Hey guys/gals...
I need some help here. I've never had leather seats before (and hope to never again have this type. I hate this over-rated vinyl), and I need some advice on cleaning, and conditioning this stuff. I have no clue what to do. Just hoping I can have them recovered in suede some day...

 

Hey Closer...

The main thing to remember that leather is skin. Treat it as such.

Further, remember that the leather in your new ride is clear coated with a material to protect the leather, add to the longevity, and prevent wear. This clear coat is a porus layer and thus, it doesn't protect the leather on it's own.

When your skin is dry and brittle, you'll apply a lotion to your clean skin. Leather is very similar. The main difference is that you may need to get in a habit of remembering to condition and clean

Overall, I condition clear coated leathers in my environment around 8 times per year. This may be too often but, I'm going to err on the side of caution.

My King Ranch interior is an entirely different beast... I won't go into that. Non-clear coated leathers react a bit differently than clear coated varieties.

There are oodles of great products out there on the market. My two favorite for leather are Meguar's Rich Leather Aloe Cleaner and the Rich Leather Aloe Conditioner (a two step process). The cleaner will help to lift the body soils and dirt up and out of the pores of the clear thus allowing the conditioner to do it's job secondly.

My process:

1. Hot water and a 100% cotton terry towel. Dampen the towel with the hot water and wipe down your seats well. Pay special attention to the seams and such.

2. Cleaner. Follow the directions on the bottle exactly. Don't overuse product and ensure that you remove the excess from around seams and such.

3. Condition. I like to apply by hand (literally -- put product on my palm and rub it into the leather). This way I'm not wasting abuch of product in an applicator and have absolute control over where the conditoner is going on the leather. Again, wipe the extra out of stitching and such.

4. Bake (if possible). If it's a hot day, sit the vehicle in the sun for a good bake. Reapply the conditioner if necessary and repeat bake.

Hope that helps.

RP :D

 

Thanks, RP...

I'll look into it...

 

I agree with the recomendation of Rock Pick. Don't underestimate the power of leaving the product in the sun or blow drying it. The heat helps the leather cleaner thin out and penetrate deep into the leather. I would recomend Leatherique to do the job it's often used on Bentlys and high end cars. Good luck with the leather and let me know how it works out for you.

 

No problemo bud. Let me know how it works out for you...


RP

 

Hey, guys I picked up the Meguiar's 2 step aloe cleaner and conditioner. I just have one question... Do you really think it's necessary right now to use both? I've only had the car for about 4 months with 5,000 miles on it. Should I still used the cleaner and conditioner or just the conditioner?

 

Yes, you should use the cleaner first with a 2 step product.

 

I had some work done at a local upholstery shop and the guy told me to apply the leather conditioner just like suntan lotion. Squirt on a big glob and rub it in with your hand. Work it in well and then go away for an hour or so, then come back and wipe up with a towel. Most of it will have soaked in and you will have very little residue to wipe up.

 

No. Not a requirement and probably an overkill if you don't have the need for a deep clean.

Do not, however, skip the hot water / 100% cotton terry step.

RP

 

Well, I just conditioned my front seats. I'm now waiting on them to "bake". It's not extremely hot outside, but enough to get a black interior toasty... It appears only the "seating surfaces" and maybe the headrests are really vinyl... Kinda bugs me that I pay extra for over rated vinyl, and most of it actually is vinyl... anywhere I can actually find out what is vinyl and what is leather? I just posted the same thing on mustangforums.com, but haven't had time to get any responses...

Well, I'll keep you updated... not sure what this will do for my car, but my hands are nice and soft now...

Thanks again!

 

Closer - I'm with you on paying preimum for leather and then only getting leather on the front bucket "seating surfaces". The seat sides, headrests, backs and entire rear seat are all "Pleather"....I had a 2000 GT Vert and it is the same on my '05 Mustang GT and my Lariat F-150 - only the front seating surfaces are actually leather and honestly - not very good grade leather at that. I'm spolied from my 2001 Lincoln LS - it really was full leather interior and nice leather!!

 

So, what's the verdict Mr. I won the Rockpick's Insert the Caption Game?

 

Sorry, I thought I came back...

I like! It even did a nice job on the vinyl. I think I'm going to go back and put a thin coat on the back seat.

Thanks a bunch!

Now, how often do you really think I should do this? I'm in my quite a bit, but I rarely have passengers, and I try my best to keep people out of the back seat.

I'm still curious about having them recovered in suede. Gonna check out Katskins, and see what they offer. I'm sure it's more than I'll want to spend any time soon, but I can dream...

 

Krikey, that was a good caption!