How do you folks take care of your Oldtimers Leather interiour bits? (lemmy.blahaj.zone)

submitted 1 month ago by Mr_Mofu@lemmy.blahaj.zone to c/oldtimers_youngtimers@lemmy.blahaj.zone

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My SVX got leather Seats which are just unbearably stiff and hard to sit on...

Im wondering if they have been badly maintained or if age just stiffens it up this bad? Perhaps its the filling.... how do you all Deal with this type of stuff?

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[-] BearOfaTime@lemm.ee 2 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

Leather stiffens up with age, especially if it hasn't been cared for.

Today's leather (in cars newer than yours) is almost a plastic.

You can try slathering on a leather conditioner, then closing the car up on a warm day and let it sit. The leather may soften up (but probably won't).

You can also get them redone using modern synthetic leathers, which are surprisingly better than real leather in my opinion - softer in winter, cooler in summer, and much less expensive , like 1/4 the cost of real leather.

[-] Mr_Mofu@lemmy.blahaj.zone 1 points 1 month ago

I see, i may as well try that leather conditioner even if it probably won't work. Say, wouldn't fully replacing both Seats Leather with synthetic ones be quite expensive tho?

[-] BearOfaTime@lemm.ee 2 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

Last time I had seats redone it was about $600 for both front seats ($300 each), though I chose a slightly better material than basic. I got a discount because I took the seats out and dropped them off.

Was worth every penny. The new faux leather was far better than the original, but looked damn close, most people wouldn't even know (and it was tan, not black).

Find a local upholstery shop, doesn't cost anything to ask, and they'll fill you in on what's available these days.

At least the leather conditioner route is pretty cheap, just the cost of the conditioner and a day or two of letting it sit.

[-] Mr_Mofu@lemmy.blahaj.zone 2 points 1 month ago

Oh wow I never even knew shops like these existed, thats really neat! Thank you for the tip! Ill make sure to ask!

[-] BearOfaTime@lemm.ee 1 points 1 month ago

Upholstery shops do thibgs like boat seats, convertible tops, commercial seating, etc. Should be one in your city.

You can also look for local car groups - those guys will know all the shops that do car stuff.

this post was submitted on 06 Jul 2024

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Oldtimers are Defined as Vehicles 30 years or older, whereas Youngtimers are between 25 and 30 years of age!

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