Leather re-dye project

I know there are supposed to be three screws holding this thing in. But I can fcuking find them. Can somebody pshop the locations onto these photos?

 

Thanks

The screws are small. so they might be hidden under the leather, one is very close to the front area, very low, there is a center one and one more on the vertical area, screwed to a small metal plaque, touch the leather until you feel the screw heads,

They are underneath the bottom door seal. You need to move the seal upward or take them off to see the screws. Not difficult though as the seal basically just lifts off/out; seems like they are held in place by friction. You can just as easily put the seal back in by lining them up with the frame and push them back in/down. The screws are somewhat tiny but you can see them once the seal is removed.

What are you having done.

The screws are small. so they might be hidden under the leather, one is very close to the front area, very low, there is a center one and one more on the vertical area, screwed to a small metal plaque, touch the leather until you feel the screw heads,

 

They are underneath the bottom door seal. You need to move the seal upward or take them off to see the screws. Not difficult though as the seal basically just lifts off/out; seems like they are held in place by friction. You can just as easily put the seal back in by lining them up with the frame and push them back in/down. The screws are somewhat tiny but you can see them once the seal is removed.

 

 

More confused than ever.

What are you having done.

 

 

Re-dying or replacing that leather.

More confused than ever.

 

LOL, ok, let's try this again.

 

You need to remove the black trim piece at the bottom of the door sill (red arrow). It should just lifts off with a bit of a pull.

 

Now, I don't remember the exact locations but the 3 green arrows should provide indications of the 3 screws. But once the black trim piece is removed, you should be able to see them under good lighting.

^Wait, looks like my one-minute P-shop via Paint sucks. The red arrow is suppose to point to that door trim piece that surrounds the door; not that long/thick rectangular black piece that's on the door sill (i.e. the scuff plate). So please remove the door trim piece. The green arrow in the centre accurately identifies that trim piece.

That's it? Nothing on the carpeted area?

As far as the screws are concerned and based on mine, that's it. I do seem to recall that there maybe an indent or a clip on the carpeted side to secure the piece but there is nothing further to remove. The indent/clip is in place; you just line up the bolster and place it in there. You might need to keep an eye on the speakers inside the bolster though as obviously there are wires connected to those.

^Wait, looks like my one-minute P-shop via Paint sucks. The red arrow is suppose to point to that door trim piece that surrounds the door; not that long/thick rectangular black piece that's on the door sill (i.e. the scuff plate). So please remove the door trim piece. The green arrow in the centre accurately identifies that trim piece.

Is the trim piece flexible or rigid?

Is the trim piece flexible or rigid?

 

No where as soft as the door seal near the roof but not totally rigid either; there is some play in it. Kind of feels like those reinforced plastic water hose.

No where as soft as the door seal near the roof but not totally rigid either; there is some play in it. Kind of feels like those reinforced plastic water hose.

fcuk. Removed the weather stripping. Held on by one tiny screw near the top. But I don't see any screws in the track ???

Are these (totally imaginary) screws going in horizontal from outside the Track? Or are they vertical? Going down...

 

And the first fucker who makes fun of my crocs finds himself with a one way ticket to banville.... Im not in the mood.

E, only 1 screw to secure the bolster. The 3 screws mentioned earlier was for the black metal scuff plate (was decribing it based on memory, regrets). I just checked it at my garage; there definitely is a screw there (see pic, look at the Centre with the lifted weather seal). Remove that screw and the bolster will lift out. On the passenger side, oddly enough, there are 2 screws; the additional one is behind the door seal located roughly the same level as the side NACA duct.

^Don't ask why the pic is turned as I don't know but if you click to enlarge it, it will display appropriately.

 

Edit: Fixed.

fcuk me....

 

I don't have these screws. I have holes but nothing in them. I don't know what keeps this thing down.

So.... My plan B is to redye that in the car.... One problem... Need low humidity per the leatherique instructions... (which I would have if I brought it inside...) Humidity outside probably wont drop below 60% for months.

Hmm... Can you remove that front speaker (the horizontal one in black)? If you can, perhaps reach in with a small mirror and a flash light to peek inside (or use a cel phone to reach in and take a quick video of the inside).

 

And a silly question: have you tried on gently wiggling the piece to see if it was just dropped in and held in place by friction? I mean, since the entire bolster was held in place by only one tiny screw, obviously, the fit is tight enough to hold the piece fairly securely without the screw.

Hmm... Can you remove that front speaker (the horizontal one in black)? If you can, perhaps reach in with a small mirror and a flash light to peek inside (or use a cel phone to reach in and take a quick video of the inside).

 

And a silly question: have you tried on gently wiggling the piece to see if it was just dropped in and held in place by friction? I mean, since the entire bolster was held in place by only one tiny screw, obviously, the fit is tight enough to hold the piece fairly securely without the screw.

 

 

When I got the car the front "lip" of that bolster was sticking up... And I couldnt get it back down... But "Fix that" was on my list of things that Gary Bobileff did (I immediately sent the car to him for about 5 months after delivery.) Im afraid it might be glued down in a way I dont want to mess with?

When I got the car the front "lip" of that bolster was sticking up... And I couldnt get it back down... But "Fix that" was on my list of things that Gary Bobileff did (I immediately sent the car to him for about 5 months after delivery.) Im afraid it might be glued down in a way I dont want to mess with?

 

I see. The thought of gluing the piece down had come across me as well. The front black speaker is definitely after-market hence I was asking to see if you can remove that so you can have access inside the bolster.

 

I am not sure if the following suggestion is worse than the original one but have you tried removing the seats? They are merely held in by 4 nuts and bolts which can be easily accessed from underneath the car. The car needs to be lifted though unless you have long arms and do not mind working based on touch & feel only. When the seats are out, it might offer some hints on what had been done to secure the bolster piece. If you do proceed with the seat removal and once the seat is removed, take extreme care on not to kneel down onto the floor with all the weight concentrated on one spot. I strongly recommend you put a piece of plywood on top of the car's floor prior to kneeling onto it. Gently push up on the fibreglass floor from underneath the car and you will realize just how thin the floor is.

 

On the humidity issue: I am not sure if redyeing the interior is ideal especially when it's white. It wouldn't last very long. There is an effective way to bring down the humidity; just not sure if the product is available at where you are or not. Some drug stores and/or hardware store sell a type of chemical dehumidifier that comes in a plastic container the size of half a carton of eggs. Once the seal is removed, the chemicals inside the upper level of the container (somewhat like desiccant, but a lot more powerful) start to soak up moisture and precipitates the liquid onto the bottom of the container. They also come in smaller forms without the container but in packs. One side of the pack is breathable and hence draws in the moisture. The moisture collected reacts with the chemicals and turns it into a gel. You can grab half a dozen of these containers and a few packs and place them inside the car and in a few days, they should absorb plenty of humidity. The down side is once you open the door with the car outside, I don't know how much moisture will immediately be drawn back into the car's cabin.

 

http://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/500m...0137268389.html

(Pull this off the internet for a quick reference. They come non-scented too.)

So.... My plan B is to redye that in the car.... One problem... Need low humidity per the leatherique instructions... (which I would have if I brought it inside...) Humidity outside probably wont drop below 60% for months.

From the pics it look like parts of your interior have already been redyed? Did you tear your molding ? It looks torn. Can you pop that speaker off by taking off the mesh cover and getting to the speaker? Then like VCR said you can poke around in there and see whats up.

When I got the car the front "lip" of that bolster was sticking up... And I couldnt get it back down... But "Fix that" was on my list of things that Gary Bobileff did (I immediately sent the car to him for about 5 months after delivery.) Im afraid it might be glued down in a way I dont want to mess with?

 

Fair enough. Thinking aloud here: the entire bolster is fibreglass wrapped in leather (there might be a small metal tab where the single screw is suppose to secure into, cannot remember the exact details), even if it was glued down, it should not be a glue of "extreme industrial strength"; the leather wraps around the bolster enclosure so no fibreglass is exposed. The other side is carpet/fibreglass/aluminum. I don't see how the bolster would be permanently fused onto the car. I.e. a sharp carton box cutter or a hobbyist mini saw with fine teeth can likely free the bolster. Worst case you inadvertently severed the speaker wire; a simple soldering would repair that. If you damaged the leather, you are having it redye and it's at the very edge anyway so it would not show once the bolster is put back in place. That's just my own personal deduction though. Your car, your decision. Hope you will be able to resolve the issue.

From the pics it look like parts of your interior have already been redyed? Did you tear your molding ? It looks torn. Can you pop that speaker off by taking off the mesh cover and getting to the speaker? Then like VCR said you can poke around in there and see whats up.

 

 

No. Nothing torn.

 

There's a rub mark on the inside edge of the main speaker where my ass (black pants) rubs against it getting in.

 

Seat is out. 90% of my leather is perfect. Just that bolster and a few spots on the driver seat with worn dye. The seat should be easy. It's in my office where the humidity is 30%. And temp is 75.

 

Humidity spiked today. Heat index of 108

So... Moving on with the project...

 

The scariest part of a leatherique re-dye is the wet-sanding the leather with the prepping agent and 600 grit sandpaper... Id been dreading this for fear of ruining my seats.... But I tackled it this morning...

 

LOL!!! Nothing to fear... The seats look almost brand new after the sanding... It almost completely took off the black scuff marks by itself... Which appear to actually be just rubbed off dye from my dockers. Hit the few creases with their "crack filler" (this stuff is a lot thinner than I expectted... the consistency of wet paint... I just dabbed a finger in it and rubbed it into the cracks... A drop goes forever. Plus its white and almost matches my leather on its own.)

 

Now to let that all dry... give it a quick hit with 1500 grit and then dye.