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BMW 3-Series (E90 E92) Forum > E90 / E92 / E93 3-series Technical Forums > Cosmetic and Lighting Modifications (exterior/interior) > I dyed my leather BLUE



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      08-31-2021, 04:05 PM   #1
ethanjoon
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I dyed my leather BLUE

As the title suggests, I dyed the leather in my E92 335i from Black to Blue. Tobago Blue, to be exact, which I’ve only seen previously on an E38 7-series and E31 8-series. I used the 32oz leather recoloring kit from Leather World Tech, which I highly recommend. I spoke to Brandon a few times during the process, and he was very helpful.

I decided to post a little DIY on the process. Below are some pictures of the finished product, and a small time-lapse video of the process.
Before I begin, I want to point out that doing any work on your car is inherently risky. If you decide to perform this on your car, I am not responsible for any loss or damage to your car, self, house, tools, or anything else that may occur when performing this task. I also want to note that this DIY is specific to Leather World Tech’s color dying process; it is highly possible that other companies’ dye kits will require a slightly different process.

Supplies:
- 32oz leather dye
- Grey scuff pad, or ~800 grit sandpaper (the kit includes a medium coarseness grey scuff pad)
- Sponge (included, but you might want to purchase an extra one)
- Leather Prep and Cleaner (included)
- Protection cream (included)
- Painters/masking tape
- Gloves
- Fine tip paint brush (optional)
- Lots of patience

Step 1: Strip the interior from the car. There are lots of DIYs on the forum surrounding this process, so I didn’t feel it necessary to create a write-up on this part. You want to also tape off any pieces that you do not want to dye, including but not limited to plastic trim pieces. You can use painters tape to mask off areas, but I have heard from some sources that painters tape doesn’t provide the best barrier between the dye and plastic trim (and hence runs the risk of seeping through and coloring the trim pieces). As you might be able to see from my pictures, I did get some dye on the plastic trim, and I plan on fixing this when I find the time.

Step 2: Spray the Leather Prep and Cleaner solution onto the leather and scuff the surface with a medium coarseness scuff pad or ~800 grit sandpaper. The kit from Leather World Tech includes a grey scuff pad, which I used for the entire process. Don’t apply too much pressure when scuffing, or you risk scratching the leather. Once sprayed down and scuffed completely, wipe down the leather with a clean microfiber towel. If you’re already familiar with the leather dyeing process, you have probably heard many times that prepping the surface is key; without proper preparation/scuffing, the new dye will not adhere or bond to the leather. Therefore, you want to make sure you properly scuff and wipe down every square inch of leather surface to which you will be applying the dye.

Step 3: Apply the leather dye to the sponge and spread the dye onto the leather (in sections) and dab/push the dye into the leather to promote proper adhesion. Light coats are key here — less is more. At least 5 coats are recommended; I did 10 coats in total. Recommended drying time between coats is 1.5 hours; I waited between 3 to 24 hours between each coat. I also wiped down the leather with a microfiber towel and scuffed all surfaces (with very LIGHT pressure) between each coat. You want to keep repeating this process until you get a smooth, even finish. You do not want to have thick coats, or you run the risk of runs or a plasticky feel. It is also important to note that this stage of the process can be done using a spray gun; however, as this was my first time (and since I’m not good with spray guns), I decided to use the sponge to apply the dye. Another important note is that you want to occasionally stir the dye as you apply, so as to prevent the pigment from settling to the bottom.

Step 4: Apply the Protection Cream. Proceed to this step at least 24-48 hours after applying your last coat of dye. You want to apply the cream to a clean microfiber towel, and spread it evenly onto the leather. Pay extra attention to high-use areas like seats and arm rests.

Step 5: WAIT. After you are finished with the entire process, you must let the leather sit/cure for 7 days before handling/reinstalling the seats.

I hope you enjoyed this DIY. I didn’t create a DIY video, but I do have over 20 hours of usable raw footage from the process. I don't know how to upload video content here, but feel free to ask me any questions you have. The only question I have for you guys is: what color should I wrap my car?
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Last edited by ethanjoon; 09-02-2021 at 01:12 PM..
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      08-31-2021, 04:32 PM   #2
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Awesome finish, well impressed!
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      08-31-2021, 04:36 PM   #3
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Originally Posted by Tambohamilton View Post
Awesome finish, well impressed!
Thank you!!!
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      08-31-2021, 05:41 PM   #4
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I like it, good job man.
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      08-31-2021, 06:17 PM   #5
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Color looks good from what I can see. You didn't worry about taping up anything, lots of blue on the trims and everything??
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      09-01-2021, 08:51 AM   #6
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Beautiful. I would do the same if my E90 wasnt my only daily
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      09-01-2021, 09:41 AM   #7
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You should do a 1 month or 3 month update.
Im curious to see the condition of the dyed seats after heat or moisture
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      09-01-2021, 10:21 AM   #8
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Great job, I have always considered doing this to my car.
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      09-01-2021, 12:06 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by KKevin View Post
You should do a 1 month or 3 month update.
Im curious to see the condition of the dyed seats after heat or moisture
It's been a month since I reinstalled the interior. They're holding up great despite the incredibly hot August we've had. I'll definitely be coming back to give more updates as time progresses though

Quote:
Originally Posted by NoGuru View Post
Great job, I have always considered doing this to my car.
Thanks! You should definitely do it. I've had this project in the back of my mind for 5 years now. I don't think there will ever be a "perfect" time to tackle such a big job like this. Just need to do it

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Originally Posted by IllSic_Design View Post
Color looks good from what I can see. You didn't worry about taping up anything, lots of blue on the trims and everything??
Not so much blue on the trim; but yeah, it's there. Some Rustoleam Matte Black Trim and Bumper Paint will fix it up. It matches OEM interior plastic trim.
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      09-01-2021, 12:31 PM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ethanjoon View Post
It's been a month since I reinstalled the interior. They're holding up great despite the incredibly hot August we've had. I'll definitely be coming back to give more updates as time progresses though
Looking forward to updates, I've seen many posts of people doing the work with no updates.

It will definitely give more motivation to those out there !
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      09-02-2021, 06:30 AM   #11
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If the forum lets you can you link the products you used?
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      09-02-2021, 08:54 AM   #12
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Dude, that is sick.
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      09-02-2021, 11:44 AM   #13
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That looks SO SICK!

Good work my dude that is really nice looking. Do you have a pic of them back installed?
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      09-02-2021, 11:53 AM   #14
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Sheesh nice blue leather is definitely different!
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      09-02-2021, 12:30 PM   #15
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Nice one, looks clean!
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      09-02-2021, 01:01 PM   #16
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Quote:
Originally Posted by NoGuru View Post
If the forum lets you can you link the products you used?
I'm not sure if it is allowed, but I will post a picture of the products I used. The company is Leather World Tech. I just used the 32oz recoloring kit. It shouldn't be too hard to find on their site, but they are very helpful if you call or email them. They'll know exactly what you're looking for.

Quote:
Originally Posted by noah.s View Post
Dude, that is sick.
Thank you

Quote:
Originally Posted by Thumbie View Post
That looks SO SICK!

Good work my dude that is really nice looking. Do you have a pic of them back installed?
Much appreciated I do have pictures of them reinstalled. I need to get better with the camera, as I can't get the lighting quite right. I'll upload a picture right now, but I will also upload better ones later on.

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Originally Posted by TheMidnightNarwhal View Post
Sheesh nice blue leather is definitely different!
For sure different

Quote:
Originally Posted by A-_-C View Post
Nice one, looks clean!
Thanks!
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      09-02-2021, 02:46 PM   #17
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Nice work there. Never seen blue leather before but have only been directly involved with BMWs since 2011. I did a 2 tone interior on my car. I had the boring gray interior. I switched out many interior pieces over to black. The seats themselves stayed gray but I switched out the side trim pieces including the ones you got blue on. My point is you can remove those to do the dye work. Here are a few shots showing the black trim on gray seats. The front lower piece takes some determinization to get off.
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      09-02-2021, 02:51 PM   #18
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One more thing to consider here. The upholstered inserts in your door panels are removable. You could pull them and dye blue and re-glue them back in. My door panels are also 2 tone. I used black door panels and transplanted gray dakota leather into them. Even the rear window shade panels are 2 toned. the car is an msport so head liner was already black. Car is spacegray exterior.
P.S. I was not a purist here. The arm rests would have been gray if totally done OE style (like an oyster interior is). I liked black on the arm rests and wanted the contrast and also to hide dirt. So, the console lid was left black as well to be consistent. There is no right or wrong way. Its the owner's choice.
P.S.S. I have a black dash I need to install yet. This will complete the look. Not thrilled to pull apart dash and dread to hear any squeaking as a result of messing with a perfectly good dash.
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Last edited by BB_cuda; 09-02-2021 at 02:57 PM..
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      09-02-2021, 04:01 PM   #19
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Quote:
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One more thing to consider here. The upholstered inserts in your door panels are removable. You could pull them and dye blue and re-glue them back in.
I'll be removing the door panels to dye the cards once I'm ready to swap out the interior trim pieces. Just not sure if I want to go with brushed aluminum or something else.
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      10-06-2021, 12:56 PM   #20
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How are the seats holding up?
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      10-06-2021, 01:00 PM   #21
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Beautiful. Reminds me a lot of the Pacific leather option on the old e30s
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      10-06-2021, 01:18 PM   #22
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This is pretty sweet and turned out great! I think you should definitely do the door panel inserts too
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