Leather Seats

CleanMachine · 12-24-02, 07:54

Ok, I have a couple of questions. My first is how do i know if the seats in a vehicle are leather or pleather. Ok , if it is leather then what should i do? Products/procedures. I read where one person used #40 on leather seats to clean them. Isnt 40 made for vinyl and rubber? What if the seats are pleather. Do I need to do anything to these besides wipe them down with a damp MF. Just a few rookie questions. Merry X-Mas

Thanks, Dave

Nagchampa · 12-24-02, 08:45

In most vehicles, when the manufacturers say leather seats, they are refering only to the part you sit on, and the part against your back.

Most leather seats are clearcoated in which case, a vinyl protectant like 303 will work fine.

Real Leather seats should be cleaned with leather cleaner, and treated with leather conditioner.

F 355 · 12-25-02, 04:18

There are a number of products that are safe for leather & vinyl.

303 is good because it has UV protection & no silicone and leaves a nice satin finish that is not greasy and does not attract dust.

3M has one that you can get at most pep boys also, small black bottle and leaves a nice scent.

If it is real leather, a damp cloth is good weekly. But you will need to use a cleaner time to time and follow with a conditioner so the leather does not crack.

I like lexol as a cleaner - neutral ph and does a nice job. There is also a product called Leatherique which is killer but only available through the web. I follow with either Hide Food or Zaino Leather in a Bottle to condition.

If you have not already done so, down load the free detail manual from the bottom of the home page...It will get you started in the right direction...

Happy Holidays

Idrops · 12-25-02, 06:20

I read something on another forum that helps to distinguish leather from fake. I tried it on my car and it seemed to work.

Poke your finger on the surface to be tested. Poke hard enough to leave a dimple. Leather will have fine spider like wrinkles radiating from the poked area. Fake leather will not. The surrounding area will be smooth.

Try this on your car and let us know the results.

dengsxr · 12-25-02, 09:07

I use a leather cleaner conditioner from carbrite. I know they have website carbrite.com but I am not sure if you can order off it but there is definalty a number there that you can call and find a distrubutor closest to you. I used to work at a car dealership and they used all carbrite stuff. I am not enamored with all their stuff but the leather cleaner/conditioner I absolutly love. It leave a great leather sent in the car and makes the seats look great!
I also use it on my leather shoes!

Nagchampa · 12-25-02, 11:09

I just remembered, you can clean the leather with a 6:1 solution of water and woolite. Works for me!

CleanMachine · 12-25-02, 01:21

Thanks for the replys so far. One thing that I forgot to mention was that the seats I was talking about were customers cars not my own. I just want something that I can do along with the rest of the interior detail. I have not ever put a vinyl dressing on the seats with fear it would make them too slick. Any other ideas?

Thanks, Dave

dengsxr · 12-25-02, 02:09

Def check out the carbrite leather conditioner/cleaner as it would kill 2 birds with one stone so to speak. It absorbs quickly.

CharlesW · 12-25-02, 02:36

From a customer's point of view.
Wouldn't like the slick stuff.
Would definitely like the leather smell.
For a professional, the CarBrite line sounds worth looking into.

My present conditioner, Platimum Leather Conditioner, was chosen over some of the others because it did smell like leather. Obviously a good conditioning product is needed, but the leather smell sure doesn't hurt to have.

Charles

CleanMachine · 12-25-02, 03:50

Ok, so if I do decide to go with the Carbrite line which im going to look into. What would happen if I used this product on a seat that is not real leather. I have not had a chance to test the finger poke method for telling the difference. I have read wear you can use 303 on vinyl ,rubber, and leather. Is this true? Would this be a foolproof choice so that I would just apply it to any type of seat that resembles leather and vinyl. Does this make sense? Anyways thank you all for the information you guys provide.

Thanks , Dave

dengsxr · 12-25-02, 04:45

I am not sure about the carbrite on non-leather materials but I would ask a sales rep about that. I was looking at properautocare.com and couldn't find wear it said 303 was good on leather but you can probably call them as well to get a definative answer. Good luck!

CharlesW · 12-25-02, 05:26

Try www.303products.com for information on 303. They say it can be used on finished leather, but don't recommend it for unfinished leather. I wouldn't use it on seats because of the slickness of the material after you apply it.

Charles