leather and rain ... :(

BlackVert

15 Year Member

Oct 3, 2003

5,589

9

98

Bethesda, MD

Jun 1, 2009

#1

• Jun 1, 2009

• #1

when one leaves one's top down overnight and it rains, one's leather seats are not happy.

my wife did that and now her seats have some shiny spots and one place looks like it warped or something.

i got some meguires "gold class" cleaner and conditioner and applied it, but it did not help much.

is there anything else we can try?

 

jd4x426

New Member

May 22, 2009

17

0

0

Jun 1, 2009

#2

• Jun 1, 2009

• #2

i would let the top down in the sun and hopefully it will dry out and get its color back

 

d.r.moss

New Member

May 4, 2009

54

0

0

Rochester, MI

Jun 1, 2009

#3

• Jun 1, 2009

• #3

Dont let the sun bake it, it may get dry and want crack. I use KIWI boot polish on all my leather and it works better than anything. I ride bikes and ride in the rain and the water beads off. I use it on my riding leather, bike seats and saddle bags, leather car seats, leather boots, even my black leather couches. Try it. If you have old dry leather, or leather that is worn real bad, this stuff cleans it up pretty good and leaves it soft. I've never had a problem with it coming off on my clothes or anything either. Good Stuff

 

W

wytstang

Mustang Master

Mar 14, 2004

4,988

4

78

Summerville,SC missing South Fl. weather :(

Jun 1, 2009

#4

• Jun 1, 2009

• #4

Let them air out, the cushion's need to dry up or they will start to mold on you.
Most automotive leather starting from the late 80's-today have a clear poly urethane coating on them, Megs and lexol and the like will do little to nothing for coated leather (basically any oil based products).

 

Pokageek

Active Member

Jun 10, 2005

2,767

0

46

MA, USA

Jun 1, 2009

#5

• Jun 1, 2009

• #5

I think God is telling you get rid of that car.

 

Husky44

10 Year Member

Sep 27, 2006

865

104

74

Tacoma, WA

Jun 1, 2009

#6

• Jun 1, 2009

• #6

I'd try plain old saddle soap. Use it according to the directions on the container. Once you've thoroughly cleaned the leather, then if necessary, you can apply a leather dye (kiwi black boot dye works great, assuming your interior's black). Be careful, the stuff's really good at dying whatever it comes in contact with, including skin!

Once the dye has dried, then go for either a good leather conditioner, or try what another mentioned with boot polish. Never tried it on car leather, but spent 23 years putting it on my Army boots! Spit-shined seats--there's an idea....

 

PNW LSC

Member

Jan 6, 2003

85

0

16

Port Townsend

Jun 1, 2009

#7

• Jun 1, 2009

• #7

I buy my leather conditioning stuff from a company called Leatherique. They have an amazing conditioner that has helped out all of my seats, even when my mom's '07 Navigator was brand new it made a difference. The products are pricey, but I'll never use another company again.

 

earleys94gt

Active Member

Aug 31, 2003

1,223

16

49

Ashley, Ohio

Jun 2, 2009

#8

• Jun 2, 2009

• #8

Try and avoid using cleaners that contain alcohol based products; i.e. ArmorAll. They can make the leather more prone to cracking.

At work, we use a product called Leather Magic. Not sure if you can buy it at stores, as we get it from a vendor, but I am sure you can find something similar at AutoZone, Advanced etc.

I know it sounds redundant, but use a damp rag and clean the seats one time. Then once they air dry, apply a few coats of the leather cleaner. It can be worth it to pay more for a good cleaner/conditioner, because I have found you get what you pay for.

 

BlackVert

15 Year Member

Oct 3, 2003

5,589

9

98

Bethesda, MD

Jun 2, 2009

#9

• Jun 2, 2009

• #9

the only thing we have tried is the meguires gold class cleaner and conditioner.

i did not want to try anything else until i checked with you guys.

:SNSign:

 

W

wytstang

Mustang Master

Mar 14, 2004

4,988

4

78

Summerville,SC missing South Fl. weather :(

Jun 2, 2009

#10

• Jun 2, 2009

• #10

Here's what I use on my leather seats (they ain't cheap but neither is replacing leather)
Leather Master Products
But I purchased them through detailersdomain.com since it was cheaper. Leather Masters is water based and designed for coated leather.

 

D

DavidNC

Founding Member

Sep 16, 2002

119

2

16

Jun 7, 2009

#11

• Jun 7, 2009

• #11

d.r.moss said:

Dont let the sun bake it, it may get dry and want crack. I use KIWI boot polish on all my leather and it works better than anything. I ride bikes and ride in the rain and the water beads off. I use it on my riding leather, bike seats and saddle bags, leather car seats, leather boots, even my black leather couches. Try it. If you have old dry leather, or leather that is worn real bad, this stuff cleans it up pretty good and leaves it soft. I've never had a problem with it coming off on my clothes or anything either. Good Stuff

Click to expand...

You mentiontion "KIWI Boot Polish." At Wal-Mart, I could only find "KIWI Shoe Polish."

Are the terms Boot and Shoe used interchanably, or is there a Boot product?