I'm having a hard time with my leather, the seats are cracking and even though I condition and clean them, it does not seem to work. The paint is rubbing off in other spots. What can I do? Please help.

 

You have paint on your leather seats?

Maybe some pics will help, can you post?

 

paint? what car do you have? if the leather is peeling off and the car hasn't been used much, it mgith be a maunfuacturing defect.

 

Are you referring to urethane covered leather?

Leather Three Step Care Cleaning, Conditioning and (UVR) Protection):

1.Cleaning- use a soft horse hair brush (Groit's Leather & Interior Brush) and/or a vacuum to remove any dust, apply a cleaning solution (Water /Woolite® or Dreft® 6:1 ratio or stronger) on to an applicator pad and apply to one area at a time (i.e. a seat back). To remove stubborn dirt or grime gently agitate the surface with a boar's hair cleaning brush (this will not harm the leather) then use a clean, damp Microfiber towel to rinse.
Maintenance cleaning- use a cleaning solution (Water /Woolite® or Dreft® 10:1 ratio) on to an applicator pad and apply to one area at a time

Stubborn stains- dependent upon the leathers condition or how dirty it is consider using a leather-cleaning product. (Leatherique's Prestine Clean, Zaino Leather in a bottle, Groit's Leather Cleaner or Autoglym Leather Cleaner)

2. Conditioning- recommend a preventative maintenance routine three to four times a year, once prior to the winter season to prevent cold temperatures cracking the leather, and once before the heat of the summer to prevent deterioration and shrinkage by heat, which result in continued cracking of leather. In addition to regular cleaning, leather requires replacement of natural oils; Collagen-based products like Leatherique restore the lost moisture and maintain its natural flexibility. The smell of leather comes from oils evaporating out of the hide. Conditioners are for leather which is porous, vinyl is not, do not use a vinyl product as a conditioner on leather as vinyl requires much stronger cleaning agents than leather and above all try to avoid raw silicone oil based products, as the silicone oil will dissolve the leather's natural oils and tend to make the leather sticky, silicone oils also have a very high electrostatic (static) attraction to dust and dirt particle.

3. (UVR) Protection - you should consider additional sunscreen protection (especially if you own a convertible) leather conditioners typically do not offer any UV screening. The best solution is to alternate between a leather conditioner and a, ultra violet radiation (UVR) protection (303™ Aerospace Protectant). One month use a conditioner to keep the leather healthy and supple. On alternate months mist and wipe the leather with a UVR protection. After application allow 60 minutes for product to cure, then using a 100% cotton cloth to lightly buff surface (Zaino Z-10 contains UVR protection)

Covered Leather (Urethane, Vinyl or MB-Tex):
Since late ‘80s early ‘90s 85% of vehicle manufacturers have used covered leather for their interior upholstery. It’s made from natural hides, but uniquely treated with a light pigmented urethane resin coating or a vinyl covering to make it more viable for automotive seating. It retains the softness of natural top-grain leather but resists fading in direct sunlight, leathers worst enemy

Spills wipe off with a moistened cloth, the urethane resin or the vinyl covering require oils to stop it from drying out (just like a paint system's clear coat) coated leather is permeable and the leather underneath the urethane requires replacement of natural oils, heat will allow the oils to penetrate. Clean, condition and apply a UVR protection as in items 1, 2 & 3 on page 2.

Identifying characteristics- uniform colour and grain patterns; will not scratch easily; water drops will not change colour.

Recommended products-
Urethane Coated Leather- use Zaino Z-10 Leather in a bottle, Einzett 1z leather care or Groit's Leather Care


{Experience; [and the correct information] can be a great teacher}

 

I'll get some picks posted, the seats are cracking around the thigh area and the back left of the drivers seat is rubbing (the paint is gone)

 

i just use that meguiars leather care stuff.

 

does the TSX have 'covered leather' ?

 

I use lexol leather care products. They have a really good cleaner and conditioner. I highly recommend them.

 

My first recommendation would be to thoroughly clean the seats with either Lexol Cleaner or 303 Cleaner. What you see as "paint" coming off the seats may be dirt build-up. After cleaning, I alternate using 303 Protectant and Lexol conditioner about every two weeks.

If the condition of the seat material is not holding up during regular use and appears to have failed, you may be able to find some relief from the dealership, assuming the car is under warranty.

 

Covered Leather (Urethane, Vinyl or MB-Tex):
Since late ‘80s early ‘90s 85% of vehicle manufacturers have used covered leather for their interior upholstery. It’s made from natural hides, but uniquely treated with a light pigmented urethane resin coating or a vinyl covering to make it more viable for automotive seating. It retains the softness of natural top-grain leather but resists fading in direct sunlight, leathers worst enemy

Spills wipe off with a moistened cloth, the urethane resin or the vinyl covering require oils to stop it from drying out (just like a paint system's clear coat) coated leather is permeable and the leather underneath the urethane requires replacement of natural oils, heat will allow the oils to penetrate. Clean, condition and apply a UVR protection as in items 1, 2 & 3 on page 2.

Identifying characteristics- uniform colour and grain patterns; will not scratch easily; water drops will not change colour.

Recommended products-•Urethane Coated Leather- use Zaino Z-10 Leather in a bottle, Einzett 1z leather care or Groit's Leather Care
•Vinyl or MB-Tex Covered leather- use Groit's Leather Rejuvenator or Leatherique Prestine Clean

Knowledge; [ability to correctly diagnosis problems] [utilizing appropriate methods / products to solve them]

 

I'm going to San Diego and once I come back I will post the pics of the damage to the leather seats.

 

I just got back and when I get a chance, I'll post the pics. Thanks.

 

I have the pics, now I need to figure out how to post them. I thought I was computer lit till now!

 

Find a host like Putfile or Photobucket, upload your pictures there. After uploading find the image code and copy it. Return to Acurazine thread where you want to post you pix. Click on the "GO ADVANCED" button and it will take you the the "REPLY TO THREAD" window. Select the Insert Image icon and paste the URL. Click on the "PREVIEW POST" button to view the image. That's it .....

 

Just wondering how offten you guys clean and condition your leather seats?

 

1-2 times a year

 

Scheduled Maintenance: Once every 30-60 days, Arizona, Florida and Texas, especially in summer, for northern climates between 90-120 days, use a leather conditioner to restore these natural oils and keep the leather soft and supple. (Criot's Leather Care, Autoglym Leather Care Cream, Zanio Z10 Leather in a Bottle or Zymol Treat leather cleaners are all good maintenance products)

 

thanks guys

 

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I'm hoping this works, the car needs some serious detailing though I need to know if I should just buy new seats or I can repair these.

Thanks for all the help.

 

you need to do a MAJOR interior cleaning overhaul, man.

 

The seats are shot, your going to have to consider re-upholstery. You can clean em up pretty good, but whats gone is gone.
As for the rest, getter done by someone, professionaly. Thats too big of a chore. The carpet and mats need extraction.

 

Wow. Seriously, wow.

 

How do I go about to "Clean en up"? Does the leather treatment really fill in the cracks and give then a better look? I can get the rest of the car cleaned up , though why do the seats do that. This is the second pair that this has happened. Please share.

 

So will regular conditioning/UV protection prevent this from happening to one of us then?

 

Those seats are mangled.

 

1st gen Acura CL?

 

See " Scheduled Maintenance: Once every 30-60 days, ..."

Those seats need to be re-finished (not to twist the knife , but how the h**l did they get that way, it's not an overnight thing)

I hope it works out for you . . .

 

What really kills seats are the attrition of getting in and out, Ultraviolet rays, and lack of maintenance. Any or all of these combined remove natural tanning oils from the manufacturing process. Your job as a new or used car owner, is to keep those oils from evaporating on a regular basis. Every 60 days or so (in hot climate regions i.e. deserts and tropics), and about every 100 days or so for the rest of us.....you should use a leather cleaner and moistened applicator to gently wipe away contaminants, then a conditioner with the same method. Stick with well known or products recommended here. Follow directions on the label as each manufacturer may have different processes.
Leather wont last forever, its entirely up to the elements, and owner.
Dont overcondition either. All that does is attract dust which depletes he protective barrier.

 

TSX is plastic coated pork skin. We had a consensus that diluted 303 was the way to go.

A typical application of conditioner on the plastic coating just meant you were wiping the product onto your clothes when you sat in the car.

Beneficial use of conditioner seems to mean lots of product, cover with plastic wrap, high temps (think FL in the sun), and long dwell. I'll try it out in 90 degree weather, and wash it clean afterward. This may be a beneficial use, but kind of an extreme application process.

Think wipe on wipe off is of no benefit and I'm not looking to buff using my clothes.

 

I don't think those will come back to life....

 

The hot sun in Hawaii, thigh sweat from the gym, not enough or not the proper conditioning. The first set did that in less that a year and the dealer replaced them. This set took about four years to happen. I might have made it worse by conditioning the fine cracks and then they worsened. The back seat still looks brand new.

 

the absolute best leather care stuff i have used and only use now is ZYMOL, they have a cleaner conditioner set on their website and it is simply amazing.

www.zymol.com

i also use there HD Cleanse, and Japon wax there is nothing out there better i used it once and will never use anything else again simply amazing but not cheap you get what you pay for (they have some waxes over $1000 bucks)

 

Now your pictures makes sense to me. The red/orange shit all over your carpets and upholstery looked familiar. Me and the wifey are from Hawaii as well. I call that the orange dirt syndrome, but I've never seen it as bad as your car. You must work outside alot in order to track that amount of red dirt into your car. This is the reason why I hardly wear white shoes when I'm visiting Hawaii.

 

We bought a new house without a yard to you can imagine how red it was around our house and that was our only vehicle for a while. = strained carpets.

 

Im picking up my car on friday and I've decided to allow myself a $150 budget for detailing supplies initially. My question is, how important would it be to get a leather shampoo and conditioner? Can I just use 303? If I do skimp on the shampoo/conditioner for now, how long should I wait before I get them? Im just really tight on the budget and it's come down to things like getting another sheepskin washmit vs leather conditioner.

 

You can but 303 is a protectant and doesn't contain conditioning and cleaning agents. You would still need a condtioner. You can use a damp MF towel to clean your seats and follow with a conditioner. Another option is a diluted solution of Woolite (1 part) and Water (12 parts) in a spray bottle. Moisten a MF towel with the solution and gently agitate the area, one section at a time. Rinse with a clean MF towel moistened with water. Let dry and apply conditioner. Check out the DG product line of cleaners and conditioners. Lexol is probably the most popular product for leather care and available OTC almost anywhere.

 

I used some lexol conditioner the other day for the first time. It was pretty expensive stuff around my neck of the woods $10/spray bottle. But, WOW, is all I can say. It truly made a difference. I'm wondering how often I should keep up with this?

 

Tell me what your looking for and I will get ya hooked up...........

 

I'll be placing an order with you Exceldetail soon. You're website and zainostore.com are the two im ordering from.

 

I have been using Lexol cleaner and the Lexol conditioner for about a year.I like the way both of these products work.