Vendor How to PROPERLY care for your Leather Interior

[MoeMistry]

Help! I used some Armor All Leather wipes to try to wipe the back seat of my Tesla (black leather) and it left this nasty residue on them. check out this picture which shows the difference between the treated and untreated parts of the back seat.

Any ideas on how to get it to come out?

Thanks

Don't use woolite or other cleaners NOT intended for leather.

Keep it simple...using a damp mf towel, begin wiping the leather until it gets a clean matte look again. You can use warm water in a bucket and put your mf towel in it, then ring it out.

Next time, please use a better product than OTC stuff like Armor All...IMHO, products like that don't belong in a vehicle like Tesla. The smell, look, low-quality ingredients, are just a few reasons

- - - Updated - - -

Seeing this thread come back got me thinking about a leather problem I currently have. Attached is a picture of the side of the driver's seat as you enter the car. As you can see, it is showing wrinkles like crazy. No other leather is showing this wear. Car owned for 6 months so it's not excessively old and I live in Seattle so it's not like it's baking in 100 degree heat year-round. I originally did nothing to my leather as the manual warns against using conditioners but now with this problem arising I'm wondering if I need to do something to reverse this? Is this normal?

Suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks all!

View attachment 59135

Leather NEEDS hydrating often. It also needs to be cleaned to remove dirt and body oils. Simplest thing to use for this purpose is a damp, warm, mf towel. A good quality conditioner helps a lot as well. Your leather looks "normal" as the wrinkles are simply from getting in and out. It will stay that way and not get worse if you take good care of it. I don't see in pigment degradation or topcoat failure. It just looks a little dirty and tired. You'd be surprised how much better it will look with a simple cleaning with warm water. Hope this helps

 

[dsm363]

MoeMistry: is this a good kit to buy?
Amazon.com: Leatherique 16oz. Kit: Automotive

 

[Btrflyl8e]

Keep it simple...using a damp mf towel, begin wiping the leather until it gets a clean matte look again. You can use warm water in a bucket and put your mf towel in it, then ring it out.

This is a family forum, let's just call it a towel.

:tongue:

 

[JohnQ]

This is a family forum, let's just call it a towel.

:tongue:

Cue Pulp Fiction meme

 

[rogbmw]

This is a family forum, let's just call it a towel.

:tongue:

I think he was referring to a Micro Fiber towel :wink:

 

[galangg]

Thanks for the post!

 

[Btrflyl8e]

I think he was referring to a Micro Fiber towel :wink:

I know, my disturbed brain kept reading it another way so I was just being funny.

 

[RodF]

This is a family forum, let's just call it a towel.

:tongue:

LOL!

 

[CHG-ON]

I have always had leather seats and I think this is part of the reality. It is frustrating. I would look, as MKNOX said, at how you enter the seat (annoying and stupid, I know). I do think conditioning the leather is very important, from my experience. I am not sure why they are warning us against doing that. Seems odd. But part of the beauty of leather is that it is a natural product and it will show age (and character) over time. I think it adds to the spirit of the vehicle, though I must admit, that it does bug me a bit as the age begins to show. I have also read several comments on the early wearing of the Tesla leather. Unfortunate and part of the price of being a (still) early adopter.

I use Griot's leather care and have been very, very happy with it with my 8 YO Acura (now a spare car this year). Some wear, but the driver's seat still looks great.

 

[MoeMistry]

This is a family forum, let's just call it a towel.

:tongue:

LOL:biggrin:

- - - Updated - - -

MoeMistry: is this a good kit to buy?
Amazon.com: Leatherique 16oz. Kit: Automotive

Leatherique is excellent. Just make sure to clean leather first prior to rej oil.

 

[rainman50]

303 protectant reference.

FI PETE.
Maybe you (or anyone else) know the difference. I'd like to comment on you mentioning 303 protectant.
I have been using this protectant for years. I was running low and went to the store I normally buy this product. The label has changed and the smell of them are not the same. I'm wondering if they still can be used as before.
The 1st pic (has 2 bottles shown) The one on the right is the one I was using for years. The left is the one I just bought. The new one just shows a boat, no car or RV. That is the one the sales person said was the same as the old.
I found another pic ( not at store) of seemingly the new design bottle and it has the car included. I have to check to see if they get a hold of this one.
Is there much difference in these shown? The one with just the boat says OK for rubber tires and truck/hood rubber seals. But I don't know what I can't use it for.
Thanks for any input.



.

A beautiful clean and care for leather interior is a source of tremendous pride for automobile owners. Modern day leather consist of a variety of natural and synthetic materials. Not many vehicles actually use just raw leather and most of them have a coating on them to help protect against wear and tear. These materials are likely to drying out and braking down over time so regular maintenance is very important.

Caring for virtually any type of leather involves the same basic steps -Clean, Condition, Protect. Over time dirt, human oils, sweat, etc work themselves deep in to the seat making them challenging to remove. A good leather cleaner should separate those contaminants and bring them to the surface for removal SAFELY. A quality leather conditioner will help keep the leather soft and supple while remaining strong and durable. Quality leather cleaners and conditioners shouldn't leave a shiny or oily (slippery) finish behind. Finally some protection will help prevent UV fading while preserving the color and finish for years to come.

Products that are 2-in-1 (cleaner and conditioner) are not as effective as a separate cleaner and conditioner. For regular maintenance I strongly recommend using a slightly damp towel with warm water to wipe down all leather, plastic and vinyl trim. If warm water doesn't do the work then use Leatherique Prestine Clean, Leather Master Leather Cleaner or Connolly Leather Cleaner. For conditioning the Leatherique Rejuvenator Oil is in my professional opinion the BEST leather conditioner in the market followed by Leather Master Conditioner and Connolly Hide Care Leather Conditioner. If you still want a 2-in-1 product then Sonax Leather Foam is a good choice. Finally, for protection after you have applied the conditioner the 303 Aerospace Protectant is the best in the field for its ability to block UV rays (don't over apply, a little goes a long way)

Your leather should receive a good conditioning at least once a year (twice a year if the car spends most of its time parked outside under the brutal Florida sun). Conditioning any more than that shouldn't be necessary.

With PROPER care your leather trim will look and feel like new year round while protecting and in many times increasing the resale value of your automobile.

Hope you enjoyed this article.

Pete Borras
Master Detailer

 

[docrice]

No one seems has mentioned steam cleaning yet. I recently bought a Dupray Hill Injection and looking for excuses to use it. With the triangular attachment and a microfiber towel wrapped around it, would this harm the leather?

 

[iadbound]

If you check out this video Interior Detailing: Tools, Techniques, and Materials -- /DRIVE CLEAN - YouTube, you'll see that the steam cleaner is a favorite. This guy's video are really educational as well.

 

[docrice]

I've been watching his videos for a while and did come across this one be. Just wanted to make sure since this is my first leather interior and there seems to be quite a bit of variability between different car makes and leather quality.

 

[artsci]

With leather care less is more. The more chemicals you apply to the surface the faster it will show its age. Wiping with a damp cloth is the best approach, and conditioners and the like should be applied no more than once a year.

 

[sickfox]

Perfect timing for this thread! Love this community! :smile:

 

[Fezzik]

How to take care of the leather

Hi. I'm pretty much a car cleaning nut. I've zaino ed all my other cars. This time I went full xpel with opticoat. NOw on to the interior. I've always used lexol leather conditioner and cleaner without any hassles. Now I've thought about the alcantara leather in our car. Where is this leather located at completely. Headliner only?

Also has anyone used Leather Master's kit? I've heard a lot about this kit.
I was looking at this one.
http://www.detailersdomain.com/Leather-Master-Plus-Kit_p_548.html

and get this for the alcantara headliner
http://www.detailersdomain.com/Leather-Master-NuBuck-Protector--Alcantara-Protector_p_1022.html

I was also looking at swissvax, or stick with lexol or even leatherique

 

[sickfox]

Lot's of good info in this thread: How to PROPERLY care for your Leather Interior

Fezzik - how often do you put the conditioner? twice a year?

 

[wayner]

I am not giving much of a damn right now since Tesla will be replacing my seats with NG in the near future!

 

[Fezzik]

Well, now that I've read this, I decided to go with Leatherique.

On the 303, look at the one gallon (which is what I buy because I use it on everything; cars, outside furniture, grill cover etc.) It has auto, marine on it still.