[zearnold]

Just wondering what everyones suggestions are on cleaning the leather and conditioning it.

Zearnold

 

[CCPotenza]

Avoid leather cleaners & conditioners. They cause the leather to relax, become supple and look very used.

For the seats: A damp cloth with a little bit of a mild, natural soap (like Ivory or baby shampoo). Rinse with a second wiping of a clean, damp cloth.

Dashboard, door panels and console: damp cloth ONLY. This leather is specially dried to allow it to be pulled flat & tight. Any kind of conditioner will cause it to stretch ... you'll end up with wrinkles in the leather.

 

[M!]

i dont know what looks better, leather that looks supple and used, or leather that looks dry and cracked.

you might want to contact poltrona frau. they have a leather maintenance kit for their furniture.

i agree with minimal cleaning only as needed. i use Bentley's Hide Food very sparingly on affected areas and have not seen wrinkles in the leather on the seat or dash.

 

[Frankie P]

You may wish to look at my prior posts on this subject. It would appear our leather is coated with a paint/vinyl product that actually prohibits conditioner from sinking in and doing what it was designed to do. I gleaned this information from Malm's website, a manufacturer of various automotive polishes, waxes, etc. It looks like our only option on these cars is to keep it clean and avoid sharp abrasions which can cut through this coating. If I recall correctly, Malm's does advocate using the conditioner in the seams where there would be some untreated leather at the edges of two pieces sewn together. Good luck.

 

[007]

do not use autoglym leather cream as it makes the leather dull and leaves a white residue. I dont think that I have harmed the leather though. Try whatever leather cleaner/cream on a small patch under seats etc. first and see the results before embarking.I am in UK.

 

[PacoSaca]

When your skin is dry you use a moisterizing lotion...

Leather is just like our skin and when it cracks up is due to dryness... I've been using lubriderm for over one year on my Ivorio leather seats and they look just like the day I got them... that to me is hard to beat considering I use my car as a daily driver and I wear jeans.

Here is what you should do... with your hands clean pour a good amount of lubriderm and "massage" the area to be cleaned until the white cream turns greyish then wipe off with a clean cloth to remove all of it. After this you apply a small amount of clean cream again to leave the seats moist... the leather will absorb and look bootiful again

 

[Glenn Wallace]

I use my car as a daily driver and I wear jeans.

Your warranty is void now. Maserati seats are not rated for use by owners wearing jeans. Apparently.



:]

 

[Dolle Dolf]

Your warranty is void now. Maserati seats are not rated for use by owners wearing jeans. Apparently.:]

Do I detect some bitterness here?

 

[MrTheKid]

j/k

pump it 50 times and jizz on your leather.... thats what i do !

j/k

soap and water usually does the trick

use soft terri or 100% cotton

 

[Glenn Wallace]

Do I detect some bitterness here?

heh. The repair is holding up so far. We'll see. The repaired area does feel softer than the rest of the cover but looks pretty good.

 

[trygve11]

Dug this thread up while looking for something else...

The best lather cleaner and conditioning product I have ever used is called Leatherique. Expensive, but incredible.

www.leatherique.com

I just bought another gallon each of the rejuvinating oil and prestine clean. That the basic stuff you need. They also sell custom dye, etc. if ever needed.

I have absulutely no affiliation, but feel the product blows anything else out of the water.

 

[Vincenzo]

+1

Used it to completely restore my son's 535i and re-dye from Cardinal Red to black and it looked awesome. The Rejuvinator and Pristine Clean are amazing products IMHO.

 

[GregD]

If the leather is sealed, then I would imagine a damp soft towel would do the trick.

 

[trygve11]

Guys, leather is not hermitically sealed, so it needs conditioning with the proper products. In fact, damp cloth is not a great idea as it contains water which will be partially absorbed by the seats and contains no conditioning and restorative benefit.

It's not like 40 years ago when leather was literally topped with a lacquer like seal. They show some of this type of leather on the leatherique site and how to restore it. You literally have to sand off the lacquer. I digress...

Leatherique works extremely well. Penetrates the leather, unless you've got a 1965 Cadillac with lacquered seats, then get out the sand-paper.

 

[Vincenzo]

...makes my hands soft too.

 

[MASERATI nut]

When your skin is dry you use a moisterizing lotion...

Leather is just like our skin and when it cracks up is due to dryness... I've been using lubriderm for over one year on my Ivorio leather seats and they look just like the day I got them... that to me is hard to beat considering I use my car as a daily driver and I wear jeans.

Here is what you should do... with your hands clean pour a good amount of lubriderm and "massage" the area to be cleaned until the white cream turns greyish then wipe off with a clean cloth to remove all of it. After this you apply a small amount of clean cream again to leave the seats moist... the leather will absorb and look bootiful again

Avoid leather cleaners & conditioners. They cause the leather to relax, become supple and look very used.

For the seats: A damp cloth with a little bit of a mild, natural soap (like Ivory or baby shampoo). Rinse with a second wiping of a clean, damp cloth.

Dashboard, door panels and console: damp cloth ONLY. This leather is specially dried to allow it to be pulled flat & tight. Any kind of conditioner will cause it to stretch ... you'll end up with wrinkles in the leather.

Guys, leather is not hermitically sealed, so it needs conditioning with the proper products. In fact, damp cloth is not a great idea as it contains water which will be partially absorbed by the seats and contains no conditioning and restorative benefit.

It's not like 40 years ago when leather was literally topped with a lacquer like seal. They show some of this type of leather on the leatherique site and how to restore it. You literally have to sand off the lacquer. I digress...

Leatherique works extremely well. Penetrates the leather, unless you've got a 1965 Cadillac with lacquered seats, then get out the sand-paper.

Gents, conflicting messages here....I'd check with Poltrona Frau to be certain whether our leather is sealed or not. Opinion varies from dealer to dealer as well, so still unclear.

 

[DeaneG]

Whatever liquid you use, a microfiber towel does a better job lifting dirt out of the grain.

 

[flashgordon]

I have used a few different ones. You need to be very carefull around the AC vents or the finish could turn sticky.

I like Danier (only available in Canada though - like Red Rose tea...)

http://www.danier.com/eng/pages/customerService/leatherCare

 

[mille162]

Avoid leather cleaners & conditioners. They cause the leather to relax, become supple and look very used.

For the seats: A damp cloth with a little bit of a mild, natural soap (like Ivory or baby shampoo). Rinse with a second wiping of a clean, damp cloth.

Dashboard, door panels and console: damp cloth ONLY. This leather is specially dried to allow it to be pulled flat & tight. Any kind of conditioner will cause it to stretch ... you'll end up with wrinkles in the leather.

Not true, you just want to use the RIGHT cleaner and conditioner. Using soap and water over time will actually dry out the leather (soap will break down the oil and remove it). Leatherique has a different approach where you condition the leather and in the process clean it by forcing dirt and impurities out of the leather with the conditioner taking it's place. You don't actually "clean" it with the Pristine Clean until the 2nd step where you are really just removing the dirt that has been pushed to the surface.

We use Leatherique products exclusively on all of our office chair conversions and it's amazing what the Pristine Clean and Rejuvinator does to the appearence of your leather. No BS, it works. we recently became a distributor of the products since it's been the only thing we endorse to our customers. Some times we have a customer send us one of their seats froma wrecked car for an office chair conversion and the car is covered in dirt, soot, water, mud, etc. Sometimes they find the seat themselves at a junkyard and ask us to make a chair for them (we have a flat fee for this), we've been able to bring seats back to like new condition from a condition a normal person would have conisdered it trash. Google the brand and you'll see countless endorsements from Ferrari, RR, Bentley, Lambo, Maser, and historic restorers and owners.

Also, keep in mind most of your interior is vinyl. On your dash, only the center "t" portion facing your is leather, and on your seats, only the front surface is leather (sides and back are vinyl). The Leatherique products are ok to use on vinyl as well as it does a great job at cleaning. Use twice a year for normal use.

 

[GaryS]

Another fantastic leather conditiner is Apple brand. Some years back Coach handbags tested a wide range of conditioners and now they include a small container of this with their handbags.

I've used it on several cars over the years and have had great results with it. It doesn't darken leather. Twice a year applications keeps my leather seats in great, supple condition.

I have not used it yet on my Gransport yet, but will soon. I can report back on results. A gallon of this costs anywhere from $40 to $70.