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Leather Seat Maintenance

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Comments

  • jjackson3jjackson3 Member Posts: 1
    I have a 1979 Volvo with black leather interior. The seat sections of the front buckets are now torn beyond repair. Can anyone suggest a good online place from which I can get decent (not top of the line expensive) covers for my situation that will be a good fit. Thanks.
  • mugsy22207mugsy22207 Member Posts: 3
    Should I be cleaning/conditioning the leather wrapped steering wheel, along with the leather seats of my new Acura TL?
  • vac23vac23 Member Posts: 118
    Would be a good idea. The only thing you need to worry about is the wheel being slippery afterwards depending on what you use. ie: armoral would make the wheel too slippery to handle.
  • motorhead99lximotorhead99lxi Member Posts: 3
    I am thinking about trying Zaino leather products but the only question I have is does the Z-10 leave any change in the appearance of the leather? I'm looking to protect and feed the leather without making it slippery and glossy. Thanks in advance. Lou
  • pjyoungpjyoung Member Posts: 885
    Zaino Z10 does exactly what you are looking for. It protects, but does not leave the leather looking shiny or wet, or slippery. It also rejuvenates that great "leather" smell. I also used it on my dash, where it really did a great job without making the surface shiny.
  • motorhead99lximotorhead99lxi Member Posts: 3
    I guess I will order it right from the zaino site, since I've never seen it in any store. I was looking for something other than lexol for a change.Thanks again. Lou
  • rtburkertburke Member Posts: 1
    The black leather seats in my 12-year old BMW have a few spots which could use some redying. Does anyone have any recommendations regarding redying products and procedures? Thanks, RT.
  • tomsrtomsr Member Posts: 325
    Soon after getting my new Explorer with leather
    seats I accidently poked a hole in the seat with
    a screwdriver which was in my back pocket.I took
    it to the dealer where I bought the car and ask my
    son who works there what to do.He took the vehicle
    and a friend of his did some magic and in 1/2 hr.
    I had the car back without a hole and could not
    see where the hole had been.It was some kind of
    patching procedure using plastic I think.So just as there are experts doing ding repair the same
    expertise is available for uphostery.
  • lotusmanlotusman Member Posts: 6
    Between my Lotus, the two Legends and the Town and country I can provide a bit to the discussion.

    First, the history of Japan had made the tanners of leather the lowest of the classes not as in europe or particularly in England. As a result, never expect any Japanese car leather to last for long. My 92 Legend is cracking even with the Lexol treatment. Primarily this is because it is not true leather. It is as I have heard a composite of sorts of chip-chopped leather with a binder and a coating which does not allow the treatment to penetrate. Something akin to original Naughahyde. My 88 Legend seats were gone after 7 years.

    On the other hand, the Lotus interior has about two cows worth of leather. I use the Lexol which I was told by those more experienced than I was recommended by Connoly which tanned my hides as well as those of Rolls-Royce autos. I had never heard of Hide Food nor had my friend who has a Jag. What I have learned is to use a bare hand with finger nails well trimmed to apply the treatment. Cloths soaked up too much of the lotion. Let the car interior heat up a bit in the sun before appling the treatment. This expands the pores of the leather and improves absorption. Continue adding lotion until there is something left on the leather that can be wiped off. It also gives one VERY soft hands. When using the cleaner I have found using a plastic bristle brush like that used for washing a baby's hair got the dirt and human skin oils out of the cracks and creases of the skins. We are all very corrosive people.
  • cruiser1cruiser1 Member Posts: 6
    Anybody know of a product that I can use to prolong the new car smell that we all love so much. New Honda Accord EX-VL with leather interior. Will this same product work on the plastic dash without making everything too shiny and cheap looking.

    Thanks in advance
  • pjyoungpjyoung Member Posts: 885
    Try the Zaino Z-10, "leather in a bottle". It works great on leather and plastic dash, and it rejuvinates the leather smell. It will NOT make the leather or dash look shiny...just supple and rich.
  • johnyoojohnyoo Member Posts: 18
    funny thing, I remember seeing bottles of "New Car Scent" at some drugstore.

    I used Lexol for the first time a little while ago and I love it. It makes my seat feel like my baseball gloves, nice and soft.
  • tilertiler Member Posts: 15
    http://store.yahoo.com/classic-motoring/info.html Hide food /Lexol and more in the interior section.
  • tilertiler Member Posts: 15
    I know your post is about 2 mos. old but Ijust came across this site and it described your problem with the seatbelt wear.
    http://www.liquidleather.com/scuffs.htm
  • macarthur2macarthur2 Member Posts: 135
    Okay, I'll tell you GM recommends-- Saddle Soap for treating the seats of my new Buick LeSabre. Do any of the products mentioned here darken the leather? My Titanium (steely blue) 2000 LeSabre has medium blue leather and I do not want to darken it when treating it.
    Way back in question 148 Yorick1 asked about Saddle soap. Surely someone knows something about it. It sure works on base ball gloves and saddles. Does GM know what they are talking about? Comments please.
  • tilertiler Member Posts: 15
    Go into the site in post #219
    On the side there are different options.
    Go to interior. At the bottom there is an interesting article called the myth of saddle soap. Next to that is proper leather care.
  • jm22jm22 Member Posts: 7
    Lexol has been around for years for a reason. I've tried the Zaino and just about all the others. I keep going back to Lexol for the quality. I get mine now at http://www.autofanatics.com. They have a great leather care tip. Just ask them. They are ver customer friendly.
  • cornhusker99cornhusker99 Member Posts: 11
    Can someone who've used both compare between Zaino's Leather in a Bottle and Hide Food? Pros and cons please.

    Thanks.
  • dgsgdgsg Member Posts: 29
    Any suggestions on what product to use on the dash of my new Acura CL-S? It looks kind of like a matt black finish and all the products that I have used before seem to make things shiney, and I want to keep the flat black look.
  • johnyoojohnyoo Member Posts: 18
    Try Vinylex. It's made by the makers of Lexol. You just apply, let sit for a bit, wipe away and depending on how much you wipe it'll be shiny or give you a matte finish like you want.
  • ccotenjccotenj Member Posts: 610
    i second the vinylex suggestion. works great on my 3er... doesn't shine too much, and doesn't seem to attract as much dust as other "cleaners" do... also seems to clean better, my car is a convertible, and i pick up all kinds of dirt driving around with top down... also, it's very easy to use....

    good luck.

    -Chris
  • div2div2 Member Posts: 2,580
    I third the Vinyex suggestion. I also like to let it sit on warm-not hot-vinyl for @20 minutes prior to buffing to allow the product to be absorbed. I also like Zymol Vinyl but it is a tad pricey.
  • joe111joe111 Member Posts: 28
    Have you tried Armorall(flat finish, not gloss)?. I have a new Honda and the dash is in need of something, but I don't want that high gloss shine. I hear it looks a lot better on the dash than the high gloss finish Armorall.
  • ccotenjccotenj Member Posts: 610
    imo, armorall is junk, but it does have it's proponents... there's no comparison between it and vinylex... the stuff just "feels better" after being vinylex'd vs. being armorall'd (and i used to be a consistent armorall user, so i *used* to like it, but the vinylex is better).

    -Chris
  • ral2167ral2167 Member Posts: 791
    where can i get this vinylex product? i use armor all now... i'm willing to change if i like it and can find it.
  • ccotenjccotenj Member Posts: 610
    any good quality (or poor quality, heck i get it at pep boys :) ) auto parts store ought to have it. or you can order it over the net from several places... do a search on "lexol" and you'll find it...

    -Chris
  • jwilson1jwilson1 Member Posts: 956
    thanks for the link! (Obviously, I hadn't been here for a while either.) But your discovery is worth a try. Much appreciated.

    Take care.
    Joe W>
  • vwleathervwleather Member Posts: 1
    I have a 1999 VW Jetta with leather seats and the driver seat has a leather problem. My leather belt(s)(to hold up my pants) finish has rubbed off onto the finish of my leather seat back. This has discolored my leather seat as I have the Beige leather seats which now has a black/reddish brown horizontal stripe. Does anyone have an idea on how to clean this off my seat?

    Thanks
  • pat455pat455 Member Posts: 603
    Actually, I think you might find some helpful suggestions right here in this topic. Have you had a chance to look through the posts here?

    You can use the "Jump" window that appears right under the topic title to navigate through the posts here.

    Pat
    Community Leader/Maintenance & Repair Conference
  • werkingwerking Member Posts: 431
    all - fyi, i've had bad experiences with armor all on vinyl. if you want your car to "look" good for cheap...use armor all. if you want to protect your vinyl/leather for the life of your car...i would NOT use armor all. invest in something better (which is why i'm here now...to find out what's good) to help your interior last longer. based off the responses i've read, i'm looking into zaino (i've used and been impressed with their exterior cleaning system) and hide food. never had leather before, but i got it in my wife's new jimmy. hope to take care of it long term. thanks to all for posting your experiences.

    kyle
  • vac23vac23 Member Posts: 118
    nice to read your messages here too. I like mentioned in the other boards you've posted. Do you work for autosupermart or something??? You've posted in numurous topics how you found this great product at autosupermart & recommend it.
  • bnormannbnormann Member Posts: 335
    he's a spammer for autosupermart.com
  • joe111joe111 Member Posts: 28
    I do not agree with your post concerning Armor All. I recently bought a new Accord EX and the dash was really in need of a vinyl application of something. I bought some Armor All satin finish and applied it. I wasn't satisified with the finished look so I applied some regular Armor All, and that really did the trick. The whole dash looks great. Just for the heck of it I bought some 3-M vinyl treatment and applied it also. It looks absolutely great, not too shiny, just right.
  • werkingwerking Member Posts: 431
    if you read my post, you'll see it reads:

    "if you want your car to LOOK good for
    CHEAP...use armor all. if you want to PROTECT
    your vinyl/leather FOR THE LIFE of your car...i
    would NOT use armor all."

    you say you recently bought an accord ex. wow, after one application of armor all you got the results you wanted, huh? you could prob'ly do the same thing with a jar of vaseline, mayonaise, or a quart of motor oil for that matter. is that good for the LIFE of the vehicle...i'm thinking no, but maybe you want to give it a try.

    i had a '94 sonoma that i used armor all exclusively for vinyl/plastic trim. over the 5+ years i had it, the armor all did NOT protect the vinyl dash. the armor all i used claimed to have a "uv" protectant of some kind in it. since i had a dark colored dash, i thought that the uv protection would help. it did not. over time, (5+ years, applied on average once a month) the vinyl faded, cracked in spots, and especially where i put my hands frequently - around the control panel - the protective coating wore off. mind you, i noticed some of these problems as early as 3 and a half to 4 years. if you want to use armor all...knock yourself out. i'm providing you with perspective of what it might look like 3-4 years down the road (and trying to save you from experiencing my disappointment). i'll not use armor all again.

    kyle
  • ccotenjccotenj Member Posts: 610
    try using vinylex (same people who make lexol, which most certainly is not "junk" (to pick a better word than a previous poster used))... i've had very good success with it in my cars (currently a 325iC, f-150 and seville).

    i've also found that lexol works very well on other leather products such as purses. my wife owns virtually the entire coach collection of handbags, and she swears by both the cleaner and conditioner.

    others whose opinion i trust also recommend hide food, which i may try one of these days just to be different...

    as far as armor all... you get what you pay for... i wouldn't use it, but some swear by it... personal decision, i suppose...

    good luck.

    -Chris
  • werkingwerking Member Posts: 431
    thanks for the input. yep, that's exactly what i
    found with armor all. i might consider using it to shine my tires in the future...maybe.

    i just ordered some leather in a bottle from zaino for my wife's jimmy. i'll most likely use it in my silverado too. leather steering wheel and vinyl dash at least...

    kyle
  • joe111joe111 Member Posts: 28
    Your suggestion to use vaseline, mayonaise or motor oil for interior vinyl surfaces was great. Why don"t you try it and tell me how it works; personally I think I'll stick to Armor All. Did you stop to think that maybe you had such bad luck with Armor All on your 94 Sonoma was because the quality of the vinyl was not very good? I have owned a 90 Honda Accord for 10 years and have been using Armor All on it from the start.When I recently sold it, the dash looked like new, perfect condition. For you it didn't work...for me it did. Your sarcastic coments will certainly not keep me from using Armor All.
  • werkingwerking Member Posts: 431
    great. like i said in my earlier post...i'm only trying to point out to others that i had a bad experience with armor all. i'm not telling anyone what to do. quality vinyl? c'mon man, listen to yourself. do you really think that carmakers skimp on vinyl of all things? get real. do what you want man...like i said before, you get what you pay for and don't come crying to me if the armor all doesn't protect as advertised. i'm really crushed that my sarcastic comments aren't going to prevent you from using armor all...that was the whole point after all. look man...use armor all...buy it all for all i care. i won't use it anymore. but maybe i'll call gm and complain about the "quality of the vinyl they're putting in the vehicles." yeah, i'll do that as soon as i finishing lathering the dash in my new silverado with quaker state...

    kyle
  • werkingwerking Member Posts: 431
    up in post #240, you mentioned:
    I recently bought a new Accord EX and the
    dash was really in need of a vinyl application of
    something.
    ...so...are you saying that honda's "top quality vinyl" only looks right after you armor all it?

    ...nope wait, you said:
    Just for the heck of it I bought some 3-M
    vinyl treatment and applied it also. It looks
    absolutely great, not too shiny, just right.

    ...so, that vinyl is sooooo great, you have to use two different types of armor all AND another, different product. you know...some products out there work just fine by themselves. revolutionary concept i know...

    kyle
  • joe111joe111 Member Posts: 28
    Let me try to end this silly debate with a simple comment....You had a bad experience with the Armor All product...I had good results using Armor All. I'm not going to change your mind and you certainly will not change mine. Now lets get back to leather seat maintenance.
  • div2div2 Member Posts: 2,580
    I think Armor All is a terrific product. If it's so bad, how come all the "no credit, no problem" used car lots apply it in bulk on their "clean and reliable" used cars? Seriously, you will find few(if any)Armor All adherents among professional detailers or Concours participants. And with good reason; there are much better products available. Lexol, Meguiars, Sonax, Zaino, Zymol, and Wurth all market vastly superior protectants at various price points. If someone wants to use Armor All on their new cars interior/exterior, it's their business. Me,I wouldn't use the stuff if my life depended on it. But don't take my word for it, check out: www.carcareonline.com/tires_rubber_vinyl.html
  • bigfigbigfig Member Posts: 35
    Has anyone heard or used products from this source.
    Today while I was at the Oldsmobile dealership I saw a kit that they had for $24.95. It contained a leather cleaner and conditioner, QDI is located in Plano, Tex. They also have a leather product to give your car that new leather smell. please advise. I bought the kit and will post my results at a later date.
  • daynadayna Member Posts: 2
    HELP................... My 3 year old decided when I wasn't looking of course to use his pen that Wendy's gave out in their kids meal and draw on the leather arm rest of our brand new Toyota Sienna mini-van. My Toyota dealer was no help. I stopped at a Leather furniture store, they lent me something to try, it removed some of the tan color off of the leather. Any one with a suggestion.
  • ral2167ral2167 Member Posts: 791
    other than putting the young child's butt up around where his shoulder is, have you tried going to a place that does interior detailing exclusivly and see what they suggest?
  • joe166joe166 Member Posts: 401
    What has always worked for me is hair spray. I don't know why, but I read it in one of those columns in the paper. I have no idea if it will take off the color of the material, but that is something that can be dealt with, ink stains can not. You spray it on and wipe it off right away and it takes a little off each time. Sometimes alcohol works on some ball point pen ink. I would try anything going stronger and stronger and then either dye it yourself or have it died to match the rest of the interior. I would also bet that your arm rest is vinyl, not leather. Most "leather" interiors are only leather on the seating surfaces. I urge you to find out. This will not likely be the last thing the kids sabotage. It goes with the territory.
  • ccotenjccotenj Member Posts: 610
    someone posted a couple of suggestions on ink stains... i don't remember what they were...

    good luck.

    -Chris
  • pocahontaspocahontas Member Posts: 802
    I was able to remove an ink stain (long pen mark) on my leather seat using a small piece of clay (clay magic). It took several minutes of rubbing the clay onto the area. Also, I was also careful not to get the seat too wet.

    My two cents. ;-)

    Pocahontas,
    Community Leader/Coupes, Convertibles, and Sportscars Conference
  • zim5zim5 Member Posts: 5
    Greetings everyone. I have a 98 Windstar LX
    with leather captains chairs. I recently purchased
    both the Lexol cleaner and conditioner. Is their
    a best way to apply both of these products? Also,
    can I apply the conditioner immediately after using the cleaner. I'm anxious to use the Lexol
    this weekend and see how my seats turn out.
    Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks.
  • ccotenjccotenj Member Posts: 610
    spray it on a clean rag and wipe it on...

    i use the conditioner right after cleaning... doesn't seem to make a difference...

    good luck.

    -Chris
  • daynadayna Member Posts: 2
    Thanks to all for your suggestions. I'm gonna give them a try.
This discussion has been closed.