Starting on Two Black Cars, need a few tips!

[AdamsImport]

So I am working on a Black Saab and Volvo.

The Saab is a convertible and I am having trouble figuring out how exactly to clean out the vinyl behind the back seat. It seems like the top was left out in the sun/rain a few times. I am seeking advice on how hard I should be scrubbing, and what to use to scrub? I don't want to actually warp the vinyl.

Any way to fix this steering wheel? Or just put a cover on it?

My other question is there is a fairly deep scratch on the Volvo V70. How would I approach trying to fix that, or at least hide it a little?

Can the color be brought back with just a polish, or should I paint it?

Do you think its possible to sew this yourself? Or should I take it to an upholstery guy?

 

[embolism]

for the vinyl, some OPC at 3:1 and a soft brush should get that clean in a jiffy

that steering wheel is shot. Just cover it.

key scratch repair search for richy's writeup. Involves wetsanding though so if you've never done it before, be warned it's not as easy as richy makes it look.

is that bumper painted silver? Most times, they are really beat up on older cars so polishing can only do so much.

that seat is sewn together from the inside. To do it from the outside you'll need the techniques of a plastic surgeon. Maybe you can google it.

 

[Rix6]

that seat is sewn together from the inside. To do it from the outside you'll need the techniques of a plastic surgeon. Maybe you can google it.

To do it from the inside, the leather cover will have to come off the foam. Outsource it and send the owner the bill, IMO.

 

[WolfNForest]

I don't have any advice, but I'm eager to see how it turns out. Good luck! rops:

 

[feds27]

For the steering wheel you can use SEM soap to clean and prep and then apply SEM primer followed by SEM Sure Coat or Classic Coat to respray it black.

 

[Mike McDonald]

My steering wheel looked the same, I tried everything to clean and bring it back easily. Nothing worked. Ordered something called a superior superskin off of amazon. It stitches on to look oem. Pain in the arse, but if you've got 4 hours to do it patiently, it comes out nice!

For the seat, if you stitch it yourself, you can use the seam coming from the inside of the seat to the outside. Start there, knot it shut and keep going. Use that seam to cover up the fact your doing it outside. It looks like theres two holes one the edges so the thread never goes over the edges. Otherwise, send it to a specialist.

 

[opie_7afe]

you should be able to sew that seat from the outside, they are sewn from the inside yes, they do this to hide the beginning of a stitch and so when turned inside out the seam is nice and rouded, however the look of this really looks to be able to be fixed, start from the highest point with some high quality fairly thick outdoor rated thread(walmart carries it for about 2$) and get some needles, start stitching from the inside, if you notice how each stitch loops over you can loop it over 2-3x in the same stitch holes on one side to secure thread then just go from hole to hole and do the same to finish the stitch off, hard to explain but can be done.

the back bumper if i can remember correct its plastic(judging from volvos ive done), if so some high quality darkening trim protectant will work great, i believe solution finish works on gray trim from coreys(cee-dog) review on it and that will last a while and darkens up nice.

that scratch if your finger nail catches it needs touch up which can be done if you feel comfortable with wet sanding. easy following richys method. if the scratch cannot be felt you can polish it out using some ultimate compound followed by ultimate polish.

For the steering wheel i would not paint it because it will eventually wear off. also, the steering wheel from the factory is grained to look like leather so after a while it wears down. it sucks but it happens best way to fix this is new oem wheel bought on ebay, or buy a stich on cover from katskin's or another place that sells fitted covers, generic covers dont look good and bulk up the wheel too much imo. katskinz only bulks up the wheel a tiny bit and is not noticeable due to it sort of stretching to form fit.it does take some time to install but really worth it, can even do special stitches and make it look identical to factory . with wheel covers and seat covers you do pay for quality. good luck with it, hope we can help you getting it to look better

 

[AdamsImport]

First off, thanks for all the ideas guys.

I am going to try the steering wheel fix, and will tackle this vinyl. It actually looks better in pictures... seems as though the top was down for a month dirt, grime, and 90 degree sun is no good. The leather feels cooked in the Saab.

Thanks for the steering tip, I may try to paint it first, to see how it looks and then I will check out Katskins.

I will post pics when I am done, I Haven't even had a chance to snap a photo of the Swirls on the Saab... Nasty!!

To do it from the inside, the leather cover will have to come off the foam. Outsource it and send the owner the bill, IMO.

I wish I could, but sadly I am the owner! These were both purchased to re-sell, so I am trying to do most of it myself but so far my best quote is $100 for the Volvo's seat.
I actually forgot to post the rip in the Saab seat it is about $140 estimate.