land of tips and tricks! I'm so glad I subscribed to your channel. You've got all the best tricks! By the way, how many people tell you that you sound like Adam Carolla?!
mondo thank you very much my friend
Just bought a used Cadillac for my mom. It needs a little cosmetic TLC before i give it to her. Among some other absolutely great videos on how to rejuvinate road-rashed wheels, fix moisture in the headlight assembly, and fix minor surface scratches.....I originally thought, "man, i wish these black leather seats looked better". They not torn, just cracked a bit.....and now, thanks to you, I'll be adding this to my list of inexpensive but highly effective how-to's! Thank you very much!
You’re very welcome my friend we actually have one just like this video that we do on a 2007 DTS that has black leather if you look through our videos you will find it I’m great day
Dude, that was an excellent excellent video. I try to take good care so I don't have that problem, but hey ,that's a Slick Trick
Wonderful view from crash to cash, I'm gonna have to still this amazing move...
good deal !
Sweet Project Cars what color would you use for beige interior?
Absolutely awesome vid, thank you for sharing your knowledge 😎👍🏻
I just found a full set of black leather seats for my 3000GT in the junkyard today, it all looks good except for some of these cracks and worn spots. Very excited to try this restoration method!!
alex you will love the results my friend :}
You're good dude ! I did mobile car detail for 15 years old or cracked leather I never succeed, great upload
Thanks Predator7 :)
Pretty sweet trick you probably saved at 3 million or more leather interiors
is this guy Jay Leno?
How did you know :)
I thought Adam Corolla
No it’s Louie Anderson
I was thinking Adam Carolla also.
Hahah I was thinking Patton Oswalt, now that I think of it, he sounds like Leno, Carrola, and Oswalt all merged into one!
Thank you! I actually like watching your videos and others who share quality rather than watching the garbage on television. Please continue.
Will do James! Thank you so much for watching and sharing, we truly appreciate it, hope you have a great day my friend. mad Mike the hammer SPC
When you took out the spray paint I thought you were crazy but it’s acc not to bad
Glad you liked it Paul! Thanks for the view and comment, have a fantastic rest of your week my friend. mad Mike
That’s a naturally soft leather. Does the newly painted surface feel the same as before?
It feels just like when it was new
A+ vid and info. Right to the point, no click bait and easy to replicate. Awesome and thanks!
Modern leather seats are not the same as older ones. The newer seats have a vinyl coating over the leather.... I’m guessing the lacquer thinner is removing that coating and allowing the paint into the leather?
Wait... I'm confused. You clean it with the varnish then did you spray it with the paint?
No that’s not what we do you need to watch the video maybe a couple times and you’ll understand what it is were doing it’s a very simple process my friend
That’s pretty cool internet is amazing
Thank you very much
I just found this while doing some research (I'm restoring a 1963 Chrysler 300 K model that my uncle left to me, not only because it was a project that he'd wanted someone else to complete since he knew he never would, but I think it'd make a beautiful show car), and I have to say-- I'm no professional and I don't know damn near anything about cars, but this method looks great. and I checked it with my dad who also said that it was a great way to restore seats on the kind of budget that I currently have. Honestly, I'm going to try this! I couldn't use it on my seats since there are holes from it sitting on my dad's car lot for 20+ years without any good maintenance, but luckily enough for me, there's a twin car that I can use for interior parts since it's far beyond repair in the mechanical aspect of things, so I'm definitely going to try this with the twin's seats to make them look new. Thank you for this!
Elvis thats awesome to here and we know you will love the process of this :)
Thank you. I'll be using a few of your other tutorials as well because they're rather handy.
Elvis you are very welcome and we are glad to hear this :)
Will it eventually get on your clothes though?
Joe, no it never comes off on clothes thanks for asking