Goldbraun vinyl upholstery

[bmwguy323]

Hello FAQ!

I am wondering if any members have a line on the Goldbraun vinyl to reupholster my new Recaro interior.  I have new door panels from the BMW dealer, photo attached and the color looks a little different compared to my seats.  Maybe the seats have just faded after 50 years.......The German vinyl is NLA at this time due to lack of demand.  I see a few US companies out there with colors that are close.  Just wondering if anyone has gone through this search and what the outcome was.  Thanks!

 

1973 2002tii
1986 325ES

2010 528i

[Pdxguy]

Where did you get the door panels? I have been looking high and low! Looked for vinyl, but have not been able to find a good match. I tried World Upholstery ?

 

 

[R.I.P.B.M.W.]

   Your interior is pristine compared to mine, so I'm envious. I'm going through the same situation right now with my Malaga/Goldbraun combination. Both door panels are also brand new- bought six years ago. Got real lucky at the time- left (the last) one was at a parts depot down south and the right (the last) one was in Germany. Had a chance to buy a back panel at the time but, had no more money. By the time I saved up, it was gone forever. Yes, this is very frustrating trying to find a complimentary or contrasting color to match Goldbraun panels. I've been in touch GAHH and World Upholstery, today, and have emailed for some samples. GAHH says, if I heard/understood correctly, they are able to "basket weave" patterns on a lot of their vinyl materials now. There are probably other local upholstery shops that may have access to other mfr colors. My seats (what color were they originally?) are "sunburned" into a cracked/split brown color and seriously trashed. I'm thinking of a maroon or burgundy contrasting the panel color that might go with the Malaga outsides. Design studios (really?) are saying burgundy goes with blacks and browns (think Goldbraun w/black top). As all my taste is in my mouth, we'll see what might work once the samples arrive. I feel your pain, though.  

[bmwguy323]

I also was able to get the door panels 4-5 years ago.  I also got the last one in Germany at the time.  There were plenty of the other side, go figure.  I would keep the interior color as original as possible.  These cars are worth too much now to change colors as it would hurt your value unless of course you loved it and didn't care.  If you did change color, I would only go with the black as it will match the top of the door panels , console, and dash. The Recaro interior won't have the little holes but will have solid fabric as in the E21s.  I ordered 2 swatches from Kovi and have attached a photo.  The swatch will need to match the door panel.  It looks pretty close.  There were only 3 interior colors in my year, 1973 that I have seen:  Goldbraun, navy, and black. 

 

[Rich]

I met these guys last year at a BMW show and they might be worth a try relicate.com

[bmwguy323]

Thanks Rich, I'll check them out.....

[Conserv]

If you want a perfect match, great upholstery shops use dye. And regardless of how well the various components match today, sunlight and time will act differently on the components.

 

The first photo below is of the original seats in my ‘76 (I’m the original owner and it’s always been garaged). Notice how differently the original smooth vinyl and the original molded vinyl — with its heat seams — have aged. I assume the original vinyls were constituted of different blends and/or dyes. Door cards are a different color as well, and those use a vinyl different from the seat vinyl. So my all-original Marine Blue interior started as a very good match but became clearly three-tone over time.

 

The second photo shows a pair of spare front seats I had re-done for the ‘76. The covers here are comprised of new smooth vinyl, old smooth vinyl, old molded vinyl, and new cording. How did we get these different materials to match, reasonably well? That would be dye… ?

 

Thus, you can start today with a perfect match, knowing that, over time, that perfect match may slip away. Or you can start today with a mis-match, knowing that, over time, that mis-match will likely increase. But most of us do not keep most of our cars long enough to witness the color degradation. 

 

Regards,

 

Steve

 

 

 

 

[conkitchen]

On 6/8/2022 at 7:54 PM, R.I.P.B.M.W. said:

   Your interior is pristine compared to mine, so I'm envious. 

Indeed, whoever installed those door panels and carpet knew what they were doing.  

[Conserv]

1 hour ago, conkitchen said:

Indeed, whoever installed those door panels and carpet knew what they were doing.  

Hmmm…

 

Who could that be? ?

 

Best regards,

 

Steve

 

 

[conkitchen]

11 minutes ago, Conserv said:

Hmmm…

Who could that be? ?

 

The man to come and take me away. 

 

 

 

[R.I.P.B.M.W.]

   Thank you, bmwguy323 and Rich for the two recommended websites. Definitely a lot more colors/options to choose from. I will start checking locally for recommendations on who is able to do the upholstery work properly. It's good to have other knowledgeable people and their input, to consider, when making a decision.

[R.I.P.B.M.W.]

   Since I last posted on this subject I finally made a decision and went with World Upholstery and their "saddle" vinyl color. Its obviously not the perfect match to original but, I'm good with it. At first, I tried local upholsterers but was met with approx $4k to make and install the new covers. Way too much for my budget. The W/Upholstery f/seat kit comes with front seat back covers and headrest covers included. The rear seat kit has the pleats all the way across but, is seamed in the middle to make that happen. I figure I can save some money by putting the front seat covers on myself with the new cushions I have. The back seat will probably have to have a new seat cushion and backrest made. Like everything else on this car: decisions, decisions, decisions.   

[Charles in PA]

Your interior and seats look very nice, like it doesn't need to be touched at all but I can appreciate the compulsion to get it just exactly perfect.  I have been shopping around for leather seat covers to recover the original seats to my 74tii.  You may want to check out Steven Sperling.  From my research, he does period correct covers at reasonable prices.  Have seen his work here on FAQ and he's also on Instagram at zoomzoomzoom_ing.  For what it is worth.  Good luck with your project.  Cheers

[bergie33]

7 hours ago, R.I.P.B.M.W. said:

I figure I can save some money by putting the front seat covers on myself with the new cushions I have. The back seat will probably have to have a new seat cushion and backrest made. 

 

Here are some great resources for front and rear seat info and the rear seat rubberized hair:

 

Front Seat repadding:

https://www.bmw2002faq.com/forums/topic/251038-diy-repadding-stock-seats-a-lower-cost-alternative/

 

Rear Seat repadding:

https://www.bmw2002faq.com/forums/topic/267297-redoing-rear-seats-with-horse-hair-pad/

 

Source for rubberized hair and burlap:

https://www.onlinefabricstore.com/product-group-foam-and-padding.aspx?product=upholstery-hair

 

[Mikesmalaga72]

I was playing that color game a number of years back and came to conclusion that it can be possible if the vinyl supplier is willing to do some artwork and do the varigation/(stress) lines on that the vinyl you may want to reach out to Josh at Relicate leather.  Goldbraun Geez what a flashback! After quoting sir henry Royce " If it does not exist, create it" enough in my head I finally did what he said. I went through all this recently and decided to create a complete interior out of leather in the caramel color with NOS door pulls as reference for the leather color. It`s not for everyone as far as expense but the results can be intrinsically satisfying and spectacular.

Edited December 20, 2022 by Mikesmalaga72