Leather and interior Wipes

[Cadi Cruisin]

I got some gold class leather wipes and natural shine interior wipes recently and to be honest im not sure about either of them. they seem to leave a nice shine but theyre both greasy or oily even though both of them say they arent, even after wiping the seats down with a microfiber after applying. I guess my question is are these wipes any good or basically junk just like all of the armor all stuff out there? ive got a black on black deville and the leather is in decent shape and ive been told that most of those wipes just lead to more cracking and arent very good for your car. any feedback on this would be helpful

[Blueline]

Re: Leather and interior Wipes

Your leather seats have a coating of vinyl. Nothing conditions it, nothing penetrates it. You can use anything that has a UV protecting quality. Most of these leather solutions for autos (all brands in my opinion) are mostly a waste of money. They just add a nice smell. As for Armorall causing cracking, it is an old myth. Armorall for leather is just as good and anything out there. It is the sun and wear N tear that causes cracking. Again, in my opinion and experience.

[Cadi Cruisin]

Re: Leather and interior Wipes

thanks man, that makes sense what you said and I always appreciate the feedback!! Im still loooking for others opinions on this as well, the more the better you know how it is

[Tuck91]

Re: Leather and interior Wipes

Not a wipes type of person myself.

[Murr1525]

Re: Leather and interior Wipes

I like the creams, sprays, etc better myself as well.

As far as the benefits, I dunno if they help the leather or the coating, but it seems better to me.

[Michael Stoops]

Re: Leather and interior Wipes

I got some gold class leather wipes and natural shine interior wipes recently and to be honest im not sure about either of them. they seem to leave a nice shine but theyre both greasy or oily even though both of them say they arent, even after wiping the seats down with a microfiber after applying. I guess my question is are these wipes any good or basically junk just like all of the armor all stuff out there? ive got a black on black deville and the leather is in decent shape and ive been told that most of those wipes just lead to more cracking and arent very good for your car. any feedback on this would be helpful

You posted this same question in another thread and we just responded there. We'll duplicate the response here:

Two things here:

* whoever made those comments about any of our wipes simply doesn't know what they're talking about
* poor Armor-All, they just keep getting this nasty misinformation spread about them

Let's see if we can help clear up a couple of things here.

You've probably seen some negative comments about silicone being used in interior care products and how it will rot your dash with regular use. That simply is not true - it's not true if you use a Meguiar's dressing with silicone in it, it's not true if you use Armor-All products, and it's not true if you use any other company's interior dressing. You may even read people making comments like "I only use water based dressings, not silicone based dressings". Well, we don't know of any actual "silicone based" dressings on the market. They're either water based or solvent based, and the vast majority of water based dressings contain some silicone. Why? Because silicone, depending on just which silicones are used, can make application and wipe off easier, or they can make the product add gloss to the surface. But they don't have to make the surface glossy. Natural Shine and Supreme Shine both contain silicone, as does M40, but the level of shine imparted by the three varies quite a bit. Which one you choose will depend on whether you like a glossy appearance or not.

Now, Armor-All products may leave the surface feeling a bit slick and greasy at times, and you may not like that for your interior, but they sell product in enormous quantity, so somebody obviously likes it. But it certainly isn't causing anyone's dash to crack or rot. And, yes, we just defended a competitor.

We entered into a brief discussion in the detailing section of a make/model specific car forum where someone asked about "dash treatment preferences". As you might imagine, there were as many different products recommended as there were replies to the thread - everybody had a favorite. But there was that one guy who warned against using "silicone based" products and mentioned a "water based" product that he had used on his interior every monthly for several years, and never had a problem. This was a bit of a "boutique" product, generally purchased only online from a handful of car care products retailers. But we compared the MSDS info on our Natural Shine to the MSDS on his preferred "water based" product. As it turns out, his favorite "water based" product actually contained almost double the silicone found in Natural Shine. Double! But still, with faithful use, his dash hadn't rotted, cracked, turned white, or disintegrated. He had no further response to the discussion, by the way.

But back to the wipes versus a lotion or spray. Wipes can be very convenient, but the packaging may not allow for long term storage once opened. If you use them regularly, that may not be an issue. But they contain the exact same product as what's found in their alternative packaging, whether spray or lotion. Some people love the wipes, others hate them. But the same can be said of Ford, Chevy and Dodge. Or chicken, fish or steak. Or red, blue and yellow. But they certainly aren't going to hurt anything.

Your leather seats have a coating of vinyl. Nothing conditions it, nothing penetrates it. You can use anything that has a UV protecting quality. Most of these leather solutions for autos (all brands in my opinion) are mostly a waste of money. They just add a nice smell. As for Armorall causing cracking, it is an old myth. Armorall for leather is just as good and anything out there. It is the sun and wear N tear that causes cracking. Again, in my opinion and experience.

You really seem to be stuck on this notion that you can't do anything for automotive leather, and we'd love to know what your source of this information is.

Yes, there is a protective coating on most automotive leather seating, but it's a very specialized coating that is designed to act and feel like leather. Obviously there are some variations in how effectively that "look and feel like leather" part comes off depending on make and model. Nonetheless, it is an elastic and somewhat permeable layer that can and does accept "moisturizing" to a degree. It will dry out if not properly treated, just as the leather beneath it will dry out if not regularly treated and protected.

There is a huge difference between there just being a coating on something and a coating that is specifically designed to behave in a certain way. Otherwise, what would be the point at all in using any leather in any car? Why go through the cost and bother if it's literally no different than cheaper vinyl?

[Blueline]

Re: Leather and interior Wipes

Well I guess I am a bit stuck on this. Perhaps it is because we own several horses and I think I know leather. Also, I have had leather seats in cars for years, and I know what I used on them. No expert, just experience, plus I READ other unbiased information, not just the comments of those with a "dog in the race".
As for why people would buy leather as opposed to just buying a vinyl seat, well that comes to COST, EASY TO CLEAN, AND EGO. (COST) Years ago when automobile seats were unfinished leather, you could not just make the seat and back leather and the sides pure vinyl like they do now. They were full leather back then. Now every North American car has full vinyl sides and back...not leather, not even coated leather. It is cheaper to do that.
(EASY TO CLEAN) The same coating on leather seat is the same vinyl on the sides and back. You can wipe down a finished leather seat in a car with windex if you so desire...I have done so many times with no ill effect That said, I would never use Windex on any of my horse tack. (leather)
(EGO) I know I prefer saying I have leather seats than "Gee I spilled coffee on my cloth seats" (smile)

I apologize for being "stuck" on this, however I think many people believe their leather seats require special treatment, whereas I believe they require no more care than a full vinyl seat.
All that said, I have purchased Meguiar's leather products, and other brands, however only for the smell. A freshly detailed car with leather interior, should smell like leather.

[Cadi Cruisin]

Re: Leather and interior Wipes

You posted this same question in another thread and we just responded there. We'll duplicate the response here:

Two things here:

* whoever made those comments about any of our wipes simply doesn't know what they're talking about
* poor Armor-All, they just keep getting this nasty misinformation spread about them

Let's see if we can help clear up a couple of things here.

You've probably seen some negative comments about silicone being used in interior care products and how it will rot your dash with regular use. That simply is not true - it's not true if you use a Meguiar's dressing with silicone in it, it's not true if you use Armor-All products, and it's not true if you use any other company's interior dressing. You may even read people making comments like "I only use water based dressings, not silicone based dressings". Well, we don't know of any actual "silicone based" dressings on the market. They're either water based or solvent based, and the vast majority of water based dressings contain some silicone. Why? Because silicone, depending on just which silicones are used, can make application and wipe off easier, or they can make the product add gloss to the surface. But they don't have to make the surface glossy. Natural Shine and Supreme Shine both contain silicone, as does M40, but the level of shine imparted by the three varies quite a bit. Which one you choose will depend on whether you like a glossy appearance or not.

Now, Armor-All products may leave the surface feeling a bit slick and greasy at times, and you may not like that for your interior, but they sell product in enormous quantity, so somebody obviously likes it. But it certainly isn't causing anyone's dash to crack or rot. And, yes, we just defended a competitor.

We entered into a brief discussion in the detailing section of a make/model specific car forum where someone asked about "dash treatment preferences". As you might imagine, there were as many different products recommended as there were replies to the thread - everybody had a favorite. But there was that one guy who warned against using "silicone based" products and mentioned a "water based" product that he had used on his interior every monthly for several years, and never had a problem. This was a bit of a "boutique" product, generally purchased only online from a handful of car care products retailers. But we compared the MSDS info on our Natural Shine to the MSDS on his preferred "water based" product. As it turns out, his favorite "water based" product actually contained almost double the silicone found in Natural Shine. Double! But still, with faithful use, his dash hadn't rotted, cracked, turned white, or disintegrated. He had no further response to the discussion, by the way.

But back to the wipes versus a lotion or spray. Wipes can be very convenient, but the packaging may not allow for long term storage once opened. If you use them regularly, that may not be an issue. But they contain the exact same product as what's found in their alternative packaging, whether spray or lotion. Some people love the wipes, others hate them. But the same can be said of Ford, Chevy and Dodge. Or chicken, fish or steak. Or red, blue and yellow. But they certainly aren't going to hurt anything.


You really seem to be stuck on this notion that you can't do anything for automotive leather, and we'd love to know what your source of this information is.

Yes, there is a protective coating on most automotive leather seating, but it's a very specialized coating that is designed to act and feel like leather. Obviously there are some variations in how effectively that "look and feel like leather" part comes off depending on make and model. Nonetheless, it is an elastic and somewhat permeable layer that can and does accept "moisturizing" to a degree. It will dry out if not properly treated, just as the leather beneath it will dry out if not regularly treated and protected.

There is a huge difference between there just being a coating on something and a coating that is specifically designed to behave in a certain way. Otherwise, what would be the point at all in using any leather in any car? Why go through the cost and bother if it's literally no different than cheaper vinyl?

Thanks for the reply much appreciated!! And in regards to posting in two different threads, sorry about that. I just got on this forum yesterday and was just getting used to the proper procedure

[Kemo]

Re: Leather and interior Wipes

Just to throw my 2 cents in, (and not meaning any disrespect to any of the other comments) to say that you can't clean and condition leather is wrong: I've been cleaning cars and motorcycles for a long time, so I've tried a lot of leather cleaners and truthfully the best all purpose cleaner I have used is the Gold Class Rich Leather Cleaner/Conditioner. A greasy finish was mentioned, I've never had that problem with the Cleaner/Conditioner, I wipe it on, rub out the dirt and I can sit on it right away without anything coming off on my clothes. Trust me, I use it on my harley seat and I guarantee that I'm not crazy enough to put anything greasy on my bike seat. One of my current vehicles is a 2008 Chrysler Pacifica with the lightest tan leather seats you have ever seen. This product has gotten out rust stains (from the seat brackets), general dirt, even cherry pop stains. I even had the dye from a black leather jacket get all over my seat and I figured it was there for good, but the cleaner got it all off. Could I have gotten the dirt out with window cleaner (probably not). Could I have gotten the dirt out with Spraynine (probably, but I would also be taking some color with it). I can post pics of just how good the 3 rows of leather seats look and keep in mind that this is a 3 year old family hauler. There's not a single crack or stress vain in any of the seats.