paint or dye vinyl seats

[salspaugh1]

I have a question about painting or dyeing vinyl seats. Has anyone done this or have an experience concerning the success of this process? The vinyl on my Fiat is in great shape, but is a little light for my taste. The seats were redone in Ultra vinyl. What are your opinion on doing this? My concerns are whether it will hold up without peeling or simply wearing off. I would appreciate any help I can get. Searching the internet helps, but they are trying to sell a product and I feel I will get better results from experts who have done this. Thanks for your help.



Steve Alspaugh
Fiat Spider 1981

[Mathew26]

The spray paint for vinyl is cheap (but will work), but a true dye job will last FAR longer.

[salspaugh1]

Matt, Thanks for your reply. It makes sense that the dye would be more durable. Is there a big problem with fading? My car is stored inside but is driven 90% of the time with the top down. Also, is color matching the seats and door panels a problem? I've got your recent catalog and will look for the dye. The material is ultra vinyl, which I believe is marine grade, will that be a problem? Sorry about all the questions. Thanks.


Steve Alspaugh

[Nick]

I've used the spray on, some areas it worked fine like the door panels, but the seats I ended up just putting covers over later on. My father insists we didn't prep the seats far enough, which I'm sure is partially the problem, I scrubbed them down pretty good but we could've spent more time on it (this was right after two weeks straight of ~10 hour days stripping down and repainting the entire car). They also make a spray to help prep the area for painting, which I think we used a generic version of but I can't remember entirely. Many people we talked to at the auto parts stores said that they'd had tremendous success with them on boats and cars alike. It's worth a shot because it's so cheap I guess is what I'm trying to say, if you take your time, it's supposed to last long.

It does sometimes seem uneven, since you're spraying it on. I put on 2-3 coats and in the sunlight could still see some uneven spots. A dye job would most likely look professional and last ages as well.

[salspaugh1]

Nick, thanks for the response. I'm getting the feeling like dye is the way to go, but also feel that success is not a given. My seats are in great conditions, and I'm beginning to feel that I can live with a slightly lighter color. I think it is great that there is a forum where you can get good, honest advice.


Steve Alspaugh
1981 Spider 2000