| Author | Message | ||
     D. Howell (Blackandtan) Member Username: Blackandtan Post Number: 66 Registered: 04-2003 |
What do you or Land Rover recommend for cleaning and conditioning leather seats? (Any ingredients to NOT use, such as petrols?) How about for the dash and doors, whatever that is made of? And finally, upholstery - what's a good cleaner that won't ultimately bleach out the carpets, etc.? The seats on my 'new' '96 Disco are in pretty good shape - some Discos I saw earlier had really bad seat wear - I would keep these vehicles FAR out of the sun when possible and definitely pay attention to seat care, for what it's worth. I think it's partly because the 'pointelle' (dotted holes) leather seats are more vulnerable to wear than a firm plain leather would be. Thanks. | ||
| Brian Goodner (Bluewater) Member Username: Bluewater Post Number: 103 Registered: 03-2003 |
I use lexol for the seats http://www.atlanticbritish.com/ProductList.asp?vehicle=D1&category=ACC.+-++CLEAN ERS&Search=&PartNumber=&x=9&y=5 and for the inside of the doors i use some 409 with a brush. | ||
| Robert Sublett (Rubisco98) Senior Member Username: Rubisco98 Post Number: 967 Registered: 04-2002 |
Although I've only "cleaned" the inside of my truck a couple of times.. PLEDGE furniture polish on a rag after you've cleaned works wonders.. who needs armor all? | ||
| Brent (Silly_me) New Member Username: Silly_me Post Number: 26 Registered: 07-2003 |
Connolly hide food is by far the best leather conditioner I have ever used. Unfortunately the company is now defunct, but you may be able to find a jar or two sitting in a jaguar parts department. | ||
| Brian Goodner (Bluewater) Member Username: Bluewater Post Number: 106 Registered: 03-2003 |
armor all makes stuff shinny and greasey don't use that stuff | ||
| John Moore (Jmoore) Senior Member Username: Jmoore Post Number: 783 Registered: 10-2002 |
I'm very happy with Lexol. You can get it at Pep Boys. I also use it on the leather sofas in my house. | ||
| Perrone Ford (Perroneford) Member Username: Perroneford Post Number: 186 Registered: 02-2003 |
Leatherique is generally considered by people in the business as the best. Lexol isn't in the same league, but it's still good enough. The Connolly hide food is also good from what I hear. I took a different approach and went to a Tack shop (people who specialize in horse products). The had 4 shelves of leather cleaners and conditioning products designed for saddles, boots, etc. I told the lady what I was looking for and she sold me some stuff. I was very happy with it, it beat the Lexol I had been using for years, hands down. And it was fairly inexpensive. I got like a 5 year supply for $25 or so. That's cleaner AND conditioner. -P | ||
| Daniel Gura (Roverlax) New Member Username: Roverlax Post Number: 2 Registered: 07-2003 |
The best for your leather is COACH leather Moisturizer...comes in a white bottle for 8 dollars...you can buy it at the outlet or retail store for the same price...put it on a circular applicator pad and watch the magic...dont put 409 or pledge on your rover....I use the Coach stuff on my 96 and the seats look brand new....for the interior McGuires makes a nice product rubber vinyl protectant.......dont use armor all unless you want your car to look greasy.....Lexol sucks....it makes your leather too shiny and sticky...Conolly hide food gets into the little holes in your leather and wont come out...you can buy that at Rover Connection but I dont recommend it....I use Coach and McGuires and my car looks like a 2003..no joke | ||
| eduardo (Jmonsrvr) New Member Username: Jmonsrvr Post Number: 13 Registered: 07-2003 |
perrone whats the name of the cleaner. i live just up the road from half moon bay and we have a great saddle and tack shop in town...they may have what you bought..would really like to know what it is since my connolly and lexol are both out! cheers | ||
| Jaime (Blueboy) Senior Member Username: Blueboy Post Number: 733 Registered: 02-2002 |
use Leatherique on my RR and it is great stuff. they also have dye kits if you need and crack repair kits as well http://www.leatherique.com/ | ||
| Chris Browne (Chris_browne) Senior Member Username: Chris_browne Post Number: 254 Registered: 02-2003 |
Meguiars | ||
| Perrone Ford (Perroneford) Member Username: Perroneford Post Number: 188 Registered: 02-2003 |
Eduardo, I'll check when I get home tonight... -p | ||
| eduardo (Jmonsrvr) New Member Username: Jmonsrvr Post Number: 17 Registered: 07-2003 |
thanks P- | ||
| Jack Parker (Jack) Member Username: Jack Post Number: 177 Registered: 03-2002 |
Griot's Garage interior cleaner and leather conditioner are outstanding. They also make a more intensive leather care product - Leather Rejuvenator, for older or neglected leather, but I have not used it. While you can't buy Griot's products at your corner auto parts store, for me it's worth the day or two wait for UPS. http://www.griotsgarage.com/catalog.jsp?L1=L1_1000&L2=L2_1006 | ||
| Drew Porta (Ncrover) New Member Username: Ncrover Post Number: 35 Registered: 05-2003 |
The DiscoWeb moderators may want to use this post in the tech section. When I was in college I worked for a high-end auto upholstery shop (focus was on Jags, Mercedes, Porsche, Rolls-Royce, BMW, etc.), so these steps are for someone who insists on doing the job right... Leatherique is what the high-end auto upholstery shops use to restore dried, hard leather. Their leather crack repair/fillers and dyes are also top notch. Leather needs to be treated very differently from vinyl and plastic interior parts. Don't ever use Pledge or Armor All or vinyl/rubber cleaners on leather! It may look nice now (while you slide all over the seat), but you are either removing vital oils from the leather that keep it pliable or you are clogging the leather's pores with silicones and wax. Remember, leather is cow's skin and it must "breathe" so using products not intended for leather care literally clog the pores of the leather which leads to the leather drying up and cracking. All you really need is Leatherique Rejuvenation Oil, several decent quality (clean) cotton towels, a paint brush, a couple hours of your time, and 1 day of not using your Land Rover. Here's how to apply Leatherique Rejuvenation Oil and get the seat leather to be soft and pliable: 1 - Early in the morning, park your Land Rover in the sun on what will be a warm to hot day for about an hour (this opens up the pores on the leather) 2 - clean the seats off with cotton towel that was soaked in HOT water and then rung out - wipe the seats carefully not too much harsh scrubbing should be required 3 - repeat step 1 until the towel stops picking up dirt. NOTE: DO NOT use any cleaners (i.e., 409, Windex) as you will strip the dye color right off the leather seat 4 - warm up some Leatherique Rejuvenation Oil in a small glass/plastic bowl in the microwave for <30 secs (warmer oil can be applied easier and is more easily absorbed by the leather) 5 - using a decent natural hair paintbrush (not the cheap-o polyester bristles kind), literally "baste" the seat surface with a generous coat of the oil (keep re-heating and/or re-filling the bowl with oil) Don't get too sloppy b/c if you drip oil on the carpet or surrounding fabric you'll have to clean those areas with carpet/fabric cleaner to get the oil out 6 - cover the seats with cheap plastic wrap (thin plastic painting drop cloths work best) 7 - let the oil soak in to the seats for about 4 hours while out in the sun; the leather seats will usually absorb almost 100% of this first coat of oil 8 - pull back the plastic wrap and "baste" the seats again with a second coat of oil 9 - recover seat with plastic wrap and let the oil soak in for the rest of the afternoon and over night 10 - next morning, remove plastic wrap and throw away 11 - using CLEAN cotton towels that are again soaked in HOT water, wipe off all excess oil not absorbed into the seat 12 - repeat step 11 making sure to get in all crevices, etc. that oil covered and/or dripped into 13 - done - enjoy the return of your soft leather seats and that "like-new" leather smell again For portions of the seat exposed to direct sunlight and where the leather has become hard, sometimes more than 2 coats of oil are required in these spots to return the leather to where it is pliable and soft. If you do this at least 1x per year (preferably 2 x per year) your seat leather will last forever and always be soft and pliable (not to mention your Disco smelling like new leather). I don't work for Leatherique, but am very impressed with their products and have used them for years. They are the only leather care products endorsed by the Rolls-Royce Owners Club. While I will never own a Rolls, that's still a good enough endorsement for me. Since you made a big investment to get leather seats get the right leather care products. The Leatherique Rejuvenation Oil comes in a large bottle that for about $30 - $40 has enough for a 2 year supply (if you apply the oil 2x per year). | ||
| D. Howell (Blackandtan) Member Username: Blackandtan Post Number: 75 Registered: 04-2003 |
Thanks all... it's either going to be the Coach (I must have some around here somewhere anyhow!) or the Leatherique Rejuvenation Spa Experience. Now, anybody got a great idea for the carpets? (I don't want to put anything on them that will eventually lead to bleaching in the sun.) | ||
| Jaime (Blueboy) Senior Member Username: Blueboy Post Number: 734 Registered: 02-2002 |
good additional information Drew on application techniques. thanks for the tips as I'm sold on how the stuff works. this will make it even better! Jaime | ||
| Perrone Ford (Perroneford) Member Username: Perroneford Post Number: 189 Registered: 02-2003 |
Eduardo, This is the stuff I got: http://www.leathertherapy.com/restore.html Good luck, -P | ||
| Brian Goodner (Bluewater) Member Username: Bluewater Post Number: 111 Registered: 03-2003 |
man that Leatherique stuff is expensive. can you get it from anywhere other than the site? | ||
| Garrett (Rover7592) Senior Member Username: Rover7592 Post Number: 273 Registered: 03-2003 |
Any reccomendations for cleaning the neoprene waterproof seatcovers? I bought the wet okoele waterproof seatcovers as seen on the trek outfitters website and having problems cleaning them. The instructions say to use wet suit shampoo but i have no idea what that is. | ||
| Brian Goodner (Bluewater) Member Username: Bluewater Post Number: 114 Registered: 03-2003 |
i would use some 409 or something similar with a brush and then was the soap off with a wet cloth. | ||
| eduardo (Jmonsrvr) New Member Username: Jmonsrvr Post Number: 20 Registered: 07-2003 |
p thanks.i will check it out this weekend. wet suit shampoo is just what it is...its shampoo for wetsuits...the neoprene things you see surfers and divers wearing in the cold ocean...anyway call your local surf shop (if you have one near you) or call dive shop... | ||
| Perrone Ford (Perroneford) Member Username: Perroneford Post Number: 191 Registered: 02-2003 |
Leatherique is expensive everywhere, Brian. When you want the best, you have to pay. -P | ||
| Brian Goodner (Bluewater) Member Username: Bluewater Post Number: 120 Registered: 03-2003 |
i doubt it can work that much better than my lexol. | ||
| Jaime (Blueboy) Senior Member Username: Blueboy Post Number: 737 Registered: 02-2002 |
yep - it certainly did on my '93 RR Brian. once you try it, you'll see the difference. | ||
| Drew Porta (Ncrover) New Member Username: Ncrover Post Number: 36 Registered: 05-2003 |
Yes...it is a "spa" experience...I think I forgot the step where you massage the oil in to the leather using your fingers... ;) Just trying to let you guys in on some trade secrets here and I'm sure a few upholstery shops don't appreciate my advice. But, this process absolutely works and we used to charge customers ~$200 to treat their cars for them... If the leather is really hardened, you can remove the seats and the seat covers and treat both sides of the leather, but I really don't think it necessary. If you notice, I'm not knocking Lexol products. Lexol makes a good leather product, but it is a CONDITIONER and is NOT the actual OIL that was extracted from the leather during the tanning process. It's probably a good idea to treat the leather seats with oil only 1 x per year if you condition regularly with Lexol. The VinyLex (Lexol for vinyl & rubber) product is a really good product for the dash & other plastic interior parts. If your seats are still pliable and soft, then Lexol may do the trick for a while. But, if your vehicle is over 2 or 3 years old the oils have begun to evaporate from the seats (unless you live in a cave and/or keep your vehicle sealed in a air tight vault). Parking in covered garages during the day helps keep the leather from drying out. But, areas of the country where there is more intense temperatures & sunlight (i.e., FL, TX, AZ, CA) will find that they probably have to treat their leather seats more often. Yes, it's pricey but you should have more than a 2 year supply which works out to ~$10 per treatment. You can sometimes find Leatherique at upholstery shops, but it will cost the same or more than from their website. Also, if you have other leather items you can use Leatherique on leather chairs, sofas, jackets etc., so it's not just for use on the leather car seats. Choose whatever product suits you, but when the leather on the driver's side bolster cracks or splits (this is the #1 leather car seat repair area) from being hardened you'll pay $150 - $200 to have just that SECTION of the seat leather repaired and/or replaced and then re-dyed to match at a professional upholstery shop. As another FYI, leather is sold by the square INCH to upholstery shops...this is why a complete leather interior option on a new car costs $1,500 - $2,000. To me, the $30 - $40 investment in Leatherique is the price you pay to properly care for the leather so that it lasts. | ||
| Chu Y. Son (Cyson) New Member Username: Cyson Post Number: 36 Registered: 01-2003 |
One thing I noticed about the Lexol cleaner is that it doesn't remove anything! It's about the weakest form of cleaner you can probably find. Which might be a good thing for some situations, but not when you have even the mildest stains. | ||
| Mark (Mrroverman) Member Username: Mrroverman Post Number: 55 Registered: 02-2003 |
I used Lexol for leather seats and works for me. And for the dashboard i use Vinylex. |
