I came across a product in the detailing forum, the 'Scuffmaster' leather refinishing kit, and applied it to my seats Today.
The car had typical Driver-side bolster wear, this is from last week:
So I ordered the 'Scuffmaster' product from their website, http://www.LiquidLeather.com, and was pleased to see it arrive from the UK after only about a week. The total was $27.93 USD, including International Shipping to California.
First step was to remove the seats, there are four bolts per seat, which are removed with a 14mm socket. Two of these are under a small plastic cap, which can be removed with a jeweler's screwdriver:
Then a microfiber is laid on the scuff plate to prevent scratching, and the seat gets propped up at an angle, allowing you to unbolt the seat belt, and disconnect the electrical connector on the bottom:
I took the opportunity to vacuum, carpet-clean, and then steam my carpets, since they were rather dirty:
I then took the seats inside, and cleaned them with leather cleaner. I used 'Pristine Clean', a leatherique product, and used a new wash cloth, cleaning the seats until I could rub them and the cloth would come off clean. There was not too much dirt on my seats, so this process only took a few minutes.
...
Next, I took a fine brush and poured a small amount of the scuffmaster product into the cap. I brushed this thick scuffmaster directly into all cracks on both seats, and let it dry for about ten minutes.
Then I rubbed the seats with a new wet washcloth, to remove any dye which had not soaked into the cracks. After about a half hour the water had evaporated, and I was ready to dye the entire seat.
I cut a dixie cup down, poured some scuffmaster into it, and added water - I used about a 70/30 mix of scuffmaster to water, so it applied smoothly, and used one of the included sponges to apply the dye.
I did the complete driver seat, the passenger seat, then went back to each seat in turn to apply a second full coat of watered down scuffmaster. I did the complete seat covering, including the backs of the covers. Since I am going to be installing aftermarket center pieces I did not bother dying the factory center cushions on the passenger seat.
The results are pretty amazing, the seat bolsters look minty:
Last edited: