Best off the shelf leather cleaner....?

[gdwriter]

Originally Posted by I_Finally_Have_A_Cad

I'm sorry, but if you are going to act like you are the one taking the high road by saying that you are willing to agree to disagree, then why did you fit in that last snide remark? What should have been over now continues because you had to have the last word. Now I am coninuing to perpetuate it by bringing someone twice my age down a notch.

Act your age.

You have a point. I had the snarky comment first and then reversed them. As my ex-wife will attest, I like to get the last word in.

I make no claims to the high road; I will apologize for my tone, but I make no apologies for defending a friend (Sandy) who is well respected here.

[urbanski]

Originally Posted by Superior Detailing

Oh yeah, I will be posting a thread about this on the detailing boards to see what REAL PROFFESSIONALS think of pledge and dawn. OOPS I MEAN DOVE.

well, have fun there then.

this thread can be restarted where it belongs, in our Detailing forum.

[Superior Detailing]

I too will apologize for dragging this thread out. You using these products on your car won't hurt me so by all means, go ahead. I think I forgot what I always preach on the detailing boards.

"Use whatever products work for you"

[Sandy]

Good God, I don't know where to begin, so I'll begin with myself.
First off, allthough yes, I am 59, I am amomg the youngest "59" you could ever hope to meet. I have not a single wrinkle on entire body, and a full head of dark brown hair. When I tell someone my age, they always insist I produce my driver's license, and are then blowen-away.
Secondly, I play tennis (not very well) and also a miserable game of golf.
But...I play! Besides the Sixty Special I also own a newer Town Car and an ascMcLaren.
I have been involved in the automobile industrry for only 28 years, having owned my own used car lot, sold new cars, and owned a detail shop, that I sold after 5 years, but still have a small interest in.
In addition, I am an author, and have penned several booklets about MOPARS. I was awarded the prestiegous "Golden Quill Award" in 2000 for my automotive scribes. I have also written the "History of the Imperial Motorcar - 1957-1993. I have owned a dozen Imperials. Personally, I have owned in excess of 30 cars. Each one that I sold privately and at such time was show quality mint.

Second Chapter:
The guys on here were complaining & seeking a way to clean everyday dirt off of their leather.
Since you look down on both people of color "Ode Skoo Fello" comment, as well as "old or OldER" people as being worth less than young or youngER people, I'll inform you that today's leather in modern cars is a far cry from the leather used in cars when I was "youngER" ~ If you were to take a swatch of leather from a pre-1980 car, 'ya, just razor blade cut it out, you'd find that the color (whatever color it is) is pigmentated all the way thru the piece of leather. Therefore, if that particular piece were to be blue, not only is the top side (smooth finished side) blue, but if you turned it over, the actual leather (rough, unfinished backside) would likewise be blue, (or whatever color it was) ~ ~ because the entire piece was tanned and Vat-dyed with the color pigmentation.
Not so today, due to the EPA. These Dyes are carcenagens and have been banned. So...... today the "color" is actually printed on the leather by huge "printer type" machines. If you turned over a piece of automotive leather today, you'd find the backside has no color at all, for it is not dyed.
Therefore the colorfastness - that is the durability of the tint of the color to last the better part of the lifetime of the car without "wearing thin" in high use "spots" or areas, has been greatly compromised in the name of the EPA.
Now....the people on here wanted to know how to remove dirt, just regular everyday dirt, that has accumulated over time. I have found that the commercial products that you are endorsing, in many cases (Okay, not all ~) but in most cases, are too strong for dirty seats in these PRINTED ON COLOR, leather seats and besides removing the dirt, it will lighten the color in splotches and uneven stroke lines, especially visable in bright sunlight.
At my shop we used (and the new/current owner) uses the Dove Soap method. Dove Soap is the mildest soap money can buy, and has Coconut Oil and Palm Kernal Oils as well as a moisturing lotion in it, so you are using a product with natural oils in it. I did advise a damp wipe off of the area to clear away any remaing residue, using plain paper towel dampened with water in a "lifting" off manner.
The Pledge spray puts a buffer between the seating surface, and future dirt. As stated, the effect of the Pledge lasts for like 5 weeks, that's it. Pledge has Lanolin, aloe vera, Vitimini C & E and all good happy ingrediants in it.

Third Chapter:
...................and yes, I've used these products on my cars since 1985, and my seats in every one of them were equal to what you saw in the photos of my 13 year old Sixty Special Caddy. Our Son's Jeep Cherokee Limited has leather (grey) and THAT vehicle has over 40,000 miles on it, in just 5 years, and his seats look like sombody replaced them with new, as they look 1 day old !
Barry McGuire (McGuire's) is a billionaire. Likewise are his competitors. Why do you think that there are over `200 brands of car wax and over 250 brands of interior cleaners ? 'Cause there is Mega money in them. They make more money on one package of product, percentage-wise to their cost, than a nice restaurant makes on a 5 course meal. They have created a need for the expensive product, making the user think the more money they spend - the better the results will be. This is HOW they became so wealthy.
Don't fall for it. I guess that there is some "Status" in how much one drops on a 8 ounze product, just as there is "Status" in the car, that product will go on....but, when it's all said & done, product talks & bull shit walks.
Remember....
There is nothing more sensitive and aslo more poreous than your face. You use soap on it, right? A new born baby, 10 minutes old....gets washed with soap. But leather (Cow's Asss) is not able to endure being gently wiped off with the mildest of mild soaps to remove dirt ? I think so.

Last Chapter.....
......................Even thouigh my Caddy has just 9,982 miles on it......
it IS thirteen years old, and as you know WHITE will tend to age and turn a yukkiee yellowish color from sun exposure. Well, mine is as white as new fallen snow, with no yellow-ish haze to it.
If you wish, I could also post a pic of my "Scarlet" interior in my McLaren. It's also as day 1 and she's 17 years old, with more miles. Being Scarlet Red she has here own "potholes" that could/would do her in, mostly fading. I've used the same treatments on her, and she has that perforated leather, coupled with solid smooth leather. Her seats are that melted buttery soft
leather from Italy that I believe are made by Poltrana Frau, Italian leather crafters. That car, like my Caddy has won many trophies, including Best in Class, People's Choice and 2nd best in show.

Now, calm down & continue to use what you like & what works for you and allow any & everyone else to do likewise without being so judgmental and disrecpectfull in your tone.

Sandy

[I~LUV~Caddys8792]

Wow Sandy, that was quite the response! It's the information like that why I refer to you as "The King"!

[Sandy]

Awww, now I'm All Shook Up

[I~LUV~Caddys8792]

^ That's an elvis song!

[Sandy]

He da KING

[Superior Detailing]

I never meant for any of my comments to be taken as racist, offensive, or a personal attack on anybody. Just wanted to suggest some better products to use that are specifically designed for use on a car, not a babys butt, not my face, and not my nightstand. Maybe I owe it to you to try these methods out, but if thats the case, then I think you owe it to me, and perhaps your car, to try out some other products. It's only through product testing that you will find out what best works for you. It seemed like you have been using this method for 40 years so, I guess I just thought it was the only thing you had tried in those 40 years.

Again I will stress my point to "use whatever product works for you."

[JRau]

Sandy,

I am intrigued by your method. I will probably try it on my son's '93 Sedan DeVille. It's a beater basically, so if something would go wrong, it can't hurt the car's image. However, it sounds like you have quite a following of people using this method.

I use Mequire's products on my '91 Brougham's interior, and have good results.

Your 60 Special is an amazing car, and I've told you that before. You have to be doing something right....

JRau in central Iowa

[David Jenison]

I have used the Dove and Pledge method and find it to be superior to any other product. I have even used it on my leather furniture in the house. It's inexpensive and it works. How do you beat that?

DAVE
'97 Concours

[Sandy]

Mr. Superior Detailing (not being smart, but I don't know your name, forgive me) ~ I have used (and may I add, waisted mega bucks) on many many other products. They (Okay, 95%) did a very good job, however, many, and I really mean....MANY left a sticky residue on the leather. Some left more than others.....but so very many left some degree of a "tacky" feeling. I'd buff & buff and still ever so lightly, still a tacky feel. Which...in turn attracted dust to stick and as you know, dust turns to dirt. I tried all the major brands out there at the time (1980s).
Then.....as you read..... they altered the leather, I sought out MILD methods that got it clean with minimal rubbing.....rest = history

[COBlackZ06]

In light of Urby's admonition that this is a subject best suited for the Care & Detailing Forum, there's actually a SEPARATE THREAD there, where this issue has come up. And I posted some thoughts there.

But I'll reiterate some of the comments I made in that thread over here, too, as this discussion seems to be continuing in this thread. I own two cars with a leather interior: A 2003 Z06 Corvette and a 1993 Cadillac Sixty Special. When Sandy sent me a link to this thread, and suggested I try this application of Dove soap and Pledge, I was initially skeptical, but Sandy convinced me to give it a try. All I can do is offer the results I experienced as a testimonial that Sandy seems to be onto something.

After owning my Sixty Special for 10 months now, and my Corvette for three years, and trying both Lexol and Zaino leather cleaning and conditioning products on the interiors of both cars, although they did look better after the application, for several days afterward, they felt sticky (especially if I was wearing a leather jacket.) This was even after repeated wipe downs with a micro-fiber cloth. Not so when I tried Sandy's method. The fact that the dissolved Dove had done it's job was immediately apparent, as the water and soap mixture had turned a brackish dark grey color by the time I had finished. But there was a sheen to the leather seats that looked really nice.

It was the use of the Pledge as a conditioning agent that most concerned me. But on the side of the can, it clearly states it's formulated for leather. The nap and smoothness of the leather, however, was undeniable after I tried it. The 13 year old leather interior of my Sixty Special- a car with 120,000 miles, and to which I am the fourth owner- looked stunning. That treatment was about a month ago, and the seats still look and feel better than they had when I tried either the Lexol or the Zaino. And the sticky, tacky feeling was totally absent.

Take this testimonial as you will. I'm not getting paid anything for offering my observations from this experience. All I can tell you is that once the weather around here warms up enough for me to do this again, I plan to try it on the seats in my Corvette next. I've also tried it on some of the leather furniture in my house, and results were just as good. And this application costs a fraction of what Lexol and Zaino cost.

-Patrick

[Sandy]

Mr. Superior Detailing (a name I assume that you gave yourself), on one thread (this here, in this thread) you write the following:-

"" I never meant for any of my comments to be taken as racist, offensive, or a personal attack on anybody. ""


and then under the detailing thread you write this:-

"" Whoever is recommending DOVE and FURNITURE POLISH is a moron ""



It sure seems to me that I've had 100 times more support than you have, or even got over on AutoPedia.

I think the time has come for you to cease bad mouthing me and try my way
or to leave this site, since many many people (other than I) have herein voiced their displeasure of how your express yourself.

You have not hurt me. I am sure that me cars have far more trophies than yours do.

Have a nice holiday, and try and aspire to the feelings of the season of love thy neighbor, even IF he uses or does things you had not heard of, nor tried.

Your Pal, The Moron

[I~LUV~Caddys8792]

Damn, I almost wish I had leather to try all this stuff out on!