Leather cleaner

[nick nick]

When i bought my R75 i thought the only thing that let down was the
condition of the leather although it was sound it looked very dirty
I thought all it needed was a good clean....easier said then done
I tried everything from soap and water to a whole range of specialist
cleaners Auto glym, Mcguire's and not cheap products but they all had
one thing in common they did not come near to cleaning the ingrained
muck on the seats....But today i received a delivery of some Gliptone
cleaner and conditioner from E-BAY Talk about doing what it says
on the tin the transformation is unbelievable the leather looks
brand new and smells like leather should
I now feel like im driving pure luxury.
if you have leather in your motor this is for you
Best Regards
NICK NICK
:driving:

[keiron99]

I'm interested to read this. I picked up my 75 with beige leather seats last week. The driver's seat in particular was in a poor state:

http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j19/keiron99/DSCF5099.jpg

So, reading the forums, I bought some Gliptone. It made NAUGHTY WORD-NAUGHTY WORD-NAUGHTY WORD- all difference not only to the driver's seat, but it didn't even shift the most modest grubbiness on the other seats. It was about as effective as just staring at the seats and willing them cleaner.

I posted elsewhere about this and tried every technique suggested to me to no avail.

The only way to resolve it as I can see is to dye the seats. I'm very nervous about doing this myself so I'm thinking hard about getting it professionally done.

[Mike]

Try saddle soap available from any Horsey shop. I've used it to clean leather seats and was pleased with the results.

hth

[jim_mcglynn]

Kieron99 - did you use the cleaner or the conditioner? The cleaner is a brown liquid, the conditioner is a white cream.

[keiron99]

Kieron99 - did you use the cleaner or the conditioner? The cleaner is a brown liquid, the conditioner is a white cream.

I used the cleaner, although the kit I bought came with a bottle of conditioner too.

[Patrick]

The dirt seems to build up in the grooves in the leather and expect the heat of an English summer bakes it in. I have found that the leather cleaning kits never seem to be able to shift this ingrained dirt. I find the only way to shift it is with a nail brush, warm water and ordinary hand soap. I reason that if it is OK for washing “live” human leather, it should be OK on dead South African cow! I do about a square foot at a time. If the dirt is not all removed in the first attack, I leave the patch damp and soapy for about 5 minutes and then try again. Once I am satisfied the area is clean, I wipe down with a damp J cloth and clean water. When I have finished the seat I liberally apply a conditioner. We have had the 75 from new in 2001 and think I have had to “attack” the seats in this way maybe 2 or 3 times and I think the seats still look great. Only ever had to do the front seats, steering wheel and the cubby box lid in this manner. Rear seats seem to clean up find with the leather cleaners but them they are very rarely used! I try not to apply too much pressure on the brush and move it up and down the grain to drag the dirt out of the little grooves.

In the F we have the “super” leather seats that BMW introduced late in the reign (can’t remember the marketing name). These are much smoother leather and all the leather cleaners seem to get the seats back to looking new.

I did both cars this weekend (and clayed and polished them) so all fresh in the mind.

[Bartonrover]

I have 9 yr old Ash Grey leather seats - they don't look dirty (but am sure they are!) but their main problem now is the scuff marks - ie scratches, possibly from jean pockets on the front passenger seat - that have bared the leather of colour. What Gliptone problems are recommended: simply the cleaner and conditioner or do I need some form of colouring agent? Robert

[keiron99]

I have 9 yr old Ash Grey leather seats - they don't look dirty (but am sure they are!) but their main problem now is the scuff marks - ie scratches, possibly from jean pockets on the front passenger seat - that have bared the leather of colour. What Gliptone problems are recommended: simply the cleaner and conditioner or do I need some form of colouring agent? Robert

You won't be able to restore colour with Gliptone. It may clean them (or not, in my case!) but the only answer to scuffs where the top layer has been worn from the seat is dye.

[nick nick]

I'm interested to read this. I picked up my 75 with beige leather seats last week. The driver's seat in particular was in a poor state:

http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j19/keiron99/DSCF5099.jpg

So, reading the forums, I bought some Gliptone. It made NAUGHTY WORD-NAUGHTY WORD-NAUGHTY WORD- all difference not only to the driver's seat, but it didn't even shift the most modest grubbiness on the other seats. It was about as effective as just staring at the seats and willing them cleaner.

I posted elsewhere about this and tried every technique suggested to me to no avail.

The only way to resolve it as I can see is to dye the seats. I'm very nervous about doing this myself so I'm thinking hard about getting it professionally done.

Im sorry to hear of your problem Keiron but no amount of cleaning
will put the colour back into the leather if its scuffed
before you take drastic action have a word with an upholsterer/Trimmer
there's plenty in yellow pages and there might be one near to you
some time ago we let our 18 year old son have the house for the
weekend (party) when we returned from our trip to Norway
we found a tear in the leather sofa we got an upholsterer in who
repaired the tear and sprayed a colour he had mixed up over the
damaged area you could not tell the difference.
just an idea
Best Regards
NICK NICK:driving:

[Steady-Eddie]

When I bought my 75 the Sandstone leather was absolutely filthy. I tried 2 different cleaners which made no difference. In the end I used CIF cream with a nail brush and it came up like new. Finished the job with some leather conditioner and it looks and smells lovely.

[nick nick]

When I bought my 75 the Sandstone leather was absolutely filthy. I tried 2 different cleaners which made no difference. In the end I used CIF cream with a nail brush and it came up like new. Finished the job with some leather conditioner and it looks and smells lovely.

I would of thought cif would be a bit harsh being an abrasive cleaner

[keiron99]

I've bought some dye from http://www.carleatherdye.co.uk/

Only £18.50 delivered

He already has the sandstone formula. It hasn't arrived yet, but hope to give it a go this weekend and I will report back.

[pmessling]

whilst at the london motor show i brought a product from STEER leatherCare ltd, www.steerleathercare.com from there example i was very inpressed, it was for repairing scratches, etc, brought it to repair the bolster damage from jeans etc. they also offer cleaning products etc. they do various colours

[baxlin]

I use the Leather Wipes from Tesco at about £2.99 a pack quite regularly. They're fine on the "real" leather, but don't seem to touch the "plastic" leather bits.

For these, and for the bottoms of the doors which get caught and marked by shoes, I use the Flash pads, from the Pound shop, £1 for a pack of 2. Then a bit of Mr Sheen (but obviously not on the leather).

[jim_mcglynn]

Funny you should say that Baxin, I always carry a pack of My Sheen wipes (or whatever brand I can find) to keep the dust at bay and to mop up and spillages or grubbyness.

I do use Gliptone on the whole interior (not just the leather) every so often too though. Mainly for the smell ! Bought a litre bottle from ebay for £20 a year or two ago, and still got loads left. I often make up a bottle of watered down glipton in a spray bottle and leave it in the MGB so I can give everything a cleanup/refresh whilst sitting in traffic.

[nick nick]

Funny you should say that Baxin, I always carry a pack of My Sheen wipes (or whatever brand I can find) to keep the dust at bay and to mop up and spillages or grubbyness.

I do use Gliptone on the whole interior (not just the leather) every so often too though. Mainly for the smell ! Bought a litre bottle from ebay for £20 a year or two ago, and still got loads left. I often make up a bottle of watered down glipton in a spray bottle and leave it in the MGB so I can give everything a cleanup/refresh whilst sitting in traffic.

Hi jim
I did not realise you could dilute Gliptone.
Which do you dilute the cleaner or the conditioner and how
efective is it compared the the neat solution
BEST REGARDS
NICK NICK

[jim_mcglynn]

The conditioner. You are not meant to though.

I only dilute it to create a spray bottle for general "leave in car to clean stuff up with" use. That way I can give the interior a quick spray whilst sitting in traffic, or have a few mins to spare whilst waiting for someone etc. I use it on everything except glass & alcantara; plastics, the carpet, mats, switch gear (mind the drops don't drip where they shoudn't), as well as the leather to and give it a quick clean up. And bring that smell back!

However, when I'm giving the car a proper clean I use the conditioner straight from the bottle. But, as I keep on top of it with my watered down stuff it generally doesn't need much of a clean.