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The leather on the side of the driver's seat has some minor cracks.

I am using conditioner to help prevent this in the other seats but these cracks already exist. Is there a product or patch of some kind I should use to repair these and keep them from getting worse?

Cracks in driver seat sidewall

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    Are the cracks all the way through the leather? Some images might help.
    – mac
    Nov 19 '13 at 20:58
  • The cracks are all the way through the leather. I will take some pictures later this evening.
    – Matthew
    Nov 19 '13 at 22:24
  • Electrician's tape?
    – R.. GitHub STOP HELPING ICE
    Nov 27 '13 at 4:54
  • Are you sure that is leather? Many vehicles with leather seat surfaces use plastic or vinyl on the sides. Too bad as now the nice leather seats look crappy. Get some advice from a local shop. I'm a DIY guy but something like this I would outsource to the experts.
    – Peter Wright
    Jul 23 '17 at 2:06
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+50

There are so many different products you could go with for this. Only problem is the products are usually really hit-or-miss. When I finally found one that worked well I ordered as much of it as possible.

Leather Magic, the name describes it perfectly. I used the delux kit a few times before ordering the pro kit. The delux kit sells for about $59.00 and it's ordered in the exact color that you need. They have a color chart that lists vehicle make and model so you can make sure to get the exact color of your vehicles interior.

Don't forget...

  1. Before begining the repair make sure to read and follow any and all saftey precautions neccessary for whichever product that you decide to go with.

  2. Keep in mind that it is required that you let the repair cure for 48 hours before sitting on the seat.

Repair Process

  • Clean the seat thoroughly using a nylon brush and cleaning detergent
    • Use the same soap you use to wash your car
  • Sand the areas being repaired using the supplied 220-grit sand paper
  • Apply the paste and fill the damaged areas
    • Sanding may be required between applications in order to ensure that it's a smooth finish
    • NOTE: This process is critical when determining how the finished product will look. Make sure to take your time and get the surface as smooth as possible before coloring
  • Color
    • Use as many coats as needed and again, take your time

Before

before

After

after

The before and after photos above do not show the rips that your leather seat has, but this product should work just fine.

Remember...

If you go this route then make sure to get enough of the Linen Subpatch Material. You can get sheets of 12"x12" for around $2.00. This material is used for patching thears and even holes in the leather. And if there is material missing and you need leather they have that as well in their individual items section.

Linen Subpatch Material

linen-subpatch

Use this material to stuffing material in the seat. Think of it as foundation a house, it will be exposed but if it's uneven the house will be crooked. I cannot stress it enough to make sure to take your time and make sure that when the Leather Filler is applied it does not look like a swell or cave in.

Leather Insert Filler

leather-patch

Use this material to fill bring the hole / tear back together. Try to use as few > peices as possible. Don't cut 10 peices to fill a 1" hole. When you first cut > the filler cut it too big and trim it back with a razor blade. until it just > drops in, then proceed with applying the puddy material and finish up with a few > layers of paint.

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    Those are some great before and after shots. Have you tried the patch pieces before? They look promising.
    – Bob Cross ♦
    Nov 27 '13 at 12:53
  • They work well, as long as you can get the material to look something like the before photo. It is compairable to patching a hole in a wall. The more effort and patience that is put into the work; The better the result.
    – cinelli
    Dec 1 '13 at 19:01
  • Wow those guys even have my obscure BMW leather colour "Indigo BMW228" - that's the first I've seen of it online. You're a hero, I may actually tackle this project some time and fix my driver's seat.
    – andrewb
    Dec 2 '13 at 2:20
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    Yeah their selection is bar-none. That's one of the main reasons I went this route. The order process painless, and the product shows up quickly. And they were very good at keeping me updating if there were any questions / concerns. (at least they were when I delt with them 8 months ago)
    – cinelli
    Dec 2 '13 at 11:49
  • They have a few older videos online: youtube.com/channel/UCz3oSGeyLcL1gyMCBr4L8Ow
    – jxramos
    Aug 31 '18 at 3:51

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