New To Leather--What to do to take care of it?

polliwog · 07-03-2008, 09:15 AM

Never had a car with leather before in my life, my Civic is now just shy of being 3 weeks old. I'm wondering what can I do to keep the leather in good condition for many years? Is there something people regularly put on it? I've read something online that what you put on it depends on what kind of leather it is. I've no idea what kind of leather Honda puts on their Civics and don't know how to find out. There seems to be nothing in the owner's manual about this.

Detox · 07-03-2008, 10:01 AM

Car Wax, Car Polish, Auto Detail Supplies - Adam's Polishes - Leather & Interior Cleaner 16oz
then
Car Wax, Car Polish, Auto Detail Supplies - Leather Conditioner - 16oz
I swear by all of adam's stuff, their stuff is top notch. Check out their detail spray as well for in between washing and waxings.

kenchan · 07-03-2008, 11:15 AM

i use Griot's LeatherCare spray every now and then followed by the LeatherCare creme
once a month or so on the areas that get the most wear.

my G's 4yrs old but looks brand spanken new inside and out.

Lazy Lightning · 07-07-2008, 11:28 AM

I'm new to having a *new car* with leather. My old car was 13 years old when I got it and I always just used Armorall Leather conditioner/cleaner spray. But, it seems to leave a greasy/shiny residue on my new car and I don't care for that. So I've been looking in various places:

How to Clean Leather Car Interior by Auto Media

Caring for leather upholstery - by William C. Eberhart - Helium

Leather Care - Clean, condition & protect leather upholstery with premium, pH-balanced products by Pinnacle, Wolfgang, Lexol, Leatherique, Connolly,

I'm thinking of trying the Mother's or the Lexol...

Mainly a lot of pages I've read seem to warn against Saddle soap and other things that have alkalis. Also some cheap leather cleaners (like my armorall) leave a shiny residue. Apparently this is not good, and also it makes it really hard to detail because you need to make sure there's no spot left untouched, otherwise you can see any place you missed or applied unevenly.

Also, it seems we should avoid combination cleaner+conditioner. Use cleaner, THEN conditioner. Some places recommend a "dressing" in between those two.

My friend owns a pontiac G8 with leather seats, and his manual warned him to never use anything but WATER on his leather. Seems pretty weird/fishy to me... (perhaps they're just trying to cover their butts in case someone puts a harsh chemical on it??)

Now, our task is to determine how much of this is true/important and how much was written specifically by the companies, to sell more leather products

Once I buy and try something (perhaps this weekend?), I'll let you know how it works out.

Ubetit · 07-08-2008, 11:37 AM

I've been using Townsend leather cleaner and leather conditioner. Expensive but worth it.

07-03-2008, 09:15 AM	#1 (permalink)
polliwog Junior Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Posts: 12 iTrader: 0 / 0%	New To Leather--What to do to take care of it? Never had a car with leather before in my life, my Civic is now just shy of being 3 weeks old. I'm wondering what can I do to keep the leather in good condition for many years? Is there something people regularly put on it? I've read something online that what you put on it depends on what kind of leather it is. I've no idea what kind of leather Honda puts on their Civics and don't know how to find out. There seems to be nothing in the owner's manual about this.

07-07-2008, 11:28 AM	#4 (permalink)
Lazy Lightning Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: North Dakota Age: 25 Posts: 94 iTrader: 0 / 0%	I'm new to having a new car with leather. My old car was 13 years old when I got it and I always just used Armorall Leather conditioner/cleaner spray. But, it seems to leave a greasy/shiny residue on my new car and I don't care for that. So I've been looking in various places: How to Clean Leather Car Interior by Auto Media Caring for leather upholstery - by William C. Eberhart - Helium Leather Care - Clean, condition & protect leather upholstery with premium, pH-balanced products by Pinnacle, Wolfgang, Lexol, Leatherique, Connolly, I'm thinking of trying the Mother's or the Lexol... Mainly a lot of pages I've read seem to warn against Saddle soap and other things that have alkalis. Also some cheap leather cleaners (like my armorall) leave a shiny residue. Apparently this is not good, and also it makes it really hard to detail because you need to make sure there's no spot left untouched, otherwise you can see any place you missed or applied unevenly. Also, it seems we should avoid combination cleaner+conditioner. Use cleaner, THEN conditioner. Some places recommend a "dressing" in between those two. My friend owns a pontiac G8 with leather seats, and his manual warned him to never use anything but WATER on his leather. Seems pretty weird/fishy to me... (perhaps they're just trying to cover their butts in case someone puts a harsh chemical on it??) Now, our task is to determine how much of this is true/important and how much was written specifically by the companies, to sell more leather products Once I buy and try something (perhaps this weekend?), I'll let you know how it works out. Last edited by Lazy Lightning; 07-07-2008 at 11:29 AM.

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07-03-2008, 10:01 AM	#2 (permalink)
Detox Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Hummelstown PA Posts: 367 Timmy T. iTrader: 0 / 0%	Car Wax, Car Polish, Auto Detail Supplies - Adam's Polishes - Leather & Interior Cleaner 16oz then Car Wax, Car Polish, Auto Detail Supplies - Leather Conditioner - 16oz I swear by all of adam's stuff, their stuff is top notch. Check out their detail spray as well for in between washing and waxings.

07-03-2008, 11:15 AM	#3 (permalink)
kenchan Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Midwest Posts: 2,288 iTrader: 1 / 100%	i use Griot's LeatherCare spray every now and then followed by the LeatherCare creme once a month or so on the areas that get the most wear. my G's 4yrs old but looks brand spanken new inside and out.

07-08-2008, 11:37 AM	#5 (permalink)
Ubetit Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Lewis Center OH Posts: 161 iTrader: 0 / 0%	I've been using Townsend leather cleaner and leather conditioner. Expensive but worth it.