Materials to Maintain Your ZHP IIIII Hand Protection IIIII Tools to Maintain Your ZHP
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  1. #11
    Quote Originally Posted by cakM3 View Post
    I agree

    First, I am going to see if samples from Active Foam match the current faded condition (waiting for them to be received by the upholsterer).

    Secondly, I am determining if alcantara can be dyed to return it to the original "9002 anthracite" color. I have emailed Alcantara in Italy today to see if this is possible.

    This product from France indicates it is possible https://www.renovation-du-cuir.fr/en...oring_260.html

    Ultimately, Alcantara in Italy will be able to indicate if it can be dyed, type/product, and restoration process. Hopefully, in a day or two ... I have a reply.

  2. #12
    Quote Originally Posted by Satcho View Post
    First, I am going to see if samples from Active Foam match the current faded condition (waiting for them to be received by the upholsterer).

    Secondly, I am determining if alcantara can be dyed to return it to the original "9002 anthracite" color. I have emailed Alcantara in Italy today to see if this is possible.

    This product from France indicates it is possible https://www.renovation-du-cuir.fr/en...oring_260.html

    Ultimately, Alcantara in Italy will be able to indicate if it can be dyed, type/product, and restoration process. Hopefully, in a day or two ... I have a reply.

    Received synthetic suede samples from Active Foam ... one matches closely according to the upholsterer. Still waiting for a reply from Alcantara on dying fabric.

  3. #13
    Join Date
    Jan 1970
    Location
    Branford, CT
    Posts
    16,055
    When it comes to interior upholstery that sees wear, I've always been pretty sour on dying. Every time I see someone who has dyed their interior, it never lasts for any significant amount of time. Granted, it's usually people dying high-traffic leather (seat bottoms, bolsters, etc.) and not soft fabric like alcantara, so it could potentially be a different result. Perhaps the fabric better absorbs it - I dunno. Good luck, hopefully it works out for you.
    BP
    2005 330i ZHP / 6MT
    Imolarot / Naturbraun
    2003 330iT / 6MT
    Orientblau / Naturbraun




    It's not the car you drive, it's how you drive it.

  4. #14
    Quote Originally Posted by az3579 View Post
    When it comes to interior upholstery that sees wear, I've always been pretty sour on dying. Every time I see someone who has dyed their interior, it never lasts for any significant amount of time. Granted, it's usually people dying high-traffic leather (seat bottoms, bolsters, etc.) and not soft fabric like alcantara, so it could potentially be a different result. Perhaps the fabric better absorbs it - I dunno. Good luck, hopefully it works out for you.
    FADE Concerns

    I concur with fading concerns.

    So far no response from Alcantara on dying.

    Following through the thought process on fading ... the upholsterer has found a synthetic suede that closely matches ( I have not seen it yet). I asked about the fabric's fade resistance ... he said he would inquire with the distributor. Expanding on this, I am assuming the this synthetic suede will fade which means it matches today but will not a some point in the future.

    Alternative

    This leads me to this alternative: replace the front seat bolsters with the original "9002 anthracite" and just let it fade to match the current state. The condition of the front seat headrests, armrests, and back seat is fine, just faded.


    Questions

    The question is how long does it take for alcantara fabric to fade? I tend to believe that the current color state is stable and will not fade anymore. What are ZHPMafia members thoughts?

  5. #15
    Join Date
    Feb 2013
    Location
    Austin TX
    Posts
    7,606
    Quote Originally Posted by Satcho View Post
    The question is how long does it take for alcantara fabric to fade? I tend to believe that the current color state is stable and will not fade anymore. What are ZHPMafia members thoughts?
    My car doesn't have alcantara seats, so I can't help here. Is your car going to be outdoors most of the time ? I would think the sun is the main enemy.
    2005 IR / black / 6MT
    157,000 miles

  6. #16
    Join Date
    Aug 2014
    Location
    Leesburg, VA
    Posts
    1,209
    My car is garaged 100% of the time it's not being driven/used & the windows are tinted to legal VA limits. Be sure the fabric you're considering is meant for automotive use & can tolerate the sun/UV rays. There are differences in synthetic suede products.
    2006 330ci ZHP - Silbergrau Metallic / Stoff Laser/Anthrazit / Alu Black Cube trim / Adaptive Xenon headlights / HK hi-fi system / heated front seats

  7. #17
    Quote Originally Posted by John in VA View Post
    My car is garaged 100% of the time it's not being driven/used & the windows are tinted to legal VA limits. Be sure the fabric you're considering is meant for automotive use & can tolerate the sun/UV rays. There are differences in synthetic suede products.

    When ever the weather allows the top is down.

    There are a couple of industry standards for measuring fade ... AATCC 16 and ASTM G155. I am using these rating standards to compare alcantara to other prospective synthetic suede fabrics.

    My hypothesis is the new alacantara fabric will take 2-3 years to reach a stabilized faded color. I am assuming that the vehicle's current color state is stablized.

    If this hypothesis is correct ... new alcantara will match current condition in 2-3 years. If I obtain a synthetic suede that is close to the current faded condition, it will fade to some unknown color and not match. Therefore, I am leaning toward just replacing the front seat bolsters with new "9002 anthracite" alcantara. I am waiting for the UV rating on the current state color match synthetic suede.

  8. #18
    Quote Originally Posted by Satcho View Post
    When ever the weather allows the top is down.

    There are a couple of industry standards for measuring fade ... AATCC 16 and ASTM G155. I am using these rating standards to compare alcantara to other prospective synthetic suede fabrics.

    My hypothesis is the new alacantara fabric will take 2-3 years to reach a stabilized faded color. I am assuming that the vehicle's current color state is stablized.

    If this hypothesis is correct ... new alcantara will match current condition in 2-3 years. If I obtain a synthetic suede that is close to the current faded condition, it will fade to some unknown color and not match. Therefore, I am leaning toward just replacing the front seat bolsters with new "9002 anthracite" alcantara. I am waiting for the UV rating on the current state color match synthetic suede.

    I have concluded that the most practical and economically feasible solution is to replace the front seat bolsters with the original "9002 anthracite". According to the AATCC (American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists), the fade test time period is 40 hours of simulated sun (fluorescent or xenon arc lamp exposure continuous or cycled on/off) resulting in a fade of >3 but < 3.5 (4 is a slight fade while 1 is a significant fade) for alcantara. It should takes much less than one years. In fact should be in weeks or months that fading will closely match the current state. The current state is a very dark grey.

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