georgiagirl85

I recently purchased a 2009 TSX. I used some leather conditioning wipes on the seats last night and this morning I found them to feel a little greasy and they looked "shinier". I guess the wipes left behind a residue. You can feel it on the seats. Is there a way to get the seats back to normal by using a different cleaner? Is it something that will fade eventually? I don't like the way they look or feel now.

Thanks in advance.

robpp

iTrader: (2)

most of them tell you to wipe it dry after a few minutes; sounds like you left it wet and thats why it shines. you could try to reapply the same to a small area that is shiny and then wipe it good and see if the new will help remove the older stuff with a good wipe with a terry towel. I dont use MF on leather.

otherwise it will dry and wear out in about 30 days or less, depending on use/

JBONN

Personally, I like the slippery feeling you get after treating your seats...I notice it goes away by itself after a few days.

ed_423

why not? is mf bad on leather?

mrstak

iTrader: (1)

i don't think its bad ed, it's just that the microfiber cleans off too much of the conditioner so it detracts from your efforts more so then helping them. terry cloth allows you to spread it out more. pretty sure if u use a mf towel, it'll take off all the conditioner u just put on, or most of it.

robpp

iTrader: (2)

^^^^^^^^^^^ yeah MF wont hurt them or anything like that......should have been more clear.

I just feel leather has a very strong NAP to it and you need to work the product in a bit and also to wipe it up good....and a terry towel does that best.

ceb

Microfiber cloths are not good for cleaning leather and are downright bad for cleaning leatherette (seat backs and door panels) - the fibers make the surface shiny.

I prefer two products for leather

or general purpose (every quarter or so) cleaning, I use LeatherMasters Soft Cleaner. For stubborn dirt I use LM Strong cleaner - both followed by the protectant and conditioner. You can use the Super cleaner for dye transfer (jeans/belts) and there is also a product to help hide scratches.

How well does it work?



If seats are in poor shape, then I use Leatherique. This product does an absolutely wonderful job of cleaning really crummy leather but is very time intensive - it needs to be applied, the soak into the seats in a warm evironment (think closed car in direct sunlight on a hot day) for about 8 hours - then cleaned. The use of Leatherique is a bit counterintuitive as you first condition (using Rejuvenator) then clean (using "Prestine Clean.")

LeatherMasters also has a product for Alcantara (for SE drivers)

For plastic/leatherette bits, I use Aerospace 303 mixed with distilled water 50/50.

Most other stuff (Lexol included) will leave a bit of a shine.

The OP just needs to use a proper cleaner to get rid of the gook that he smeared on and NOT use microfiber cloths.

Oh - and anything with ArmorAll in the name is evil - pure evil.

hjahmad

is there anything out there that can tight up the leather? there is a spot on the seat, where my wallet would stretch the leather. I stopped keeping the wallet in my pocket so it doesnt stretch any further.

ed_423

^ +1

also, i've seen some ppl do "leather restoration" where in the before pic, the seats were all creased up, and in the after pic it looks a LOT better. does it work that well?

jeroplex

Just keep wiping it with the same wipe you used to apply till its no longer wet. It will eventually by shiny and abut slippery but not wet

ceb

The creases in leather are normal wear and tear but can be minimized by frequent cleaning. It is the rubbing of dirt that damages leather. Once creased, there isn't much one can do except that a thorough cleaning with one of the above products (and a few others that are similar) will clean out all the dirt and make the creases less noticeable.

You can see that in the 50/50 picture above where the creases are still there, but less noticeable.

Keep leather clean and nourished and it outlast the car.

Here is a photo of the entire seat before cleaning.

ed_423

man, and i thought that was the original color LOL

ceb

ed - you'll notice that the wrinkles are still there (50/50 pictire) on the second panel of the seat cushion (by the center console) but are far less noticeable and only visible if pointed out. The whole interior now looks new.

RaskyR1

+1 on Leather masters. I use the Strong or Rapid cleaner depending on the condition of the seats and follow with the Protection Cream. LTT is some good stuff too but it has to be purchased from the UK.

Light dye transfer removal...



50/50

ceb

Another great real world example. That looks like a BMW 3 series sport seat with the Dakota leather although I'm not sure if that dye transfer as the side of the bolster wouldn't normally be exposed to jeans.

In any case, the LM cleaned it right up. Amazing stuff and you don't get the shiny look.

RaskyR1

Yep, 2011 335.

That's what I like most about LM, no added gloss, just OEM looking leather! I do like Leatherique as well, but the whole debate on conditioning coated leather drives me nuts, especially with all the conflicting info put out by the care care manufactures.

The transfer is from getting in and out of the car...same thing happens on my TSX with parchment interior...though I've learned to wash my new jeans a few time before wearing them in the car now.

So do you do interior restoration or detailing?

Rasky

ceb

Neither. Those photos were borrowed from the detailing section at E90post. I just do my cars which keeps me pretty busy.

Interior care just takes a little time and energy. With a bit of work you can keep your interior looking near new. If you don't invest that time up front, then you'll be spending way more time trying to fix it down the road.

You're right, Leatherique is better suited to fixing really old car leathers (or handbags and furniture) that for modern car interiors. I first used it on an old Mercedes (early 70's 280 SEL 6.3) and the results were amazing. The car had been garaged for most of the time but the interior had never been cleaned - maybe a vacuum at a car wash but that was it. Leatherique removed literally decades of grime and the seats ended up nice and matte and looking like well cared for old furniture.

I generally use LM for modern car interiors though.

TSXy Luster

I love that I got ebony interior, so the "stains" aren't so visible :p

ed_423

^i have ebony too, and you'd be surprised. i used a mf towel (i didnt know i wasnt suppose to use it lol) with some turtle wax leather cleaner, scrub it a bit and my towel turned from blue to grey!

ceb

Yep. The stains are there - you just don't see them. What you will see is the leather getting shiny and creases forming. That's when it is time to give it a good scrub.

From the Mercedes Benz owner's manual

" Do not use microfiber cloths to clean genuine leather, artificial leather or Alcantara® covers. If used often, these can damage the cover."

In short, the microfiber will "polish" the surface leaving it shiny.

tuan43

thanks for the info guys, I didn't know about the microfiber cloth thing and will avoid using them on interiors now.

mkeefe

Wow, tons of good information. Didn't know the bit about MF towels either. Do now though.

TrojanTSX

I think that is why my 09 seats are shiny compared to my 11. We bought the car with less than 13K on it in November and I was thinking the seats were of a different material than the 11 we just bought in June. Maybe the previous owner used MF cloths??

ceb

Or they used crappy stuff to clean them. Get a bottle of leather master and give it a good clean. You will be surprised

TrojanTSX

I will give that a try if the Lexol doesnt work.

Thanks!

ceb

I've found Lexol to be a bit greasy. Use any cleaner sparingly. More is not always better.

TrojanTSX

Ya, I learned not to use a lot when I had my Vette and Cobra. That made slip around more!!

I sprayed a fine layer on the TSX seats and seemed to be alright after a good wipe down.

HondoGermany

Bought LetherMaster (small starter set) today. Thx to all. I searched a while for a good product without a glossy look.
Never did something good to my lether seats, the last 2 and a half years.

TSXy Luster

wow 2.5 years?? that's a long time to not clean your leather!!

Which kit did you buy? the regular cleaning or the professional one?



ceb, I know not to use microfiber for cleaner, but what about with protectant/conditioner?

ddcd

What are you guys using if not microfibers?

HondoGermany

Yes, its a long time, but it dont look that bad.LOL
This is my Set, from Ebay
http://www.ebay.de/itm/220976972913?...84.m1439.l2649

ceb

Should be OK since you are only applying product, but why not just use a cotton towel?

Cotton towel. You can buy a bag at any auto parts store or just ask your wife for one of her "guest towels."