Interior care question

D

Dtrigg

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Since the leather in our cars is "sealed" what type of products are you using to care for and clean your interior. I've been using Lexol on my NSX as well as the interior of the wife's car. I can see a big difference on her car, but not mine.

Am I just winking in the dark? I also wipe down with a damp cloth, but really want to clean and condition the interior. What's the deal with the "sealed" interior.

I also use McQuires Leather Wipes on occassion, but in general, there is too much shine for my taste.

Thanks in advance for your comments.

Doug
 
I use Zaino Leather Cleaner then the Zaino Leather Conditioner...I was amazed at how it cleaned the Leather Seats and made them look like new again...not to mention that new Leather car smell. ;)





Steven 91 Blk/Ivory
 
Thanks for the rapid reply. I guess my question is does it really "condition" the leather since it's "sealed" or is it like the McQuires that makes it look good?

My wife has a 2003 VW turbo with leather interior. I did a detail on it today and the results were remarkable with the Loxol conditioner and cleaner. Not the same in my NSX. By the way, my interior is black, so perhaps I shouldn't expect to see such a great difference. It is in great shape, and I want to keep it that way. On the other hand, the wife's car is yellow with yellow and black interior -- such a chick mobile. Yes, she has one of those goofy flowers in it...
 
Tan Interior

I've used the Lexol Cleaner followed by the Conditioner and have seen a marked improvement over prior product. Their Vinyl conditioner is also very good. Used it on the bra and mirror covers prior to storage after 1,750 miles for NSXPO, looked new.
 
Sorry, but I don't know if you guy are with me or not, but my question is what is this doining for our "sealed" interior. I agree, just like your bra or mirror, all of this stuff is great. The interior of my wife's VW turbo looked great after a cleaner/conditioner, etc.

What is this doing for an NSX sealed leather interior? What do we do? I understand clean with water and wipe dry technique, but is there more we can do?

Sorry if I have been lame in my question in general. Thanks again for your insight and input.

Doug










sa
 
I've asked that same question and never got a direct answer either. The question is..... "does leather stuff work on "sealed" leather", not "what is your favorite leather conditioner".

I suppose its really because no one knows the answer. I use Zaino because it smells good. I don't know whether it does any good, but I figure that it can't hurt, and may help.

Can anyone answer the origional question?

1. Is the leather in the NSX sealed in some way?

2. Are we wasting our time conditioning this "sealed" leather?
 
This question was asked a few months ago, but I couldn't find the thread. I called Leatherique and talked with them about the leather in the NSX.

The leather is not sealed. It is a semi-permeable coating that is used on most contemporary automotive leather. It resists spills and fluid damage, but is not waterproof or sealed.

For conditioning, the molecules in the Leatherique conditioner and cleaner are small enough to travel between the fibers and absorb into the leather. I suspect Lexol will absorb equally.

Yes, I know the FAQ says the leather is sealed, that was also discussed in the thread I can't find. The leather is called sealed, but it is not.

I hope this helps.
 
Nick, Thanks as always for your great insight, I appreciate it. Your products always have worked for me. :D :D
 
I guess you learn something new everyday. I never knew the NSX seats were considered a "sealed leather" type until I read this thread. I always thought they were just a harder type leather and not the glove-soft or suede-type you see in some older cars.

As mentioned above, I think this is a mis-nomer and there IS some permeability of the leather. When I purchased the car several years ago, the interior almost had a brittle feel to it. Now that I regularly use Lexol conditioner it seems a lot more supple and a little softer to the touch.

Anyways, Lexol has always worked best for me. Non-greasy, no odor, easy to apply. I think they even use an NSX interior in their magazine ads.

btw...I heard the backs and outside leg supports of the NSX seats are vinyl, not leather, so I use Vinylex for these areas as well as the dash and doors.
 
so what type of leather conditioner works the best?
i bough maguires leather cleaner/conditioner and well i'm disappointed with it.

any suggestions?

thanx
-paul
 
After reading numerous posts, it seems most all do a pretty good job. If you want a fairly odor-free leather interior, with great results I'd use Lexol cleaner then conditioner.
 
DetailersParadise said:
The leather is not sealed. It is a semi-permeable coating that is used on most contemporary automotive leather. It resists spills and fluid damage, but is not waterproof or sealed.
Click to expand...
However, one difference from other cars is that they have removed the natural fragrance of the leather. Unfortunately.

I really like Zymol Treat for leather. It contains collagens, the same stuff that occurs naturally in leather and makes it supple. The banana oil and coconut oil make it smell nice, too. Great stuff.

Sunlight, heat and everyday use will permanently damage the delicate finish of your leather upholstery. The denaturing process of leather tanning removes precious moisture residing in the hide. Introducing solvent-based conditioners accelerates aging in leather upholstery and trim. zymöl Treat Leather Conditioner is a solvent-free, banana-oil and collagen-based feeding product that releases trapped solvents and restores moisture to keep your leather looking, feeling, and smelling like new.

Contains Beef Collagen, Banana Oil, Lemon Seed Oil,Coconut Oil, Cetyl Esters, Cetyl Cocoamide, Lecithin and Aloe Vera Extract.

treat.jpg
 
Yes, I agree, for regular maintenance, Lexol does a great job. If your leather is tough or in need of some real TLC, nothing is better than Leatherique. The only downside to Leatherique is that it is a full day process that requires warmer temps. Above 70 seems to work best. Actaully, all leather treatments work better in warm leather. It is a simple matter of warmer air opening and softening the pores of the leather, allowing the conditioner to be more easily absorbed.
 
Sealed Leather

According to George the friendly guru at Leatherique, most cars since 1985 or so have sealed leather if they have leather interiors.

What to do about it? To some extent it does prevent softening/conditioning products from doing their job. They recommend, and I have used, a mix of 50% rubbing alcohol and 50% ammonia, both of which you can buy at the drug store. Mix them half and half, put in a spray bottle or wipe on with a sponge. This will remove any grease, grime, sweat, etc from the surface and supposedly helps strip the sealant away, making the leather ready for conditioning. It flash-dries in about a second, leaving the leather clean.

Follow it immediately with your conditioner/cleaner. I used Leatherique, which is simply amazing stuff, followed by their cleaner.

Warmer is better, and keep the leather moist with conditioner until you're satisfied with the results. If you can't stand the thought of taking your seats out of the car, condition and then cover with a Hefty bag...

Or, you can do like I did and perforate the seating areas of your seats, which helps the conditioner get in even better! (or at least that's my theory and I'm sticking to it, plus it looks cool as hell!)

Don in Germany
 
Oh man!!!

Now we've done the 360 on our interior being sealed or not being sealed....

Some very experienced people on different sides of the fence...


Doug
 
It seems like Leatherique has been giving some conflicting answers. I will contact it again via email so it is in writting.

In the mean time, we can try to settle this ourselves. Put a drop of water on your seat. Does it bead and eventually evaporate or does it absorb? See my point?
 
Nick, Is this some type of sealer that would wear off on the seat areas but still exist in the folds and "unused" areas?
 
DetailersParadise said:
It seems like Leatherique has been giving some conflicting answers. I will contact it again via email so it is in writting.

In the mean time, we can try to settle this ourselves. Put a drop of water on your seat. Does it bead and eventually evaporate or does it absorb? See my point?
Click to expand...

What did you find out??
 
Finally, a response for Leatherique about the sealed leather. Here it is, cut and pasted from the email.

The leather is "water resistant", not totally water proofed. Thus, the Leatherique works just fine, and still migrates through the surface, and laterally down through the stitch holes to the fiberous leather underneath to nourish it, plump it, and maintain luxurious suppleness and tensile strength.

All leather is sealed on the surface with a protective coating to prevent dirt, sand, etc, from damaging the fibers of the leather.

It is preposterous to say the leather is totally sealed, or the manufactures may as well have used vinyl. Leather needs to be able to breathe to adjust to temperature, that is why we use it as a luxurious upholstery fabric for auto interiors.

Regards,

George
 

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