Leather seat care

N9eav

I bought a new used car (6 yr old) and it has nice leather seats, well looked after.

Is it best to use a leather cleaner and conditioner or cleaner and protectant? I bought some Glipton leather care products and tried out a small patch and they make the seats nice and supple, but I thought after a few days that it might stain easier.

Any thoughts?

judyb

Keep your leather clean by protecting it with a leather protector and then regular cleaning.
Adding 'conditioners' which generally contain oils and waxes will change the appearance of your leather over time as dirt will build up on the surface and cause a sheen.

Using the correct care methods and products will not alter the factory finish.

The type of leather you have is 'coated' leather. This is essentially a 'painted' leather with a clear coat finish over the top. The leather may or may not be dyed through with aniline dyes prior to the finish coating.

Essentially it is this top coating that needs looking after.
Cleaning is vitally important as the top coat will wear away if allowed to become dirty.
Dirt on the surface will also become ground into the finish by constant abrassion.

'Conditioners', balms, feeds etc (traditionally oil and wax based) cannot penetrate this finish so are not worth applying - they can also leave behind residues on the finish which will only attract more dirt if allowed to remain. 'Conditioners' will not do any protecting on leather even if they say they do as there will not be enough active
ingredient in them to do anything.

A protector will make the finish easier to clean and also inhibit dye transfer etc on pale coloured leathers.

Leather however finished has to remain breathable and it will allow the movement of moisture back and forth (transpiration) so the use of water based cleaners and protectors will keep the leather correctly hydrated which is essentail to keeping it in good condition.

The routine for correct care should be

Protect from new
Maintain with a regular clean or maintenance product
Deep clean with a foam cleaner once or twice a year

Simple steps of cleaning & protecting will prolong the life of the finish on the leather

Hope this helps
Judyb

Gloomendoom

I just wipe them over with a damp cloth every so often.

bigjl

Glipton products have been around for a long time and they make products for vehicle leather and automotive leather

In the handbook for my new, to me, car states use soap (not got the manual to hand so can't quote it exactly) to remove stains such as dye from clothing.

I shall be buying Glipton products next month when i have the spare dosh.

I did use AutoGlym Leather Care Balm on my V50 seats that i got on eBay and they were much improved.

Only had them in for around a year so can't comment on the issues Judy touches on. Though as she is fairly active on various forums regardiglng such issues and works in the industry i have no reason to doubt her expertise.

colino

As all car leather will be heavily treated (dyed) and sealed, you should only need to wipe it with a soft, damp cloth. My only extension to that is when the surface has encrusted dirt, noticeably darkening the hide, and I would simply rub it over with a bar of vanish soap and buff it up with the damp, soft cloth.

bigjl

Similar advice to what Jaguar put in there handbook.

I am sure they mention using a non caustic soap but that is from memory.

colino

Just to confuse the customers (and get them to buy product) the Jaguar welcome pack contains a little plastic bottle of leather conditioner, which looks and smells just like the windscreen cream cleaner, that's in the pack too! My advice, apart from the Vanish bit, is the advice from the leather manufacturer and they will have supplied your Volvo leather as well.

worried_jim

I use Gliptone leather cleaner and would highly recommend.

http://www.liquidleather.com/