Leather care- how clean, treat and/or repair, post your leather questions here...

Hello everyone,

I have been all over this site for the past year and a half trying to answer scattered leather questions that people have, given mishaps, wear, or manufacturer defect.

Just so you don't think I am a quack, I work for The Leather Institute, A Member of the Townsend Leather Group. We at The Leather Institute specialize in leather service, products, and training. Townsend Leather as you may or may not know is the premium leather company Rick's Uses for all his accessories, but really where they shine is in the aircraft industry, they supply to virtually all aircraft manufacturers in the US and abroad.

The Leather Institute has been around for about 15 years now and during this time, we have gained an exceptional knowledge of leather and how to clean, maintain, and restore this natural product to keep it looking like new for years of useful life.

So instead of everyone trying to get answers for their questions and potentially getting incorrect information, I started this thread to help out my fellow S2Kers.

Please post away and when I get some time later I will go through some of the basics of cleaning and general care.

When I was working on my car, I rested my knee on the seat, and now I hava a small pressure ding in the leather, where my knee was.

I took out the seat and put it in the sun, to see if I could tighten up the leather, and get rid of the loose spot. After a few hours in the sun, it was completely gone, but when I put the seat back in the car, and it cooled down, the ding came back.

Any way to tighten up that area permanently, with heat, or by using another method?

I can get a pic for you, if you need it.

-Pete

Oh goody. I've been waiting for a thread like this !

ok my questions are:

1)how often do my leather seats need to be treated? (my s2000 is almost 3 months old and I haven't done any treatments yet)

2)someone told me that you should always leave a crack opening in the window because its good for the leather. is that true ?


ok thats it for my questions now. thank you.

I think most (if not all) of us have seen the "wear" effects on the driver's seat from getting in and out on a regular basis. I'm talking about how the bottom and side bolsters begin to look very dated (even at an early age), with all those "wrinkle, spider web" like lines that go pale or whitish in color. A leather treatment will make it look much better but quickly returns once the treatment has completely sucked into the leather and dried. This may only be an hour or two. Anything that we can do that will bring the leather back on a long term basis?

Also, what is the best thing to treat them with? I use Meguiars Leather Wipes now. Is there something else I should use instead?

I treat my leather once a month using Meguiar's...is that too much?

You have stretched your leather and probably from the sweat on your knee, the water actually helped the leather to stretch even more...when they stretch leather in the tannery, it is wet and then dried in the stretched position.

What I would do...you need to shrink your leather fibers back to their original position, we would use a heat gun to actually heat out the dent, but in your case, not knowing how much heat is needed could be very dangerous, you can actually shrink the leather so much it will look like a burnt spot and thus need replacing. To be on the safe side, try using a hair dryer on the high setting, it will get nowhere near the 1500 degrees fahrenheit that a heat gun can do which would then burn your leather. Go in circles around the area, each one coming closer to the center. In effect you really need to shrink the surrounding area to pull this low spot out. Repeat this process as it will be slow using a low heat. Do it maybe twice or three times, let it cool and go again to be on the safe side.

Hope this helps, if you are anywhere near NJ, I could do it myself, actually a 5 minute fix, or if you want a can recommend a professional in your area.

Thanks for question.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by hokiemax
[B]Oh goody. I've been waiting for a thread like this !

ok my questions are:

1)how often do my leather seats need to be treated? (my s2000 is almost 3 months old and I haven't done any treatments yet)

2)someone told me that you should always leave a crack opening in the window because its good for the leather. is that true


OK, being that our car is a convertible and my seats always are getting dusty, I will clean them once a month, of course I am probably overdoing it, but every 2-3 months should be fine. For hardtops, every 3 months is fine.

If you leave your windows open, it will just alleviate some of the heat. Heat can take moisture from the leather, but not really in a big way at those temperatures. I do not do this, nor will I in the future.

Now what to use...or well what not to use

Do not use:
1. detergents of any kind
2. Vinyl Cleaner
3. alcohols
4. Silicones like Armor All
5.OK, anything that says it is not specifically designed for leather

Since we supply all our own products I have to put in a plug for us. You can go onteh web at www.leatherinstitute.com to see our products, under the consumer products you can order a cleaning and conditioning kit or under the complete product listing you can order larger quantitities of what is involved in the kits. My personal favorites in the complete section are the Cleaner for Finished Leather to get off any dirt that has landed on the seats and then to use the Cleaner, Conditioner, Protector (CCP) to further clean, lubricate the leather fibers, and leave a protective barrier against further soiling getting into the leather itself.

If you choose not to use our products, there are many others available, although many of these manufacturers have not the slightest clue. Some can strip the finish off on the first cleaning and thus deteriorate it more each subsequent cleaning. We saw in one instance where 1 million dollars of leather was thrown out after it was cleaned nightly for 1 month using the improper products, you could tear it apart in your bear hands effortlessly.

To answer a later question, Meguiar's makes good exterior care products, wouldn't you rather buy from a company that just does leather, don't you think they put in the time there to make sure it is the best on the market, being that they don't have any other products to fall back on. Even Shell gasoline is making leather products now...hmmm

So here is the list of potentials:
1. The Leather Institute/Townsend Leather Products
2.Lexol Products
3. Leatherique

Xviper, what is actually happening is the topcoat on the leather begins to wear off over time. This is due to the sandpaper effect that jeans and khakis have when you slide in and out. What you can do is go to a professional (make sure they are a reputable company first, you can even check with me if you want) and tell them your situation. They can reapply the color and topcoat, basically refinishing your seat the way it was done at the tannery (don't let them use a brush or sponge, that is just WRONG). We have done this to all my family's cars and they come out great, looking just as good as new, and with the ability to apply extra topcoat it could even last longer than new. But it is an inevitable thing, the only real prevention is regular conditioning with something like our Cleaner, Conditioner, and Protector.

PS - an 8oz of this stuff will last a good year or so, quart, usually 5 years, so for $30.00 its really the best deal.

Hope that answers your question, reply if you need more info...

A little on the frequent side, but every 1-3 months is fine, I do it once a month too since the products are readily available.

Thanks for starting this thread. I hope this question gets answered because it is bothering a lot of S2000 owners, just based on the number of different threads started about this problem. The problem is the seatbelt rubbing against the leather seat, causing a squeak as the seatbelt moves over the leather while driving. Here are some of the threads related to this problem:

Squeaky seat belt
Driver's side seatbelt squeak
I cannot take the seatbelt anymore!
Seat belt squeak

A workable solution would be appreciated by all S2000 owners. Thank you.

OK, heres a good one for ya!

I had a lot of wear issues on the bottom of my drivers seat. Took it to the dealership, and they ended replacing the whole bottom half of the seat! Cushion, leather, and frame!! Well, now there are a few problems:

1) The leather they replaced is not "glossy" like the rest of the seats. Its more dull.

2) When i picked up the car, the leather was all loose, as if it were too big for the cushion. The dealership told me that it will tighten up over time (about 2 weeks), and that was just because the leather cover was folded up in a box, and they had to put it on the cushion. Well, its been almost 3 months, and it still looks the same, very loose and sloppy looking!

Thanks,
John

in another thread I read a while back, I believe it was concluded that the only leather parts of our car are the sections that are perforated, namely the center seat and center back sections, as well as the elbow rest on the center console. I believe the steering wheel is also leather, but I could be wrong.

could you please clarify exactly which parts of our seats are leather and thus need leather treatment, and which parts are actually vinyl, which would probably benefit from a cleaner like 303?

Here's a pic of the "knee mark" on my seat.

I'll try the hair dryer technique, but I also have an adjustable temp heat gun, if that is better. Either way, I will try to use minimal heat to do the job.

As you can see from the pic, the side bolster near the "knee mark" is also stretched out.

Is the side bolster vinyl, or leather, and can the side bolster material also be tightened up using the heat method?

Thanks for the info!!

-Pete


[/PHOTO]

The squeek should go away with a decent amount of conditioner or the CCP product we supply, it will lubricate the leather to reduce the stick and move effect that causes the squeek. I have done this and it works, but you need to go it fairly regularly for it to keep up, once very 2 weeks should be fine. The CCP product actually contains a special wax, so it will prevent the seat from touching the leather itself as long as it lasts.

What is a topcoat? Is it like a wood veneer?

I don't understand why it's so easy to wear through a veneer, or like my previous 2000 TL it starts to peel away where there are wrinkles. The driver's seat was replaced at 15,000 miles.

Does overapplication of cleaner/leather preservative cause this to happen?

I have 12000 miles on my S2000, and the veneer is worn through where the seatbelt "squeaks". Maybe the squeak will go away when the topcoat is gone?

Thanks for the Q&A service!

Great info!

John, I actually had a similar problem, the bolster on my driver side, by the door got ruined from sliding in and out, the foam that is, the leather was fine, so they put in new foam to bring it back to proper form. So if anyone has this problem, be aware that Honda will help you.

OK so now to your problem, the reason it isn't as glossy is that Honda will either

a. change the actual leather used over the years (my father has a 2000, his leather is much softer than my 2002, by far actually)
b. the leather is meant to be dull, but as you sit on it, you remove the texture by actually sanding it with your clothes, thus it gets shiny as it smoothes out.

For this I would be patient, it should be fine in the long run, give it a month or two of breakin

Your other issue, the leather will most likely not tighten up over the coming weeks, I have never seen leather tighten up on its own...EVER, it stretches out over time in most cases. But give them the time they said it would take and then if its still bad, go back to them, just don't jump right in now, it could aggrevate them that you have not listened to their recommendations.

Here's a couple questions?

Where is a good source to buy leather with as close a color match to honda red as I can get?

What should I look for when buying leather to make sure it's good quality etc

What type of thread should I use to best withstand the elements and not hurt the leather?

Whats the best way to keep leather from sweat staining and protect it from them?

thanks

fltsfshr

well, they reccommended a week or two to tighten up...it has been almost 3 months now!

The entire seating areas are leather, including the area of the bolsters you will sit on, the outsides are definitely vinyl.

List of leather items.

1. Seating areas that you will touch, perforated and not.
2.Steering wheel
3. shifter knob
4. Arm rest behind cupholder that is also perforated
5. Door cutouts

Vinyl...
1. Seat outsides
2. center console on 2001??+, not sure when they changed it from carpet over to vinyl, since I have a 2002 and my father's is a 2000
3. Door elbow rest area


The thing is, you can just buy a leather cleaner and use it all over, no need to get the vinyl stuff too.

Rule of Thumb - you can use leather products on vinyl, you can not use vinyl products on leather.

Has anyone installed the [Rick's] leather sunvisor covers?
What is your opinion of them?

Thanks,
-Steve

In terms of purchasing leather, Townsend Leather is by far the highest quality leather available on the market today, which is why The Leather Institute joined up with Townsend Leather to help in creation of The Townsend Leather Group. They specialize in custom leather, they can match any quality, color, feel, etc. If you wish to speak with me about your purchase of leather, sicne I am very familiar with the S2000, you can buy Townsend Leather for the same price through us as you would directly from them, essentially we are the same company. The Leather Institute phone number is 732-291-1891 and just ask for me, Sean.

When you said thread, you were speain in upholstery terms, I am on the care and maintenance side of the business, but can look into it for you. PM me if you want more details.

The best way to keep from sweat stains and protect it is again the Cleaner, Conditioner, and Protector that we offer through our website. www.leatherinstitute.com Use the Cleaner for Finished Leather first to get rid of all the dirt and grime, then the CCP for best result, although if you choose to use the CCP, it can stand alone.


I do not want people to think this is a huge plug, but to tell you the truth these are the products I am most familiar with and trust 100%, so for me to send you elsewhere, I can't stand by someone else the way I do with our own. Please understand this, don't think there aren't other good products, but I may not know them quite as well and thus can not speak on behalf of them.

Topcoat is similar to the clear coat on a car, it protects the underlying color and provides durability, although using the wrong cleaning products can drastically reduce the life of the topcoat. You can ruin your seats in one cleaning using a harsh enough product, that is why I would use the recommendations I have above.

Condition under the seat using a CCP type product like we have, it will really help. It is a thicker product than most so it should reduce the squeeks