Do NOT try to dye your seat back stripe!

[Mikepol2]

So I thought it would look cool if the "dove gray" seat back stripe was red, like the orange stripe in the FJG cars. Researched leather dyes and corresponded with Clyde's Leather Company, sending them pics of the seat back and explaining what I wanted to do. They said it would work great, and recommended a red dye balm, a deglazing solution, and a conditioner for after dying. Set me back about $70. Then bought applicator sponges and painter's tape, and got everything set up this afternoon. Carefully masked off the dark leather around the stripes and cut open garbage bags to put over the seats for more protection. Got fans set up because apparently the deglazing solution is bad to breathe or let touch your skin (smelled kind of like nail polish remover). Long story short, it didn't work. I think the trim stripe must be vinyl like the seat backs rather than actual leather. I did research ways to tell the difference and thought that it was leather, but apparently it's not. The dye just kind of smeared around rather than absorbing into the stripe. Was able to remove all the dye relatively easily just with paper towels and isopropyl alcohol. Sigh... wasted time and money but hopefully this will save someone else from the same pain.

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[sakman84]

Appreciate the report, and thank goodness you didn't ruin the seat in the process. Owners be warned!

 

[murick]

Long story short, it didn't work. I think the trim stripe must be vinyl like the seat backs rather than actual leather. I did research ways to tell the difference and thought that it was leather, but apparently it's not.

Hmm, I thought that the seats were synthetic all around and "leather" was just Ford ambitious marketing. At least mine - which are premium heated/cooled ones from Euro Mach 1 package - look more synthetic than real.

 

[Mikepol2]

Hmm, I thought that the seats were synthetic all around and "leather" was just Ford ambitious marketing. At least mine - which are premium heated/cooled ones from Euro Mach 1 package - look more synthetic than real.

This is part of the reason I thought the stripe was real leather - because it reacted to pressure (wrinkling) the same way the seating surfaces did. Effing Ford.

 

[Kachøw]

That's a bummer, but I guess on the bright side...now you have an excuse to upgrade to Katzkins later

 

[WD Pro]

Hmm, I thought that the seats were synthetic all around and "leather" was just Ford ambitious marketing. At least mine - which are premium heated/cooled ones from Euro Mach 1 package - look more synthetic than real.

I wouldn’t disagree on the look, but having had the pleasure of stripping down a euro (GT Recaro) seat base, there is defo leather on the seating surface and the inner facing bolsters - the outer facing part of the bolster is synthetic.

I didn’t particularly take a photo of the back of the leather, but it’s partly visible in this picture (look at the return edges on the seams) :

Interestingly Ford initially supplied me with a wrongly marked base cover destined for another market, that one had blue stitching and blue perforations, it was leather on every surface.

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[Cobra Jet]

You probably need a product like this:
https://www.vhtpaint.com/specialty/vht-vinyl-dye

 

[Mikepol2]

You probably need a product like this:
https://www.vhtpaint.com/specialty/vht-vinyl-dye

Yep sounds like that's the right product. How to apply it to only the stripe is the problem to solve. I sent a message to VHT asking their opinion.

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