How to clean your Leather <D180> Review with pictures

[CosminTX]

When comes to cleaning leather the only thing i use on leather is D180 ( read : no steamer, no apc or any other things/cleaners )



D180 is meguiar`s leather cleaner conditioner. for public can be purchase in sample of 12 oz around 7$ , or in gallon for more / detailer use.

one seat should take between 5 minutes up to 20 minutes (when soiled)

Depends how bad the leather condition is i do one or 2 applications for cleaning and the 3rd one for "conditioner" where the product is light wipe.

i use it with a soft brush (1in and half , soft-hair) i apply the product on the brush and i work the seat strategic , in steps. u agitate the product to make sure goes anywhere on seat surface and wipe with mf towel.

- when use with the brush keep on eye on any splater , if use too much product, wipe any splater from leather, try don`t leave it too long, has cleaning agents.

- always wipe with mf towel so the leather is even covered.

- once u start you wanna do the whole seat/ interior seats , if not will be visible difference

- the product has a light learning curve but once u use it it should be easy on/off , just wipe the excess to even the application if not the excess it may be visible too shiny.

- when first applied on seats it may look greasy at the momment you work the paste , but after 1-2 hours the finish is natural , and nice to touch , gives a light shine of the leather but not any extreme glare.

that`s my experience with D180, very affordable , safe on leather ,good working time , quality results.

i use it on different vehicles , color , and very soft leather

some pictures to sustain the one above:

motorcycle jacket 50/50 test:









Audi S4

before:









after:





Bentley

before





after





Ferrari after ( roof , door ,seats)





BMW Z4

before





after





Mercede Benz S550

before with some stains and dirt





kind of 50/50 view





after

[Northstar]

Very nice stuff !

[Alexshimshimhae]

guess i`ll pick this stuuf up? i was looking at the 1z or leather products from other makers but i guess megs is good too? lol esp if it`s cheaper...but does it toughen up or take away from the softness of higher end leather seats?

[Toymachine2009]

wow nice results... that brush looks stiff doesnt it scratch or hurt leather? Where can I get a good brush to scrub leather with I just us an MF towel but no luck in cleaning leather at all..

[gigondaz]

wow nice results... that brush looks stiff doesnt it scratch or hurt leather? Where can I get a good brush to scrub leather with I just us an MF towel but no luck in cleaning leather at all..

If the leather is genuinely original and hasn`t been touched-up before, you can use a very soft brush. the KIWI shoe polish brush is cheap, and very safe. Just agitate and brush very lightly.



But if you suspect certain areas have been "touch-up sprayed before", then do not use any brushes.

In this situation, even MF towel could cause the paint to come off!

These areas are mostly the left and right side bolsters that wears out first. Be careful, and if in doubt....don`t touch! or you might hv to pay for the touch-up!

[Toymachine2009]

If the leather is genuinely original and hasn`t been touched-up before, you can use a very soft brush. the KIWI shoe polish brush is cheap, and very safe. Just agitate and brush very lightly.



But if you suspect certain areas have been "touch-up sprayed before", then do not use any brushes.

In this situation, even MF towel could cause the paint to come off!

These areas are mostly the left and right side bolsters that wears out first. Be careful, and if in doubt....don`t touch! or you might hv to pay for the touch-up!

What brush is he using here and where can I get one

[Alexshimshimhae]

kiwi shoe brushes?

ummm you know those brushes people use to polish their dress shoes? (and no, not the cheap plastic ones)

well those i BELIEVE are made from horse hair or some kind of natural animal hair...so they`re good for leather =] (i mean if you think about it--most dress shoes are leather right?)

[jaynick808]

look up dress shoe care. lots of alternatives besides kiwi. i got a 4 brush horse hair ralph lauren with a soft n extra soft regular bar type and matching soft n extra soft toothbrush style for like 12 dollars on sale with a leather case for it all.



these gentle types work well on premium leather but on leatherette type of seating i like to use the stiffer bristled leather brush i got from autogeek with my leatherique kit.

[Ben@3D]

If the leather is genuinely original and hasn`t been touched-up before, you can use a very soft brush. the KIWI shoe polish brush is cheap, and very safe. Just agitate and brush very lightly.

This weeks winner has been announce!!!



Congratz to gigondaz for posting on "Re: How to clean your Leather <D180> Review with pictures "



He wins the Wash N Wax!

[RenuAuto]

Great thread. I like to see other people`s before and after with commentary on different products like this.

[CosminTX]

Great thread. I like to see other people`s before and after with commentary on different products like this.

Thank you , d180 is still my way to go on leather.

[Boozman]

Thanks that is a great addition to my cleaning from this point on.

[gigondaz]

kiwi shoe brushes?

ummm you know those brushes people use to polish their dress shoes? (and no, not the cheap plastic ones)

well those i BELIEVE are made from horse hair or some kind of natural animal hair...so they`re good for leather =] (i mean if you think about it--most dress shoes are leather right?)

Yes, Alex. The KIWI shoe brush for polishing shoes. Wooden body with black bristles.

These bristles are JUST the right stiffness for leather and it`ll never damaged original OE leather that`s never been re-sprayed.

I`ve been using this brush for upholstery, carpet and leather for 6years!!! LOL! and I hv 10 of them in my shop at all times. Great stuff and it`s economical and durable.



This was a horribly dirty BMW X3 that`s never been detailed since new, 4yrs ago.

Tonnes of scratches all over the car, looks faded and tired, with a disgustingly dirty interior.





The leather seats were no longer tan. They were dark grey with a disgusting light-green tinge.

You won`t even dare sit on it! :chuckle:





I`m not a fan of steam cleaning leather.

But I`m a great fan of patient, slow cleaning using basic stuff.

1. Leather cleaner

2. MF towels

3. Kiwi shoe brush.

4. A bucket of water next to you for rinsing out the MF.

A bit of cleaning got rid of the years of ingrained stain very easily.





Interior 80% finished.





Interior cleaning completed.

Leather seats dressed with Audi`s Leather Protectant (non-glossy).





Sorry, a bit out of topic here...but can`t resist!

It took 2 days to thoroughly restore the exterior and rejuvenate the paint to virtually better than new new condition. 3M compounds, Meguiars 205, Menzerna fine cut polishes (jewelling), my personal blend of 2 carnaubas mixed together (Swissvax Onyx + Dodo Juice Orange crush)

[Accumulator]

CosminTX- Wow, that`s some before/after



gigondaz- Hey, that`s one really impressive 50/50 shot showing your leather cleaning too!



Wonder how consistent the Kiwi brushes are :think: My shoeshine brushes are sooooo old that they`re too soft for auto interiors so I never even thought of those, so good suggestion on your part :xyxthumbs





And yeah...gotta be careful steaming leather and I won`t argue with those who say to *not* do it (nor do I argue with those who advocate it for that matter, but it can be a "don`t try this at home, kids!" sort of thing).



Oh..almost forgot, which Menzerna did you use to spruce up the M205 finish? It *can* make a diff, huh?

[gigondaz]

CosminTX- Wow, that`s some before/after



gigondaz- Hey, that`s one really impressive 50/50 shot showing your leather cleaning too! Thanks buddy!



Wonder how consistent the Kiwi brushes are :think: My shoeshine brushes are sooooo old that they`re too soft for auto interiors so I never even thought of those, so good suggestion on your part :xyxthumbs

For my Kiwi brushes, once the black bristles have curled up and "collapsed", I`ll stop using them for leather cleaning. I`ve tried lots of brushes on leather, and they`re either too coarse or simply too soft to be effective. Kiwi brushes work great on carpet too.

I prefer to let the chemical do the cleaning, rather than using overly aggresive scrubbing with hard brushes to remove stains.

And yeah...gotta be careful steaming leather and I won`t argue with those who say to *not* do it (nor do I argue with those who advocate it for that matter, but it can be a "don`t try this at home, kids!" sort of thing).

I`ve some customers who repeatedly reminded me not to steam their leather.

These are the super high-end customers who own loads of expensive leather furniture and some of them collect antique, highly prized leather items. All of them are highly against steaming. So for me, i still prefer the old-school slow and patient method. You can`t go wrong...especially when no one can be 100% sure how a specific leather responds to steaming....and I don`t wanna run into trouble to find that out:hmph:



Oh..almost forgot, which Menzerna did you use to spruce up the M205 finish? It *can* make a diff, huh?

I like using 85RD with a soft blue pad on rotary to slowly jewel the finish.

On the X3, where there`s no time to do any mild sanding (lots of orange peel), my strategy was to compound properly, and then maximise results by slow jewelling, followed by carnaubas as the owner reminded me he didn`t like the Zaino-look on his son`s Z4, and wanted a rich, dark, sophisticated look.