[thinkbig]

How do you clean that thing without changing it's color and keeping it matte??

It's getting kinda dark..

I bought the BMW shampoo.. but discovered it's a oil :s.. will it make it look shinny (which I absolutely don't want)? I want to keep the same color and keep it matte....


What do you guys recommend buying? I live in CANADA.

Thanks

[MuttGrunt]

Hi there! You might want to take a look at an actual example, and in that case feel free to check out how I helped to treat and protect the beautiful red leather on a 135i here: http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=412599

The key will be to keep the surface clean; that's the biggest concern with leather and it'll make the biggest difference over time. Leatherique products are also very effective and work very well as the penetrating oil cleans very thoroughly.

[thinkbig]

Originally Posted by MuttGrunt

Hi there! You might want to take a look at an actual example, and in that case feel free to check out how I helped to treat and protect the beautiful red leather on a 135i here: http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=412599

The key will be to keep the surface clean; that's the biggest concern with leather and it'll make the biggest difference over time. Leatherique products are also very effective and work very well as the penetrating oil cleans very thoroughly.

hey nice car u got there!

thanks, so u recommend using the oil from BMW I bought? But, will it leave a shiny finish like armorall?

[MuttGrunt]

No, I would NOT use the BMW stuff. Leather Master, LTT, and Leatherique products are the only one's I trust for leather care. The Leatherique Oil is the product I would recommend very highly for your use. If used correctly, it should leave nothing behind.

[thinkbig]

Originally Posted by MuttGrunt

No, I would NOT use the BMW stuff. Leather Master, LTT, and Leatherique products are the only one's I trust for leather care. The Leatherique Oil is the product I would recommend very highly for your use. If used correctly, it should leave nothing behind.

thanks for the info. do u mean this http://leatherique.org/detail.aspx?ID=5?

And why not the BMW oil? is it that bad?

[MuttGrunt]

http://www.detailedimage.com/Leather...-P65/16-oz-S1/

Who makes the BMW stuff? What specs was it made to?
At the end of the day, BMW understands their owners want to take good care of their car and BMW wants to cash in on that. The issue is some of the people making decisions aren't properly educated in car care like many true enthusiasts and professional detailers are. Using the wrong products on your leather will result in them getting dirty faster (worn-in dirt can cause premature tearing and winkles) and being contaminated with things that are potentially bad; like petroleum distillates that could break down the polyurethane coating on the leather over time.
In the end; the choice is yours as to what you do or allow BMW to do with your vehicle: let the dealer wash your car or wash it properly yourself via the two-bucket method, use the leather products they sell or use something tried and tested by some of the best of the best, and so on etc.

[NiVeDh]

Good info here. MuttGrunt, what are your thoughts on Zaino Z9 and Z10?

[salbrecht]

I ran a small detail shop for a bunch of years before I moved to Thailand. I tried many leather care products over time, and the absolute best is Leatherique. It is also the most time consuming process. However, you should only need to do it once a year or so. Visit the web site and read the instructions, they are very comprehensive and specific. Keep applying the Rejuvinator until it no longer soaks in. One tip I may offer is to cut open a 30-40 gallon plastic trash bag and put it over the seats to seal them from evaporation. Park the car in the sun with the windows up to raise the interior temperature also. Kinda like a sauna.

One of the most beat up cars I ever detailed was a '57 Mercedes Cabriolet with red leather interior. The leather was so dry it felt like cardboard. Fifty years of sunshine had taken a serious toll on the leather. I applied almost an entire quart of Rejuvinator over two days, and in the end it was soft and pliable again. About 90% of the dirt came out of the cracks so they were pretty much invisible again and didn't need any crack filler. It was this car that sold me on the Leatherique products completely.

Cheers

[TOGWT]

The idea of applying the conditioner, allowing time for it to work, before it can be cleaned off which is then rewarded by the rather odd fact that you have to then clean the leather in a secondary stage is really rather odd, and is reminiscent of the Saddle Soap process, before it can begin to clean it must first dissolve its own oils, which limits its capacity to dissolve dirt and oils in the leather, and I can see no technical reason for applying a product in this way.

But if you feel $50 and approx 4 hours work is a worthwhile investment of time / money to clean a thin urethane covering, that’s your choice.

“Oil and oil-based leather products” this is an extract from one of a series of i articles “The Art & Science of Detailing” - TOGWT

[Dr. G]

TOGWT, I don't mean to threadjack, but what else would you then recommend for a leather treatment?

[MuttGrunt]

Originally Posted by NiVeDh

Good info here. MuttGrunt, what are your thoughts on Zaino Z9 and Z10?

My buddy I work with, Jacob, really like the Zaino stuff for the smell and feel. With that said, at the end of the day, it's about performance, and I don't see how you can beat products from Leatherique, Leather Master, LTT, and the such. I personally want the products that work best for the job.

Originally Posted by TOGWT

The idea of applying the conditioner, allowing time for it to work, before it can be cleaned off which is then rewarded by the rather odd fact that you have to then clean the leather in a secondary stage is really rather odd, and is reminiscent of the Saddle Soap process, before it can begin to clean it must first dissolve its own oils, which limits its capacity to dissolve dirt and oils in the leather, and I can see no technical reason for applying a product in this way.
But if you feel $50 and approx 4 hours work is a worthwhile investment of time / money to clean a thin urethane covering, that’s your choice.

“Oil and oil-based leather products” this is an extract from one of a series of i articles “The Art & Science of Detailing” - TOGWT

TOGWT,
You're one of the best voices in detailing education. I've learned a lot from some of your articles and the knowledge you help spread and I have a lot of respect for you and your opinions.

Leatherique certainly does seem weird, but if you ever get to use it, I think you'll understand it a little better. First thing's first: the name of products are just marketing. You can call anything a cleaner or conditioner or anything else you think will help sell. You know this as well as anyone.

Next, think of the Oil as a cleaning oil more than anything. Normal products are applied, worked in, then removed. With the Leatherique oil, it's more of a system of allowing dirt, grime, and debris to be suspended in a system that doesn't easily evaporate away. The oil sticks around which means the "work time" of the product is EXTREMELY long. Allowing the product to sit in a hot environment means the Leatherique oil is less viscous so it captures surface pollutants easier.

A more traditional leather cleaner can only effectively clean deep in the grain of the leather so well, while the Leatherique oil works better as it seems to be much more time dependent allowing it to flow over (and therefor work on) the complete surface of the leather's coating.

After a set amount of time of the users choosing, the oil is removed with a product like the "Pristine Clean" that can effectively remove the tacky/sticky/gooey oil. I personally think that a light Woolite dilution works better / is much more cost effective.


I hope this helps to anyone interested in better understanding my take on how the Leatherique oil works and why.

[TOGWT]

[TOGWT,
You're one of the best voices in detailing education. I've learned a lot from some of your articles and the knowledge you help spread and I have a lot of respect for you and your opinions.] MattGrunt

Thank you - Knowledge unshared is experience wasted

My leather care product of choice is water-based, Leather Master. Oil based cleaners are solvent-based, which is not something I would use on finished or urethane covered leather

[MikesBMW]

i just bought an 07 with coral red and the leather is so shiny, i wish it still looked matte like the new ones ive seen at the dealership

anyway to remove the shine??

[MuttGrunt]

Originally Posted by MB135i

i just bought an 07 with coral red and the leather is so shiny, i wish it still looked matte like the new ones ive seen at the dealership

anyway to remove the shine??

Have you read any of this thread? Everything is nicely written down just above your post

[MikesBMW]

mine seems like its too oily already, id hate to put more products on it, i think it might go away after a while, since its probably some cheap shiny product the dealership put on before selling it

[RobNH]

So I'm curious...I just recently bought a 2008 335xi with Coral Red Interior. Based upon BMW's marketing I was lead to believe that the "leather" interior is actually a faux-leather, plastic on the seats....not true bovine leather like you would find in a Ferrari or upper end sports car. Am I wrong?

[CrimsonIvy35i]

I also have corl red leather. And I just finished cleaning it with bmw leather cleaner. One thing, that I would like to note, and that i'm a little worried about. Is that when I applied the lotion and then removed it with the paper towel-ish papers included, I noticed that there was red on the white paper towel. Everytime i would remove the residue with the paper towel I would encounter red impressed on the paper towel. As if a little bit of red was being removed from the seats. It wasn't too much but very noticeable. I wonder if this is normal?

[MuttGrunt]

Originally Posted by RobNH

So I'm curious...I just recently bought a 2008 335xi with Coral Red Interior. Based upon BMW's marketing I was lead to believe that the "leather" interior is actually a faux-leather, plastic on the seats....not true bovine leather like you would find in a Ferrari or upper end sports car. Am I wrong?

First off, BMW does in fact use fake leather in their interiors. Many car companies do. If you price out a 328, you'll notice that it comes standard with "Leatherette" aka fake leather.
The thing most people don't know is that most actual "leather seats" aren't fully leather either but rather have a mix of leather and vinyl. You'll notice that many car companies list seats as "leather appointed" which is a fancy way of saying "there is SOME leather on the seat" usually it is the inner sections of a car seat, not the side bolsters that is leather.
As I don't have a 335 seat handy, you'll have to excuse me not being 100% sure of how those seats look and what they're comprised of :P

The other confusing thing to understand is that the overwhelming majority of the leather used in cars has a urethane coating to make it much more durable. Think of this coating in the same manner that your paint is clear-coated.

When you're touching your paint... you're actually touching your clear coat. When you're touching your leather... you're actually touching the coated surface.

Those higher end sports cars usually have a higher quality leather in terms of the feel - likely you're thinking of something along the lines of semi-aniline leather. I don't know if true aniline leather is used in any vehicle as it would be extremely poor in durability and ease of care.

Originally Posted by CrimsonIvy35i

I also have corl red leather. And I just finished cleaning it with bmw leather cleaner. One thing, that I would like to note, and that i'm a little worried about. Is that when I applied the lotion and then removed it with the paper towel-ish papers included, I noticed that there was red on the white paper towel. Everytime i would remove the residue with the paper towel I would encounter red impressed on the paper towel. As if a little bit of red was being removed from the seats. It wasn't too much but very noticeable. I wonder if this is normal?

I'm not quite sure of the product you used nor the condition of your seats. There could potentially be some cracking or micro-cracking in your leather that's allowing the pigment to come through.
Additionally what "lotion" are you applying to your leather? Read my statement to the gentleman above you and you'll understand yourself that there is nothing to "condition" on your leather. You might as well put a thick oily substance on your paint's clear-coat and call it "conditioned." Keeping your leather's surface clean is the first step in caring for it properly so that is lasts a long time in the proper form. Oils may be petroleum distillates which could break down the protective barrier on your leather, or they can leave residue which actually attracts dirt and grime which causes damage to the leather faster.