"restoring" Cracked Leather?

[theoldpaths]

My 1990 LS400 is in great shape, but the gray leather seats, front and back, are starting to show some cracking. Is there a product that will "fill" the fine white cracks with a gray color to hide them?

[ROBERT THOMASON]

Not sure if these guys or someone similar are in your area but they do leather restoration. If you do a search in this forum I have saw the whole process talked about and shown with the correct products.

http://www.myinteriormagic.com/services.htm

[DobieG]

I swear by the Lexol product line. I bought mine at Pep Boys. There is a cleaner and a conditioner. I use it about every 6 months and the leather in both of the Lexus' looks brand new!

[ROBERT THOMASON]

I swear by the Lexol product line. I bought mine at Pep Boys. There is a cleaner and a conditioner. I use it about every 6 months and the leather in both of the Lexus' looks brand new!

Lexol has great products but it want fix craked leather.

[theoldpaths]

ROBERT,

Yea that's what I'm looking for, "filling/hiding" the cracks. If the white in the cracks could be colored somehow it would help hide the cracks I am hoping.

I swear by the Lexol product line. I bought mine at Pep Boys. There is a cleaner and a conditioner. I use it about every 6 months and the leather in both of the Lexus' looks brand new!

Lexol has great products but it want fix craked leather.

[JIBBBY]

You can't restore CRACKED leather, you can make it look a little better with these leather products but that's it... Ebay for leather new covers is what I did, then went to an uphostery shop and had them installed...$600 for the new leather covers and $300 to install.. New interior....Vallla...

[2JZTWIN TURBO]

If the cracks are not through the leather you can try dye. It can darken the lighter cracked areas. It may be difficult to find a perfect match though. If the cracks go through the cover, I'd say you'll have to buy new covers.

[JIBBBY]

Dye will work for a while but eventually fade and fade onto your clothes... I've tried the dye method before and it a temporary solution...

[theoldpaths]

Thanks for the reply. The cracks don't go all the way through, they are just on the surface. What kind of dye would I use?

If the cracks are not through the leather you can try dye. It can darken the lighter cracked areas. It may be difficult to find a perfect match though. If the cracks go through the cover, I'd say you'll have to buy new covers.

[2JZTWIN TURBO]

There is a product called Marhide that should work well.

[pishta]

There is a product called Marhide that should work well.

This is the stuff/procedure that I would recommend. It is a filler and a dye. Cracked leather will not dye uniformly, you need to fill in the cracks with an elastic filler and then dye area or entire panel for a uniform look. I saw another product on Ebay that was US sourced and was specific to the Lexus LS400 gray interior that I have, but I cant find it anymore. Same type of stuff, a filler and a dye, sealer. Ebay item 140166319788

[theoldpaths]

There is a product called Marhide that should work well.

This is the stuff/procedure that I would recommend. It is a filler and a dye. Cracked leather will not dye uniformly, you need to fill in the cracks with an elastic filler and then dye area or entire panel for a uniform look. I saw another product on Ebay that was US sourced and was specific to the Lexus LS400 gray interior that I have, but I cant find it anymore. Same type of stuff, a filler and a dye, sealer. Ebay item 140166319788

Thanks for the idea, I am going to try it.

Thanks again everyone for the help.

[pishta]

There is a product called Marhide that should work well.

This is the stuff/procedure that I would recommend. It is a filler and a dye. Cracked leather will not dye uniformly, you need to fill in the cracks with an elastic filler and then dye area or entire panel for a uniform look. I saw another product on Ebay that was US sourced and was specific to the Lexus LS400 gray interior that I have, but I cant find it anymore. Same type of stuff, a filler and a dye, sealer. Ebay item 140166319788

Thanks for the idea, I am going to try it.

Thanks again everyone for the help.

How about a few pics before and after and a review of the product. Ill do it if it works.

[theoldpaths]

There is a product called Marhide that should work well.

This is the stuff/procedure that I would recommend. It is a filler and a dye. Cracked leather will not dye uniformly, you need to fill in the cracks with an elastic filler and then dye area or entire panel for a uniform look. I saw another product on Ebay that was US sourced and was specific to the Lexus LS400 gray interior that I have, but I cant find it anymore. Same type of stuff, a filler and a dye, sealer. Ebay item 140166319788

Thanks for the idea, I am going to try it.

Thanks again everyone for the help.

How about a few pics before and after and a review of the product. Ill do it if it works.

You got it, I will post before and after pictures.

[JimsGX]

My 1990 LS400 is in great shape, but the gray leather seats, front and back, are starting to show some cracking. Is there a product that will "fill" the fine white cracks with a gray color to hide them?

Except for replacing the leather, you may be chasing your tail on this one. I have a similar problem from when I bought my 91 recently. The previous owner who purchased the car new had never conditioned the seats. The seats were hard, more like a 91 Mercedes than a 91 Lexus. Once I started conditioning them, the cracks started showing up. I think the only good remedy if you plan on keeping the car is to replace the leather... I found this company online. I think the total cost of materials is around $750 or so. They recommend professional install but you may be able to do it yourself.

Katzkin Leather Upholstery's

Jim