Seats & Dash ~ leather conditioner?

[Leezl]

Any recommendations on products to clean & condition seats and dashboard?

For my dashboard, I don't particularly care for the "wet" surface left by Armour All as fresh dust sticks right to it. Also, I prefer a deep, satin finish over a shiny one. Any favorites out there?

On the seats, I've tried Meguiar's Gold Class leather conditioner with disappointing results. Are C4 leather seats truly leather, or a synthetic? Either way, has anyone had success with certain products?

Thanks!

Lee

[LilRedCorvette]

Any recommendations on products to clean & condition seats and dashboard?

For my dashboard, I don't particularly care for the "wet" surface left by Armour All as fresh dust sticks right to it. Also, I prefer a deep, satin finish over a shiny one. Any favorites out there?

On the seats, I've tried Meguiar's Gold Class leather conditioner with disappointing results. Are C4 leather seats truly leather, or a synthetic? Either way, has anyone had success with certain products?

Thanks!

Lee

The advice I was given in the past was to never use Armor All because of the silicone in it, can degrade the surface over time. To be honest, I just dust it and use some detail spray on it if need be. I use Final Inspection Detail Spray by Meguiars. It doesn't need anything else, really.

I had new seats put in LilRed by Al Knoch Interiors. The quality in leather from them is much higher than the stock leather. The instruction I got from Al Knoch to take care of the seats was to use (don't laugh)...Lemon Pledge....weekly. I don't know that this will help your old leather seats, but they insisted I stay with their recommendation for my new ones.

Some people have had good success using saddle soap to clean their stock leather seats and products from Wilson's Leather (the leather jacket people) to protect the leather. I'm sure others will weigh in with their favorite products...

[Dan]

For the dash I like 1z Cockpit Premium. It is a anti- static protectant with some mild cleaners in it. It leaves the surface with a matte finish which isn't slippery. So it can be used on pedals, steering wheels, etc. 1z also makes a product called Cockpit Lemon which is similar to Cockpit premium, but it does not have cleaners in it and it protects again UV rays.

Proper maintenance of leather depends on the type of leather in the car. You've got aniline, protected/ coated (most common in cars), and Nubuck. Nubuck and aniline are uncoated leathers. If you put a drop of water on them, the water will get soaked up and the leather will change color. If you rub it, it will change color, similar to carpet. The Ford King Ranch has Nubuck leather. If you put a drop of water on protected leather, then it will just sit there or slid off.

Protected/ coated leather is more common for automotive leather. There is some research now that is saying these types of leathers do not need to be conditioned. The reason is because the conditioner cant actually penetrate the urethane coating on the leather. Rather the conditioner just sits on top of the coating and will actually attract dust, causing the seats to be soiled and possibly break down the coating. Similar things happen when you dont completely extract a carpet cleaner from the carpet. The cleaner will actually attract more dirt causing the carpet to become soiled. Therefore, the most important maintenance to do for protected leather is to clean it with the proper cleaners and apply a protectant.

For this, I HIGHLY recommend Leather Masters. They make products for all types of leather. Saddle soap should be used on saddles, not automotive leather.

As for silicones, not all of them are created equally. There is solvent based and water based. The solvent based are the ones you want to stay away from. These are typically thick, clear gels. The water based dressing are typically thinner and have a white milky color.

Hope this helps.

[Leezl]

Laurie & Dan ~ Thanks for the tips. I particularly appreciate the education on types of leather. Like Laurie, the last several years I've done little more than wiping down/dusting the dash - it's reached the point to where it no longer has the fresh appearance. I'll give your suggestions a try. THANKS!

Lee

[Dan]

Lee, I just found out the other day that the 1z Cockpit Lemon has been discontinued. Autogeek bought the last of them, so once they sell out you wont be able to purchase it anymore. So instead of the Cockpit Lemon, go with 1z Vinyl Rubber Care and Protectant “Tiefenpfleger”. This can be used on all plastic, vinyl, and rubber. Its water based and doesnt contain any harmful silicones. Its heat resistant (great for under the hood, tires, etc.) and has UV blockers also.

Let me know if you need a place to purchase these things.

[Red78L82]

I got the Corvette Leather Repair & Protector Kit, 1984-2004 from Eckler's (Item# 41043)
It has 6 pieces to clean, preserve, restore and protect the leather.

Leather Soap, Spot Remover, Color Cote (leather dye that re-colors worn areas), Leather Waterproofer, Leather Cote, and Leather Lotion. It took a couple hours total time over two days to do every step, but my seats look brand new.

[Leezl]

Thanks for your tip Jerry! I look forward to trying these products.

Dan ~ on that note, I'm not having much luck locating the products you've recommended ~ Leather Masters or the 1z ~ can you recommend a source(s). Anything local?

THANKS!

Lee

[Dan]

Thanks for your tip Jerry! I look forward to trying these products.

Dan ~ on that note, I'm not having much luck locating the products you've recommended ~ Leather Masters or the 1z ~ can you recommend a source(s). Anything local?

THANKS!

Lee

Sent you a PM.

[Red78L82]

It's made by Einszett, a German company. Google "1Z Einszett Cockpit" and you'll get several hundred hits. Einszett has 60+ products!

Hope this helps,