I purchased this 2006 997 C4S just before Christmas. The car is in very good condition, but it is showing some wear with 46K miles. I have already started to fully clean and detail the car. This weekend I washed the seat belts with great results and cleaned and conditioned the back seat leather with Lexol.

So, there are a few areas on the car that are showing more severe wear and damage that cleaning won't fix. Please help me to find a repair technique that can keep me from having to replace these items. Thanks in advance for any help.

Questions and photos to follow in a series of posts below.

 

Shifter - normal wear from use
Is there a way to restore this leather, or is replacing the only option?

 

Console Panel near shifter

Can this be painted or repaired in some way? I did see it is available from Suncoast in leather, but it is over $400 for this little piece. If it must be replaced, is there a non-leather replacement available somewhere?



http://i218.photobucket.com/albums/c...n/IMG_1403.jpg

Door Panel for door handle and window swithces
I also found leather replacements for these from Suncoast for about $400 for the pair. This one might be able to be sanded and painted if that type of paint can even be found. I would also like to see if the plastic parts are available for this if it can't be repaired.



Rear Seat-Belt trim pieces
Same thing here.





Ignition Surround
Same again.

 

Driver's Door Threshold
The previous owner was not very careful getting in and out. Any ideas on how to improve the appearance of this? If not, where to buy a new one?

 

All the areas mentioned above can be properly refurbished by a competent and experience repairer. Call around and see the actual work, and matching and repairing should be a cinch. Where are you located?

 

I am in Round Rock, TX, which is just north of Austin. Can you refer someone in my area? If not, how should I begin a search for this type of service?

Thanks.

 

If you a DIYer you can remove and paint all of those parts yourself, with the exception of the shifter. Or Bumperplugs (forum sponsor) can supply painted parts, but you (or someone else) will still have to do the labor. Send me a PM if you're interested in doing it yourself and I can send you some links to other threads that have painting instructions, installation instructions, etc. It's really not that hard and you can save a lot of money.

 

The gear shift leathr would need replacement

“Leather Restoration / Renovation” - http://www.autopia.org/forum/autopia-detailing-wiki/139136-leather-restoration-renovation.html#post1479003

 

Replace it with carbon

 

all of the parts besides the shifter are just plastic pieces coated with a rubbery material that is already the color of the interior, only way to correctly fix it is either have the parts wrapped with real leather or vinyl that dyed to match the rest of the interior, or you can sand down the whole piece till you get down to the plastic, and then spray paint the parts with a custom matched paint thats flat or satin in sheen. the kick trim surrounding the hood and trunk open switches can possibly be polished back to a uniform finish.

 

I recently purchased a 2008 Cayman S that had some minor defects in the interior. Slight discoloration in a small area on my drivers seat, scratch in the leather on the steering wheel and paint rubbed off on the plastic beneath the rear hatch. I contacted the Porsche dealer where a purchased the car and asked if they knew of anyone who could repair these defects. They referred me to the person they use to do this type of work and said his results were amazing. He charged me $125 and his work was first class. I cannot tell where any of the repairs were made. I would contact a Porsche dealer in your area and ask if they can recommend some one to do the work Good luck.

 

Short of buying new parts those look hopeless to restore. I had similar problems in my E46 M3 a few years back and ended up covering the peeled/scratched parts with alcantara. Wasn't cheap but looked amazing once finished.

 

Haha, it was my 06 M3 that first ran into this problem, it was easy because it was all black. I used plasti dip on the cup holder, and the rest of the center console parts, never had the peeling, scratching problem again.

 

Very simple contact surflex they provide leather dye which matches 99.4 % the color of your leather or plastic. I have used it on 2 of my Porsches and it works great. It is recommended by Paterak Brothers (if you do not know who he is google him) The stuff works great and is easy to use. If you do not like it wipe it off before dries and try again. Less is more. You want to layer it on using a soft cloth

 

So, I haven't had any luck with restoration. I had a professional interior guy come over, and the meeting went well. He thought he could paint all of the damaged parts with plastic and leather dyes. He called me back later that week and told me he could not source a natural brown dye anywhere. So, I am moving forward with replacing most of the parts.

I have sourced all of the parts from Suncoast, and I am about to make the purchase. Laurie at Suncoast has been very helpful.

So, I am going to try to replace some of the parts myself, but I will need help finding installation insructions. Any help is appreciated finding instructions to replace the headlight trim ring, the ignition trim ring, the seat belt bezel trim, the driver's door trim panel, the shift **** and boot, and the center console shift trim. I know that's asking a lot, but that's what these forums are for...right?



Finally, please give me your opinion on which one of these shifters would look and wear the best. Thanks in advance.

Direct Replacement



Turbo Shift ****


Upgraded Silver Shift **** -probably $$$, but haven't gotten price yet