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Auto leather repairDoes your wardrobe include a leather jacket? Do you own an exquisite pair of leather footwear. Well, if your answer to either or both is in the affirmative, then you will definitely be taking a lot of care towards maintaining them as good as new. Similarly, when you have leather upholstery in your automobile, you want to ensure that it maintains its looks over a long period of time. There are plenty of cleaning solutions, re-coloring dyes, etc. to help you towards this goal. Before we have a look at these, let's first find out about the varieties of leather.
What are the different types of Leather?
• A very good quality leather type is aniline leather. This type of leather is considered to be natural leather as it is does not go through any special treatment processes. The surface is extremely soft and reveals its natural patterns. However, it absorbs liquids very easily..
• What you see in upholstered leather furniture is known as pigmented leather. The surface of the leather undergoes a painting of pigment that gives it a deep color.
• NuBuck leather is considered to be the softest type of leather. The special protective treatment that it undergoes allows liquids to seep through easily.
• Suede leather tends to be less robust and likely to have a shorter life span.
Whatever the type of leather, remember that over a period of time it tends to fade when faced with the harsh rays of the sun.
[Note: Due to lack of space, only a few types of leather are mentioned here.
What can damage Automobile Leather?
Plenty of stuff! Scuffing of your pets paws, gooey chocolaty hands of toddlers, carelessly dropped cigarette ashes, ink blotches, dents caused by heavy tools kept on the seats, sweat, oil stains the list is endless.
Dont despair though! There are some excellent products available in the market that will help you not only in the basic cleaning of your automobile leather, but also in repairing damaged leather. What you should definitely not do is dunk a sponge in soapy water and attack grime and stains on the automobile leather. Soap is cruel to leather and will likely worsen the damaged leather.
What are the products available for repairing Automobile Leather?
It is important to note that you need to use the right product for the right leather. For example, some products are exclusively meant for aniline leather, others for NuBuck leather. You cannot substitute one for the other. Heres an idea of some of the products that are available to repair automobile leather :
• Creams: The purpose of a leather cream is to act as a barrier to liquid stains, such as those caused by wine or oils. The protection it provides prevents subsequent cracks from developing in the leather.
• Cleaning Solutions: When grit, grime and unknown stuff soil the leather in your automobile, use need to use cleaners. These cleaners are generally water-based. However, make sure that you check that the cleaner does not affect the color of the leather. There are some cleaning solutions that will repair leather that has become dry. Its application will transform the dry leather to practically its earlier softness. There is even a special solution that repairs leather damaged by pen marks apply it gently over the marks and watch the marks disappear. In this case, don't use the cleaner meant for fabric upholstery that has its own type of cleaner. Yet other cleaning solutions ensure that the automobile leather does not make you wrinkle your nose in disgust at its smelly breaths.
• Glues, Pastes & Adhesives: Small tears in the leather can be prevented from widening by sealing with glues, pastes or adhesives especially for this purpose.
• Coloring Agents: Tiny bottles of color pigments can be used to repair faded areas of automobile leather and restore its color.
• Odds& Ends: Lint free cloths for applying the various products to damaged leather, maybe a few sponges, 2-3 small-sized cups to mix colors, gloves, and some other equally essential odds and ends will complete your handy kit for automobile leather repairs.
There are plenty more products just head to your local automobile store or trawl the World Wide Web to know more about the wonderful products available.
Should I buy an Automobile Repair Kit?
Yes, definitely! It is a good idea is to buy an automobile repair kit rather than search around for individual products. The kit includes all the necessary items for repairing automobile leather and is extremely handy. It comes with a detailed instruction manual, and some kits even come with a special VCD / DVD with step-by-step instructions.
What are the costs of an Automobile Repair Kit?
The cost of a basic kit maybe about $60. This would include a cleaner, filler, a leather protective solution, an adhesive, a bottle of dye colorant, a scuff pad, and gloves.
You also have the option of going for a much more sophisticated kit containing not only the requisite cleaners, glues and fillers, but also a heating iron, complete with its own carrying case and containing a handy tray to keep all the items separately. Such a kit, though, would be very expensive and could cost more than $600.
Buying & Usage Tips
• As mentioned earlier, buy products appropriate to the type of leather to be repaired.
• Check that the product is colorfast.
• Read the instructions that come with every product regarding its correct usage.
• Do not excessively use a product to repair any damage, unless it is specifically mentioned to do so. For example, you may need to apply a particular type of glue to seal a crack but that does not mean you empty the entire tube!
• Find out the correct tools that are required for application for certain products. For example, some products need to be applied with a hair dryer; others may require use of a heating iron, and so on.
Just keep in mind your requirements, and buy the right products. Automobile leather repair work is not as daunting as you think!
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