Leather Repair Guy

Simple car seat repairs you can do to improve minor damage to leather, vinyl and cloth

Whether you have a car, truck, van, boat, plane or RV you have upholstery that is under a constant assault. The obvious ware that a car seat endures from people constantly getting in and out is enough. However this is not where the onslaught ends. One of the worst enemies of your car upholstery is the sun. Beating down for long periods of time and partnered with the heat that builds in a closed car. The UV damage is punishing and continuous.

Your best defense is to take care of the car upholstery. If you have leather or vinyl it is important to keep it cleaned and to condition it several times a year. Conditioning will replenish essential moisture to the leather and allow it to defend itself against the abuse it will continue to receive.

However, maintaining your upholstery is not always enough. Ware is inevitable and sometimes it requires you to do a repair job to help bring back the new look of your car upholstery, be it leather, vinyl or cloth.

When faces with a car seat repair deciding on if you can repair it yourself depends on how badly it is damaged, your general skill level for similar kinds of projects and the results you expect.

Depending on the damage, car seat repairs can vary

Cigarette burns:
Burns in car upholstery are the most common damage I see on a daily basis. The damage is usually quite minor but unsightly, especially for a non-smoker who just bought a car with some burns. Repairing cigarette burns in leather is something a do it yourselfer can take on provided the burn is minor. You will need to find a leather repair kit to make this repair because it is likely a leather filler will need to be used and matching the original color of the leather will be required. There are many kits on the market and all have detailed instructions to walk you through the process.

Repairing burns in cloth car seats is something you can do without having to buy a kit. Under the seat there is typically a bit of extra material that can be trimmed off to make a patch. The patch will still be somewhat visible but far, far better then looking a a hole.

Light scratches & Ware:
This is all too common. When your leather car seats start looking a bit tired and worn replenishing the color is often all that is needed. Depending on the size of the damaged area you may need to buy a leather repair kit just so you will have some color compound to match the original color. If you simply have some scratches that are in low ware area you can use some acrylic paint, match it as best as you can to the original color, and rubbed into the scratch. Be sure to try and lay the raised leather fibers down using the paint to “glue” them. With a damp cloth gently wipe the excess off leaving the color in the low areas. This type of repair may still be visible after you are done but most importantly, the leather will be sealed and able to resist dirt and moisture.

Sometimes cloth car seats get areas where the fibers are compacted due to things like infant car seats. This can sometimes be brushed out with a soft plastic scrub brush. Be gently and slowly try and work the imperfections out. FOr areas on a cloth seat that are thinned out due to ware there is very little that can be done to repair it. This is one of the donwn sides of cloth upholstery.

Rips and Cuts:

How well do you know how to sew?

In some cases, like when there is a rip along a seam, the best option is to try and sew it closed. Like in the case of the leather seat below sewing is an option for a DIY repair.

I use a specific technique to sew something like this closed. You need a curved carpet needle about 1.5″ long and a fairly thick waxed thread. Carpet thread works best. Starting about 1.5″ from one end bring the needle through from the underside of the leather. Try to come through one of the holes in the seam. This will allow you to follow the original stitching. Insert the needle directly above where you came out originally and hook it through and back out directly above the next hole in the seam. Continue like this gradually tucking the edge of the ripped leather under as you stitch along. I will take some photos the next time I need to repair a seat like this.

I generally only sew cloth in this fashion because with professional tool and teaching I can get a better job not sewing the leather but as a do it yourself job sewing is fine. Here is a before and after of a cloth seat I stitched up.

And after, the seam is unavoidable obviously but it is a clean looking repair and it never fails.

Performing your own car seat repairs requires a certain skill level. You should be good at fixing things already then perhaps you are ready to take on repairing your own leather. If you struggle with the most basic repairs then you probably should find an expert to repair your car seats and other upholstery needs.