Leather Seat Care Help...

[oHUTCHYo]

I used to use baby wipes frequently and then an occasional leather conditioner from budget-midrange brands.

However I have just treat myself to an Audi S3, with Recaro buckets which I've always wanted. I believe they were a £2500 option at new.

The car is otherwise mint, barring the passenger side Recaro base. It has some odd staining. The chap I have bought the car from seems to think the previous owner might have bodged a DIY leather dying solution. He told me he has previously tried to steam it but didnt really help.

Ultimately I can live with it, as still feel privileged to have these rare seats over the standards.

Anywhoo - suggestions?

 

[Voxination]

Can't see too much from the rather small pics, but probably worth trying a good clean on the seats using something like Gliptone Liquid Leather Gentle Cleaner.

 

[oHUTCHYo]

Full size link...

http://i.imgur.com/VCSdHXk.png

 

[Draeger]

Completely different mode of transport but I just bought Autoglym Leather Cleaner and Leather Care Balm to clean and feed my 2 piece Dainese bike leathers.

Fantastic stuff. I'm not exaggerating when I say I was astounded at the end result after using the stuff. The cleaner really shifted the marks, bug splats etc and the balm brought up the colours really well and also made it look almost like new again. Wish I had thought of taking 'before' and 'after' photos! Your mileage may vary as I think some products work better than others depending on the leather being treated but it did the trick for me.

 

[oHUTCHYo]

Thanks pal, the Autoglym stuff seemed unusually reasonable on Amazon actually. May as well give it a shot!

 

[Dandle]

You shouldn't use baby wipes on leather it will dry the leather out, lift the paint off and cause it to peel over time.

 

[oHUTCHYo]

You shouldn't use baby wipes on leather it will dry the leather out, lift the paint off and cause it to peel over time.

Really!? Damn, my missus has been using them on our leather suite too!

We always though it would have been a cheap option for regular weekly cleaning and nourishing!

 

[MatteH Oxford]

You shouldn't use baby wipes on leather it will dry the leather out, lift the paint off and cause it to peel over time.

Only if you don't use any conditioning treatments afterwards, surely?

 

[rodenal]

As above, try using something like gliptone cleaner - if that doesn't help it then tbh the best thing to do is probably to dye that section of the base yourself

 

[oHUTCHYo]

Is there any pronounced difference between Gliptone or something like Autoglym, i.e. is it more cleaning biased than conditioning?

 

[Draeger]

Two different products as far as I understand it - cleaning products and conditioning ones. Most of the cleaning products will strip the nutrients out of the leather to a degree even if they say the won't and are 'mild' based ones. By their very nature they have to have the power to actually clean the leather and in doing so they will absorb some nutrients out of the material you are working on. If they are so mild that they absolutely do not do this then they aren't going to be very effective cleaners. You need to use the cleaner and allow to dry and then replace anything you have stripped out of the leather with a balm type product which will soak into the leather as it is applied. Most of these products have a slight degree of cleaning power too but not enough to use on their own with any effectiveness.

 

[oHUTCHYo]

Makes sense, many thanks

 

[mjt]

I'd be interested to hear how you get on with those seats. I've read they give killer back ache due to lack of lumbar support.

I had awful back ache when I did my first long drive in my (normal sport seats) S3.
Since adjusting the lumbar to max I've had no such problems thankfully.

They are pretty crap if I'm honest. I've never had to max out the lumbar (if it even had it) on anything else I've ever driven.

There is a noticeable lack of support where the seat base meets the back.

 

[oHUTCHYo]

Nevermind back ache, I need to slim my arse down first!

Still, they look cool

 

[mjt]

Nevermind back ache, I need to slim my arse down first!

Still, they look cool

They do indeed! Enjoy

We need pics of the car!

 

[oHUTCHYo]

They do indeed! Enjoy

We need pics of the car!

Thanks Don't collect for another 2 weeks due to private reg, but sneak peek...

 

[mjt]

Nice. Looks just like mine, but with the flat-bottomed wheel and fancy seats. Minus the nav.

May I ask how much and the mileage?

 

[oHUTCHYo]

Satnav was on my list, but ultimately made the sacrifice as its (hopefully) the easiest to retrofit. Mostly wanted Bose, flat bottom MFSW and black paint. Seats were a bonus. Paid £12K, has 60K. Some terrible examples around the trade, £13-£14K and some are full on poverty spec, no leather!

Few things I'd like to consider in time;

Retrofit a 2014 Satnav
Rear tints
Blacked front grille
Remap, though avoiding mods.

Coming from the Scooby, a 4 pot is never going to sound as good so dont plan on adding induction kits or exhaust. This car is meant to be my first foray in to subtlety

 

[mjt]

The engine sounds ****! My mum's Mk6 GTI sounds better!

The previous owner painted the grille black but I can't say I'm fussed.
Blacked out windows makes the baby Jesus cry. Unless you're selling drugs, in which case go for it

 

[oHUTCHYo]

Yeah even the vids on youtube with various mods still leave it sounding...wheezy.

Perhaps I'll skip the tints

P.S. Any pics of yours with the black grille? The missus wants to know what it would look like before she lets me make a mess