Cleaning beige leather?

Tobster86

I may have to sell my old E39 BMW 540i soon. It's mechanically sound, but looking at the current market it seems very worthwhile spending time, effort and money in trying to make it look good. There are very few of these cars (fewer E39 540s around than M5s; so always a bit hard to gauge value realistically) but they're asking much more money than I'd expected the car to be worth, and the cars generally seem to be sliding towards becoming classics.

The interior beige leather is not in a very good way though; just years of accumulated and ingrained dirt, nobody's ever bothered to deep clean the seats, and being a lighter colour it shows badly.

Does anyone have any experience of attempting to clean beige leather once it's got to this state? (In terms of suggesting products & methodology?)

I approached the local Iranians who valet cars and do a good job of the outside; but there was a lot of head scratching as to how good a job they could do with the inside. If the consensus is "it'll never look good again" I may have to just accept that.

oscarward

Google it


http://www.best-auto-detailing-tips.com/clean-leather-car-seat.html


The best advice I've seen is test anything on a hidden area before attacking the rest!

Tobster86

oscarward wrote: »

Google it


http://www.best-auto-detailing-tips.com/clean-leather-car-seat.html


The best advice I've seen is test anything on a hidden area before attacking the rest!

Thanks, I struggle to find American websites by myself and have never heard of Google. It almost completely removes the usefulness of asking for people's personal experiences and knowledge.

worried_jim

I used Gliptone-

Gliptone Liquid Leather products both cleans and protect leather bringing back that new car smell.
Hand-built cars were trimmed in leather and exotic woods, a tradition that is copied today on the production line, but not only has the assembly technique changed, so has the leather, it is now much thinner and needs more care because it dries out more quickly.
Hides are now tanned with recyclable materials which reduce process times and waste by-products, however, the attractive "smell" associated with quality leather is lost.

http://www.cleanyourcar.co.uk/gliptone-liquid-leather/brand_12.html

Really happy with the results and left a great smell.

ttoli

I use STP " Son of a gun " , good for cleaning ingrained dirt or if you want to get serious try one of the detailers forums

http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=11

colino

A bar of Vanish soap and a small sponge is all you need for car leather cleaning.

JP08

Good old fashioned saddle soap ?

AdrianC

I've had good experience with the gliptone leather products in the past, too.

Tobster86

Gliptone's has a couple of mentions; but it strikes me that it may be more of a glycerine-based conditioner of already good leather than a thorough-cleaner of somewhat dirty leather, and isn't cheap. Is that the case?

Oh, and would 250ml suffice to do the whole car? (Seems to be the standard denomination for £12ish on ebay)

pandora205

Not very money saving but you could use the Furniture Clinic. They renovated my ivory suite which had scuffs as well being less than pristine and it looks like new. They sell their products too if you are diying.

colino

As car leather is a highly processed material, as much akin to a cow as your lounge carpet is to a sheep, the many, "specialist" products, unless you are stripping and recolouring, are pretty much a waste of money.