Care of Leather Seats

[Jayson Naidoo]

Hi Guys

I would like to know what sort of leather care products that i can use on the car seats. I have a container of Dubbin or can i purchase another product to care and soften the seats. Will the leather care products damage the seats.

Thank You

Jayson.....[/b]

 

[cdrbmw]

Hi Guys

I would like to know what sort of leather care products that i can use on the car seats. I have a container of Dubbin or can i purchase another product to care and soften the seats. Will the leather care products damage the seats.

Thank You

Jayson.....[/b]

Hi Jayson

Dubbin tends to weaken the stitching of the leather seats over time. Although the BMW leather care cream is a bit expensive you would not regret using this.

 

[rick540]

No, generally leather care products will not damage leather.......

If you mean the foam inside the seat, no it won't do anything to it.

Try the Smartwax leather creme from Crazy detailer, it's nice stuff.

 

[gpgold]

I use Meguiars Gold Class leather conditioner...works great!

 

[Yuvan]

There are many out there bud but from what i heard, Maguires leather products works wonders!

Mostly there are conditioners out there, what i wanna know is what good leather cleaner is available out there? I know some conditioners work as a cleaner but it just doesnt have that ability to remove stubben dirt or stains like soap would?

I have read many articles on how to clean leather and all of them warn against using household detergents so i know thats a NO GO and ofcourse common sense that leather was once part of a living creatures "skin", so bearing that in mind.......I wanna ask....

the more experienced volk on hear(please dont laugh) How will Dove soap work for that cleaning -exfoliating factor on leather?? I mean its soapy(for dirt) and yet neutral(non acidic or harmful) in its PH balance and harmless to most skin types, those are all good attributes to a good cleaning agent.

Whats your ideas/inputs on this?

 

[Fordkoppie]

There are many out there bud but from what i heard, Maguires leather products works wonders!

Mostly there are conditioners out there, what i wanna know is what good leather cleaner is available out there? I know some conditioners work as a cleaner but it just doesnt have that ability to remove stubben dirt or stains like soap would?

I have read many articles on how to clean leather and all of them warn against using household detergents so i know thats a NO GO and ofcourse common sense that leather was once part of a living creatures "skin", so bearing that in mind.......I wanna ask....

the more experienced volk on hear(please dont laugh) How will Dove soap work for that cleaning -exfoliating factor on leather?? I mean its soapy(for dirt) and yet neutral(non acidic or harmful) in its PH balance and harmless to most skin types, those are all good attributes to a good cleaning agent.

Whats your ideas/inputs on this?

I have always used that pink baby shampoo (Elisabeth annes) on my ford's dasboard to clean it since they are very prone to cracking - even worse than an e30. So far the dash is still perfect, has a nice dull finish so it does not reflect in the windscreen and smells nice. So i think you can maybe use Dove for that stubborn dirt. :dunno:

 

[Pravin@crazydetailer]

I'm a firm believer of the 2 step approach. Clean and then protect. There are few dedicated cleaners like AutoGlym, Mothers etc. These go a long way to gently clean built up dirt and grim that accumulates over time.

Something that I do is brush the seats first with a soft leather brush. This helps loosen the dirt, and gets to hard to reach places like between stitching etc. Then I spray the leather cleaner onto a clean microfiber towel and wipe clean. I prefer to apply to the towel and not directly to the seats as you get a more even application. The nice thing about the leather cleaner is you can use it to clean the dash as well ! :idea:
Leave the seats the air dry PROPERLY. Then follow up with a conditioner that conditions and leaves the leather supple.

If you like the matte finish, we have a decent kit that leaves leather and dashboards looking like new again ----> Leather & Dash Matte Finish Kit

Regarding the dove method, I suppose it could work. My only concern would be the risk of over saturating the seats with the soapy mixture. And then after that I'm guessing you going to need plenty of water to rinse them out again?

 

[Yuvan]

There are many out there bud but from what i heard, Maguires leather products works wonders!

Mostly there are conditioners out there, what i wanna know is what good leather cleaner is available out there? I know some conditioners work as a cleaner but it just doesnt have that ability to remove stubben dirt or stains like soap would?

I have read many articles on how to clean leather and all of them warn against using household detergents so i know thats a NO GO and ofcourse common sense that leather was once part of a living creatures "skin", so bearing that in mind.......I wanna ask....

the more experienced volk on hear(please dont laugh) How will Dove soap work for that cleaning -exfoliating factor on leather?? I mean its soapy(for dirt) and yet neutral(non acidic or harmful) in its PH balance and harmless to most skin types, those are all good attributes to a good cleaning agent.

Whats your ideas/inputs on this?

Found this on the net.

http://www.women24.com/HomeAndAway/DIY/How-to-clean-leather-20110519

---

I'm a firm believer of the 2 step approach. Clean and then protect. There are few dedicated cleaners like AutoGlym, Mothers etc. These go a long way to gently clean built up dirt and grim that accumulates over time.

Something that I do is brush the seats first with a soft leather brush. This helps loosen the dirt, and gets to hard to reach places like between stitching etc. Then I spray the leather cleaner onto a clean microfiber towel and wipe clean. I prefer to apply to the towel and not directly to the seats as you get a more even application. The nice thing about the leather cleaner is you can use it to clean the dash as well ! :idea:
Leave the seats the air dry PROPERLY. Then follow up with a conditioner that conditions and leaves the leather supple.

If you like the matte finish, we have a decent kit that leaves leather and dashboards looking like new again ----> Leather & Dash Matte Finish Kit

Regarding the dove method, I suppose it could work. My only concern would be the risk of over saturating the seats with the soapy mixture. And then after that I'm guessing you going to need plenty of water to rinse them out again?

Is there a special leather brush? Can you recommend a more easily available brush that can work as well or is there only 1 type leather brush?

 

[Pravin@crazydetailer]

Is there a special leather brush? Can you recommend a more easily available brush that can work as well or is there only 1 type leather brush?

A soft shoe brush would even suffice. Emphasis on soft. I picked up a brush at the local hyper for about 20 odd bux. I keep it dedicated for the seats and store in a plastic ziploc bag. Makes a huge difference :thumbs:

 

[Yuvan]

Is there a special leather brush? Can you recommend a more easily available brush that can work as well or is there only 1 type leather brush?

A soft shoe brush would even suffice. Emphasis on soft. I picked up a brush at the local hyper for about 20 odd bux. I keep it dedicated for the seats and store in a plastic ziploc bag. Makes a huge difference :thumbs:

Thanks bro, will keep an eye out for a soft brush! :thumbs:

 

[Yuvan]

I will be trying the Dove thing this weekend. Will clean with the Dove soap and condition with Shield Leather Cream care. Will post the results on Monday!

 

[rick540]

My 2 cents.

Don't try get all clever with cleaning and leather care it's actually quite complicated chemistry as leather is fibers, collagen, protein and various fats, just use a leather creme.

Dont use Dove, soap, even Dubbin on car leather, yes it may clean nicely but the leather lasting a long time is all about the PH level it's maintained at. Dove is PH balanced if you use it on you body, on leather it will be alkaline and destroy it.

To clean leather use any good leather cleaning foam (Like megs) and a toothbrush

 

[calypso]

Note sure if I have posted this link before:
http://detailingwiki.com/index.php5?title=Basic_Automotive_Leather_Care
Thats from the boss TOWGT.

Short form is, automotive leather is more plastic then leather.
Use dedicated automotive leather care products for best results.

Thanks

 

[Carbon M3]

Note sure if I have posted this link before:
http://detailingwiki.com/index.php5?title=Basic_Automotive_Leather_Care
Thats from the boss TOWGT.

Short form is, automotive leather is more plastic then leather.
Use dedicated automotive leather care products for best results.

Thanks

Nice Link
:ty:

 

[Yuvan]

My 2 cents.

Don't try get all clever with cleaning and leather care it's actually quite complicated chemistry as leather is fibers, collagen, protein and various fats, just use a leather creme.

Dont use Dove, soap, even Dubbin on car leather, yes it may clean nicely but the leather lasting a long time is all about the PH level it's maintained at. Dove is PH balanced if you use it on you body, on leather it will be alkaline and destroy it.

To clean leather use any good leather cleaning foam (Like megs) and a toothbrush

Nice point Rick but do you think that the surface of the leather might be acidic enough to change the PH neutral of Dove when it comes into contact with the leather to such a point and have adverse effects?

If so than it will speed up the rate at which the leather will deteriorate but that depends on how frequent it(Dove) is used, right?
That's a dumb question but the reason i asked is because this will be a 1 time attempt)

Eish Chemaaastree! LOL

 

[Baps]

Hi Guys

I just got my hands on a set of black Vaders today.
The leather still looks in good condition.
It still needs a clean and condition, though, before I install.

I had no idea that leather care was so technical.
Given the advice on this thread, I think that I am going to do things as simply as possible.
Clean and condition using microfibre cloths and possibly Meguires or Autoglym products.

I hope that this will work fine.
Are there any issues that I need to watch out for on the Vaders (did they come with specially treated leather, etc)?
I own a E36 1999 328i drop top.
These seats should fit with no hassles, right?

 

[Adi]

Ok, another 2cents worth.....and no we did not compare notes Fordkoppie....use the baby shampoo or normal dishwashing liquid, based on Rick540's transform in the M5 decided to do my e36 seats too. Took them out and cleaned with lots of baby shampoo and then ran out, so used dish washing liquid, squirt it on, carried seats into the sun and then rubbed it in, making some foam, then wiping it of with a moist cloth. Takes all the dirt out.
To give the leather some norishment, and this was recommended by a chemical engineer working in the automotive industry in Germany, I use raw linsead oil. Rub it onto seat...leave the seat in the sun.....then wipe access of / polish, and the seats are soft and feel wow......

And the e36 has a light grey interior!

Will post some picks over the weekend.......

 

[Yuvan]

Hi Guys

I just got my hands on a set of black Vaders today.
The leather still looks in good condition.
It still needs a clean and condition, though, before I install.

I had no idea that leather care was so technical.
Given the advice on this thread, I think that I am going to do things as simply as possible.
Clean and condition using microfibre cloths and possibly Meguires or Autoglym products.

I hope that this will work fine.
Are there any issues that I need to watch out for on the Vaders (did they come with specially treated leather, etc)?
I own a E36 1999 328i drop top.
These seats should fit with no hassles, right?

WOW and congratz, please post pics! Also, if you dont mind sharing, how much did you pick them up for?

Im Vadar crazy!!!:inlove:

---

Ok, another 2cents worth.....and no we did not compare notes Fordkoppie....use the baby shampoo or normal dishwashing liquid, based on Rick540's transform in the M5 decided to do my e36 seats too. Took them out and cleaned with lots of baby shampoo and then ran out, so used dish washing liquid, squirt it on, carried seats into the sun and then rubbed it in, making some foam, then wiping it of with a moist cloth. Takes all the dirt out.
To give the leather some norishment, and this was recommended by a chemical engineer working in the automotive industry in Germany, I use raw linsead oil. Rub it onto seat...leave the seat in the sun.....then wipe access of / polish, and the seats are soft and feel wow......

And the e36 has a light grey interior!

Will post some picks over the weekend.......

Thanks for sharing bru, can raw linsead be bough at a local grocer??

 

[Baps]

Hi Guys

I just got my hands on a set of black Vaders today.
The leather still looks in good condition.
It still needs a clean and condition, though, before I install.

I had no idea that leather care was so technical.
Given the advice on this thread, I think that I am going to do things as simply as possible.
Clean and condition using microfibre cloths and possibly Meguires or Autoglym products.

I hope that this will work fine.
Are there any issues that I need to watch out for on the Vaders (did they come with specially treated leather, etc)?
I own a E36 1999 328i drop top.
These seats should fit with no hassles, right?

WOW and congratz, please post pics! Also, if you dont mind sharing, how much did you pick them up for?

Im Vadar crazy!!!:inlove:

Hi

I was not sure how much these seats go for.
I actually seized some motors on my normal cabrio/standard M3 seats about a year back.
The replacement costs of these motors could have cost R10 000, worst case.
I bought a set of Autostyle buckets as a stop gap set of seats.
Used these for 5 months.
Wouldnt recommend them.
They sit too low (no motor carriage underneath) and the headrest lies too far back.
You basically have to contort yourself in and out of them.

To cut a long story short.
I found the Vaders on Gumtree on Wednesday.
The guy had them posted initially for R6500.
I went through to Centurion and checked them out.
He had imported them from Cape Town a while back (for an E36 cabrio, which he recently sold for R40 000) and they were still in the bubble wrap and packaging.
He assured me that the motors are all working.
Havent tested them yet, as my damn bucket seats sit too low for me to get to the harness, and I did not have time/tools to remove the buckets on site.

I put in a bit of a stupid bid of R3700.
Can you believe it, he agreed.
Now I hope all the motors work.
But honestly, I am prepared to do R10 000 repair work on the motors if they dont.
I mean, these are Vaders.

The guy was actually nice enough to deliver the Vaders to my house this afternoon.
My wife was at home and she called and told me that the seats look good from a leather condition point of view.
I hope I dont get caught on the motors.
I will let you guys know after fitment.

Baps

 

[Yuvan]

Hi Guys

I just got my hands on a set of black Vaders today.
The leather still looks in good condition.
It still needs a clean and condition, though, before I install.

I had no idea that leather care was so technical.
Given the advice on this thread, I think that I am going to do things as simply as possible.
Clean and condition using microfibre cloths and possibly Meguires or Autoglym products.

I hope that this will work fine.
Are there any issues that I need to watch out for on the Vaders (did they come with specially treated leather, etc)?
I own a E36 1999 328i drop top.
These seats should fit with no hassles, right?

WOW and congratz, please post pics! Also, if you dont mind sharing, how much did you pick them up for?

Im Vadar crazy!!!:inlove:

Hi

I was not sure how much these seats go for.
I actually seized some motors on my normal cabrio/standard M3 seats about a year back.
The replacement costs of these motors could have cost R10 000, worst case.
I bought a set of Autostyle buckets as a stop gap set of seats.
Used these for 5 months.
Wouldnt recommend them.
They sit too low (no motor carriage underneath) and the headrest lies too far back.
You basically have to contort yourself in and out of them.

To cut a long story short.
I found the Vaders on Gumtree on Wednesday.
The guy had them posted initially for R6500.
I went through to Centurion and checked them out.
He had imported them from Cape Town a while back (for an E36 cabrio, which he recently sold for R40 000) and they were still in the bubble wrap and packaging.
He assured me that the motors are all working.
Havent tested them yet, as my damn bucket seats sit too low for me to get to the harness, and I did not have time/tools to remove the buckets on site.

I put in a bit of a stupid bid of R3700.
Can you believe it, he agreed.
Now I hope all the motors work.
But honestly, I am prepared to do R10 000 repair work on the motors if they dont.
I mean, these are Vaders.

The guy was actually nice enough to deliver the Vaders to my house this afternoon.
My wife was at home and she called and told me that the seats look good from a leather condition point of view.
I hope I dont get caught on the motors.
I will let you guys know after fitment.

Baps

Thats a steal for that price!!!!! Congrats!!!