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Small tears in seats

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Wana

Wana

Jedi Hopeful
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I have a few small tears (rhymes with bears, not drops of water shed from my eyes...) on my seats. The interior is all original and I'd like to keep it that way. I'm wondering if anyone has had any good experience with products to either mask the tears or stop them from getting any worse?
 
Permantex makes a vinyl repair kit, available at most auto supply stores that will patch vinyl tears. You mix the color from some basic colors that comes with the kit, add a hardener, put some backing fabic behind the tear, apply the patch mixture and then hold on a piece of embossed material that makes the patch look like the vinyl pattern. I have had so so results with it. It is tough to match the color, although black makes it easier.
That said usually there are some small companies, probably one man outfits, that do these repairs commercially. They are more proficient in color matching, and the patch is almost unnoticeable. For a hundred bucks, they would probably fix two to four small tears. Check the yellow pages under vinyl repair.
 
Thanks Shorn. The tears are on the rear seats, and I'm concerned that with my son frequently riding back there that they will become worse if I don't do something. Keeping him out of the car is not possible, as he seems to have inherited the "Healey gene" from me...
 
Wanna, /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/iagree.gifWith Shorn.I have tried that material too with less than satisfactory results.I think if there is stress on the covers there is little help from this repair technique. I would find an original cover or material close to the original and have a trimmer replace the cover or the damaged part.---Fwiw---Keoke
 
Wana,

I'm not sure if you are dealing with leather or vinyl but I have used Leatherique brand cleaners and oils on all my automotive leather seats and think they have great products. They have a crack fillers and dyes to restore the leather. You would need to back up the leather first and then use the filler to repair tears. Here's an example from their site.

https://www.leatherique.com/filling_cracks.htm

Cheers,
John
 
Re: Small tears in seats - up-date

I tried the Permatex kit and actually got fair results. You can see the repairs if you're looking for them, but from a couple of feet away you don't notice them. In my mind it is sure better than leaving the ugly flaps showing and risk making the tears bigger.
 
Re: Small tears in seats - up-date

Hi Wana. Another place to find a mobile interior repair specialists is by inquiring at the local car dealerships. Each dealership will recommend who they like using. Some vendors do high quality work, while others you get what you pay for. I have used their services and was amazed at the professional results. Not like the kits you try yourself. They use a product to fill/glue the material, then spray a dye. They make and tweek the dye color to match your color. The really good vendors can dye/spray your entire interior if needed. I had leather in my car that aged, cracked, faded. When he was done, it looked like I just replaced it all. Wonderful job. Being that I helped, the entire job took about 3 hrs. Reason I a recommend the dealerships, is that they can help you find the you get what you pay for professional. Ask 3-4 dealerships till you come up with the same recommendation name. Roger
 
Re: Small tears in seats - up-date

Great suggestion, thanks! But now that I've done the "repair" myself it probably isn't necessary to go that route. I don't have leather, I have the original material (vinyl?) with the patterns on the seat cushions and backs. Do you know if the pros can recondition that material as well?
 
Re: Small tears in seats - up-date

Hi Wana, You'd have to show it to them. They repair leather, vinyl and cloth. They have a way to match the grain pattern so it is undetectable. Then mix the dye and air bush it on the repair. If your asking about the square blocks in the vinyl, you'd best bring it to them to see if they can work their mojo. Again, it really comes down to how good the guy is. Best to ask for recommondations from the dealers as to which vendor does the best work. I do PDR (paintless dent removal)for a living. 10 years now. Same in this business. Some are good, some are hacks. The Dealerships will know who is good at their craft. If you need pdr work, see my web site. I explain the procedure. Sorry, your out of my area for help in that field. Best of luck to you. Roger
 
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