I'm curious about how often people clean and condition their seats. I do it about three times a year with Lexol--but the manual is silent on how often is recommended. What do you do and what conditioner do you use?

 

I use Eagle One. The Tannery Cleaner/Conditioner is a good product as well. It has a very distinct odor, like a new car scent after applying. I've only applied the Eagle One only once this year.

 

I do it 1-2X per month!

 

I use Griot's Garage Leather Care about once a month. I think you're supposed to do it like 2 or three times a year, but it's a new car and I want to keep it looking new.
That being said, there is no noticeable wear on any of my leather surfaces after about four and a half months. I'm also very skinny and don't weigh much so there's not much to rub against the seats :P

 

I use 303 Aerospace Protectant. Our leather (like our paint) is clear coated so you just have to keep it clean and keep the sun from aging it.

I've given the whole interior (dash, seats, trim) a rubdown with 303 twice now. I've had the car since mid April. I would guess that two to four times per year would be more then enough - 303 seems to last.

 

leatherique.com

I think..


best stuff in the world, makes any leather soft and supple.

 

I have to cast my vote for Eagle One leather cleaner and conditioner. I clean & condition the leather in my car twice a year- it keeps the seats, etc. looking great.

 

I use Meguiar's Gold Class Leather Cleaner/Conditioner...works great. I do it whenever it needs it...about 3 x per year.

 

the guys on e46fanatics have used various brands, including Lexol and Zymol...check it out HERE

 

What types of conditioner/cleaner don't come in such a thick paste??? The hardest part of doing the seats, as we all know, is the shit gets caught in the holes. Are there any leather liquids that do the trick?

 

As far as the stuff getting caught in the holes, I've found that it goes away after about a minute or two after applying.


I use Armor All Leather Care on my seats and I've been pretty happy with it. It gives them a nice "new look" when applied without being shiny and reflective. Has a nice smell too. It also doesn't leave any kind of a residue or anything.

I've conditioned my seats twice now since I got the car in early May. I'll probably keep to the every couple months schedule.

 

i think all you guys are craazy for conditioning your leather, here are my reasons....first of all, the look of those seats with conditioner on them makes them look cheap like the fake GM pleather....the look of the acura leather new is very nice, why mess up that look? the SMELL of the new acura leather is nice, why mess that up with some nasty cheap smelling chemical that makes your ride smell like some dudes 1983 cadillac eldorado?? last but not least, the leather is under warrenty, so if the shit cracks or rips..ITS COVERED...NEW LEATHER FOR FREEEEE...and the new leather will smell better, and look better than any conditioned leather....so in any case, these are the reasons that my leather will never see any type of conditioner whatsover...

 

I use Zaino Z12. Works great, smells great!

jimcol711: I feel your thinking is all wrong. Most of our conditioners are not out to make our seats shine, but rather keep them intact and protect them from the sun, wear and tear, etc.. Yes, the new Acura leather does look very nice, which is why we condition and protect our leather to keep it looking nice. I highly doubt many of us have "fake GM pleather" looking seats.

Ive conditioned my seats once a while ago. No one has told me it smells like a "1983 Cadillac Eldorado" - in fact I've been told by surprised people that my car still smells new.

And lastly...Yes, maybe your seats ARE covered under warranty, but everyone knows of course how very lax those dealers are when it comes to replacing things under warranty .

So, my conclusion is: spend the whatever number of bucks on a decent leather care product, keep everything intact and looking nice, and save yourself the trouble of warranty. Pick the right product, and you won't get a pleather look nor a "1983 Cadillac" smell. If you do the whole warranty thing, you'll end up paying more for gas to get to your dealer, maybe even renting a car while you wait, wasting your time at the dealer, amongst a number of things you could be doing in that time.

Anyone else agree/disagree? Feel free to post!

 

I think this must vary drastically between brands of conditioners. The stuff I use produces very little "gloss-effect" compared to some of the pictures I've seen posted here, which have been so reflective that I'm surprised the people couldn't see themselves in them.

I guess this is a personal preference though. If some people like the high gloss look to their seats, then who am I to fault them for it. Personally, I think it looks bad, but it's their car, they can do whatever they want to it. If they think it looks good, then that's all that matters.

Quote:

the SMELL of the new acura leather is nice, why mess that up with some nasty cheap smelling chemical that makes your ride smell like some dudes 1983 cadillac eldorado??

Again, I think this must also vary from brand to brand as well. Mine smells like leather and the first thing I thought when I sniffed my interior after conditioning was how "new" it smelled. If my conditioner made my interior reak of cheap chemicals I wouldn't use it.

 

I use the Lexol Leather cleaner and also the conditioner. I think that it works great. I also use the conditioner on my dash, so that it can protect it from the sun. I use to put Armoral on the dash, but then it left this shiny glare that reflected off of my windshield!!!

 

Eagle 1 cleaner and conditioner.......

whenever it doesnt feel smooth and when you sit down you should be able to move side to side easy

 

I tried some mink-oil conditioner which was meant for my leather couch. It worked great. No color fade on the black type S seat, and no gunk in the holes.

Only problem now is the seats makes that farting noise when u move around (like on a leather couch...haha).

Oh. It's from the kit the funiture store tries to sell you with u buy leather funiture.

 

I also use Lexol cleaner and conditioner. I find the cleaner works well, but as for the conditioner it's only so so. It just doesn't seem to last very long. A glossy looking conditioner is deceiving because it has nothing to do with the quality of the product. As a matter of fact, I don't want a shining seat because it would make my ass slide too much while I am driving. I have yet to find a good conditioner.