Got some new sun visors for my 300D. Mine were broken and I drive into the sun to/from work....gotta have sun visors.

The visors I bought off ebay were Palomino, but I got some vinyl dye from World Upholstery http://www.worlduph.com/, to "paint" them matching parchment (my interior color).

Well, they look great. This vinyl dye matched very well, beyond my wildest expectations.

Just a tip,,this stuff works.

JCD

That has been my experience with the Vinyl Sprays also.... better than I hoped they would look.. I changed out the entire interior on a Karman Ghia from biege to silver and kept the car many years after that... if prepped right... like any paint job.... it really does well.... I cleaned all of it with alcohol then roughed it up with 100 grit flint sandpaper... need to take the gloss off the old vinyl...to give the paint something to hold on to...
The only place it wore off was the usual drivers side bolster... but that was after TWO YEARS and I just cleaned that area and resprayed it ....and I was impressed that it WORE OFF... it did not peel off... this stuff ' melded ' into the original vinyl...
For the record... you can clean up carpet and spray it with vinyl spray also... makes it look brand new...
I used MarHyde for that first job. I do think we should start descriminating between " paint" and "dye" on the forum... paint covers the old finish and dye soaks into it... leaving the old surface a different color but where you can still see things like the pores in the leather...
The usual rules for painting apply... apply a 'tack' coat and give it 10 or 15 minutes to start drying,,, then put a coat on that is thick enough to 'gloss' .... but not more than that.... and use lung protection.... Greg

Greg,

You are right. The stuff is better than expectations. As for paint versus dye, the stuff said dye, but did it soak into the MBTex, I don't know.

Also, key is to use the SEM vinyl prep, which is basically a propylene based glycol ether with propellant. I cleans and softens up the vinyl, ensuring a good foothold for the dye.

JCD

If it soaked in .... " penetrated " rather than stayed on top of the old finish then it certainly was "dye" as it was labeled... The MarHyde I used was a Paint...
Generally one of the parameters when changing colors is that with a dye you can only go to a darker color.... with a paint it does not matter since you are completely covering the surface with an opaque susbstance....
On the definition.. I was not talking about whether it "melded" into the MB tex... I am just saying that if it covered the pores to where you can not see them after application I think we should call it a paint....

Greg,

Using your definition, it appears to be paint, but be it paint or dye, it looks a ton better.

JCD

I much prefer the paint myself... because with a dye you are going to be "hoping and Praying" like the song said concerning the color you are going to end up with...because you have some of the underneath color mixing with the dye you have put on....

The only (SINGLE) factor I can think of which would favor dye is when you are dealing with leather.. as a paint keeps the leather from being able to be reconditioned ( adding the essential oils it needs to have added when the animal is no longer under the skin to provide those oils )... but every other factor favors the paints in my opinion. Nothing is harder than putting or changing a finish on leather than has already been finished... or putting on a finish which will not rub off on clothes if one is using a vegetable tanned leather ( the type you see carved , as in western gun belts )...on those belts the finish is applied only to the outer part of the leather.. or an already finished leather is applied towards the wearer... the gunslinger... LOL... Greg

Vinyl- use SEM. Check here http://vinylpro.safeshopper.com/index.htm?113 Ever wonder how your local dismantler "suddenly" had the Morrocan Chartruese interior piece you need, when yesterday he only had grey? This is what our local guys use.

Leather ... dye (Leatherique or such)
Vinyl ... paint (they call it "colorant".

__________________
The Golden Rule

1984 300SD (bought new, sold it in 1988, bought it back 13 yrs. later)

Which colors match the Benz interiors? I think the color of my 190D is Palomino. It is darker than the interior of the 190E which is more tan. I'd like to use the visors from the gas car in the diesel, but I'd have to dye the visors the darker color.

__________________
Michael LaFleur

'05 E320 CDI - 86,000 miles
'86 300SDL - 360,000 miles
'85 300SD - 150,000 miles (sold)
'89 190D - 120,000 miles (sold)
'85 300SD - 317,000 miles (sold)
'98 ML320 - 270,000 miles (sold)
'75 300D - 170,000 miles (sold)
'83 Harley Davidson FLTC (Broken again) :-(
'61 Plymouth Valiant - 60k mikes
2004 Papillon (Oliver)
2005 Tzitzu (Griffon)
2009 Welsh Corgi (Buba)

Or you can call them. They also show you where on the car to check to find the Mercedes color #. After that, if they don't have it in stock with will blend it for you.

JCD

PS, Try this link;http://www.worlduph.com/vinylmbzlate.htm