Color matching leather dye

[Melville]

I see from JC220’s excellent posts in his owner thread that he sent in a leather swatch from his old armrest to get the dye color matched. Does anyone have any good ideas about how to get a proper match without cutting a chunk out of the existing leather? I emailed Leatherique a couple of days ago to see if I could send them my whole armrest, which I’d want them to send back to me. No answer yet.

 

[JC220]

Yes I would highly recommend having the dye matched. The kits with tinter pots are not good IMO – I’ve tried them before and it’s very hard to match the leather colour correctly mixing on the fly like that and it dries a different colour than when wet for another thing.

The company I used were here (For UK Members the link might be useful):

https://www.liquidleather.com/recolouring-leather-i88

They say that a 3x3 sample is ideal for 100% match guarantee. Did they match mine 100%?- I’m not sure! There are so many shades of beige on the seats it’s quite hard to tell. But overall when applied it ‘looks’ right and I am doing a whole re-dye anyway. If only doing a touch up you will need to test that you have a very close match and blend the edges out by stippling and feathering the dye edges out.

Since my old armrest was knackered and for the bin I cut a 3x3 inch sample and send it to them to match. They did send the piece back to me with my order. So I’m quite sure you could arrange for who-ever you use to send your armrest back. I got 1litre of dye as it will do the whole interior should I wish. (But at the moment I’m just doing the front seats)

One last thing to mention. There are different kits available. Mine is a ‘All in one’ meaning the sealer is built into the dye for a 1 coat application. I would also recommend this as it saves going over the whole thing with more sealer stages. And they matched the OE MB Sheen on the leather which is important. Otherwise even if you get the Dye mixed – you may also need to use Gloss or Mat enhancers to blend the sealer Sheen level to the original leather finish (In the case if you needed to use an additional Dye sealer after)

In short – try to find a USA supplier who can provide colour matched Dye as a 1 coat product and pre-matched Sheen level. And ask for their recommendations on adhesion promoters for use on areas like the bolster. BTW- I will post a clear step by step DIY on leather refinishing as soon as I get the seats sprayed. You will see in my Owner’s thread I somewhat learned on the job but I think I have it well dialed in now.

Here are sample pics on progress so far for anyone who hasn’t read my owner’s thread.

 

[Ntrepid]

I see from JC220’s excellent posts in his owner thread that he sent in a leather swatch from his old armrest to get the dye color matched. Does anyone have any good ideas about how to get a proper match without cutting a chunk out of the existing leather? I emailed Leatherique a couple of days ago to see if I could send them my whole armrest, which I’d want them to send back to me. No answer yet.

Although it may be a pain, is there a sizeable patch you can get from removing the bottoms or backs of the rear seats?


Robert

 

[Melville]

Although it may be a pain, is there a sizeable patch you can get from removing the bottoms or backs of the rear seats?


Robert

No such luck. After I (with your help) removed my rear seats to take off the sheepskins, I took a look to see if there was a patch that could be spared. It seems that MB knew this was expensive stuff and didn't want to "waste" any by having large pieces in inaccessible places.

 

[2phast]

First off, stay away from those ass clowns at Leatherique!!!!! I used a local guy, who comes to your place and he will color match your interior and do your repairs at your home. Reasonably priced as well. You should see if there is someone in your area that can do the job. See my Leatherique story below.


Well, first off. I requested interior dye, 265 Cream Beige. A standard interior color used on the W124 till 1993. In 1994, the color was changed to 275 Parchment, which isn't the same shade.

I placed a order for a complete kit, that is interior cleaner, leather rejuvenation, dye and dye sealant. I was very specific that I needed 265 Cream Beige. The ass clowns at this company started out with trying to tell me WHAT I NEED. WTF? They insisted my interior color was Parchment. So a round of emails ensues. I send them color chart pictures, EPC captures and numerous photos showing actual color names attached to interior pieces (cream beige). Along with that, I sent photos showing cream beige next to parchment to illustrate the differences in color. They still continued to harp on the Parchment issue. I explained again that the W124 up to model year 1993, never received Parchment, but other cars like the R129 did and that they should not make assumptions or confuse models.

I basically told them, send me 265 Cream Beige.

Well, fast forward a week later, so what shows up....well you guessed it. 275 Parchment.

So I emailed them and they said send it back, so I did with the sample cream beige piece in the picture.

Next thing I get is another bill from them for changing the color!!!!! So I have to pay $30 because of their screw up? On top of $12 I spent sending the wrong dye back!!!!

There answer.....wait for it.....They sent me 265 cream beige and that my interior is actually 275 Parchment!!!!!

They have refused to make the order right, even after threatening them with a PayPal charge back.

I had to file a case with PayPal and Leahterique never responded, so I won that and received a refund.

How a company can survive with such incompetent and outdated business practices is beyond me. Their arrogance and unwillingness to admit their mistake is going to cost them the entire price of the order and they will incur a PayPal strike against their account as well. You would think they would take the easy way out and just send me the correct dye at no charge.

 

[daantjie]

First off, stay away from those ass clowns at Leatherique!!!!! I used a local guy, who comes to your place and he will color match your interior and do your repairs at your home. Reasonably priced as well. You should see if there is someone in your area that can do the job. See my Leatherique story below...

I guess it's hit and miss, as I had excellent service from Leatherique, they perfectly matched my Blue 202 from a sample. But then again I ordered from Leatherique in Canada in Niagara area, so maybe the US supplier is no bueno?

 

[gsxr]

Cream-beige and Parchment are the worst colors to match, as they are so similar. The only other color code with a shade change mid-production on the 124 chassis is Palomino vs Saddle, but that is more obvious when you see the two next to each other.

Most all other colors are no-brainers, although I've seen a few varying shades of gray. (Never 50 though.) I'd be surprised if they could mess up blue, or black...

 

[Melville]

First off, stay away from those ass clowns at Leatherique!!!!! I used a local guy, who comes to your place and he will color match your interior and do your repairs at your home. Reasonably priced as well. You should see if there is someone in your area that can do the job. See my Leatherique story below...

Thanks for this info - it's good intel. I previously had a leather guy come in to re-dye my bolster and it looked great -- until a shop scuffed it badly when I had some minor mechanical work done. The leather guy warrantied the work, but I showed him the picture and he said that the original leather would have been scuffed too and that it wasn't connected to his work. Sucks for me but I agreed with him so I didn't press him on it. And before we blast the mechanic shop, when I went to pay, they gave me a $150 discount. At first I assumed it was because I was such a great guy and that people enjoy my company so much they pay for the privilege of working with me. But then I got to my car and said "Oh, that's why".

I have a few motivations for doing it myself now:
- JC220s results were so impressive I want to try for myself
- I'm trying to do more of the work on my car on my own rather than paying others to do it. Cosmetic stuff is one area where I'm not a total clutz (just 80%)
- I figure I can save some money doing it myself. I paid $300 for the guy to come to my house to do the dye work. Part of that was no one wanted to take a big chunk out of their day dealing with traffic getting in and out of DC. My location basically means the guy can only do one job that day.

 

[2phast]

Cream-beige and Parchment are the worst colors to match, as they are so similar. The only other color code with a shade change mid-production on the 124 chassis is Palomino vs Saddle, but that is more obvious when you see the two next to each other.

Most all other colors are no-brainers, although I've seen a few varying shades of gray. (Never 50 though.) I'd be surprised if they could mess up blue, or black...

This is very true. I sent Leatherique some of the same pictures you posted here. Dealt with two different people at that company, George and Kristi. The emails were extensive and it went back and forth, the below except is just some of their BS they tried to feed me.


"Your cream beige was matched to the oem samples we received directly from MB. The trim piece you sent matches the MB parchment".

"As I told you on the phone, we have had for years confusion over the cream beige, cream and parchment because they were all so close in color, and we learned years ago that even if a car was ordered in a specific color, if they were out of it they would substitute one of the other, close colors."

The trim piece I sent was cream beige, even had the code on the back of the item. Notice how they claim that even through my car is a 93, MB ran out of Cream Beige and instead installed Parchment in my car. Funny, every time I ordered a Cream Beige part via MB, it matched everything in the car. I even replaced my center roll top box with one from a 94, which was PARCHMENT in color. I had this in my car for a while and it matched nothing else in my vehicle.

The experience was extremely bad, forcing me to file a claim with PayPal over this situation. They never even bothered to respond to the claim, so I was refunded the funds automatically.

On a separate note. The Leatherique leather cleaner removed color from my drivers seat. No other leather cleaner has done that, so stay away from that product as well.

 

[gsxr]

Rik, I agree completely... it's very hard to match any xx5 color code. Further complicating things is the shades vary slightly between leather, Tex, plastic, vinyl, and carpets. Real shame they couldn't just make it right for you.

The claim of MB "running out of cream-beige and installing Parchment in your car" is quite funny though! Never heard that before.

 

[2phast]

Rik, I agree completely... it's very hard to match any xx5 color code. Further complicating things is the shades vary slightly between leather, Tex, plastic, vinyl, and carpets. Real shame they couldn't just make it right for you.

The claim of MB "running out of cream-beige and installing Parchment in your car" is quite funny though! Never heard that before.

Their parchment color did actually match the 94 console box I had (color was parchment), it was spot on if I remember correctly. But your right, even if they had not screwed everything up, chances are their Cream Beige may not of matched the seat 100%, due to age, fade etc.

The company I used is called Fibrenew www.fibrenew.com Seems like a franchise type of business and they specialize in leather and plastic restoration, not just automotive either. Nothing better than having someone sit down and mix up leather dye till its a 100% match.

 

[JC220]

Just to clarify what I am reffering to about having the Dye mixed is not to a standard MB Colour. The company I bought the Dye from charged £45+Vat for a litre of the dye which was mixed to the leather sample I supplied them from my car. (They did not even ask for the MB code) I wanted this to take into account any fading or variations in my interior rather than buying an off the shelf colour. I took the sample from the underside of the armrest which should have a little less fading than the seat back for example.

I could not even find a leather specialist where I live to carry out the work. (Leather Doctor NI told me they had a 9 month waiting list!!) So I opted to have the Dye professionally matched and DIY it. It’s not a difficult task at all and I’m glad I am doing it myself now as I can take my time and do it to my liking. Plus the cost to leave all leather as new will be less than £100 but that was not my motivation for going this route- I simply could get no-one else to do it.

BTW - that’s shocking service from Leatherique!! It’s good you got your money back from PayPal in the end

If anyone is successful at finding a good Dye supplier in USA please share your findings on this thread for other members

 

[JC220]

By the way Leather repair is not just limited to seat bolsters … you can restore the Steering wheel too! ~£5 of materials and I restored this Sportline wheel at home. (1/2 a fleabay generic Black steering wheel leather Dye kit)

Before




After



Anyone on the fence about restoring their own seats should try their steering wheel first (If it looks worn).

 

[Seangbadee]

Yes I would highly recommend having the dye matched. The kits with tinter pots are not good IMO – I’ve tried them before and it’s very hard to match the leather colour correctly mixing on the fly like that and it dries a different colour than when wet for another thing.

The company I used were here (For UK Members the link might be useful):

https://www.liquidleather.com/recolouring-leather-i88

They say that a 3x3 sample is ideal for 100% match guarantee. Did they match mine 100%?- I’m not sure! There are so many shades of beige on the seats it’s quite hard to tell. But overall when applied it ‘looks’ right and I am doing a whole re-dye anyway. If only doing a touch up you will need to test that you have a very close match and blend the edges out by stippling and feathering the dye edges out.

Since my old armrest was knackered and for the bin I cut a 3x3 inch sample and send it to them to match. They did send the piece back to me with my order. So I’m quite sure you could arrange for who-ever you use to send your armrest back. I got 1litre of dye as it will do the whole interior should I wish. (But at the moment I’m just doing the front seats)

One last thing to mention. There are different kits available. Mine is a ‘All in one’ meaning the sealer is built into the dye for a 1 coat application. I would also recommend this as it saves going over the whole thing with more sealer stages. And they matched the OE MB Sheen on the leather which is important. Otherwise even if you get the Dye mixed – you may also need to use Gloss or Mat enhancers to blend the sealer Sheen level to the original leather finish (In the case if you needed to use an additional Dye sealer after)

In short – try to find a USA supplier who can provide colour matched Dye as a 1 coat product and pre-matched Sheen level. And ask for their recommendations on adhesion promoters for use on areas like the bolster. BTW- I will post a clear step by step DIY on leather refinishing as soon as I get the seats sprayed. You will see in my Owner’s thread I somewhat learned on the job but I think I have it well dialed in now.

Here are sample pics on progress so far for anyone who hasn’t read my owner’s thread.

View attachment 63769 View attachment 64264

I'm sold

 

[Seangbadee]

By the way Leather repair is not just limited to seat bolsters … you can restore the Steering wheel too! ~£5 of materials and I restored this Sportline wheel at home. (1/2 a fleabay generic Black steering wheel leather Dye kit)

Before

View attachment 64292 View attachment 64293


After

View attachment 62546 View attachment 62549 View attachment 62552

Anyone on the fence about restoring their own seats should try their steering wheel first (If it looks worn).

Did you re-wrap the leather or you just restored it?
I may have to get a new wheel because a chunk is missing off mine. How? I have no clue. Apart from that, the horn keeps going off and I have had to disconnect the terminals.
I'll be better off getting one from the salvage of the bay

 

[JC220]

Did you re-wrap the leather or you just restored it?
I may have to get a new wheel because a chunk is missing off mine. How? I have no clue. Apart from that, the horn keeps going off and I have had to disconnect the terminals.
I'll be better off getting one from the salvage of the bay

The steering wheel in that refurb was not torn or any leather missing. The leather was worn and had little surface dents only. So it was treated with leather filler and sanding down before dye application. I also would not advise on restoring any leather which is rotted or cracked badly. It will not hold up over time and is best re-covered.

 

[gsxr]

...the horn keeps going off and I have had to disconnect the terminals.

Is the horn going off from the horn contacts at the steering wheel, or from the alarm system? If it's the alarm, I'd just bypass it entirely.

 

[Seangbadee]

It's the horn not the alarm. The previous owner disconnected the terminals at the horn

 

[sheward]

I'm finally getting started on some interior work. Question to those that have dyed pieces. Did you use water based or alcohol based dyes?

drew

 

[JAB12]

Adding this other vendor which is commonly used by 'us Porsche guys' in leather of the same era. Their products work on any kind of leather. I had the steering wheel of my 6.0 124036 AMG restored with this. Steering wheels in some quarter size areas was faded down to the leather underside. Result was a Perfect finish.

Complete custom-color matched leather restoration products

Leather restoration products to clean, condition, and recolor your leather including car interiors, boats, motorcycles, handbags, and more. Custom color matching is our specialty.

colorplus.com

 

[sheward]

Thanks for the link. Theirs is a water based dye. According to available information the only difference between the two are clean up. I've also read that the water based dyes are a bit more prone to streaking, which may be avoided by careful application and / or multiple applications. I'm not so much worried about this as I'm working with creme beige. If "Porsche guys" recommend it it's good for me as I'm one of you and share the OCD gene.
I will also be dyeing or painting some plastic and vinyl surfaces and would appreciate any knowledge of that aspect with regards to which product will work best. Looking forward to talking with these folks..

drew