TVL65

My 07' TLS now has 91,000 miles & although rarely is my wife in the passenger seat & nobody riding in back, my driver seat is showing wear. No cracking yet but I know that will be coming. I'm trying to prevent it as much as possible, I use leather cleaner & conditioner when it is warmer out but now just using Armor All leather wipes once a week on just only the driver seat. You would be amazed at how much dirt comes off the seat after one week.
I guess the wipes are better than nothing, but how much protection do they provide?

SharksBreath

iTrader: (33)

armor all wipes are garbage. i would not use them on your "leather".

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

^read the box.

it should say something to the tune of "clean and protect"
or just cleans.

UA6

How do you fellas feel about Meguiar's Wipes? Been using them for years now.

Steven Bell

iTrader: (2)

The Zaino leather cleaner and protectant is the best stuff I've run across. And....it smell terrific.

TVL65

All the auto part stores around here carry just Armor All & nothing else I haven't seen any other brands.

Jesstzn

Don't stress over it .. your leather is coated so your not protecting it anyway ... best thing is to keep it clean ...

BobbyC

^^^ this.

but Op sounds like hes prob worn through that. esp at 90k+ miles so some treatment would probably be a good idea. id go with any leather conditioner. not cleaner.
it should look like lotion. work that stuff in to the leather.
you can find tons of them at autogeek.


i would stay far away from armor all.
that stuff may have been awesome when all interiors were made of vinyl back in the day but these days, thats prob the worst stuff you can put on your interior.

i clean my leather with opitmum cleaner or prima nero.
prima nero gives a pretty nice satin-ey finish and is not greasy at all.
love the stuff.

opticlean or whatever is a good cleaner. it doesnt leave much of a finish but its good if you just want it to look like how it actually is.
optimum makes great products across the board.
ive yet to use a product from them that i didnt like.

Jesstzn

Thing to remember the leather in our cars is polyurethane clear coated so no matter what you select .. and no matter how hard you rub it in .. your not treating the leather .. just the polyurethane clear coating.

Here is one of many articles on leather car upholstry.

http://www.1z-usa.com/assets/KIC/Kee...ather-Care.pdf

UA6

Just bought some today

mY sLOW UA6

I still prefer leatherique. I've used it on a few cars I've detailed with excellent results.

06_TL

I've used Blackfire leather conditioner and loved it. Before you apply any conditioner on your interior make sure to clean it first. I like using Poorboy's APC diluted 15:1 for my interior.

You'll have to go online and get the products some have mentioned here. Autogeek has a great selection you can choose from and they have specials almost daily.

vinnier6

iTrader: (1)

i clean my seats with a damp microfibre cloth....sometimes i used woolite and water solution to deep clean....

lowpearlwhite

ived tried meguiars in the past but imma try zaino next. thanks

LawnPro

I have read that it helps to clean and detail leather seats - and then wrap them in garbage bags.

Then park in the sun and shut the doors for a while. The more heat the better the protectant is absorbed into the leather.?

Can anyone confirm if this method works or helps?

Jesstzn

Nope ... the leather we have is coated and wont absorb.

Limelight

I used Zymol Treat conditioner on my leather seats today and was pleased with the results. Gave the seats a darker matte look and smelled nice. They definitely looked better after being treated.

vinnier6

iTrader: (1)

for some reason, i still think folks dont get it....no product you use will penatrate the leather, this means there is nothing you can do to condition the leather.....keep it clean...the only thing the "leather" products can do for you is give a nice leather smell to your car....and dont get me wrong, i do like that....

another way to look at this, is you cant condition plastic

Jesstzn

Exactly ... the worst enemy for our leather is dirt grinding away at the protective coating and destroying it.

Mustapha.Mond

Well said. Since most Americans do not drive high-end cars with uncoated leather like Rolls Royce, I don't know why automotive suppliers have uncoated leather maintenance supplies and instructions.

On this forum and for any car with coated leather, a weekly wipe down with a damp terry towel is a good place to start. Every 4-6 weeks, it should be cleaned with a foaming (coated) leather cleaner like Leather Masters or LTT Leather Care. The former is from Italy and the latter is from the UK. Pricey, but worth it. After the foam cleaner, a protectant should be applied. That's all you need. However, if the leather is already worn down, a restoration might be needed first.

On a budget, you can use an APC like Optimum Power Clean diluted 1:20 as a soap and 303 Aerospace Protectant as a follow up.