Z leather finally developed a crack :^(

[aquariuscsm]

The driver's seat cushion on my 300ZX finally developed about a 3/4 inch crack on the bottom seat cushion. 21 years and finally a crack :^( Is there a decent way I can diy repair it so it doesn't spread and get worse?

 

[CT8]

Now is a good time for new covers.

 

[KGMtech]

The only DIY that could be trusted is to sew it up. Get some curved needles from Walmart or fabric store and have at it with some grey HD thread.

 

[RooflessVW]

Take it to a guy. Tons of shops that do leather restoration. They'll patch it and make your whole seat look and feel new.

 

[01rangerxl]

You could try some super glue to slow the spread, but it will keep cracking. The surrounding surface cracks will start to open up too. One of those Permatex repair kits might work for a while, but I'd expect it to be temporary as well. Eventually it will need to be recovered if you want it to look perfect.

 

[ffhdriver]

I've had leather repaired this way and it lasts and looks good.

 

[ffhdriver]

Originally Posted By: rooflessVW

Take it to a guy. Tons of shops that do leather restoration. They'll patch it and make your whole seat look and feel new.

I've had leather repaired this way and it lasts and looks near OEM.

 

[dishdude]

At first, I thought OP was typing with a German accent. Forgot he had a Z I vote for professional repair too.

 

[Whimsey]

The driver's seat in our 2005 Explorer cracked a couple of years ago and we ordered a new leather seat bottom from "The Seat Shop". It cost around $200 but it perfectly replaced the original seat bottom, fits and matches the original color exactly and you install it yourself. The directions were easy to follow and do. Your seat bottom is over 20 years old and I would suspect that it just reached the end of it's life, a long at that, especially in south Texas heat. Labor to "repair" a 20 year old leather seat might cost as much as a new good replacement and it's still 20 years old and who knows how long it'll last. Whimsey

 

[ZeeOSix]

Were you regularly treating the leather seats to help keep them supple?

 

[FirstNissan]

Much more cost effective to have the seats professionally re-upholstered. I have had older cars with leather that got "spot-repaired" only to have the rest of the leather start tearing apart soon after. 21 years is good value-for-money, get it done right once and don't worry about it for another 20 years!

 

[aquariuscsm]

Originally Posted By: ZeeOSix

Were you regularly treating the leather seats to help keep them supple?

Oh yeah,like clockwork! I guess all those years of it being my daily driver eventually took its toll.

 

[14Accent]

See if you have a local Color-Glo guy. My buddy works for them and they are one of the best known leather restoration outfits out there. They can come right to you and fix it in your driveway. I had the seats done in the Marauder and they still look perfect.

 

[daves87rs]

Originally Posted By: ffhdriver

[quote= Take it to a guy. Tons of shops that do leather restoration. They'll patch it and make your whole seat look and feel new.

I've had leather repaired this way and it lasts and looks good. [/quote] +1

 

[sleddriver]

Originally Posted By: KGMtech

The only DIY that could be trusted is to sew it up. Get some curved needles from Walmart or fabric store and have at it with some grey HD thread.

+1 This will prevent the split from growing.

 

[gregk24]

I see cracks all over in the top coat. As others have mentioned, you can get one of those leather repair kits off Amazon. They seem to have good reviews.

 

[aquariuscsm]

I'm thinking about trying the 3M kit from Walmart.

 

[Silverado12]

I took my front seats from my Y2K Mustang to the upholstery guy and had them reupholstered in vinyl for $200 per seat. On the Mustang, the only parts of the seat that are real leather are the top parts. FWIW I can't tell much difference and if I didn't tell anyone it was vinyl they probably would just assume it was leather.

 

[gregk24]

Originally Posted By: Silverado12

I took my front seats from my Y2K Mustang to the upholstery guy and had them reupholstered in vinyl for $200 per seat. On the Mustang, the only parts of the seat that are real leather are the top parts. FWIW I can't tell much difference and if I didn't tell anyone it was vinyl they probably would just assume it was leather.

That turned out well!

 

[aquariuscsm]

Originally Posted By: gregk24

Originally Posted By: Silverado12

I took my front seats from my Y2K Mustang to the upholstery guy and had them reupholstered in vinyl for $200 per seat. On the Mustang, the only parts of the seat that are real leather are the top parts. FWIW I can't tell much difference and if I didn't tell anyone it was vinyl they probably would just assume it was leather.

That turned out well!

I agree,that looks great!