Can this leather be reconditioned?

The steering wheel, e-brake handle, and shift **** on the car I purchased are more worn/discolored (for the mileage - 52k) than I would have liked. I think the guy must have had a dog or cat or something scratching everything up. Planning to get a used OEM center console of all the scratches and because the armrest is broken, but would prefer to recondition the other pieces using dye / shoe polish, etc. if it will be cheaper AND the reconditioning will last a few years. So what have you all done? Am I better off buying used OEM pieces from another gray interior 996? thanks

Blueice - this thread should help: https://rennlist.com/forums/996-foru...l#post11924901 I would definitely say that the Leatherworld kit is worth a try. My original gear **** was too far gone and I was able to find one in better condition on eBay for around $100. New ones are a special order item and are actually manufactured to order by Porsche. They are not cheap.

While "reconditioned" is a popular phrase, refinished is more accurate. The short answer is YES! Scroll through this thread - https://rennlist.com/forums/996-foru...therworld.html There's a steering wheel and shift **** in the same color as yours that came out great. Though my seats and new steering wheel is shown, I've also done my old 4 spoke wheel as well as my shift **** and e-brake in Savannah Beige and they came out great. Good Luck

^ Ha ha^ BAL beat me to the punch! He's the one who did the grey wheel and ****... **Also, if your console is the same color (it looks like it is), I think you can use the finish on it as well...

There's absolutely no need to buy new pieces, they can easily be dyed and restored to new condition. Buy the Leather World Tech kit, I think it's about $60 for the regular size which is more than enough to do all of the pieces in your pics. I re dyed some pieces in my car and they turned out great!

Yeah I did my console too. As dporto knows, I got rather carried away with the Leatherworld stuff and have applied anywhere I could - including the plastic horseshoe console. Came out great!

+1 on the leatherworld tech kit. I redid my shifter and it looks great. Planning to do my e-brake handle, possibly the steering wheel, and maybe a seat in the near future. Call them and they will help with a color match. I sent them a swatch of seat leather (from excess leather under the seat, and they sent me a matching color. It's a very close color match.

Thanks for the tips on the restoration kit. For repairing bolster scuff/wear, do I need the filler? There are no cracks but there are wrinkles like patterns. No filler kit is this one http://www.leatherworldtech.com/Leat...it-p/lvrck.htm ? and the one will filler is this one http://www.leatherworldtech.com/Delu...Kit-p/dlrk.htm ?

From your pictures, I think you'll be fine without filler although your shift boot seems to have a white patch, which might require filling. The filer itself is white and looks like hand cream. If I find unevenness in the leather, I apply filler and smooth it with my fingers, then sand most of it off when it has dried. This leaves a uniform surface for the dye. If there's not much difference in pricing between the kit with the filler and the one without, I would just get the one with the filler so that you can experiment and find an approach that works well for you. The most useful advice that I can give to you is not to rush it - the filler and the dye need to dry. Also, for parts that can be removed like the shifter and the trim pieces, do so since it will be easier.

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Cool thanks for all the info... I will definitely try the leatherworld kit. Do you have any before/after pics of the console? I want to see how it would look using the LW kit on the plastic pieces - center console/armrest, ignition key trim to the left of the steering wheel, and the seatbelt retraction guides on the pillar (cabrio)... all of these pieces are gouged/scratched on my car. I think I need a completely new center console because the armrest doesnt close properly, need to take a closer look at it. But I assume that any used one I find will also have scratches so will just leatherworld it before I put it on my car.

Also, if you have a graphite grey interior color 944 semi gloss was a perfect match for me.

I did mine with the Dye from Leatherworld https://rennlist.com/forums/996-foru...hing-else.html

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Creases in the leather, unless they're really deep probably don't need to be filled. In my case, when I looked closely at the wrinkles/creases (seat bolsters) they were deep enough that they were actually through the finish and down to the raw leather. In this case I thought it was a good idea to use the filler to "seal" those areas (to keep them from absorbing moisture or further drying out so as to lead to cracks and/or tears... With the 8oz. bottle of "dye" I was able to do: 1 seat bolster, and seat back bolster (at least 3 coats - maybe 4), 2 steering wheels (1 - 4 spoke, 1 - 3 spoke) including center/airbag and base, 1 shift ****/boot, 1 e-brake handle. I probably have about 1 oz. left over - not enough to do much more than a little touch up here and there. The Cleaner, Protection Creme and Filler are a different story - I've got enough of them left to last me a lifetime!

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Thanks Tim for the link. It looks great! Thanks Dporto, exactly the info I need. Looks like one kit can do a lot or repairs!

It's really hard for me to tell for sure from the pics but are you positive the gray is worn off? Because our Merc has that color interior and the steering wheel and leather gear shifter get to looking black like that from skin oil and grime. Every once in a while I wipe it with a baby wipe (Kirkland/Costco, we use them to wipe our dogs' paws when the come inside) and it comes clean. I don't know if you've got anything to lose. Just don't use any kind of solvent like Mr. Fantastik, or anything with abrasive. The baby wipes are pretty innocuous. I have sand beige i my 997 and the wheel and shifter get black too and the baby wipes clean them well. I do have some wear though. One day may DIY, but there's a guy in town with a Fiberenew franchise who did my seat bolster very nicely. He's got a scanner that tells him how to formulate to match the existing color, which tends to change over time. If I used something matched to the OEM color code, or to a swatch from under the seat it would end up too light I'm afraid.

I've got a 2002 with Graphite Gray interior. I didn't use the Leatherworld kit, but tried two others, trying to get as close a match as possible. I couldn't match it exactly, but I've now done both seats, door panels steering wheel, console and horseshoe, and I can't tell you how much better it looks! My console was every bit as bad as yours, and now it looks like new. I took it out (not hard at all) and my only regret is I didn't sand off the original finish more. I sanded out the dings and smoothed it out all over, but I think the finish would have come out even better. It was the first thing I attempted, so I was still in the learning phase. I only used the filler on a couple of dings that were down into the plastic, but like a previous poster mentioned, applying a little with your finger and then sanding off the excess once dry works great. (Probably auto body spot putty would work as well - obviously not on the seats!) Take your time!!!! Use thin coats, let them dry thoroughly between coats, and you'll be fine. I've probably got 4-5 coats in most areas. The first one or two hardly look like you're doing anything, but be patient. One more thing. I have the carbon fiber steering wheel, which was badly cracked (nothing dangerous, just looks bad). I got a gray wheelskins cover, but it didn't even come close to matching. Leather dye did the trick. Even though it's water based (very helpful!!!) once it's dry it isn't going anywhere. Did my wheel a year ago and so far no signs of wear.

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I am going to be using the leatherworld kit on the center console tonight. Should I scratch up the whole thing with sandpaper before I start? What kind of sandpaper should I use?

I think 320 is their recommendation and is what I used on my seat. If you need something heavier, follow it up with 320 and/or the 3M scuff pad in the kit. Good luck and remember to post pics.

Sure, 300 is a good starting point. I would have some finer stuff available too (600-1000), and maybe even wet/dry paper. Wet sanding is usually easier and you get a smoother surface, at least in my experience. Taking the console out of the car is key, and then you won't care about making a mess by wet sanding it. Good prep is essential to getting a nice final product. Keep running your fingers over the surface, and if you feel any kind of imperfection chances are it will be visible in the final finish, so keep working. I would remove as much of the original finish as possible. Might not even hurt to use some kind of primer paint before your final finish coats, but I didn't and it came out great.

Don't know if this shows very well, but I did my console and passenger seat in this picture, with the drivers seat yet to go. Believe me, the results are night and day!

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Amazing! What kit you used again and was it semi-gloss? Also the dye can be applied to the plastic console as well?

Leather Renew is the name of the company. Graphite Grey is code #2556. Unless your leather is torn you don't need a kit, IMO. Clean everything real well with rubbing alcohol, then apply with a foam brush (which I usually hate, but worked well for this). Yes, you can use small sprayers, and I have one, but this was less messy to me. Note that it DOES color the thread on the seats, so there is no contrast, but everything looks so much better, it didn't matter to me. Something to consider if you're trying to do a limited area. Also, this color is a tad lighter than the original. If you can find a closer match then go for it. I ended up doing the door panels and rear seats, just so it looked the same. Probably no one but me would have ever noticed, but that's me. Yes, amazingly you can use it on the plastic parts! Just prep the surface as I've described and you'll be fine. Can't look worse, can it???!!! That was my attitude when I started. Took a deep breath when I next tackled the seats, but the results are great.

Thanks for the info!