Cleaning/Conditioning Frequency - Recaro Seats

[mcster]

How often should you clean and condition leather Recaro seats?

Note: I did try searching in other forums, but did not find a clear answer.

[zachf88]

I clean them whenever they start to look dirty/dry/cracked..... I only use spinneybeck, it's the best stuff that I have used.... here's a great article on how to care for nappa leather:
http://www.leatherz.com/leathercare2.htm

[mcster]

I clean them whenever they start to look dirty/dry/cracked..... I only use spinneybeck, it's the best stuff that I have used.... here's a great article on how to care for nappa leather:
http://www.leatherz.com/leathercare2.htm

I used Lexol cleaner and conditioner.

[Beelzeebub]

In the 4 months i've had mine, i have not conditioned the leather yet. I would think that Meguiar's makes some great leather upholstery cleaning products. The only cleaning I've done so far was to regularly vacuum the seats each time I clean the car. I do a thorough vacuum, getting in all to the nooks, crannies, and folds of the seats.

[zachf88]

I really hate lexol and meguiars products, but it's your choice! There is no set time interval to when to condition your seats.... I usually do mine every 2 months or so but it really depends on how worn/dry the leather looks.

[nealRlett]

I have RECARO seats in my B7 S4 and posted this same thread a while back. Here is what I found: I swear by the Leather Masters system- No grease, no gloss, no sticky residue. That stuff you by from Kragen and Autozone is just a waste of time. With Leather Masters your leather will feel like it just came from the factory.

Here is my process:

If the leather is standard it is a protected leather. With that i would recommend either moe's method or the leather masters system. If it is an upgraded leather. it very well may be aniline dyed, meaning there is no protective coating. Because of that I STRONGLY recommend sticking with the leather masters system.

Strong cleaner. (dilute 1:3 cleaner/distilled water)<that dilution makes soft cleaner>
Leather vital
Leather protection cream.

The procedure is to vacuum the seats, remove all loose debris, pick off all dried matter as best you can.

apply the strong cleaner to the sponge of boars hair furniture brush.

Work/agitate into a lather.

Apply cleaner to a 18"x18" area, agitate and or brush in slightly. This is not a scrubbing action but simply to ensure the cleaner is all over the leather.

Let sit for 20-30 seconds.

Wipe off excess with clean microfiber.

Repeat process on next 18"x18" area.

After all leather is done you will want to wait till the leather is fully dried. This is important. Leather is damaged by excess moisture, it dries out rapidly. think of a wet pair of leather gloves (ala oj) they dry out, shrink and become brittle. Leather masters is a low moisture method of cleaning. Specifically designed to work with aniline dyed and protected leathers.

After the leather is dry, Depending on where you live, temp, humidity 20 min - 1 hour. Assess if it needs to be cleaned again. I generally clean it two times for good measure.

Wait for it to dry again, Often i will use a air mover or a blow dryer on low warm air held 2 feet or more away from the leather.

After leather is dry, you can generally move onto Leather vital. This is the main conditioner. For a 4 door extended leather (doors, dash, seat fronts and backs) vehicle you might use 1 oz on two applications of vital. A normal car would be 1/4 oz or so, protected leather even less.

Again you want to wait till it is fully dry. 20 min to 1 hour. This is to ensure it will soak in to the leather and not just goop up on you.

After that i usually do a second leather vital application using 1/3rd the amount i did on the first time. both applications are very very thin layers. Just like wax, less is more.

Wait for it to dry.

Apply leather protection cream. This has uv inhibitors that keep the leather from drying out from to much sun lite. this will generally be 1/2 the amount you used on yoru 2nd coat of leather vital. If there is any excess after 5 min, wipe off with clean micro fiber.

Hope this helps-

[Buegie]

^x2 the Leather Master Trio is excellent. It's used by many professional detailers

[MontyRS]

A bottle of water leaked out and penetrated the leather overnight....by the time i could wipe the excess it was too late and my leather had already warped a little bit....there is a slight "bubble" in the seat now.....

Does anyone know a good fix for this?? Thanks for your help....

[Beelzeebub]

this is one of the reasons i usually worry when i step into the car from the rain or snow.

[all 4 avant]

i've got the alcentara s4 seats... anyone done any sort of protectant to the seats.. the leather is overall easier to clean, however what happens if the 'suede' gets dirty... i know of a fiber seal product that works on clothes and stuff, considering putting it on the alcentara
thoughts...

[MontyRS]

So no thoughts on this?

[ngng]

I just use a mixture of woollite + water

[Captain Insano]

nealRlett, thanks man. Great post and info.

[CtS4Driver]

I always used a little ivory hand soap on a terrycloth towel to clean my alcantara. Just a little and rub gently in a circular motion and the stain lifts. Then wipe dry with a clean towel. I never had a stain stay in. Even spilled coffee came out.

[Chapunki]

I use a two-step process for my crimson leather, I first clean with Meguiar's Gold Class Leather Cleaner, then I use the Connolly Hide Care and it works really well. Leaves it absolutely beautiful, I maybe use it once every month or two. I haven't been able to find lexol where I live, but I want to try that as well.

[sakimano]

I use steel wool...I want the leather to feel like suede, so I rough it up. Then I rub hair gel in to make it sticky. It looks baller.

[whartung]

I use steel wool...I want the leather to feel like suede, so I rough it up. Then I rub hair gel in to make it sticky. It looks baller.

what a coincidence... thats how i clean my ass

[Fuffler]

As needed.

[zachf88]

to clean alcantara, use a lightly damp Mr. Clean Magic Eraser! I was iffy at first, but my g-d! It worked better than anything else! And then follow up with a suede brush

as for the water spill, there's nothing you can do. Once the water has absorbed into the pores, it sets in. You can use a cleaner to try to get the residue out though

[WinterRunner]

I use steel wool...I want the leather to feel like suede, so I rough it up. Then I rub hair gel in to make it sticky. It looks baller.

i REALLY HOPE YOUR KIDDING......

[all 4 avant]

where can i get the suede brush...and Mr. Clean, like from the grocery store...? aight, i'll try anything onhce...

[zachf88]

you can get a suede brush from a shoe repair shop or a shoe store. And yes, magic eraser from the grocery store. Just make sure you get the normal/ plain one, not the extra clean one or the febreeze scented one......

[sakimano]

i REALLY HOPE YOUR KIDDING......

I am...if you meant you're.

[RAudi Driver]

Yea, Lexol and Meguiers leather produckt aren't that good. I actually hate them also.

I use Zymol cleaner and Zymol leather conditioner every week.

[[email protected]]

I use spray Lexol cleaner in 1/8th concentration everytime I wash the car the get surface dirt off the leather and condition them every two months on a sunny day so the warmth helps the conditioner work into the leather then buff the surface with a soft cloth.