Pete2010

Hey Everyone,

It seems to me that the type of leather used in the 4G is different than in my 3G. I'm not sure if this is the case, but since this leather seems much softer and nicer, I would like to try and keep it that way.

What are people using to clean and condition the leather in their 4G?

febdragon

I've been using Lexol cleaner and conditioner every other month so far. It's holding up quite nicely. I have Taupe interior and seems like it gets dirty pretty quick for the driver seat.

chaiwala

I use 1:2 ratio of woolite/water. Cheap and works incredibly great

PaulNY

I bought a Mothers Cleaner/Conditioner, cleans up the leather nicely.

I have taupe also and I agree that the drivers seat gets incredibly dirty, but this stuff cuts through it quick and the leather feels great and the car smells like new after use. Had my car over a year and people still say everything smells brand new.

Think this is the one:
http://www.amazon.com/Mothers-10424-...9735634&sr=1-3

YetiTL

Lexol conditionner once per month a 2-3 times per year I use 303 on the leatherm rubber, trims, dash etc.

Kingmeow

Spinneybeck cleaner for me. My brother gave me a small bottle of it. He uses it on his M3. Man, excellent cleaner on my Taupe interior. You should see the dirt it picks up on the cleaning rag.

docboy

Good info on this thread. What are the prices on some of these aforementioned items? I'll have to check them out.

Pete2010

I was going to do that until I read this post on a auto detailing website. I'm concerned about the long term effects of using woolite.
http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/...tml#post248940

I usually get my detailing stuff from Autogeek.net or Detailed Image, both are good places and usually have random 10-15% deals throughout the year.

LoveMyTL-S

Check out the Wash and Wax section for great products and ideas:

https://acurazine.com/forums/wash-wax-23/

Boeing B17G

Had great success with the Easy/Lazy for leather care: ArmorAll Cleaning Wipes to cleanse the leather seats. Followed by Meguiar's Gold Class-Rich Leather Cleaner/Conditioner Wipes to finish... 3X per year. It worked great on our '04 RSX-S and the seats looked like NEW at dealer trade-in for the TL. Smells good, too.

chaiwala

Good info Pete. I have been using woolite since I was a kid and detailing my dads car and I have never had a problem with leather cracking or denaturing. Woolite is essentialy like downy(softener) and it leaves leather, soft, supple and hydrated. My experience has shown no ill effect on leather for over 15 years now. My dad has 1995 Volvo as a beater now, bought new and has seen woolite once a month for 15 years now(yes we still do this on a beater) The only cracks are on the edges, not because of the cleaner but probably due to pressure on the seat, I presume.

Thanks for the link and a cool cool website!!

nkgnito

I use Zaino's leather soft spray cleather and the Leather in a Bottle. The Leather in a Bottle gives the car that "new car" smell each time you use it. Check them out at www.zainostore.com.

KeithL

Was using Lexol for years, but got turned onto LEather CPR about 2 years ago and never turned back. Easy to use, leaves leather better than lexol every did.

http://www.leathercpr.com/leather-ca...130762215c119f

MIKEYDRED

I use leather CPR good product but I think the wrinkles are showing more in 6 months on my 09 than my 04 did in 4 years.

1075

leatherique.com

Good stuff. I don't sell it, or profit from it, just been using it with good success.

KeithL

My 4G AWD is approaching 12K miles in 10+ months, more miles than my last few 3G Type-S' before I sold them, and I can say I do the leather once a month and the 4G leather looks liek new, can't say the same for my 3G cars, the leather folded and wrinkled quickly. I am so imoressed how well put togther this 4G is for a year 1 car!

bluphi93

I recommend Lexol as well. It keeps the leather supple and well protected. Make sure you keep it protected in the winter months when low temp make it more prone to cracking.

jzacuto

I used Lexol in my 3G exclusively and it worked well, but I also tried the Woolite/Water solution in my 4G and was surprised how well it worked too. And considering the drastic difference in price, it's a nice option.

As an aside: The SHAWD leather is so much softer than the base model, so I think it's important to take good care of it. The base model feels like cheap vinyl in comparison!

ggesq

iTrader: (1)

don't have a 4G but if I did I would use Zaino.

tx_belle

To clean we were told to use the Mr Clean Magic Erasers with the wavy edge. Gets the dye transfer from blue jeans out of the leather.

Haven't needed to condition just yet. Probably soon and will use the lexol or leather CPR. I am also curious on the prices of these products though.

HiroY

I just performed my first Lexol conditioning and have a question for you fellow conditioning gurus: Do you use it on all parts of the 4Gs seating surfaces? Or only the known leather parts? I believe certain panels of the seat aren't really leather? Aren't they like a leatherique/manmade material? Such as the seat backs and side panels and the door arm rest sections? Should I be using a different product on those parts? I assume the Lexol won't hurt but thought I'd ask... If you are using something different, what are you using?

Finally, I noticed when conditioning that the leather color transferred to my conditioning towels...I assume this is normal and OK and don't have to worry about my seats losing color over time as I continue to condition?

Pete2010

If you used Lexol, it probably wasn't the color transfer as much as it was the color of the conditioner on the towel. I did mine a couple weeks ago (ebony int), and there was no issues.

jzacuto

Re: Magic Erasers

I used them in my 3G to remove harsh stains and even some ball point pen ink from the seats, but as a rule I understand they are damaging to the leather itself. That if you use the sponge you should immediately follow-up with conditioner.

Can anyone confirm?

HiroY

Hi Pete! For myself, its definitely color transfer (the Umber color is much darker than the Lexol liquid). I actually noticed it initially before I even used the Lexol. I did a light cleaning of the seats with a damp rag first and noticed color transfer on the cloth with just water. Then, when I applied the Lexol, I of course noticed much more transfer. Perhaps the leather in my car is extremely fresh from the tannery...or maybe the tanning process or Umber color dye has a different 'curing' than the other colors like yours? At any rate, hopefully the transfer will stop by the next cleaning/conditioning cycle and the Lexol isn't having any adverse effects.

So does anyone use anything different on the non-leather surfaces? Of course, I guess I don't even know which exact panels are non-leather even if I did want to use something different. I guess I'll just continue to use Lexol on everything that is Umber.

HiroY

I would assume constant use of the Magic Eraser would lead to bad things since I believe the way it works is that it wears away a layer of the dirty material along with the dirt itself. I notice this when I use the eraser on dirty walls in my house - I have to be very light with it because it wears away some of the paint as it cleans.