Summary: Due partially to the economy with people finding it harder to get financing, demand is down for new and used cars. Right now some great deals on slightly used cars can be picked up, even at the new car dealers. This 5.3 V-8 2007 Impala SS loaded with 40,000 miles was picked up at a great price ($14,500) at Gordon Chevrolet in Tampa Florida. The leather was a little worn and honestly a little plain – too much grey was used on the interior. By getting this car at a great price, we budgeted enough money to snazz up the interior a bit. That’s where our local upholstery shop comes in. Cimo & Cimo’s Upholstery shop has a location in Tampa Florida, they will reupholster just about anything, from hot rods to yachts. Installing window film is a large part of their business too. Who in Florida would invest in a new leather interior for their car and not shade it from the sun? This article has before and after pictures of the plain grey and the two tone leather after it was installed.

The picture above shows the Impala SS plain grey leather “before shot.”

A common wear area on leather seats is where the driver slides in. Not keeping the leather conditioned will accelerate the wear. Leather can be dyed to restore it temporarily, however with our last car we learned that the dye can come back off after a short time. Also we wanted the look of two tone to break up the grey. The upholstery shop we used (Cimo & Cimo’s) recommends Lexol leather cleaner and preservative. It’s a brand that many luxury car dealers sell in their parts departments, best of all it’s available at most parts stores at a much lower price.

Removing the seats is obviously the first step in replacing the upholstery material.