Revitalising Leather

The leather seats on my 1800 S have seen better days; the leather has gone very hard. Anyone got any tips for revitalising it?

I have seen a number of products advertised in Classics magazines and at shows over the years. Unfortunately I've never needed to remember the name of any (my 121 only has vinyl seats, ripped ones at that!). All these products attempt to restore lost oil into the leather, much like the stuff dry cleaners use on leather jackets, and some claim to give a protective coating as well.

My advice would be to ask around a few auto upholstery specialists (they also advertise in the mags) and compare a few of the products they use. You could also ask your local dry cleaner for advice - they'll probably know more about the properties of leather than most car people.

I use "hide food" on my leather. Volvo were most confused when I asked them for it but found some at a Jag dealer. About £5 for a jar.

If the leather is old and stiff it could take many applications to soften it (if it is still possible to retrieve it).

Regards.

I have just renovated the seats on my 1800E, and used a three stage process from a company called Woolies (not Woolworths...), which was excellent, combined with hide food. The seats came up looking clean, supple and even-coloured, but not over-restored. Their address is http://www.woolies-trim.co.uk/Lkit.html. Hope that helps.

Sorry to drag out an old topic but does anyone have any experience of using these products on vinyl 120 seats and trim? Mine are grubby and have faded a little (they were originally a dark red - 1967 123GT).

Many thanks

[Peter Milnes]

Halfords and others stock spray-on cleaners which do quite a good job. I have been using one from Simoniz which does what it says it will on carpet, vynil, leather and that velvety plush sort of stuff. Sorry but the name escapes me at the moment.

The other product for leather that comes readily to mind is "Saddle Soap" as used in the horse trade.

All the best, Peter.

Thanks for the tips, I have also found some products listed on the Frost website (http://www.frost.co.uk/acatalog/Inde...r_Trim_15.html) that look as though they might do as well. Unfortunately my local Halfords is a little small and didn't stock any vinyl cleaners, just about 15 cloth cleaners - always the way!
BTW neat washing up liquid and bathroom cleaner spray seem to have made a small improvement.