aquilles10
Member
- Car
- 2018 QX60
That's a good price and a good job.
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Finally got my seat repaired
- Thread starter DRich
- Start date
onthemove
Member
- Car
- 2003 FX35 AWD
- Name
- Michael
...and 4 years later. Did you get your seat repaired? What did you have done & did it last?
I've got 2 small cracks in the bolster & have been contemplating what to do. Used superglue a year back when I fist noticed the cracks. It held.
I've been to a custom interior/exterior shop that'll sew gator to my ass if I pay them enough. Their work looks good but the shop is a mess. I found that the foam for the seats is no longer in production. It's a good idea to get the seat back into shape & get it really clean before making repairs. I found that after using a pricey professional grade leather/vinyl cleaner, Krud Kutter works just as well imo. A soft vegetable brush & many rags to lift off the dirt, not rub it in. Cleaner & technique is important.
I've contemplated having the tan perforated inserts replaced with black leather ($2,400) or alcantara ($1,200) and thought about reupholstering 100% of all seats w/top grain leather, but that's silly & overkill.
I think I've made up my mind as to how to proceed. "Dye", really paint, is not all that different from the top coated original process of these semi-quasi leather/vinyl seats. Sure, the color is all the way through but it's still top coated after. If a new top coat is properly prepped for & applied using a high quality product, it should last as long as the original.
I visited the owner of a well known company that sells online & has done the work for many years on jags, bmw's, benz's, etc. They said they'd do what I want w/a guarantee for as long as I own the FX. They'll fix the plastic panel blemishes as well.
Cigarette burn.
Another cig burn right on the seam & another an " away. Damn. The foam in the bolster & ass pad needs a little help.
Most of the interior is in perfect condition but I want to bring it back to new. I cleaned the seat belts using hot water, dawn platinum dish foam, soft brush & terry cloth multiple times. Used a lighter & burned off any frayed edges along the belts. They were to the point where they wouldn't retract on their own. Now, they're like new. It's ironic that the oil our bodies create to preserve our skin destroys our interiors.
After clean the shit out of the thing, I used a really pricey conditioner on the seats. Read quite a bit about everything interior & found that conditioner might be a waste of time --- Could Car Leather Conditioner actually be damaging; see what the Expert says! --- but after having used this product & letting it set in overnight, I'm not so sure. It softened up the same areas that held the most dirt which happened to be the wrinkled areas.
My plan; Have the pro make all repairs, dye (paint) the top & bottom sections of the steering wheel, the shift knob & all 4 perforated sections of the seat inserts black. There's already a lot of black accents so I don't think it's too radical to go this route. Was considering replacing the carpet. No carpet this color available at any dealer in the usa. For $1,350, they can keep it even if they had it. Guy I spoke to told me his dealership has an upholsterer come in & custom fit whatever carpet they want for less than 1/2 that. Better fit, better product, but I'm going to use chem guys cleaner w/extractor to see if I can get it perfect. If so, great & if not, berber here I come.
- Car
- 2017 QX70S
- Name
- Andy
Got mine done. Due to mine has the brick color interior and a couple shops that I stop in cannot guarantee a good color match. I resorted to buying a part of a rear seat from ebay for $150 shipped. I took the ebay seat cover off and mine seat cover to a shop. Shop charge me $125 for labor.
onthemove
Member
- Car
- 2003 FX35 AWD
- Name
- Michael
That's one way to do it & about what I was quoted from an interior/exterior shop ($300). I've seen & read repairs (not in person) done properly that last & repairs that do not. Thing is, I 1/2 ass'd super glue on the cracks and it's held, really well actually. No prep work at all. Wasn't too concerned about it at the time & didn't realize I slopped it on the larger crack like that but it doesn't show up in person. Damn camera flash!
I'm thinking more and more about tackling this on my own. Went to the owners house of this quality brand, got an estimate & told me I could do it correctly w/their guidance. They sell the same stuff they use. They used to have a large operation w/many employees but now semi-retired & only work on one car at a time. Guess they do pretty well w/just internet business. They sell to known furniture makers & auto manufacturers. Only downside of them doing the work is leaving the fx there for several days.
Anyone else tackle anything like this on infinitiscene? Couldn't find much in search. Thanks la_fx35
I'm thinking more and more about tackling this on my own. Went to the owners house of this quality brand, got an estimate & told me I could do it correctly w/their guidance. They sell the same stuff they use. They used to have a large operation w/many employees but now semi-retired & only work on one car at a time. Guess they do pretty well w/just internet business. They sell to known furniture makers & auto manufacturers. Only downside of them doing the work is leaving the fx there for several days.
Anyone else tackle anything like this on infinitiscene? Couldn't find much in search. Thanks la_fx35
onthemove
Member
- Car
- 2003 FX35 AWD
- Name
- Michael
Found out today dye (paint) is bullshit. Won't go into details but the company I was referring to above flaked out of the deal (Leather Majic). I wasn't sure I'd even use them but it was nice to know they back their work. I sent a reply to their invoice email w/ detailed specifics & finally got a reply back from them after sending yet another email. They'll back their work with the hopes that you'll gain confidence in their product and then decide to diy & realize you f'd yourself months later. I think this is how they operate.
I spoke with Majic One & the guy was really honest w/me. What's with all the "majic" associated with interior repair? It's not majic, it's bullshit. He said a color change is a very bad idea. Will not last. Repairing the bolster in my case as seen in the previous post will be good. Paint on the cig burn in the middle of the seat will be good. A repair made at a seam on the bottom part of the seat will not last but anywhere else will be good. In other words, repairs in high wear, high compression areas will not hold up & the best thing to do is have it replaced. Changes my plans a bit.
I spoke with Majic One & the guy was really honest w/me. What's with all the "majic" associated with interior repair? It's not majic, it's bullshit. He said a color change is a very bad idea. Will not last. Repairing the bolster in my case as seen in the previous post will be good. Paint on the cig burn in the middle of the seat will be good. A repair made at a seam on the bottom part of the seat will not last but anywhere else will be good. In other words, repairs in high wear, high compression areas will not hold up & the best thing to do is have it replaced. Changes my plans a bit.
onthemove
Member
- Car
- 2003 FX35 AWD
- Name
- Michael
That looks good GTO. Like nothing happened. Guess I was reaching for straws hoping that this would be an easy deal if done correctly, something I might do myself. Turning wrenches & moving some wiring around is one thing but interior/exterior finishes is something that should be left up to a skilled pro. Then again, I did plasti-dip the shit out of my grill
. I am going to take the advice I've gotten & attempt to make these minor repairs but no color changing for me. Repairs like I mentioned above will be warrantied by these various companies & that gives me confidence in doing them myself. I'll do a diy. Got some Chem Guys cleaner for the carpet & new radiator for the engine (think that's were that goes?) in today so I guess it'll be me & the FX this weekend.
onthemove
Member
- Car
- 2003 FX35 AWD
- Name
- Michael
Thinking about halloween & I heard a noise in the garage. I opened the door and holly shit, what the fuck is that?
Hit flash on the camera. It's just onthemove. Damn, scared the shit out'a me!
I really do have way too much time on my hands.
Recently read about how to deal w/interior scratches in plastic. The only one I was willing to try excluded the sand/fill/paint routine which is how many professionals would do it. I'm not painting the interior or letting anyone else do it.
I read on a toyota forum that using fine sandpaper (I used 1200 grit) to knock down the jagged edges left behind from the force that caused the scratch & then applying a little petro jelly & letting it "soak in" for awhile before wiping it off. The guy was adamant about this process & said the jelly never needs to be reapplied. Plastic is petroleum based. Fuck it, I'll give it a whirl.
Here is the test subject on the glove box. Don't know where it came from.
Here it is after briefly sanding w/1200 grit & applying a little p. jelly. You can see the outline of the p. jelly but not the scratch. Just the act of lightly sanding the scratch reduced the appearance of it by 50%. I folded a 1" piece of sandpaper in 1/2 & kept the fold of the paper within the scratch itself, angling it up and down as I slowly followed the contours of the crack sanding side to side to remove the burrs. Son of a bitch. It's tedious but looks like an effective way to deal w/this kind of bullshit.
Tried it on the bottom of the hatch door but put very little time into it. Getting late. This area took a few hits for the team from some 2x4's that are now a part of the kitchen remodel.
Before;
and after. I'll have to spend a little more time back here but still, a definite improvement.
Hit flash on the camera. It's just onthemove. Damn, scared the shit out'a me!
I really do have way too much time on my hands.
Recently read about how to deal w/interior scratches in plastic. The only one I was willing to try excluded the sand/fill/paint routine which is how many professionals would do it. I'm not painting the interior or letting anyone else do it.
I read on a toyota forum that using fine sandpaper (I used 1200 grit) to knock down the jagged edges left behind from the force that caused the scratch & then applying a little petro jelly & letting it "soak in" for awhile before wiping it off. The guy was adamant about this process & said the jelly never needs to be reapplied. Plastic is petroleum based. Fuck it, I'll give it a whirl.
Here is the test subject on the glove box. Don't know where it came from.
Here it is after briefly sanding w/1200 grit & applying a little p. jelly. You can see the outline of the p. jelly but not the scratch. Just the act of lightly sanding the scratch reduced the appearance of it by 50%. I folded a 1" piece of sandpaper in 1/2 & kept the fold of the paper within the scratch itself, angling it up and down as I slowly followed the contours of the crack sanding side to side to remove the burrs. Son of a bitch. It's tedious but looks like an effective way to deal w/this kind of bullshit.
Tried it on the bottom of the hatch door but put very little time into it. Getting late. This area took a few hits for the team from some 2x4's that are now a part of the kitchen remodel.
Before;
and after. I'll have to spend a little more time back here but still, a definite improvement.
onthemove
Member
- Car
- 2003 FX35 AWD
- Name
- Michael
Used Chem. Guys lightning fast cleaner. Good Stuff. Had no idea my interior was so filthy. Cleaned the carpets & used my shop vac as an "extractor" and the water in the vac was def. not potable! 20 to 1 ratio distilled water/chemical using a vegetable brush as the chem guys carpet brush was way too firm. I think it would've been easier pulling the seats & replacing the carpeting. Lots of elbow grease but it worked.
Made a 20 to 1 ratio distilled water/chemical solution in a bucket and using a small sponge scrubbed the head liner, pillars doors, dash, etc., one small section at a time & immediately after wiped down the surface w/a towel. Damn near ran out of towels. Filthy, all of it! I found out that 303 is supposedly a silicone based product and actually dries out the surface. Maybe that's why my dash started cracking 3 months after starting to use it. I'd also use it on the various black buttons as close inspection revealed what appeared to be some fading on areas touched the most. Turns out is was just filth & came right off. Onthemove smells so nice now. Threw the 303 in the trash.
I've seen the costs for a true professional interior detail and there's no way in hell a detailer would've done what I did as well as I did it. Figure I've got a full 4 leisurely days worth of just detailing the inside top to bottom, front to back not to mention all the time I've spent dealing with rattles and other odd noises. I think I know what products I'm gonna order to make these repairs in the vinyl & leather.
I feel like I should apologize to the readers of my posts for all the cussing I do on this forum. Don't mean to offend. Quit smoking 3 months ago & now gotta start working on the cussing. God damn it!
Made a 20 to 1 ratio distilled water/chemical solution in a bucket and using a small sponge scrubbed the head liner, pillars doors, dash, etc., one small section at a time & immediately after wiped down the surface w/a towel. Damn near ran out of towels. Filthy, all of it! I found out that 303 is supposedly a silicone based product and actually dries out the surface. Maybe that's why my dash started cracking 3 months after starting to use it. I'd also use it on the various black buttons as close inspection revealed what appeared to be some fading on areas touched the most. Turns out is was just filth & came right off. Onthemove smells so nice now. Threw the 303 in the trash.
I've seen the costs for a true professional interior detail and there's no way in hell a detailer would've done what I did as well as I did it. Figure I've got a full 4 leisurely days worth of just detailing the inside top to bottom, front to back not to mention all the time I've spent dealing with rattles and other odd noises. I think I know what products I'm gonna order to make these repairs in the vinyl & leather.
I feel like I should apologize to the readers of my posts for all the cussing I do on this forum. Don't mean to offend. Quit smoking 3 months ago & now gotta start working on the cussing. God damn it!
onthemove
Member
- Car
- 2003 FX35 AWD
- Name
- Michael
After contemplating leather repair vs replace and looking over the various leather/vinyl repair products, I decided to give repairs a shot. I met with 2 interior shops and looking back, I guess they both looked at me like I was nutz after seeing the condition of the existing interior. I want to add just a little more zing to the interior, but not too much, so in changing the color of a few things 1st, I'll feel comfortable making the few necessary repairs. I may/may not dye the perforated inserts black. Kinda on the fence now after thinking it through. Plus, this will give me a chance to do a diy & try to catch up to Handy Andy. Only 125 more diy's and I'm there!
I decided to use leatherworldtech's products. Got the delux kit + color adjustment kit + 8oz. black. The interior is listed as Stone Beige/Willow/ or even Sage per Infiniti? Sage? Whatever.
Here's the steering wheel & shift knob after cleaning the bejesus outof'em. Their cleaner has denatured alcohol in it and I was advised to use straight denatured alcohol to really get it clean. I won't go into any more details about this cleaning process because depending on the brand you use, they may make different recommendations. The important thing to know, regardless of the brand, you must get it down to the original dye. There is a top coat from the factory, not too mention the various crap that gets lodged in the pores of the leather/vinyl. You'll know you've gone far enough when you start to see the color of your interior on your cleaning towel. This will ensure proper adhesion.
The shift knob looked good before I cleaned it w/the alcohol.
And now time to mask, fill and possibly sand if you must. Didn't remember the original color of the stitching. Watched a guy on youtube doing some 21 year old mustang seats. He eventually ended up using lacquer thinner to get the seats clean, they were that bad but after the cleaning, they were looking really good.
The steering wheel is in remarkably good condition. No damage anywhere. Guess the shift knob didn't fair as well. A few thin coats of the leather filler & some 1200 grit sandpaper is all that's used to correct these scars before the dye goes on. The masking process is really important here. I'm not too concerned about bleeding because I'm blotting/stippling thin coats. No concern for the shift knob or steering wheel bleeding off on the carbon fiber wannabe pieces but the 4 joints on the steering wheel are a concern so I spent extra time there making sure the tape had good adhesion with the edge tucked right at the center of the joint.
So here they are after coat #1. 2-4 light coats after proper preparation will separate the dye job that lasts from the one that does not. At the beginning of each coat, probably 3-4 coats total (with 12-24 hours preferred between coats) I go after the toughest areas first. It just gets uglier until it gets pretty. Gotta make sure I get the color worked into all of the threads in the dyed sections.
I decided to use leatherworldtech's products. Got the delux kit + color adjustment kit + 8oz. black. The interior is listed as Stone Beige/Willow/ or even Sage per Infiniti? Sage? Whatever.
Here's the steering wheel & shift knob after cleaning the bejesus outof'em. Their cleaner has denatured alcohol in it and I was advised to use straight denatured alcohol to really get it clean. I won't go into any more details about this cleaning process because depending on the brand you use, they may make different recommendations. The important thing to know, regardless of the brand, you must get it down to the original dye. There is a top coat from the factory, not too mention the various crap that gets lodged in the pores of the leather/vinyl. You'll know you've gone far enough when you start to see the color of your interior on your cleaning towel. This will ensure proper adhesion.
The shift knob looked good before I cleaned it w/the alcohol.
And now time to mask, fill and possibly sand if you must. Didn't remember the original color of the stitching. Watched a guy on youtube doing some 21 year old mustang seats. He eventually ended up using lacquer thinner to get the seats clean, they were that bad but after the cleaning, they were looking really good.
The steering wheel is in remarkably good condition. No damage anywhere. Guess the shift knob didn't fair as well. A few thin coats of the leather filler & some 1200 grit sandpaper is all that's used to correct these scars before the dye goes on. The masking process is really important here. I'm not too concerned about bleeding because I'm blotting/stippling thin coats. No concern for the shift knob or steering wheel bleeding off on the carbon fiber wannabe pieces but the 4 joints on the steering wheel are a concern so I spent extra time there making sure the tape had good adhesion with the edge tucked right at the center of the joint.
So here they are after coat #1. 2-4 light coats after proper preparation will separate the dye job that lasts from the one that does not. At the beginning of each coat, probably 3-4 coats total (with 12-24 hours preferred between coats) I go after the toughest areas first. It just gets uglier until it gets pretty. Gotta make sure I get the color worked into all of the threads in the dyed sections.
Big O
Member
- Car
- 2005 FX45 AWD
- Name
- Zo
Do any of you guys hate the way the FX seats feel. I finally found my sweet spot after having my FX for almost a year. I finally got it right by using a set headrest from another car in the Infiniti lineup. Hit me up and I'll let you know what I did. I decided to go this route until I can fully research seat swaps.
onthemove
Member
- Car
- 2003 FX35 AWD
- Name
- Michael
Coat #4 and done. Protection cream needs to be applied 2-3 days after final coat. It can be applied to all leather, oem or re-dyed. Now it's just a question of how long it will last. Working the back side of the steering wheel was a pita but not worth taking the wheel off.
Banjos-n-Beer
Member
- Car
- 2014 QX70 3.7 AWD
- Name
- Steve
Odd. I've been using 303 for years on almost every car surface (leather, plastic, soft-touch, etc). Never had a single problem with it, and it has kept everything looking brand new.
onthemove
Member
- Car
- 2003 FX35 AWD
- Name
- Michael
FWIW, I was told by the owner of Leather Majic it's no good. Doesn't make it so. They claim it's good for exterior rubber & vinyl but in order to sell more product, they market it for interior also. My dash had 0 cracks but started to develop a chaulky-type film. Used 303 for a few months and crack crackity-crack. +, it off-gases all over my windshield. Maybe if you start using these products early on it saves things like the infamous "infiniti dash trash", idk. Maybe it was destined to crack-up regardless of what I did, and of coarse after I decide to keep, improve & mod rather than sell & go Bacon, I mean Macon.
I wouldn't use 303 on leather for sure, not after what I've learned but if it's working for you, who cares what I wouldn't do. I prefer the natural matte-satin appearance and most products I've used in the past make the leather look like plastic. Turtle Wax's ICE didn't seem to do any harm & didn't put a spit polish on the leather either but I'm done w/off the shelf shit unless this more expensive crap disappoints somehow.
I wouldn't use 303 on leather for sure, not after what I've learned but if it's working for you
, who cares what I wouldn't do. I prefer the natural matte-satin appearance and most products I've used in the past make the leather look like plastic. Turtle Wax's ICE didn't seem to do any harm & didn't put a spit polish on the leather either but I'm done w/off the shelf shit unless this more expensive crap disappoints somehow.Banjos-n-Beer
Member
- Car
- 2014 QX70 3.7 AWD
- Name
- Steve
I don't get any off-gasses either (unlike with my old 1992 3000 GT VR-4). The windshield gets no dirtier/filmy when 303 is on the dash. I'm certainly not trying to dispute your experience, but I wonder if its simply related to the poorly constructed first gen dashes. I have been using 303 per the advice of several folks who do detailing for side income.
As for the leather, I am sure the leather in the QX is of higher quality than the leather in my previous CX-5. I haven't done anything to the seats yet, and will double check with one of my contacts as for what he would recommend for the seating. Detailing isn't really my forte... I simply defer to those that are in the know.
As for the leather, I am sure the leather in the QX is of higher quality than the leather in my previous CX-5. I haven't done anything to the seats yet, and will double check with one of my contacts as for what he would recommend for the seating. Detailing isn't really my forte... I simply defer to those that are in the know.