Hi All,
I've picked up a set of VW Recaro LSBs to mate to my 2002. The problem is they are faded barney purple. I'm going to make them black. No funds at the moment for reupholstery, I'm in the middle of a M20 swap.
I can't take off the covers, or submerge them so there is some issue with application.
I've done some research on dying/painting etc. I think my best bet its to go with a higher quality dye than Walmart Rit. And I wanted to avoid the spray cans as I just think paint/dye combo on fabric is a kind of a wacky idea.
So we have Rit, all purpose dye. No UV protection, poor durability and mediocre adhesion. Meh.
Jacquard Products has some pretty interesting dyes. Acid (Vinegar) Dye, Basic Dye (Similar to Rit, but better), and iDye Poly. iDye Poly is made for synthetic fabric, but does not utilize an acid to set.
iDye instructions:
http://www.jacquardproducts.com/assets/jacquard-site/product-pages/dyes/idye/iDye%20Poly%20Instructions_2014.pdf
Needs heat, boiling water, salt, constant agitation for 1 hour, then wash with mild detergent. That method doesn't work so well on car seats, even if I did take off the covers they would probably shrink.
So here's my game plan. Hot water in a spray bottle, salt, iDye. Saturate a spot, agitate with a rag/brush, apply heat during agitation via heatgun, wipe excess, repeat. I assume this will probably be an all day job for both seats, as I don't know how many coats/applications I will need. Then after a couple days, I'll just wipe them down with water and a rag or use my carpet cleaner's upholstery attachment.
Will post pics of the process.
Here's a pic of the seats from google, not my actual seats, mine have no rips: