Leather Care

[jsommers]

Looking for a few opinions in respect to leather care, 2004 Porsche C4S with the supple, full leather option (black)..

[togwt]

~One man’s opinion / observations ~



a) Cleaning- 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). Gently agitate the surface with a boar’s hair cleaning brush. This removes stubborn grime and will not harm the leather. Use a clean, damp Microfiber towel to rinse the leather.



b) Maintenance- recommend a preventative maintenance "face lift" three to four times a year, once prior to the winter season to prevent cold crack of leather, and once before the heat of the summer to prevent deterioration and shrinkage of heat which result in continued cracking of leather. In addition to regular cleaning, leather requires replacement of natural oils. (The smell of leather comes from oils evaporating out of the hide. Once every 30-60 days, Arizona, Florida and Texas, especially in summer (northern climates between 90-120 days), use a leather conditioner to restore these natural oils and keep the leather soft and supple.



c) UV 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 303 Aerospace Protect rant. One month use a conditioner to keep the leather healthy and supple. On alternate months mist and wipe the leather with 303 protectant to add UV protection. After application allow an hour for product to cure, then using a 100% cotton cloth lightly buff surface.



Coated Leather- leather made from natural hides, but uniquely treated with a light pigmented urethane coating to make it more suitable for automotive seating. It retains the softness of natural top-grain leather but resists fading in direct sunlight. Spills wipe off with a moist cloth, retains the aura of natural leather without its sensitivity to light and abuse. Collagen-based products restore the lost moisture and maintain it’s natural flexibility (



Vinyl-topped leather: Some leather being used in domestic automobiles has a top veneer of vinyl. This should be considered a vinyl interior and treated with a vinyl dressing. Do not use a leather conditioner on vinyl-topped leather. The conditioning oils cannot penetrate the vinyl coating to reach the leather. Zymol Leather Conditioner contains natural oils and Collagens and is an excellent product to use on both surface dyed and vinyl topped leather. If you`re not sure if your car`s leather is vinyl coated, check with your car dealer or the manufacturer.



Note:

Avoid products that contain mineral oil, petroleum distillates or silicones that will dry out the leather or wax that sits on it’s surface to prove shine, but does nothing for the leather but clog it’s fibres.



~Hope this helps~

Experience unshared; is knowledge wasted…/

justadumbarchitect * so i question everything*

[Kevinch]

As I`m sure someone will mention - the [SEARCH] feature can be your friend here - look up leather care & you`ll find a bunch of info.



FWIW, I did that & decided on a mixture of water (6 parts) & Woolite (1) part to clean the soft gray leather seats in a Subaru Legacy SUS I just bought used. The upholstry was splattered with white spots all over, it looked like the grandkids must of let loose with something (I know the previous owner). Anyway, that mixture took most of it right out by simply rubbing with a terrycloth towel. There were a few other dirty areas that required light scrubbing with a brush, and the result was very clean leather.



I treated it next with Lexol Leather conditioner - also one of the recommendations here.

[imported_mirrorfinishman]

Originally posted by jsommers

Looking for a few opinions in respect to leather care, 2004 Porsche C4S with the supple, full leather option (black)..



jsommers,



I would simply recommend that you wipe the leather with a clean damp cloth. That is about all that should be necessary for your 2004 Porsche C4S.



You may also want to check your owners manual. You may be surprised to find out that Porsche may recommend the same method of leather care.



If you get a chance, check your owners manual and let us know.

[BlueRanger]

Im gonna go ahead and recomend 303 as well, you dont want it to get dried out, and this will help. My friends dad has a M3 convertible, we use 303 on it, and the leather looks pretty good for the ammount of time he has his top down.

[imported_mirrorfinishman]

Originally posted by TOGWT

~One man’s opinion / observations ~





Source:

http://www.properautocare.com/propleatcar.html

[Spilchy]

Originally posted by mirrorfinishman

jsommers,



I would simply recommend that you wipe the leather with a clean damp cloth. That is about all that should be necessary for your 2004 Porsche C4S.



You may also want to check your owners manual. You may be surprised to find out that Porsche may recommend the same method of leather care.



If you get a chance, check your owners manual and let us know.



I would disregard your owner`s manual completely when it comes to car care. My Honda manual tells me to use dish soap to wash the car. I have looked in the owner`s manuals of dozens of cars regarding car care and they all suck.



I would listen to the the folks at Lexol who were interviewed by CMA and posted on their site. They explained:



Q. How soon should I start conditioning the leather in a new car?



A. The leather in a new car is fully conditioned. There is no reason to use a conditioner for at least 60 to 90 days. After that, application is somewhat climate dependent. Monthly leather conditioning of cars in Florida, Texas and Arizona, especially during the summer months, would not be out of line. In a northern climate or during winter months the interval between conditioning could be extended 90 to 120 days.



You can read the entire interview here: http://www.properautocare.com/leclcoex.html



So, I would wait a couple months and then use a quality leather cleaner and conditioner like Lexol, Pinnacle, Einszett or Autoglym two or three times a year. For that Porsche, I`d only stick with these products.

[Mantic6t9]

www.leatherz.com

Leather Maintenance



The most important factor that affects the life of leather is cleanliness. You should try to keep all of the leather in your car as clean as possible. At least once per month, you should wipe the leather with a damp cloth and pat it dry with a soft cotton diaper. Tiny dirt particles rubbed into the surface of the leather will make it shiny and eventually thin the leather and cause cracks. Keeping the leather surface clean will prevent this. After you wipe the leather down, make sure you dry it completely. Every 6 months, you should treat the leather with Spinneybeck Leather Conditioner. Every 12 months, you should treat the leather with Spinneybeck Leather Cleaner, followed by a treatment of Conditioner. The Spinneybeck leather maintenance products were specifically designed for the leathers we use on all LeatherZ products, and they will work equally well on your factory leather. The 6 and 12 month intervals are a general guideline. If you live near the ocean or in a dusty climate, you may need to condition and clean more frequently. If you keep your convertible top down and the leather is exposed to sun for extended periods, you may need to condition more frequently. Leather covered shift knobs and steering wheels often need more attention because they are touched so frequently. It is possible to over-condition or over-clean your leather. This will lead to premature cracking and discoloration! Most leathers are treated at the tannery with a protective coating to help protect against staining. Excessive cleaning and conditioning can remove some of the protective properties. The basic rule in leather care is: less is more. We always carry a small spray bottle of water and a clean diaper in our cars. If you ever spill something onto your leather, spray the affected area and wipe it with the diaper as soon as possible. As soon as it is convenient, you should treat the affected area with leather conditioner.



We do not reccommend Lexol products for M Nappa or other full-grain leathers. In the past we have had customers return parts because they turned sticky over time. Don`t take chances. If for some reason you don`t want to buy the Spinneybeck leather care kit we sell, use Connolly products. Next to Spinneybeck, theirs are the only products that we endorse. If you use Lexol on any part we sell, we will not honor our warranty. With all leather care, if you are in doubt, use the product that is recommended by the manufacturer of the part you are conditioning or cleaning.

[imported_mirrorfinishman]

Originally posted by Spilchy

I would disregard your owner`s manual completely when it comes to car care.



Doesn`t that sound a bit unprofessional, sort of like something coming from an amateur?



Do you think that kind of advice is based on experience or is it just another ambiguous opinion?

[togwt]

Quote: Originally posted by TOGWT

~One man’s opinion / observations ~



~One man’s opinion / observations ~



Mirrorfinishman, I only recommend products that I use and only endorse those that work. I do not sell detailing products, and I have no affiliation with anyone that does, the company you mentioned does sell detailing products and their advice may be somewhat biased. I would state again I posted “one man’s opinion/observations�





~Hope this helps~



Experience unshared; is knowledge wasted…/

justadumbarchitect * so i question everything*

[imported_mirrorfinishman]

Originally posted by TOGWT

I only recommend products that I use and only endorse those that work. I do not sell detailing products, and I have no affiliation with anyone that does, the company you mentioned does sell detailing products and their advice may be somewhat biased.



TOGWT,

Maybe you need to read my posts in this thread once again. I am the person who is recommending just wiping the leather with a damp cloth.



That source that I posted was just to show everyone how you gather info from other sources and then make posts as ~one mans observation yada, yada, yada~.



Do these words sound farmilar?



TOGWT post in this thread:

"The best solution is to alternate between a leather conditioner and 303 Aerospace Protect rant. One month use a conditioner to keep the leather healthy and supple. On alternate months mist and wipe the leather with 303 protectant to add UV protection. After application allow an hour for product to cure, then using a 100% cotton cloth lightly buff surface."



TOGWT source of info:

http://www.properautocare.com/propleatcar.html

"The best solution is to alternate between a leather conditioner and 303 Protectant. One month I`ll use a conditioner to keep the leather healthy and supple. the following month, I`ll mist and wipe the leather with 303 protectant to add UV protection."



In summary: It is always better to post in your own words rather than copying the words of others and then just changing a few words to make it appear that it is your own ~observation.

[Spilchy]

Originally posted by mirrorfinishman

Doesn`t that sound a bit unprofessional, sort of like something coming from an amateur?



Do you think that kind of advice is based on experience or is it just another ambiguous opinion?



"Ambiguous?" Try looking up the word in the dictionary and understand it`s meaning before you try using it in a sentence.



I like how you characterize my posts as "another ambiguous opinion." If that isn`t the dumbest thing I`ve read!



There was nothing ambiguous about my statement. I was quite clear and direct in my opinion. I`ll reaffirm that the CAR CARE section of an owner`s manual is garbage. Would you wash your car with dish soap for routine maintenance? You wouldn`t? Well my Honda owner`s manual tells me to. You find me ONE Autopian that follows the car care section. In fact, an Autopian should WRITE that section of the owner`s manual for basic car care maintenance.



According to you we should just wipe vinyl and leather with a wet rag and wait a few years to put something on it. Speaking of which, it looks like you wussed out again and didn`t follow up on that vinyl dressing thread you ridiculously responded too. NY Detalier was right; you don`t follow up your posts.



The advice that people give here are based on experience and linking people to other sites that explain information such as CMA or Davidb`s guide to detailing. Read his article. THIS IS HOW TO DETAIL AN INTERIOR. THIS IS WHAT WE DO. THIS IS WHAT WE RECOMMEND TOO BASED ON OUR EXPERIENCE. YOU RECOMMEND WIPING WITH A WET RAG?! http://www.bettercarcare.com/articles.php?articleId=11



To furhter answer your question, my advice is solely based on experience. I have been conditioning leather and cleaning vinyl coated leather for years on both new cars fresh out of the showroom and older cars with IMMACULATE results. I would never let leather go untreated. I have people ask me just to clean and condition the leather. People clean and condition leather shoes, couches, briefcases, pocket books, etc... all the time.



As far as TOGWT goes, I can`t find a nicer fella on this board who offers excellent advice and references respected sites such as CMA`s detailing tips. As far as everyone else, a majority do use 303 (myslef inculded) and recommend it to people.



Your source, the owner`s manual...sucks. Period. In fact I am going to start a poll to see what others think. Why don`t YOU act like a professional and let everyone know how YOU treat and condition leather or vinyl. If you say a wet rag then anyone who takes their car to you should have their head examined unless they enjoy burning money. A 6 year old can wipe an interior with a wet rag. In fact, that`s what the pinhead day laborer at my local car wash does when he wipes the car down!



Careful how you respond to people. Haven`t you learned anything from all the responses to your stupid posts? Do you have any idea why hundreds of Autopians have you on their IGNORE list? Re-read that thread you posted about why people find you a pain. 59 people responded with over 2500 views! READ IT, LEARN IT, LIVE IT.

[imported_mirrorfinishman]

Originally posted by Spilchy

I`ll reaffirm that the CAR CARE section of an owner`s manual is garbage. Originally posted by Spilchy

"I would disregard your owner`s manual completely when it comes to car care."





Aren`t we talking about a Porsche not a Honda?



Are you saying that everyone should "disregard your owner`s manual completely when it comes to car care"?



Isn`t that advice alone a bit unprofessional?

[Spilchy]

No it`s not unprofessional because it`s garbage.



I also have VW and a new 2004 BMW and the car care sections are also garbage.



I wouldn`t follow and single piece of advice they offer and would advise someone who owned a new Porsche (REGARDLESS OF THE OWNERS MANUAL BECAUSE IT IS GARBAGE) to protect their leather.



How`s this.....let me clear my throat.... (Best speaking voice) Ladies and gentleman, if I were a "professional" I would articulate in a proper manner to the consumer that the car care section is not adequate to ensure optimal protection and that the leather should be gently cleaned and conditioned utilizing the professional productts I have from 1Z, Autoglym and Pinncale. I would shy away from just wiping it with water.



In fact I recently did this on a sweet, modified Porsche 911 and will be doing it on a 1977 Mercedes 450SEL show car that I detail once a year for a doctor. (The Porsche belongs to his friend). In fact Frank, I first wiped the leather first with distilled water, then a mild dedicated leather cleaner, then a dedicated leather conditioner. That`s what a real detailer does to expensive leather.

[Mmmph]

Originally posted by Spilchy

I would disregard your owner`s manual completely when it comes to car care.




Originally posted by mirrorfinishman

Are you saying that everyone should "disregard your owner`s manual completely when it comes to car care"?









This all now officially sucks. I believe if we look in the dictionary under sucks, we`ll find this thread.



Who do I send a warning to?