BMW M leather jacket 40+ years old. I inherited it from my stepfather 20 years ago and wore it every year since then, like across fall & winter time. The zip is now broken, the color faded away but still - by far - my favorite jacket.

Submitted by k7v1n t3_10kz74s in BuyItForLife

And I have this feeling I couldn't find anything quite like that on the market today to replace it. The label is quite gold too: "Made in West Germany".

For the curious, full backstory and more pictures are here: https://objet.cc/kev/cuir-serie-m

BMW M Leather Jacket

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Comments

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glassteelhammer t1_j5tlde8 wrote

A decent tailor can replace the zipper, and then you've got another 20 years.

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TigerJas t1_j5wekr1 wrote

A decent leather man will fix the fading

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lostarchitect t1_j5wh5ff wrote

Fix the zipper and the holes, but not the fading. Just keep it oiled/conditioned.

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wildagain t1_j5wncax wrote

Light oil - don’t lose the fades

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RodionS t1_j5z0an7 wrote

Light oil on fire - don’t lose the fades but lose the jacket.

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k7v1n OP t1_j631qml wrote

I'll definitely replace the zipper -- I used a paper clip until now but it's getting more & more painful haha

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penlowe t1_j5tqxs1 wrote

I second taking this to a pro for professional clean up snd conditioning. Carefully vet any dry cleaners you might take it to, most send it out to a specialist. Or just find a furrier, they do leather too.

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thatgirlinny t1_j5vq9ss wrote

Can confirm the value of a good furrier for leather garment care. Had a Bonnie Cashin/Coach leather coat from the 1960s re-lined, re-shaped and reconditioned by one in New York with great results. I’ve kept it supple since with Saphir products.

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igorek_brrro t1_j5tp95r wrote

You can polish and condition the leather.

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someguyontheintrnet t1_j5uzmh8 wrote

Leather conditioner will go a loooong way in keeping the leather supple, avoiding cracks, and generally extending the life of the leather. Polish with help maintain the appearance (color) and add protection from water, etc.

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buzaw0nk t1_j5wv7xr wrote

Elephant Leather Preserve. Used it in my cars and furniture. It's amazing and a little goes a long way. It's not cheap($30) but I don't see that I'm gonna get through the tin.

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thepumagirl t1_j5uzv8x wrote

Yup, even use the stuff you buy for leather car seats!

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StreetTriple675 t1_j5vdf4y wrote

There is way better stuff than armor all or something like that lol.

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derpyfox t1_j5w2g4a wrote

Would not use armour all. It will strip the oils out of your leather, give it a nice sheen for a couple of weeks.

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Canard427 t1_j5w784d wrote

Leather Honey is what I use for my vintage mercedes seats and its fantastic

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johnyyhopkins t1_j5un9ds wrote

PLEASE CONDITION THIS JACKET! I agree, it's very very cool. I want that sucker preserved! If you don't condition, the leather will degrade at a higher rate due to drying out. And agree with others, tailor can replace zipper no problem.

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Manticore412 t1_j5ty6i7 wrote

I'm thirding the leather conditioning. It's easy and can be found nearly anywhere that sells shoe polish. Just rub a little in every couple of years, it'll make your jacket look nearly new and last much longer.

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Ninnux t1_j5ubjfl wrote

It would be worth taking to a taylor or a leathersmith and having both the zipper replaced along with some leather treatment and perhaps dying.

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smartid t1_j5vfsql wrote

easy karma in r/bmw for you

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ImportanceAcademic43 t1_j5uf2a9 wrote

The style is called "racer" or "classic racer", but yeah, I don't think BMW produces them any more.

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penlowe t1_j5vtu0d wrote

I'll add: it's not cheap to have it done professionally, but it's also something that doesn't need to be done but once every 15 -20 years depending on the wear and use. My dad bought a gorgeous leather winter coat in London in 1968. It's seriously groovy. He's had it conditioned twice. Still wears it every winter.

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bicanders321 t1_j5u3s1o wrote

Cool! Get yourself a 300td and that jacket fixed. Every euro fan would like a chat with u at car meets. The jaaaackeeet 🤌🏼🤌🏼

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cicada_shell t1_j5v47se wrote

BMW used to make some great merch. There was this jacket and a few others like it, but also some really great bicycles. Not just typical rebadged/rebranded crap, actual quality. Was my favorite bike. Can still find some rad 1990s duffels from BMW on eBay from time to time, too.

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thatgirlinny t1_j5vpd9z wrote

Gorgeous!

Please look into Saphir’s line of exceptional leather cleaners and conditioners to give this jacket the love it deserves!

A good cobbler can help you replace the zipper, which should be a robust YKK sort.

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Will_Winters t1_j5ut097 wrote

That's awesome. Buy a quality leather cleaner and a quality leather conditioner. Don't buy all-in-one crap like Mequiers/Mother's/ArmorAll. Personally I'd use the 2 stage Leatherique Rejuvenate and Cleaner. Use a soft bristle shoe brush. You could make that look and feel much better (don't worry, it'll still have an awesome patina and vintage look.

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Amyx231 t1_j5vfht8 wrote

TLC time. Creams, cleaner, all that good stuff. Fix the zipper. You can get another 20 years out of it!

It looks like your zipper just needs a new pull. I could fix that for $10, just get a like $7 part at Michael’s and pay for my gas. And a soda. Lol. Conditioners and creams aren’t too pricy. I’d say $20 (cleaner, cream), and black Kiwi polish for the color. Or you can use leather dye if you don’t like the idea of shoe polish on your jacket. Mine has had shoe polish on an injury for a decade now.

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crisscroix t1_j64bype wrote

I looked it up on ebay because i liked it quite a bit, one is going for about $2500 😳

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F-21 t1_j5ut902 wrote

TBH that leather seems very thin, to have worn through like that...

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Colombimbo t1_j5v0gtx wrote

Since we're talking about leather jackets, I have one that I want restored. The outside looks fine but the inside is shredded up and I would like to get it redone if possible. Would anyone know how I could go about doing this?

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tecampanero t1_j5vfp1h wrote

Send it to Bedos leatherworks to get restored. Dudes a straight up magician

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lazespud2 t1_j5vlegx wrote

I have a 72 BMW 2002 (got it around 2004). I had to replace the gas line to the carb once around 2015 and noticed the line had "Made in W. Germany" printed on it. I LOVE that...

Though I can't believe the damn thing hadn't fallen apart by that point. It was over 40 years old!

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yomammaaaaa t1_j5w4qyu wrote

That is so cool, and looks so so comfortable.

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RevLoveJoy t1_j5wjs6s wrote

That is very VERY cool. Made in West Germany. VERY cool! Thanks for sharing.

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Maligned-Instrument t1_j5wpz5q wrote

This jacket can be repair and a quality leather finish is very easy to apply

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Beautiful-Page3135 t1_j5wyhm8 wrote

LPT take it to a local leathergoods shop. Usually they're locally owned and they do repairs. Get a new zipper and have the fading somewhat reversed.

Just did this with the 60 year old bomber jacket my grandfather left me. Cost a couple hundred bucks but so worth it.

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InterestingAndLost t1_j5y6z1b wrote

Have it tidied up by a professional. Although the faded patina should protected and treasured.

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MolVol t1_j62f93z wrote

glassteelhammer is right: totally repairable.

would either buy a zipper yourself (so like - so can insure the quality) and bring to a good drycleaner who offers mending. (this path saves you $$)

or bring to a tailor. (get quote first - and be prepared to go to 3-5 tailors... I once didn't get a quote for a pair of jeans and was $90-something dollars! ouch, but my fault b/c didn't ask for a quote - and while coulda left those jeans there, never picked-up.. did like them)

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lynxss1 t1_j64dn9r wrote

Pretty cool!! I have a BMW R90 that this would have been worn with ;)

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cykovisuals t1_j5v2w11 wrote

Isn’t this subreddit for things others can BIFL? This can no longer be puchased so what’s the point?

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