Rover 200 & 400 Owners Club

So, whilst it looks very good after 33 years the Mink leather in my 216 had a few marks and was just starting to go in the usual driver's outer, upper bolster so did what I have done with other cars.

Because I have used their products before and the factory is only 40 minutes away, I took the passenger headrest to Furniture Clinic in Consett, and they scanned the colour for me and created a matching leather paint. Now it isn't 100% perfect as the headrests get less sun than the seats, but is a decent compromise.

There were also a couple of small scrapes on the passenger side seat bolster as well (probably from a zip), so below are a before and after pic of the initial 'painting' of both areas.
. . Yes the marks are still there as I didn't want to go full resto by sanding the leather etc. but they are now 'blending' in better and with some more 'paint' then leather feed should resist future wear better.

If anyone else wants to do some work on their Mink leather seats, you can order the 'paint' from Furniture Clinic using the Custom Code: KM4248 here https://www.furnitureclinic.co.uk/leath ... pair-paint - other leather repair product suppliers are available.....

Excellent result. Those seats look pretty good for 33 years old - says a lot about the original quality, and how well they've been looked after.

What's actually needed, once the leather has been restored, is regular "feeding" with a good leather balm, to keep it supple and stop the cracks reappearing or getting worse. Something like Connolley Hide Care Cream or similar.

Johnny 216GSi wrote: ↑Thu Jul 11, 2024 2:32 pm What's actually needed, once the leather has been restored, is regular "feeding" with a good leather balm, to keep it supple and stop the cracks reappearing or getting worse. Something like Connolley Hide Care Cream or similar.

I use Gliptone GT13.5 which is UV resistant and developed originally for convertibles

C6Dave wrote: ↑Thu Jul 11, 2024 5:37 pm I use Gliptone GT13.5 which is UV resistant and developed originally for convertibles

Good to know. I'm off to go and find out what people say about it! Looks good, though...

Hmm...don't want to open a can of worms but...when I bought the SEi I spent a bit of time online reading about the best way to care for the leather (I ended up using Gliptone).

However, there were several references stating that the leather used on car seats is specially coated to protect it and make it more durable. It was a waste of time applying balms/creams etc because they couldn't penetrate this coating, with some suggesting it might even damage the coating and do more harm than good. All it needed was a gentle wipe over, which, as it happens, is pretty much what the car handbook recommends.

Anybody got any knowledge or industry experience of automotive leather who can shed any light on this?