Carpets Faded/Sun Bleached- Can I dye them?

[BryanWilton]

Got Chimaera with dark blue carpets which are in pretty good condition but have been badly bleached by the sun
Don't want to pay for a new set as their condition is so good

Can they be dyed back to original colour?
Has anyone tried this & can anyone recommend a product & supplier of a suitable dye?

Have found auto dye in a spray can on the internet, but this seems to be on US sites only & apparently this stuff can make your carpets go stiff & horrible...

[GV]

IMO you should replace them. It's not expensive and you'll be glad you did once the job's finished. Dyeing, spraying will make a rough looking carpet even worse...

[BryanWilton]

I'd love to replace, but i've only had the car a few weeks & already had to spend out quite alot on 'unfore seen problems'
Also they are in really good condition....

I can't believe someone doesn't make a decent carpet dye that will do the job to a reasonable standard
I only want to go over the bleached bits to make them look better, not change the whole colour

Help, people!

[medieval]

Bryan - if the carpets are dark blue then I had some success recently using Dylon suede dye for shoes on several large sections of sun bleached carpet (tunnel, doors etc)

It really depends on how much area requires recolouring.

Good luck anyway.

[BryanWilton]

Thanks, if all else fails I'll give that ago

Does anyone know what the standard carpets are actually made of (wool, polyester, etc)?

This might help me find a suitable dye

[biker]

My car has blue wool carpets and they had faded on the rear shelf and around the seat belt points.I looked into getting some dye but they mostly seemed to come in spray cans.Obviously that would involve alot of work marsking the rest of the car.In the end I used the renovo stuff i had for the roof.It's blue and it transformed the carpet.It's not exactly the same shade,but it's very very close.After it had dried the carpet was a bit stiff but after a brush with a stiff brush it's back to normal.
I would recomend it as a cost effective fix.
hope this helps

[BryanWilton]

Ok, thanks for that
Is my carpet likely to be wool then, or is it another one of those TVR things where depends on the actual car & could be nylon, polyester, etc?

Have spent ages on web trying to fing something that will do the job properly

Found some stuff called liquid carpet dye, but all the stuff I find seems to be in the US & most of it has bad reviews

[BryanWilton]

Think i've found something that will hopefully work

Found on Leathermagic US website - auto carpet dye

They have a UK website link & hey presto, they re in Slough, about half an hour drive from me....

Will contact them tomorrow to make sure they keep the carpet dye

Thanks for help, will let you all know how I get on.....

[tricky 100]

I put my old Tuscan carpets though the washing machine (moldy) and they came out like new , so why not get one of those pots of dye you can mix into the wash in your machine . Places like woolworths i think sell them or ask your wife .

[BryanWilton]

Good idea!
But i'm much too lazy & don't like the thought of having to refit them all properly

[blujay10]

Mine are badly faded too and I have just had a quote of £800 - £900 for a new set! This would make rather a large dent in my emergency fund, and so I would be very interested to hear how you get. Good Luck!

[Shorty123]

blujay10 said:

Mine are badly faded too and I have just had a quote of £800 - £900 for a new set! This would make rather a large dent in my emergency fund, and so I would be very interested to hear how you get. Good Luck!

Coverdale carpets are very good value i believe and have all the templates and amyriad of colours and textiles.

[Gavstar]

This chap is much cheaper - Fred - 01462 892704. I haven't used his services yet myself, but was given his number by a PHer. Starts at something like £300 supplied and fitted and increases depending on carpet used. Based in Herts I think.
HTH

[BryanWilton]

Going to see this guy today to get re-dye kit, reckons he does a product which will remove the dye off leather & vinyl which would be useful in case of overspray on seats, etc

[BryanWilton]

Had to leave him one of my mats so he could match the colour
Should recieve dye in about a week.......

[Gavstar]

Hi Bryan
Any luck with the dye kit?
Would be interested to hear/see results if u have any feedback please?

[CaptiV8ted]

And me, mine are supposed to be grey, but have faded to a rather poncy pastel blue - not in keeping with my Cherry Bombs!

[BryanWilton]

Not as yet
Still waiting for the Dye, apparently the guys still waiting on a colour he needs from the US to turn up

[Flintstone]

I had a similar problem. Dark blue carpets faded to shades varying from mid-blue to light grey.

Bought 1 litre of black carpet dye for £6 and spent an hour or so dabbing with a sponge. I'll need another litre to finish off but they've dried to a dark blue. Much better than the hassle of replacement (been there, done that).

Pics be here http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...

[BryanWilton]

Got the Dye, about £60 for kit (1 litre, brush, overspray cleaner)
Haven't tried it yet, colour is good match though
Will update when I've used it.......