Koch-Chemie × COLOURLOCK COLOURLOCK "Leather Fresh Set XS"

Leather Dye for Cars for a Steering Wheel with the COLOURLOCK Leather Fresh Set XS

What is the COLOURLOCK Leather Fresh Set XS? The starter set of water-based polyurethane tint in OEM black F034 from Koch-Chemie × COLOURLOCK from the Unna factory. Included in the set: 100 ml tint, a fine-pored application sponge, two nitrile gloves. Sufficient for a complete steering wheel or two heavily worn seat bolsters. Water-based, leather-friendly buffered, not a hazardous material, B2C-suitable. Not for aniline leather, nubuck, Alcantara, open-pore suede, lacquer, or glass. No filling effect for deep cracks.

COLOURLOCK Leather Fresh Set XS is the compact starter format of car leather dye from Koch-Chemie × COLOURLOCK, bottled at the Koch-Chemie factory in Unna after the acquisition of the traditional Lederzentrum brand in 2023. It contains 100 ml of tint in the factory color F034 Black, a fine-pored application sponge, and two nitrile gloves. The material kit is sufficient for a complete steering wheel or two heavily worn seat bolsters in the same vehicle. The core is a water-based polyurethane dispersion: lightfast pigments and flexible binders cross-link upon drying under hot air to form a semi-matte, abrasion-resistant polymer film on the factory surface of the leather. What this means for you: the color does not sit as a rigid paint layer, but becomes part of the leather surface and retains its natural feel.

• 100 ml covers a complete steering wheel or two seat bolsters. Exactly the right amount for a typical smart repair on a hobby car. If you want to restore multiple vehicles or a complete interior, the Leather Fresh Set XL as a 1-liter professional container is more economical.
• Auto-leveling viscosity for beginners. The tint flows independently after dabbing to a flat, matte layer. Small dabbing irregularities smooth out, similar to how a drop of water on a glass pane self-levels into a calm lens. What this means for you: the typical beginner streaks during the first attempt at leather dyeing are avoided.
• OEM color accuracy with F034 Black as standard. F034 covers the typical black shades of German premium brands without mixing. Other factory shades like BMW Montana or Mercedes Saddle Brown are mixed to order from the COLOURLOCK color database. What this means for you: seamless touch-up in the middle of the steering wheel, without visible transitions.

Practical tip from Detailing1: In at least every third inquiry about Leather Fresh, we see the same underestimated mistake. Degreasing is done by eye, and weeks later the tint on the steering wheel peels off in thin films. The professional rule is the adhesive tape test: after cleaning with cleaning benzine or degreaser, press a short piece of painter's tape onto the spot and slowly pull it off. If the tape comes off easily, there is still skin oil or old care product on the surface, and the next tint layer would not adhere. If the tape sticks firmly, the surface is ready. No datasheet prescribes this test. From our experience, it is the insurance against the most frequent complaint in leather dyeing. With a 100 ml set, which is just enough for a steering wheel, a failed first layer is particularly expensive.

Five-Step Workflow for Steering Wheel and Seat Bolster

Leather Fresh is step four in a fixed five-step plan. If you break the order or skip a step, you risk peeling within a few weeks. These steps have been the standard in reconditioning for decades and apply to the XS formulation exactly as they do to the professional container.

Step 1: Deep Cleaning. The damaged area is cleaned with COLOURLOCK Leather Cleaner Mild or, for greasy smooth leather, with Leather Cleaner Strong. Work the foam in with a soft leather brush for 30 to 60 seconds, wipe off with a damp viscose cloth, and let dry. Never use abrasive microfiber cloths meant for paint care. They scratch the factory protective layer to which Leather Fresh must later adhere.

Step 2: Degreasing. Wipe with COLOURLOCK Leather Cleaning Benzine or the solvent-free Degreaser on a lint-free cloth until the surface becomes visibly dull. Hand grease on the steering wheel, old leather care on the seat bolster, or surfactant residues from the cleaner will otherwise prevent the adhesion of the water-based tint. Use the adhesive tape test as a check. Step 3: Mechanical Smoothing. Gently level raised microfibers on the worn area with the COLOURLOCK Leather Sanding Pad, using light circular motions without pressure. Remove sanding dust with a cloth lightly moistened with benzine. Fill deep cracks or torn seat bolsters now with Fluid Leather as a filler. Leather Fresh itself has no filling effect.

Step 4: Tinting with Leather Fresh. Shake extremely well before use until pigments and binders are homogeneous. Apply the color to the enclosed sponge, never directly to the leather. Dab or apply in light circular motions in very thin layers from seam to seam, and immediately cure each layer with a household hairdryer on a medium setting from about 20 cm distance for 60 to 90 seconds. Only the heat evaporates the water and cross-links the polymer. High opacity is achieved through three to five very thin repetitions, not by a thick layer. Forcing full opacity in one go leads to blistering and the dreaded rubbing off upon the first touch. Step 5: Sealing. The tinted area must rest and outgas for 24 hours. Only then gently apply Leather Shield as friction protection or Leather Protector with UV protection and antioxidants, without strong pressure and without rubbing. Otherwise, fresh polymer layers will detach again.

Aniline Leather, Deep Cracks, and Wrong Solvents as Hard Limits

Leather Fresh is chemically highly calibrated for semi-matte, surface-dyed smooth leather with a functioning protective layer. If the product is applied to incompatible substrates or if the wrong chemicals are used during pre-treatment, a leather interior that quickly costs four figures to re-upholster can be ruined in minutes. Three limits that must be checked before each application.

First limit: Aniline leather, nubuck, and open-pore suede. These types of leather do not have a factory protective layer. The aqueous polymer dispersion penetrates uncontrollably into the open pores and coats the surface in a patchy and greasy manner. Before each application, perform the water drop test: place a drop on an inconspicuous area. If it is absorbed within 30 seconds and remains dark, the leather is open-pored, and the set is not suitable. For aniline leather, the COLOURLOCK Aniline and Nubuck Cleaner is the correct choice. However, for pigmented smooth leather with a clear protective layer or for PU synthetic leather in the interior, you are on the right track.

Second limit: Deep cracks and torn seat bolsters. Leather Fresh conceals superficial scratches and colors worn areas excellently, but it does not bridge gaps. Testers in vehicle detailing forums rate exactly this point as the hardest limitation. For cracks or already torn seat bolsters, Fluid Leather as a filler is a mandatory preceding step. Third limit: Aggressive brake cleaners for degreasing. If, out of frugality, brake cleaner is used instead of cleaning benzine or degreaser, the factory protective layer is immediately destroyed by acetone and naphtha components, making the leather brittle. This mistake is regularly documented in DIY forums. It is irreparable.

A fourth honest limitation, which marketing is reluctant to state: F034 Black usually covers in the first pass. Light shades like beige, white, or cream colors, based on experience from professional reconditioning, require five to six layers until dark scuff marks on the steering wheel are completely concealed. If you want to restore a light interior, calculate double the working time and, if in doubt, have a second XS set ready. Opened bottles can be used for six to twelve months, after which the dispersion thickens and becomes unusable for fine auto-leveling.

Car Leather Dye for Hobby Detailers and One-Time Repairs

The XS set is the entry-level kit for exactly one application: punctual smart repair on a single vehicle. 100 ml is enough for a complete steering wheel or two heavily worn seat bolsters. Those who regularly recondition lease returns or an entire fleet should switch directly to the professional container from the leather care collection.

Hobby detailers and car enthusiasts are the main target group. People who want to eliminate the worn greasy sheen on the steering wheel after 80,000 to 150,000 kilometers without paying for a professional re-upholstery. A steering wheel re-upholstery in the DACH region can quickly cost several hundred euros gross, while the XS set, when applied correctly, achieves a visually and haptically indistinguishable result at a fraction of the cost. For used car sellers, this is the difference between selling with or without visible wear-related depreciation.

Classic car owners use the set to preserve the patina of 30-year-old leather and gently touch up small imperfections without destroying the historical value through complete re-upholstery. First-time users before a larger restoration test the technique with the XS volume on a single spot before switching to the professional container. Compared to competing systems, COLOURLOCK scores at the beginner level with its user-friendly auto-leveling viscosity and OEM color database. Geist Easy Colour Restorer advertises self-cross-linking without sealing, but in the 50 ml format, it is more expensive per application and lacks the official factory color code library. Aerosol sprays like Volico or Motip work with solvent-based spray mist and require extensive masking of the interior. For the typical localized damage on the steering wheel, the sponge application of the XS set is more respiratory-friendly and more controllable in a cramped interior.

From our experience, the crucial leverage for first-time users is not the color accuracy of the tint, but the discipline in preparation. Those who meticulously follow steps one to three will achieve a steering wheel result at a professional upholsterer's level with the XS set. Those who degrease without doing the adhesive tape test will see the tint peel off after three weeks. The tint itself is not the risk. The preparation is.

Application of the COLOURLOCK Leather Fresh Set XS

Five-Step Workflow for Steering Wheel and Seat Bolster

Leather Fresh is step four in a fixed five-step plan that has been the standard for reconditioning for decades. Step 1: clean the damaged area with Leather Cleaner Mild or, for greasy smooth leather, with Leather Cleaner Strong. Work the foam in with a soft leather brush for 30 to 60 seconds, wipe off with a damp viscose cloth, and let dry.

Step 2: Degrease with COLOURLOCK Leather Cleaning Spirit or the solvent-free Degreaser on a lint-free cloth until the surface becomes visibly dull. Hand grease on the steering wheel, old leather care products on the seat bolster, or surfactant residues from the cleaner would otherwise prevent the adhesion of the water-based dye. Use the tape test for control. Step 3: gently smooth raised microfibers on the worn area with the leather sanding pad in circular motions without pressure, remove sanding dust with a slightly spirit-dampened cloth. Fill deep cracks or breaks now with Fluid Leather as a filler—Leather Fresh itself has no filling effect.

Step 4: the dyeing. Shake extremely well before application so that pigments and binders are homogeneous. Apply color to the enclosed sponge (never directly onto the leather). Dab thin layers from seam to seam or apply in light circular motions. Immediately crosslink each layer with a household hairdryer (medium setting, 20 cm distance, 60 to 90 seconds). Build up three to five very thin layers. High opacity is achieved by repeated application, never by a thick layer—otherwise, blistering and rubbing will occur upon the first touch.

Step 5: the sealing. After exactly 24 hours of outgassing, seal the dyed area with Leather Shield (friction protection for newer leather) or Leather Protector (with UV protection and antioxidants for older leather). Wipe gently, do not rub—otherwise, fresh polymer layers will detach again.

Notes: The Set XS is exclusively designed for surface-dyed, satin-matt smooth leather with a functional protective layer, as well as for PU artificial leather and hard interior plastics. Aniline leather, nubuck, Alcantara, open-pored suede, patent leather, and glass are excluded—the dye penetrates open pores and discolors the surface unevenly. Water drop test before the first application: if the drop penetrates within 30 seconds and remains dark, the leather is open-pored. For deep cracks, Fluid Leather as a filler is a mandatory pre-treatment. Never use brake cleaner for degreasing—acetone and naphtha components irreparably destroy the protective layer. Processing temperature 15 to 25 °C, store frost-free. Opened bottles can be used for six to twelve months.