How to remove gloss form leather

[gssmith]

Have an 05 car with dark charcoal leather seats. they were flat and not glossy. had a spot to clean on one so I used turtle wax 2001 cleaner and conditioner with UV protection. Should have spot tested it first. so the seat got all shiney, so i had to do the whole interior to match. Will this fade? How can i reverse it? Will buffing/rubbing it help? what is a good cleaner/protectant with a flat finish. ? Aerospace 303? thanks

[MorBid]

it will fade but in how long depends on the product. If you want to the gloss to go like in "right now" then clean the leather with something else.



I use Hi-Temps #HT-7 "Leather Cleaner & Conditioner" and #HT-8 "Premium Leather & Vinyl Lotion" on the Black leather seats in my 05 Audi. The latter can be "buffed" out if you think it`s too glossy.



Others like Lexol Leather Products which are available locally but I`ve never used them so can`t comment on the "gloss" of the finish.

[brwill2005]

The gloss is most likely caused by silicones in the product you used. Use a leather cleaner to "strip" the conditioner off the seats. Follow with a different conditioner and buff excess to a matte finish. I really like Leatherique`s Pristine Clean. It is a cleaner and conditioner in one. After the final buff, the leather looks very natural sans gloss.

[JasonD]

There is only one product I will ever let touch my seats, and it keeps them very soft and looking like new, and it`s not even a detailing product.



Saddle Soap - I get it from a local feed store. Obviously, it`s designed for leather saddles, but it`s just plain awesome on automotive seats. It`s just unbelievable how much dirt it pulls off, and leaves the seats feeling real nice.



I did a quick Google search to see if I could find a link to what I`m talking aboutk, and it pulled up a lot of different variations. I`m not talking about the stuff that actually looks like a bar of soap. This comes in a spray bottle, and is extremely easy to work with. I`ll go get my bottle out of the garage and post the specs.





EDIT:



Okay, I have it in front of me, and it is Fiebing`s Liquid Glycerine Saddle Soap.



I found an equestrian supplies site that sells it. Scroll down, it`s the third listing from the bottom. They have the 946mL (32 FL OZ.) listed for $26.95, but I paid $8.95 for the same bottle locally.



http://www.clarkessaddlery.co.nz/leathercare_soaps.shtml



I found out about this stuff when my parents bought their 95` BMW 530i back in late 94`. We asked the dealer what they recommended and they told us Saddle Soap, and that`s what I`ve always used. :bigups

[accordmaniac]

i used to use saddle soap in the past but i read somewhere that it isn`t good for car leather so i stopped using it. does saddle soap leave any protection? i might start using it again.

[JasonD]

You know, I really have no idea but everything else I have tried, I have disliked for one reason or another.



I used to have a 99` Expedition with tan leather interior and all I ever used was this liquid glycerine saddle soap, and that interior looked better than most cars interiors that were half the age.



According to the bottle, it claims to clean, preserve, and restore all leather articles except for suede.



I recently purchased a bottle of 4star leather conditioner because it was raved about so much, but have yet to try it. I will still use the saddle soap to clean my leather, and try this new conditioner out to see if it makes yet another improvement.



As far as reading somewhere that it isn`t good, I just found an article on Autogeek that says just that. They claim that it is horrible for leather, but like I said, I used this particular version of saddle soap for four years in my Expedition and it worked great.



I`m currently using it to maintain my new 04` Expedition, my fiance`s 04` Explorer, my father`s 04` F150, and my mother`s 04` BMW........yes, we all went car crazy last year. :p

[MorBid]

2,802 posts the man must know something about detailing cars :)



I did read something like that about saddle soap, but it wasn`t any scientific analysis or something someone who makes leather products wrote.



I never understood what changed about leather (the hide of a cow) over the years to make a product solely made to clean leather not work/be effective anymore.

[JasonD]

Thanks, MorBid, you could say that I`ve *been around* for a while. :xyxthumbs



accordmaniac did have a point because I read the same articles.

Here`s the one put out by Autogeek:

http://www.autogeek.net/nosasopl.html



After reading that, I almost didn`t want to use it again, but then I thought that if it were really all that bad, why after four years was my interior still looking awesome? No cracks, dark spots, excessive wear, etc.



I am thinking that the negative feelings are geared toward the bars of saddle soap vs. the liquid glycerine like I have. They are evidentally VERY different.

[MorBid]

NP JDookie, I have some friends at work who have farms, I`ll ask them what they use but just in case I`m glad you pointed out the difference between what your using and the other stuff.

[Siggyboy]

I have a feeling that all "saddle soaps" are not the same. I`ve also read an interview with the guys at Lexol on Better Car Care and they say that saddle soap is not good for automotive leather IIRC. Lexol is good stuff, inexpensive and available at Pep Boys. Lexol does not leave the leather shiney looking. 303 Aerospace leaves a bit of a shine, but not much...more than Lexol does but certainly not fake shiney or slick, like Armor All does. I just bought Leatherique for my interior, but my car is a 2000 model and the seats have some wear and slight cracking. For every day use, I think Lexol is a good choice. I also follow up with a light rub down of 303 because I like the sheen and UV protection it gives the leather.