Leather Care

[KayGT]

I used the Armor All leather wipes and they leave a nice finish but will they protect from leather cracking in the long run? What leather products do you guys use or recommend?

[agctr]

To be honest, I have had my current MY01 since new and I have never put anything on mine and they look great. I only ever use a damp cloth to give them a once over but then again, I dont park my car out in the sun at all.

[Euclid]

I use the Townsend Leather Care and Cleaning Kit for Finished Leather which can be purchased directly from them [url]http://www.townsendleather.com/products.asp[/url] (it's at the bottom of the page). This is a great product. I use it in my S2000, which sits in the sun with the top down a lot, and the seats still look new.

[JoeGT]

The LGT will be my first car w/ leather, so I haven't tried this out on a car yet. But, I've used Eagle One Leather Cleaner and the Conditioner on my leather jacket, and it works great. Lightly buff off the excess conditioner w/ a terry cloth and let it air for awhile, and the leather smells great again, and it isn't "sticky" like some conditioners. Plus, it's available at most auto parts place and very reasonably priced.

[IwannaSportSedan]

I've heard great things about lexol products, and something called "Hide Food" I forget the brand. I haven't had any personal experience, though.

[KayGT]

thanks for the info....i'll go pick something up tomorrow

[Subaguru]

Although cleaning the leather is important, it is even more important to make sure you properly condition it. There are many conditioners out there; most which try to mimick that fresh leather smell, and many that do a poor job at it. While conditioning the seats leaves for a much better feel, more importantly it doesn't leave the leather unprotected and easily damaged by the sun. I tend to use Mother's leather conditioner, though Meguiars and other various commercial products are good as well. Massage it on, let it sit, wipe and buff. You'll have a better smell, better feel, and hopefully better (less) wear when done periodically.

[Stryker]

I use Lexol Cleaner and the conditioner in my wife's 2001 Outback and they look like new. This is what I'll be using in the GT.

[Guest *Jedimaster*]

How often do you need to clean and dress the leather?

[kanoswrx]

My brother has a RSX-S with 60,000 miles and has owned it for 2.5 years. I asked him how he takes care of his leather because it still looks new. He said he uses meguiars leather care and uses it about 2-3 times a year.

[Subaguru]

I would honestly just use the conditioner when it felt/looked like it needed it. Do one seat, and leave the other as it is. Examine the two and feel/see the difference, then you'll have a good idea of when it needs it. Yeah, 2-3 times a year is a good assumption I think.

[Mungo]

Anyone else having trouble with applying this stuff? The lotion seems to get stuck in the seat perforations.

[OCDetails]

The problem with lotion getting into the perforations is something you are going to experience with any leather conditioner. The secret is to wipe down those areas after most of the lotion has been used on the solid parts. I don't have any use for 'wipes' type products. I would rather buy my conditioner in a bottle and be in control of how much conditioner is being used. Its actually much much cheaper to do it that way. I could go through a whole box of wipes on one car with enough leather. I can get a bottle to stretch much further. I've got a [url=http://www.ocdetails.com/html/leather_care.html]Leather Care Article[/url] on OCDetails.com if you are interested. It gives some tips on application and even some product suggestions that you may not have used before. I favor leather conditioners that don't stink. Lexol stinks like goat urine. However, some others are very high quality and also smell like new leather. Those are the ones I like to use. I have worked with a lot of different leathers and I can tell you that the leather they used in my LGT is the kind that will show wear and possibly cracks within a few years if you don't care for it regularly. Leather is easier to care for and will look better longer than cloth, but that doesn't mean it isn't without maintanance needs. If you haven't conditioned your leather yet then you really want to think about doing that soon. Summer is coming and that is when a lot of damage can happen. Hot dry leather cracks easily.

[emorphien]

Leather sounds like a PITA. lol

[red beast]

so which ones smell like leather?

[OCDetails]

Pinnacle, Wolfgang, and Four Star Ultimate all smell like leather. You can get them at [url="http://www.premiumautocare.com"]www.premiumautocare.com[/url] among other places. [url="http://www.autogeek.net"]www.autogeek.net[/url] is another really good place to get any of those. I think you can get the Pinnacle brand at [url="http://www.properautocare.com"]www.properautocare.com[/url], but I don't know if they have the other two. Anyway, those are some good places to start.

[legandrex]

I protect my leather with tinted windows

[red beast]

what about [URL=http://www.ocdpharmacy.com/fs-ulck.html]http://www.ocdpharmacy.com/fs-ulck.html[/URL] for the $50 kit? :D

[OCDetails]

Tinted windows will help, but I can guarantee you that if you don't protect the leather with something else then they will crack. I've detailed many SUVs where the leather in the back is dried out and cracked. Those back windows are always really dark too.

[OCDetails]

[quote name='red beast']what about [url="http://www.ocdpharmacy.com/fs-ulck.html"]http://www.ocdpharmacy.com/fs-ulck.html[/url] for the $50 kit? :D[/QUOTE] That kit is great if you want a ton of microfibers and applicators. You can never have too many of those. ;) The Four Star products are some of my favorite too. That leather cleaner is second to none in my opinion. The conditioner is really good at restoring the softness of the leather. I've had more people call me back to ask what I used on their leather because of that product. I've sent a couple people the link to buy it, but the rest just have to hire me to come back. ;)

[red beast]

i already have a few creases in my leather. do you think they're in there for good or can a couple of treatments get them out?

[OCDetails]

I treated my leather yesterday. I noticed a few spots that looked a little cracked, but it turned out to be the natural grain of the leather that just had some crud in it. I'm sure that a proper cleaning and conditioning of your leather will make it look much better. If you have natural creases in the leather then keeping those areas conditioned and soft will be vital to keeping the leather in good condition.

[red beast]

no the creases or graining were there when it was new. i ordered the package above and will give it a good try. thank you for your help.

[OCDetails]

The Four Star Ultimate Leather Conditioner doesn't look oily at all. What it did to my leather was take it from dusty grey to matte black. It looked so dry before I treated it and now it looks so much better. Its not a greasy shine like you would get using a wipe or spray conditioner. If you buff the leather with a dry towel after application then you shouldn't have any problems with gloss or grease.

[iuksob03]

I just treated mine with the lexol kit yesterday. The process was pretty easy and it looks pretty good. Man, it smells nothing like leather though. The only thing that I can closely relate it to is the carnival, and not the good smells of a carnival. I also used the vinylex that came with the kit on the dash and door. They now look shiny, but not oily. Very nice IMO. Got the kit from Autogeek.net for $25 [url]http://www.autogeek.net/lexolkit.html[/url]