Daimler super v8 leather seat restoration

[beaverbob]

I've recently bought a 98 daimler super v8, the leather seats, and centre console have suffered from some cracking and general wear issues (115000) also the steering wheel has suffered from wear as it appears the finish has worn off, (half wood/leather) . There are also some marks on the leather door handles.
I am keen to get the complete interior refurbished, but am a little confused as to how/ who I should get to do it, I have emailed a few companies I've looked up but they seem to be a little scared of taking it on, the car isn't that bad, no rips or tears, and i don't expect it to look as good as new, I just want the interior tidied up, any advice would be greatly appreciated, I'm in Northamptonshire if you know of any companies that carry out this kind of work nearby
Cheers
Bob

[GordonJ]

www.furnitureclinic.co.uk

You could try this company to see if they have anyone near you. I saw a demonstration from them last year and as a result my mate took his X300 to them and they did an excellent job.

Gordon

[J44EAG]

Or you can order the a dye kit from Furniture Clinic and have a go yourself.

They supply a complete DIY kit with cleaner, dye and finishing solution for less than £20. A little bit of the solutions go a long way. Applied in my case with a foam dish wash pad or via a small aerosol spray gun supplied with the kit.

A good result is surprisingly easy to achieve. Make sure you use rubber gloves as the dye sticks to skin and is the very devil to remove once dry.

I achieved a very passable result on an old set of seats in a few hours. You just have to let the material dry between coats before applying the next stages.

Using a bit of care and some patience, you can`t really go wrong.

Mike K

[joejag308]

Check to see if you have Autolux leather, its a non grain leather, if it is Autolux be careful using any wet cleaners,with a nail brush, the top coat just melts if wetted.......maybe the cracking could just be the top coat, but then its a complete respray, and matching the different seats and panels especially Ivory is hard to get right, if you go down that road do the whole leather set.
Not all areas are leather of course, mostly the seat swabs and backs, and the arm rest tops, the centre arm rest, and the rear end panels at each end of the rear seat, or give Eurojag a ring see if they have a full set in, without the cracks, then if any scratches ect are there then you can get perfectly matching dyes Joe

[joejag308]

Re furbishing my leather seats, although not too bad condition if there are no tears or cracks you can get good results by using a good leather cleaner either Gliptone or Furniture clinic who sell very good options. Then if you wish to one step further there are recolouring companies who can do a good job (get your price before committing)....or do it yourself........Gliptone offer all Jaguar colours for redyeing leather seats, i did a trial with my "ivory" autolux leather front seat squab using Gliptone scuff master kit.the test area proved so good i did the whole squab area.
If you stick to the instructions, the preparation is the paramount thing to do, using a layers system letting one coat dry before using a second coat and building up to the desired effect its time consuming but very rewarding if its done right.the latest way is to use an airbrush .......the non leather panels of the interior are more accessible with the seats taken out, as is the re-colour of the seats themselves......do it right and you will be amazed hoe good your "old" 308 can look as it was intended.......Joe

[davidr]

Bob - I've just refurbished the front seats of my XKR using the Furniture Clinic kit. It wasn't that difficult to do so long as you're careful, patient and follow the instructions. You need to put care and time into it and, as long as your seats aren't too damaged, they will come up as good as new!
My seats had the usual issues of cracking, wear on the bolsters, scratches on the seat surface etc but all of that came out.
When I showed them to a friend he let out a loud exclamation. I don't want to fall foul of the moderators so shall we just say that it sounded something like " clucking bell"!!
He then set his efforts on to persuading me to have a go at the front seats in his Daimler 308 which had the same kind of issues. He offered me beer so I couldn't say no could I??
His seats had the same issues. Wear on the drivers bolster, creasing and cracking in places and something unforgiving had been put on the passenger seat that had damaged it. Well that all came out. When I took his seats back he made the same non-PC comment as before!
It took me about 6-7 hours to do the faces of the seat backs and squabs on both seats and thoroughly clean all the other faces. The cost of the kit (which includes everything you need down to an airbrush and propellant can) was just over £40.
Excellent results are achievable!! I found it much easier to take the seats out (4 bolts each and unclip the electrical connectors) which was only a 10 minute job. Working in the warmth of my workshop on a bench both made it easier and saved the issue of trying to mask off areas of the car. I could also thoroughly clean the area around the seats in the car which is more difficult with the seats in.
Both sets were Ivory by the way and the colour match was spot on. But you do have to do the whole seat face. If you patch in a panel it will show up as lighter. Anyway, I found the process quite absorbing so was happy to do a more complete job.
I hope that gives you the confidence to have a go! There are a few videos on YouTube and also on Furniture Clinics website.
Go on! Have a go! You'll surprise yourself!
Regards
David

[jBlackwell]

Hi Bob,
I have done a good number of seat restorations now using Furniture Clinic and they are superb, I cannot recommend them high enough. To give you an idea of the versatility of their products, so far I have refurbished:

Series 2 XJ (1978)
E-Type (S1 and S3)
XJS Celebration
MK2
Lexus
X300
Aston Martin DB7
MK8 (Mr Searle's no less)

As mentioned before, the key is in the preparation. As long as you are methodical and put the effort in the results are excellent.

Attached is an image of the MK8 seat. The seat base is done and the back rest is being prepped. Gives a good indication the process and final result.

[J44EAG]

Done any hole patching, James?

My seat belt tang plunged its way into the upper seat back side bolster when it failed to retract quickly and I shut the door. The result is a two inch long holes with the stuffing sticking out. I probably need a repair patch kit and some filler mixture to blend in the edges of a patch. I have all the other dye paraphernalia.

Mike

[davidr]

I did some repairs to my V12 coupe seats. Again Furniture Clinic do a repair kit that includes the webbing to go behind, leather glue and filler. As with the colouring, it need patience but it's possible to make a really effective repair that looks good.

[J44EAG]

Thanks, David. Fortunately J44 is not a concours job. Shame the seat covering is not white fibre glass. With that stuff I can make an invisible repair!

Mike

[jBlackwell]

Patch repairs are just how David describes them, requires patience, but yes again they kit is good. The seats for my S2 XJ had a big hole in which has been well repaired, a bit more time and work would make it even better, but they are none the less better than a gaping hole.

The hole was filled at the furniture clinic seminar. So it was only done in a day.

Hope that gives an idea.

James

[Davidqhog]

I know this is an old thread but just started the Furniture Clinic clean and nourish on my 2001 Dainler SV8. All seats were grubby but driver's worst of the lot.
A few photos show the results. Driver's seat dirty crease almost completely gone, steering wheel, which was very dark, has come up much lighter and clean. Door armrests cleaned up. Very impressed. Just the backs of the front seats, rear seats and leather trim on the transmission tunnel and ski slope to do now!

Fully recommend Furniture Clinic!

David Q

[andypryce]

Looks good, is that a restoration kit or just a single cream to apply?

[Davidqhog]

Hi Andy,

The Furniture Clinic Ultra Clean pack with Leather Cream included, about £30. Can't wait to do the rest then get onto the woodwork.

Taking a break to discuss house decoration to show willing!

David Q

[andypryce]

Thanks David. Beats decorating any day!