Hi,
I have black VW sport leather seats, and would like to keep the leather in good condition. This is the first car I've had with leather interior, so am not too clued up on what is best to use.

We use 'Lord Sheraton Leather Wipes' on the leather sofas in the lounge, these work well indoors and smell great - sort of like marzipan - but I'd get through them far too quickly if I tried using them on the car, and I doubt they'd be designed to offer protection to car interiors sitting in direct sunlight each summer. People have raved about gliptone as being great for cleaning and preserving, but that is described as enhancing the leathery smell of leather. Now I like leather, but I don't want it to smell any more like leather than it already does, as I find it can be a bit overpowering.

So can anybody recommend any good leather care products that will keep it looking good, without causing a tacky shiny effect, and without adding any 'extra' leather scent?

Cheers

I remember reading a few years ago on the forum that the manufactured cleaning products are not worth it and the best solution for interior leather was a cloth with warm water, I tried it a few times and it seemed fine, it got rid of the shine and leathery smell..

 I have used glyptone for ages and it is fantastic - not as 'smelly' as made out above, just be sparing with it - its not cheap, but nice and thin and easy to apply. An cheaper alternative is the Simoniz one in the black conatiner at Halfords for about a fiver.

I don't see how just wiping over with soapy water will help - the leather is constantly drying out and it a natural product - water will do nothing to re-hydrate it - just look what happens to your favourite leather jacket when you get caught in a rain storm! Needs natural oils to keep its water-proof properties.

I know, that's exactly what I thought- I had purchased a leather replenishing solution for mine and I remember a lot of members saying they used a small amount of water on a cloth as..I think there was a link to VW Vortex too about this within that thread..Mine are all getting re upholstered so I'm past caring about my seats at present as they're getting ripped out

When cleaning leather i tend to use hot water and a cloth to wipe down the leather with as leather is like skin when we have a shower etc or wash our face with warm water our pores open.. so this would be the ideal time to condition the leather.. i tend to use gliptone leather cleaner + conditioner.. as this leaves a nice matte finish and one dab of it can do a fairly large section.. and it doesn't smell as leathery as most tend to say.. could well be exaggerated..

hth

Sat

 ...also Glyptone do a great colour matching service for scuff touch up dyes. Just tell them the exact details of yer car and they will have something to match.

Ah yes..Just sorted through a few old posts this is the one, from a former leather technician: (quote) it's from 2005 by the way.

"i used to be a leather technician, repairing leather and recoloring and so on.  I dont do this any more but many problems occured from people using a harsh cleaner.

You dont need to put any type of cleaner on there ever ! just wipe over every 2 weeks or so with water (a soft damp cloth) - and every 2 months you can add a conditioner but try to choose something mild like the swissol leather milk mentioned earlier.  The only thing the leather requires is moisture.

hope this helps".

What does everyone think? A few people since have said the same...hmmmm

nd1.8t:

 

Ah yes..Just sorted through a few old posts this is the one, from a former leather technician: (quote) it's from 2005 by the way.

 

"i used to be a leather technician, repairing leather and recoloring and so on.  I dont do this any more but many problems occured from people using a harsh cleaner.

You dont need to put any type of cleaner on there ever ! just wipe over every 2 weeks or so with water (a soft damp cloth) - and every 2 months you can add a conditioner but try to choose something mild like the swissol leather milk mentioned earlier.  The only thing the leather requires is moisture.

hope this helps".

What does everyone think? A few people since have said the same...hmmmm

 

...as long as it has been looked after from day one! No point in putting conditioner on when Mr Grease the grease monkey has been all over the leather - just locks away the muck. Agreed to keep the cleaning mile - if you have dirt, get a very soft nail brush and use soft aggitation.

R23:

nd1.8t:

 

Ah yes..Just sorted through a few old posts this is the one, from a former leather technician: (quote) it's from 2005 by the way.

 

"i used to be a leather technician, repairing leather and recoloring and so on.  I dont do this any more but many problems occured from people using a harsh cleaner.

You dont need to put any type of cleaner on there ever ! just wipe over every 2 weeks or so with water (a soft damp cloth) - and every 2 months you can add a conditioner but try to choose something mild like the swissol leather milk mentioned earlier.  The only thing the leather requires is moisture.

hope this helps".

What does everyone think? A few people since have said the same...hmmmm

 

...as long as it has been looked after from day one! No point in putting conditioner on when Mr Grease the grease monkey has been all over the leather - just locks away the muck. Agreed to keep the cleaning mile - if you have dirt, get a very soft nail brush and use soft aggitation.

Yes very true. I wiped mine down with water to get the glossy shine off but the amount of dirt that came off my seats was a bit of an eye opener ( no comments please!) 

 i  use a damp cloth and very rarely i use autoglym leather cream on the more tired bits,

Thanks for all the replies. Mine are still pretty clean, so I think I'll go for a wipe down with a damp microfibre cloth (warm water) first; if the cloth comes off fairly clean then I'll skip the leather-cleaner products and just give the gliptone conditioner a try - if it's not that smelly after all.
Cheers

 Poorboys APC 6:1, six parts water 1 part APC. Spray on brush or wipe off, can also be used on all interior to great effect.

Then Poorboys leather stuff. All very good gear

Modern  Leather in cars has a pigment coated surface with a clear coat finish.  Anything that you use on the surface of the leather will only affect that surface.  Using feeds, conditioners etc is unecessary and could lead to damage of the top finish.  Nothing can get through to the leather itself apart from moisture (which is required to keep the leather in good condition)

Keep the leather surface clean and protect with a water based leather protector (most conditioners are not protectors) and this will keep your leather in good condition for a long time as long as it is done on a regular basis.  The worst damage is done to leather either by dirt and friction or from the incorrect use of care products.

 Read this

http://www.liquidleather.com/liquidl.htm