99 BMW 740 leather cleaning with steamer. Zaino and CG leather products compared.

[gmblack3]

99 740il has over 77k miles on it.



Cleaned/conditioned with leatherique early this year.



It is possible that these seats where re-dyed. I can see some overspray on the metal hinges where the seat top/bottom come together.



The drivers seat is looking pretty crappy IMO:







So I decide that I`m gonna use my new steamer. You can see all kinds of info on the steamer here



I used the small triangle brush and that was my first mistake. :nono Its way too firm IMO, at least it was for this seat. You can see the area on the bottom closer to the front where the brush pulled the color right out







I should of known better. :hairpull



So I remove the brush and hold the steam handle about 6" away from the leather. I go over an area and then wipe the area off with a cotton towel.



I do the front pass seat without any problems. It was not that bad anyway:



sorry no before, just after

[gmblack3]

Then I do the rear seat, it was not that bad either before I started.



after





After it dries I find a bad area on the left side rear, this is the ouotboard and center cushion. Yes its all cracked.







I had some zaino Z9 and Z10. I also had some chemical guys leather conditioner that I wanted to try out.



This is what the drivers seat looked like after I cleaned it with some Z9:







This is what the towel looked like that I used for the Z9, its more of the seat color then dirt.



Ignore the black spot





Oh boy, momma is gonna be pissed. :grinno:



I did the front pass seat with the Z9 and the wipeoff towel was clean. I did not use the Z9 on the rear seats as they looked very clean after the steamer.



Drivers seat after Z-10:







Does not look as bad as it did, thank god.



closeup of bad area:





I used the CG conditioner on the front pass seat:







On the rear seat, I used Z10 on the drivers side. CG on the middle and right side:











The GC says to apply in multiple thin coats so I applied 4, then buffed after the last coat.



Zaino Z-10 says wipe it on and thats it. I applied it twice since the leather on the left side of the car was in the poorest conditon. No buffing required.



The chemical guys leather conditioner seemed soft, but the Zaino Z-10 side was noticeably softer.



Z-10 has a leather smell, almost chemical like IMO. Not in a bad way.



CG LC has a "tropical" smell I guess you could call it. Maybe someone else has a better discription of its smell.

[gmblack3]

I also steamed the rest of the interior (not carpets) Dash, door panels, ect. The car was not that dirty so its hard to tell how much dirt was removed. I may go over some areas with the APC later tonight (we will see) just to see if any other dirt will come up.

[Scottwax]

How do they compare with any OTC leather conditioners you have used?

[gmblack3]

How do they compare with any OTC leather conditioners you have used?

Before trying these I had used leatherique for about 4 years. I like it alot, the leatherique rejuvenating oil works much better when the car sits out in the warm/hot sun.



When it gets warm again out I will try the zaino vs leatherique.



I wonder if you can accelerate the leatherique rejuvenating oil process using the steamer?

[Spilchy]

Thanks for the pics and write up. I think using the rubber squeegy attachment and a towel would be safer on leather since it won`t cut into the leather like the traingle attachment.



So the steam without an attachment was able to get off the dirt ok? How easy was it to do?



Sorry to see about the dye coming off on the towel.

[gmblack3]

Thanks for the pics and write up. I think using the rubber squeegy attachment and a towel would be safer on leather since it won`t cut into the leather like the traingle attachment.



So the steam without an attachment was able to get off the dirt ok? How easy was it to do?



Sorry to see about the dye coming off on the towel.

I just went and looked at the rubber squeegy attachment, that with a towel looks to be a better combo so I will try that next time around. I`ll try that out in a few weeks on the beater (91 aucra legend)



I don`t think it was that hard without an attachment and wiping it off with a towel. Just steam about 6-8" or so away from the surface one section at a time, then wipe away any of the dirt. I think this method worked pretty good for door trim, dash, ect as well. It was hard to tell as the interior was "clean" to start with. The only areas on the trim where I got any major dirt on the towel was under the steering wheel where your knees would hit. That was almost like smoke residue as it was a yellow tint on the towel.



We had a 93 740 in the past and the leather quality was much better, it had 150k on it when we sold it and the leather looked better then this `99 did at 50k.

[SilverLexus]

The Zaino leather products are my favorite after trying many others. The leather smell is real leather oils I believe.



I`ve been using Z-9 and Z-10 since my car was new but I have found it really cleans well and works to soften the leather noticeably. You really need to use them in winter when the heaters dry out the air and leather.



I have also found the Zaino products to do well with side vinyl on seats which is typical these days even on better quality seats.

[imported_Reflections]

I just went and looked at the rubber squeegy attachment, that with a towel looks to be a better combo so I will try that next time around. I`ll try that out in a few weeks on the beater (91 aucra legend)



I don`t think it was that hard without an attachment and wiping it off with a towel. Just steam about 6-8" or so away from the surface one section at a time, then wipe away any of the dirt. I think this method worked pretty good for door trim, dash, ect as well. It was hard to tell as the interior was "clean" to start with. The only areas on the trim where I got any major dirt on the towel was under the steering wheel where your knees would hit. That was almost like smoke residue as it was a yellow tint on the towel.



We had a 93 740 in the past and the leather quality was much better, it had 150k on it when we sold it and the leather looked better then this `99 did at 50k.

I think from 6-8 inches away, you`re basically misting warm condensation on to the leather. Did you try the larger triangle brush with a mf towel clipped to it? If the towel is double wrapped over the bristles, you shouldn`t have any problems with scratching. Maybe you did this and I`m misunderstasnding :nixweiss



Edit: you can also start with the steam on low, and increase the pressure if it`s not getting the job done. I don`t think you`d need too much when using a towel clipped to an attachment.

[Intercooled]

I`m a fan of the Z-10 also. It keeps the leather rich and and somewhat soft.

[gmblack3]

I think from 6-8 inches away, you`re basically misting warm condensation on to the leather. Did you try the larger triangle brush with a mf towel clipped to it? If the towel is double wrapped over the bristles, you shouldn`t have any problems with scratching. Maybe you did this and I`m misunderstasnding :nixweiss



Edit: you can also start with the steam on low, and increase the pressure if it`s not getting the job done. I don`t think you`d need too much when using a towel clipped to an attachment.

Interesting, I just tried the smaller triangle w/out a towel on that one spot. Never again. I will try the larger brush wrapped double next time.



Maybe I did not read the manual deep enough, but how do you adjust the steam on that unit? The only way I saw was with the trigger. :think:



Thanks for your input.

[C. Charles Hahn]

gmblack - what steamer are you using? Is this one of the Saeco ones?