My TL is only 6 months old. I have parchment interior. The leather seatback and the door arm rest (which is just plastic) and the center console arm rest (leather) have gotten very dirty. i think alot of it may be from my black leather jacket that i have worn in the car most of the time since i bought it in October. I have tried a few things to get it off, but it wont come clean. Not even on the door arm rest thats just plastic. Any suggestions of what i can use to get it off? One suggestion i have heard is to try alcohol but i am concerned about using that on leather, and that it might take the vinyl paint of the door arm rest.

 

A lot of people have recommended Lexol for cleaning the leather.

Check out this thread:

http://www.acura-tl.com/forum/showth...hlight=leather

 

Soak w/ Armor All for about 30 seconds, wipe clean

 

I used Meguiar's Gold Class (click here) on both my 2000 TL (parchment interior) and it worked quite well. Just apply some to a clean cloth and buff it into the leather. Took all the black marks off the seat and the armrest.

Good luck!

 

I have parchment interior and also wear a black leather jacket, so I understand. I've used Meguiar's Medallion for leather, and my seats looks as good as the day I bought the car. It's hard to find and you may have to order it directly from Meguiar's. Make sure you get the Medallion for leather as there is also a Medallion for paint (which is equally awesome). They both come in a large black squeeze bottle.

 

Thanks goaub, I will go to the ends of the earth to find it if you say it will work....any tricks for using it other than wiping it on and rubbing a bit? And what did you use to clean the vinyl arm rest on the door? I even tried windex and 409 on the arm rest and it didnt seam to come clean?

 

windex & 409 :wow:

DONT USE THOSE AGAIN!!

 

I have been using Lexol leather cleaner and conditioner for my 99 TL and it still looks great.

 

99TL, no i didnt use 409 on the leather! I tried to use it on the door handle which is just vinyl. I tried a few other cleaners including Citru-solv which is one of the better citrus based cleaners out there and even that dodnt seem to work. it seems the leather from my jacket somehow embedded itself into the vinyl. I am certainly open for any suggestions short of buying a new door panel... I will try the Meguires on the leather seat. (btw, it was a very expensive leather jacket so i cant figure why this happened to begin with)

 

well don't underestimate the door armrest coz' imho i think that's the hardest part to clean. i think whateve color got stuck in it tough. i would suggest using some kind of soft tooth brush to help cleaning it.

and keep in mind, clean up your interior regularly (not excessively though) and clean up any stains immediately. don't wait till weekend or so. the sooner you clean it the higher the chance it will come off.

and btw i use lexol product and it serves me very well

 

Kind of timely. I was washing my car last night and I noticed my armrest was FILTHY! I have some Meguiars Vinyl and Rubber cleaner and it worked well. I just sprayed it one, let it soak for a while, and it came right off. As for the Meguiar's Medallion for leather, the instructions tell you to put the stuff on a terry cloth towel and wipe it on. I saw a tip in Car & Driver once where they said that's pretty wasteful and you usually don't get enough on the surface. What I do instead is squeeze it onto my fingers and then rub it into the leather. I let it sit for a minute and then wipe it off with a terry cloth towel. You'd be amazed how dirty that towel is.

 

mine gets nasty too. i have used meguiars gold class and it works alright. i am also looking for the best out there.

 

i couldnt find Meguires Medallion so i bought the Meguires Gold Class (which is a one step cleaner & treatment) and i also got a bottle of Mothers leather cleaner (strictly a cleaner). i tried the Mother's on the center arm rest and it got most of it off, but there is still a little very faint dirty color. i didnt try leaving it on for a bit before wiping, or rubbing it in with my fingertips (i didnt have time to, since i did it in the parking garage of my office while on my way up to work) I will certainly spend the time on the weekend to try and get it all off.

Assuming i get it clean, what is your opinion about scotchguard leather protector? I have used the fabric stuff on rugs and velour seats, but i have never tried the leather version. I wondered if i spray it on to hopefully make the dirt come off easier in the future, how i would be able to also use leather conditioners down the road without removing the scotchgard layer?

 

maybe give 303 aerospace protectant a try? i just ordered it so we'll have to see how it goes. heard it works great though.

-briancl

 

Ok the best stuff to clean the whole car is called ENDLESS.. Its a multipurpose cleaner. It has the power of bleach. I spary down my whole interior with it (including leather, console, armrest carpet if there any stain and the plastic panels) then take a huge rag and start wiping with leather first. This gets the leather lookin brand new. After that I use meguirs to condition. ENDLESS has to be the best cleaning product ever i think.

 

Damn! In just 6 mo.!?!? 5hit...
Just to let you know. First, I use brush with warm water & detergent to gently brush away the dirt that seemed to stick on your leather. Secondly, wipe it clean. Finally, put a layer of armorall onto it to protect it and wait for 20 min. til your second layer. Try it if all the others does not seem to work! Best luck!

 

Yeah Inspire, its only been just under 6 months, but I've already got 10k+ miles on the car. Thats why i bought the car outright instead of leasing it because i knew i'd rack up the miles.

Now what about the scotchguard leather protector everyone?!?? Give me some feedback about it. Anybody tried it yet? If it will make it easier to clean the leather in the future i will spray it on, but i want to hear if anyone had back experiences with it. For example, i assume i cant use leather conditioner on the seats once i use the scotchguard...