BosMaSwaG37

iTrader: (11)

Anyone have advice or recommendation on what leather cleaner is best for our G's?

slawek65

www.autogeek.net

blueslate11

Don't use a cleaner without conditioning the leather afterwards. If you want an all in one cleaner/conditioner Meguiars works well for me. If you want separate cleaner and conditioner Lexol is tough to beat.

BosMaSwaG37

iTrader: (11)

I'm open for whatever works well. I didn't have a preference per se.

hobbs

I used Lexol products for 30+ years, until I tried Zaino. No more Lexol for me.

slawek65

[quote=blueslate11;3365296]Don't use a cleaner without conditioning the leather afterwards.
WHY NOT ??? You can clean leather with only wet cloth without any negative efect to the leather.

benseen

I have many different products that I've used but now I have settled on using water based Leather Master Soft Cleaner and Protection Cream in my G37 seats. Smells nice and real easy to use. Zaino has a strong leather smell which I dislike and it makes the seats grabby.

DD carries Leather Master Leather Master

TOGWT

Unless a Premium Leather option was purchased the type of leather upholstery used by ~ 95% of OEM is a multi stratum covering over the leather hide; the top strata is the surface pigmentation (colour) and an abrasion resistant urethane.

Simple cleaning and protection steps that will prolong the life of finished leather, urethane doesn’t require conditioning or rejuvenation




“Proper Finished Leather Cleaning and Care” - http://www.autopia.org/forum/guide-d...ning-care.html

cruzmisl

I love this guy's posts. He's like a detailing encyclopedia

TOGWT

Autopia Detailing Wiki - http://www.autopia.org/forum/autopia-detailing-wiki/

Knowledge unshared is Experience wasted...

Coprolite

To summarize and ask questions about the above article:
For Urethane(and perforated)seats use:
1) Leather Master foam Cleaner.
2)hydrate regularly with a damp towel
3)protect with Leather Master Protection Cream and 303 Aero protectant
4)to soften : Leather Master Soft Touch

Some questions:
Do you need to use both the LM protection cream and the 303 or will just 303 work?

Is the LM soft touch required? Will this actually make them softer than new?

Are there any Leather Master kits that would provide beginners a good start or are we better off getting bottles if we already have a good stash of detailing grade MF towels?

Thanks, TOGWT for the assistance!

rlo

Depending on how often you clean I have always liked Leatherique.

ShyAznB8oi

iTrader: (4)

i use lexol

TOGWT

Q: Do you need to use both the LM protection cream and the 303 or will just 303 work?

Unless you have a convertible the protection cream will suffice. 303 Space Protectant is for (UV) ultra violet protection

Q: Is the LM soft touch required? Will this actually make them softer than new?

I like to use Soft Touch periodically to soften the finished leather. Softer than new is subjective; how hard were they to start with.

If you keep the surface clean and hydrated and use the Soft Touch periodically your finished leather should remain “good as new”

Q: Are there any Leather Master kits that would provide beginners a good start or are we better off getting bottles if we already have a good stash of detailing grade MF towels?

A kit that contains a cleaner, protection and soft touch should be fine (see detailers domain sells an LM Kit)

judyb

Leather does not require 'conditioning' with anything other than water but water alone is not enough to clean. Using a soap based product can leave residues on the surface which may affect the finish.

Keep your leather clean by protecting it with a leather protector and then regular cleaning.
Adding 'conditioners' which generally contain oils and waxes will change the appearance of your leather over time as dirt will build up on the surface and cause a sheen.

Using the correct care methods and products will not alter the factory finish.

The type of leather you have is 'coated' leather. This is essentially a 'painted' leather
with a clear coat finish over the top. The leather may or may not be dyed through with
aniline dyes prior to the finish coating.

Essentially it is this top coating that needs looking after.
Cleaning is vitally important as the top coat will wear away if allowed to become dirty.
Dirt on the surface will also become ground into the finish by constant abrassion.

'Conditioners', balms, feeds etc (traditionally oil and wax based) cannot penetrate this
finish so are not worth applying - they can also leave behind residues on the finish which will only attract more dirt if allowed to remain. 'Conditioners' will not do any
protecting on leather even if they say they do as there will not be enough active
ingredient in them to do anything.

A protector will make the finish easier to clean and also inhibit dye transfer etc
on pale coloured leathers.

Leather however finished has to remain breathable and it will allow the movement of
moisture back and forth (transpiration) so the use of water based cleaners and
protectors will keep the leather correctly hydrated which is essentail to keeping it in
good condition.

Leather needs a little regular care and attention and this can be done with a maintenance product rather than a deep clean which you would then only need to do once or twice a year depending on usage and colour.

The routine for correct care should be

Protect from new
Maintain with a regular clean or maintenance product
Deep clean with a foam cleaner once or twice a year

Simple steps of cleaning & protecting will prolong the life of the finish on the leather without changing the look or feel and without leaving harmful residues on the surface of the leather.

Hope this helps
Judyb
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