I've been browsing through countless number of online ads for a G50, and it appears that most of these cars have torn, ripped, or cracked leather seats.

Is this due to faulty materials being used by Nissan?

My father has owned a 1987 Mercedes 420SEL from day-1, and the leather is 100% free of cracks, rips or tears.

Is it difficult to find a leather shop to match the original color?

Your thoughts on this please...

DuDro wrote:I've been browsing through countless number of online ads for a G50, and it appears that most of these cars have torn, ripped, or cracked leather seats.

Is this due to faulty materials being used by Nissan?

My father has owned a 1987 Mercedes 420SEL from day-1, and the leather is 100% free of cracks, rips or tears.

Is it difficult to find a leather shop to match the original color?

Your thoughts on this please...

Different kind of leather......

the Nissan Infiniti leather hardens unless cared for from day one with leather conditioner.

Also the color of dye is primary, the lighter the color the faster they crack;Black>Blue>Gray........................Tan >White

as the q45 leather is plastic top coated,no conditioner really sinks in or ever gets past this topcoat to treat the genuine leather beneath it. the only option to extend the life is to treat with a product that blocks ultraviolet light and tint the windows with a film that blocks same along with infra-red{heat} note that most dark tint you see around may block the visible light,only a high performance tint { not necessarily dark}will block almost 100% of the U.V and a significant portion of the infrared from entering the car.

I think it has to do with the care they've received.

My boss has a late 90's Benz and his seats are demolished.

My 95 Q seats look the same as they did when the car was new - there's literally no wear or creasing.

Have to remember that even before 1990, leather was mainly for luxury cars. Now every econobox can get it. More demand means less quality unless you are really willing to pay.

The Infiniti seems to be a top dyed leather rather than an aniline dye. The MB leather was very good and harder than granite in its finish. Durable, but not as soft as most vinyl or even MBtex of the era, although it did breathe.

Constant care, a good IR and UV rejecting tint while using a windshield reflector, running the AC rather than leaving the windows down, and constant care seem to mitigate the rate of deterioration.
Modified by maxnix at 9:56 PM 2/17/2006

The 90-93 Q's appear to have a much thicker and higher quality of leather than the latter ones. The leather on the latter ones appears to tear much easier. I agree that the finish on the Merc seats is better and the leather is usually perforated for better circulation -which would also let any conditioner soak in better.

Has anyone tried to redye their seats?

my seats are fine after 15 years and 160k miles. But most of them I see (Q45's) when i was shopping for the car were really nasty. I think it all comes down to user care.

My center armrest does have a few "cracks" but no padding can be seen.

My old BMW endured sixteen years of St Louis heat without window tinting. The sunbaked leather (very clean) has outlasted the sunbaked paint (mild fading). Its definitely a stiffer leather than the Q, but its much more durable and a bit thicker. The old MBs I've owned have also been equally durable.

http://q.spilky.com/bmw/100_0223.jpghtt ... 0_0225.jpg

So far, my favorite leather is the cream white in the 2006 Q45. Its simply fantastic. I dont know how long it will last, but its satisfyingly thick and feels like it can breathe, thus able to soak in conditioner.

Wet sanding and using Leatherique may help. Long term, you'll have to find a vehicle upholstery shop to replace the leather piece that's damaged.

someone told me that the leather was glued to the seat......thus making it difficult to repair and replace the skin.

this is UN-true..right?!

indeed. not true at all.

thatd be a funny feeling, leather glued to squishy moving around foam

chinaonnitrous wrote:someone told me that the leather was glued to the seat......thus making it difficult to repair and replace the skin.

this is UN-true..right?!

You can just look at the mangled driver's seat and slide your hand underneath. No glue.

My car is in really minty condition everywhere except for the damn surface of the driver's seat bottom. It's irritating to say the least.

Of course, out here in CA, interiors get destroyed very quickly (I'm sure it's the same for you Arizona guys), especially if the car spends much time parked outside during the day.

When I took mine to an upholstery shop they quoted me $700 for just the driver's seat bottom. Sounds a little high to me, but who knows. They said that they can get exact color match from their suppliers.

Robert,Got the same quote ($700) for a seat bottom in Chicago. Mine in the '90 are near perfect except for passenger bottom- couple of minor nicks- nothing through to foam. At that price it's not worth it to me. I have a line on a place that supposedly can dye them. I'll report back if it works.Paul

3rd Q wrote:Robert,Got the same quote ($700) for a seat bottom in Chicago. Mine in the '90 are near perfect except for passenger bottom- couple of minor nicks- nothing through to foam. At that price it's not worth it to me. I have a line on a place that supposedly can dye them. I'll report back if it works.Paul

LEATHERIQUE.

RobertsnewQ wrote:My car is in really minty condition everywhere except for the damn surface of the driver's seat bottom. It's irritating to say the least.

Of course, out here in CA, interiors get destroyed very quickly (I'm sure it's the same for you Arizona guys), especially if the car spends much time parked outside during the day.

When I took mine to an upholstery shop they quoted me $700 for just the driver's seat bottom. Sounds a little high to me, but who knows. They said that they can get exact color match from their suppliers.

Then too, you might just take only the 'skins' to your upholsterer. (My dad did upholstery back in the day, hence I'm in on a few shortcuts/secrets) Simply remove the metal clips that attach the skin of the seat bottom w/ needle-nose pliers. Take just that piece to the guy and see if they will do it for a more reasonable price. [Don't tell them it's off an Infiniti...obviously, be creative]Additionally, if there are any fabric shops in your area (there are lots of them around here in Phoenix) you might negotiate a price for, say a couple of yds of leather. That also might save you some $$. Tell the upholsterer that you just then want this 'skin' redone w/ this 'fabric'. Think outside the box...if successful, let us know. It's what I'm thinking about doing myself. [IMG][/IMG]

That's a good idea. I know of a leather supply place that would have the leather, but I'm pretty sure I'd have to buy a whole hide. I could be wrong, though.

I was thinking of doing some dark brown piping on the seats in my 1990 to match the dash color. Maybe just paint it on with some Leatherique and a straight edge. I'd like to redye the bottom driver's seat cushion and arm rest but was afraid it would not the rest of the seat. It would probably be better to just take the seat out to avoid making a mess. I think spraying it on would provide a better result and you could blend it in that way. The leather does not appear to be damaged, just the surface coating is breaking down. Also I like'd to dye my tan carpet mats dark brown to match the dash. Has anyone tried dyeing their mats?

90-93 leather is a lot sturdier. My gray backseats and passenger seat are nearly perfect after 14 years ('92). Driver's was seat is cracking on the entry/exit side since I got the car, now starting to crack a little bit on the other side. I've been using Lexol every 3-4 months for the last two years, but I think that is accelerating the cracking. I'm switching back to Tanner's since it's more creamy/oily and probably soaks in better.

The gray seats look like sharkskin (or an alien). Just like shoes and luggage, large areas of unblemished leather is classy. Stitching all over the place means it's a lower grade of leather.

Recovering any seat with actual leather is not only a waste of money, it's an inferior product (comparatively).

Most good upholstery shops will have access to a product called mellohide, which is what the world's top hotrod builders use in place of leather.

It's more durable, never cracks, isn't as hot, breathes easier and is more resistant to fading than leather.

It's also about 1/3 the price of real good leather.

AZhitman wrote:Recovering any seat with actual leather is not only a waste of money, it's an inferior product (comparatively).

Most good upholstery shops will have access to a product called mellohide, which is what the world's top hotrod builders use in place of leather.

It's more durable, never cracks, isn't as hot, breathes easier and is more resistant to fading than leather.

It's also about 1/3 the price of real good leather.

You wouldn't know it wasn't real leather - [true/false]????(If 'true' do you think Mesa Sales or Tempe Sales would be able to help me out w/ some?)

Q45denver wrote:I was thinking of doing some dark brown piping on the seats in my 1990 to match the dash color. Maybe just paint it on with some Leatherique and a straight edge. I'd like to redye the bottom driver's seat cushion and arm rest but was afraid it would not the rest of the seat. It would probably be better to just take the seat out to avoid making a mess. I think spraying it on would provide a better result and you could blend it in that way. The leather does not appear to be damaged, just the surface coating is breaking down. Also I like'd to dye my tan carpet mats dark brown to match the dash. Has anyone tried dyeing their mats?

I have dyed floor matts and an entire factory carpet kit on several Nissans.I spilled fruit punch on the light gray carpet of my G20 several years ago and found a new carpet kit was like $500.00 so I bought a "Kiddie Pool" from WalMart and something like 25 packages of RIT dye and soaked the carpet kit in the pool overnight and the next day I had black carpets and matts and kick panels. Then I rinsed it out with a pressure washer to get out the excess dye and let it dry a day in the sun (It was summer). Then this last summer I bought a 240 SX with a trashed carpet kit and I dyed it by removing it and laying it out flat on some plastic and used a spray bottle with a rich mixture if RIT dye in it and sprayed it completely and let it set overnight. Worked really well without the hassel of the pool. Although the pool seemed to give me a deeper black. Good Luck

Scott

PerelliSole wrote:
You wouldn't know it wasn't real leather - [true/false]????(If 'true' do you think Mesa Sales or Tempe Sales would be able to help me out w/ some?)

I have a list of shops that carry it in my office - Call me Tuesday and I can give you the info.

Most good upholstery shops can source it for you.