[CADYSHAK]

GM suggest's to use a damp soft cloth to go over the leather seats and dash .What do you guys recommend to clean the leather recaro seats and dash and doors on the 2009 CTS-V car ? Thanks in advance .


CADYSHAK
p.s. I bought a spray can of leather treatment from mercedes benz . They claim to use it on their high end cars .

 

[irvvvine]

I have been trying to figure this one out too. I bought the platinum/ebony interior. The platinum material is very light in color and looks light it will show a lot of dirt. I looked in the owner's manual and found nothing helpful. I have the Ricarro seats, and the center portion seems to be a velour type of material. Not sure if it is leather or some faux material. Same with the panels on the doors.

I read in a post on the regular CTS discussion that damp cloth is all to use, while others suggest some chemicals to clean spots. I have been pondering using upholstery cleaner for the velour material that will probably discolor the fastest.

I know this post doesn't help answer the question, but just sharing that I would be interested in the answer.

 

[Richie18]

Well cleaning the seats and using leather treatment are two different things, which one did you want to know about?

 

[Cadillac Tony]

Most leather cleaners/conditioners are a waste of money in a car. Automotive grade leather is finished with a clear topcoat to protect against stains, dirt and scuffing, so the pores of the leather are all sealed up, preventing the cream from getting into the leather.

GM's advice of a warm, damp washcloth is good. For dirty areas of leather, put a small amount of non-abrasive dishsoap (like Dawn or Palmolive) on the cloth and rub gently, then finish with a dry cloth to remove soap residue. The microfiber areas can be cleaned the same way, although you may want to buy a soft suede brush to periodically "pick up" the nap.

 

[Razorecko]

^ agreed. You dont want to lather on the leather cleaner conditioner because if you make the leather tooo soft it will crack alot faster in my opinion. Its good for cars that have like straight off the hide tough leather but not for newer cars in general

 

[Richie18]

Not sure about the V2, but BMW and Audi's definitely benefit from the use of leather conditioner. It prevents crack, prevents a faded color, keeps the leather soft/supple, and in the end in a "like new" condition. Untreated leather can result in numerous cracks and over worn condition.

The V2/cadillacs may be different in their quality of leather and/or their overall ability to take more of beating.

 

[Cadillac Tony]

That's probably more circumstantial than anything. The type of people who would routinely use leather products on their seats are fastidious people, therefore they keep their cars (and seats) cleaner.

99% of auto interiors are vat dyed leather with a clear topcoat sprayed on them for durability, thus sealing the pores and making leather conditioner useless. Most of the wear, discoloring and cracking in these seats is due to dirt being ground into the seat like sandpaper by the driver's legs and butt every time they get in and out of the car. The act of cleaning the seat prior to applying leather creams is what keeps the leather supple, not the creams themselves.

That being said, there's no harm in doing it- I've just never seen a benefit in it, especially knowing what I do about how they make automotive leather.

 

[GM-4-LIFE]

I use the Purple Slice's Better Leather which is an all in one leather cleaner/conditioner. It is a one step process that cleans and conditions at the same time. No need to clean THEN condition.

It makes your leather look really shiny and very soft, but is dry to the touch. I am telling you, it's amazing!

Once you try it, you will never use anything else and that goes for all the Purple Slice products. Their detail spray is the best I have ever tested and I have tried them all including Zaino, Adam's, Eagle One, Mothers, etc.

You can see the products here: http://www.drvtwin.com/eshopdetail_cat_5158.Purple_Slice.htm

SG

 

[concorso]

Theres nothing wrong with using most leather cleaners on the market, as long as they are strictly cleaners. The leather conditioners cause most of the problems, really. If they have lots of oils, they just sit on the surface and collect dust and dirt faster then if the leather was untreated. This can actually wear out leather faster, like Tony said, since the dirt gets ground in. Treat most new leather the same way you would treat vinyl. There are quite a few leather protectants out there, and these work great on this type of leather. But any vinyl protectant will work well.

The microfiber/swayde/alcantara should be treated differently tho. If you want to maintain its cleanliness and nap, you need to treat it with a foam cleaner. Any leather cleaner should suffice, but use it through a foam dispenser. You want to draw up the dirt, not wipe it off. Be gentle with a leather brush, most are not designed to be careful with suede. Always blot clea and dry.