Gary C

Hey guys,
Reading that funny thread about the trophy wife, got me thinking about leather care. My car has the black leather so it doesn't show dirt like a lighter color. It is great shape and I just use the Meguires leather wipes on it. What do you guys use to clean and condition the leather? Are the interiors in our cars natural or are they coated? I see different conditioners for each type. How do you tell if they are coated or not. I ask this because the wife drives a Buick Rainier with leather and that needs to be cleaned too.

mis3

My w209 has black leather interior as well. I have been using Gold Class Rich Leather Spray with excellent results. It says "Cleaner, Conditioner" on the bottle.

I also recommend Meguiars Ultimate Protectant for the vinyl and plastic. This product can be used for exterior as well, it bought my windshield cowl back to life (from light grey to black)!

I usually apply these products every 2 months. My w209 is almost 9 yrs old and its interior is immaculate.

Yidney

I use Leatherique Rejuvinator Oil and Prestine Clean. You can use the Prestine Clean whenever you want, but the whole process with the oil is done every now and then - like once a year.

Glyn M Ruck

I have used Maquiar's Rich Leather Cleaner/Conditioner CREAM for years on my cars & it works very well & feeds the leather well in Africa's high UV conditions. Autoglym is equally good. My leather was as new after 8 years on my previous Benz. To clean I just use water & detergent & don't overwet. I have traditionally done this annually. I had light grey leather (alpaca grey) in my previous car.

mis3

I still have a bottle of 6-7 years old Meguaires Rich Leather Cleaner/Conditioner cream and frankly, I do not know how to use it. Mr car has perforarted leather and the cream would be stuck inside the tiny holes. The white cream would eventually solidify inside the holes and I would need a tooth-pick to remove them, one by one.

How do you apply this product?

Glyn M Ruck

Leather after 8 years:

Glyn M Ruck

I apply with a Maguiar's application pad. Rub in ~ allow residue to dry. Brush off with a very soft brush ~ wipe with a terry towel & thats it.

mis3

I used the Maguiars yellow pad as well. I am surprised that when you apply the product, the cream does not get stuck inside the tiny holes.

Glyn M Ruck

A little does but thats why I brush it with a soft brush after it has soaked in. As you can see from the pics nothing fouls the stitching & perforations.

What I like about both Maquiar's & Autoglym is that neither makes the leather shine & both have a pleasant smell that does not take over the new car smell.

Gary C

Have any of you heard of Leather Honey? I ask because it says to make sure the leather does not have a sealer on it, or it won't soak in. That is why I wonder about our interiors. Are they sealed? I was going to try this product. I was also worried about using a cream because of the perforated leather. That is why I went with the wipes.

Glyn M Ruck

Don't know Leather Honey. Our leather is surface colour non sealed. Your choice of leather "food" will certainly soak in.

Glyn M Ruck

These Gliptone guys from the UK understand leather better than Connolly & their waterbased colour repair system is the best.

http://www.google.co.za/url?sa=t&rct...MUpSNA&cad=rja

http://www.google.co.za/url?sa=t&rct...6NVezGqd4k9ZEg

http://www.google.co.za/url?sa=t&rct...vmDqYbAVdlW7Wg

http://www.google.co.za/url?sa=t&rct...4MUo6t7i0oafYA

Yalin

What do you use to keep it like this?

İt looks just like new.

Glyn M Ruck

See post #4

mis3

Amazing. You should be proud of how well you maintain your car!

Now I am concerned if my Meguiare cream is still good. I bought this maybe 6-7 years ago.

Glyn M Ruck

I have noticed that the Maquiar's product thickens up a bit after long storage but I've never had anything that was not useable.

I'll probably use the Gliptone product on my Jag when it's finished because of their experience with Connolly hide which I'm using for the leather upholstery.

Rudeney

I like Maguires, but Lexol seems to do maybe a little better job. Maguire is less expensive, though.

Glyn M Ruck

Lexol is not available in SA. Until Maquiar's came here we only had all the European stuff here plus some pretty good local brands.

Yidney

I have perforated leather and that's one reason I like the Leatherique stuff. You put it on and just watch it wick into the leather because the holes are punched after the leather is dyed so you get direct contact. A thicker product may not wick in as well.

mis3

For my old bottle of Meguaires cream, I will try to warm it up (submerge it in hot water) in the hope that it will become thinner and can be applied easier.

Gary C

Thanks for all the advice guys. I ordered Leatherique Reguvenator and Pristine clean. I have 2 vehicles to do. Now to find the time.......

Glyn M Ruck

I don't think you can go wrong with Leatherique. I have no experience with the product but I note in a couple of forum shoot outs on the internet that performance is very similar to Gliptone. Cleaner maybe a smidgen better than Gliptone & treatment not quite as good. These are subjective measures of course. If it's in the Gliptone level of performance it's pretty damn good.

Yidney

Good choice. Let me give you some tips since I've used it a lot. You may have read some articles on applying it - you should do it on a warm day - or a least a day warm enough to get the interior warm if you have the windows up in the sun. If its a real hot day, then avoid direct sun. You want to be able to leave it on for several hours.

1. Vacuum your seats but do not clean them.

2. Go to Home Depot and look in the paint brushes for what is called a chip brush. All HDs sell them. They are basically real cheap brushes with bare wood handles and natural bristles. They cost like $1.95 and are on the bottom row usually. Get at least a 2" one.

3. Rejuvinator oil is about the consistency of motor oil, so it's pretty runny. That's why I suggest the brush. If you use your hands like they show online it will puddle and run. Just pour some in like an old margarine container and dip the brush in. Apply pretty liberally though. It will look like you just smeared your seats with 10W-40.

4. Let it sit in a warm place for as many hours as you can. This is probably less critical with perforated leather since it immediately gets to the leather backing.

5. Put the prestine clean in a spray bottle. Make sure to shake the prestine clean. It should look milky, but tends to look just like the oil if you let it sit a while. Spray a small section at a time and wipe with a an old cotton rag. You are done.

You can use the oil on your steering wheel or shift knob too, but just the prestine clean does a good job, and if you use a white rag to wipe it you'll be amazed at the gunk in your steering wheel leather.

user 823908234

Thanks, as usual, Glyn, Yidney, Rodney,

And there it seems may be the answer to whether or not I can dye just the center section (perforated) of my ash leather to black.

Now, the gonads to try it... I haven't located those as of yet.
Perhaps there is a local shop using Gliptone, if so, I would trust them. The search is on...

Glyn M Ruck

I have never used Gliptone Scuffmaster to change colours. Only to touch up seats with their perfectly matched colours. Maybe you should e mail them for comment.