Leather + dash treatment for new car?

[rover137]

Hi all

I'm new here but have been lurking for a while. I have posted in the detailing thread regarding the exterior process for my new car but have some questions concerning the interior.

I want to protect the interior pretty much as soon as i get it! I'm new to detailing, but used to do an ok job on my old car using Armor All products. I wish to transition to Meguiars - I do have a heap of Armor All interior products so maybe i should just use these up for economics sake.

To protect the leather seats would Mequiars Gold Class Leather Conditioner be good? The car is new so the seats won't need conditioning as much as protecting. Maybe scotch guard would be better for protection?

For the dash and plastics i've used Armor All previously. The process i followed was to clean everything with a cleaning spray before applying protectant. I note that Mequiars Supreme Shine and Protectant says you can use it to clean the surface as well as protect. I always thought you wanted to remove particles before applying protectant?

Thank you all!

[tcope1]

Re: Leather + dash treatment for new car?

Almost all leather vehicle seats are dyed. They dye acts as a paint in that it sits on top of the leather. So conditioner does not have the same effect. For weekly maintenance, vacuum the seats very good and apply an interior detailer. Using a conditioner won't hurt. Personally, after the seats have been used for months on end I will apply a leather clearcoat product to keep them from cracking. I also apply this to leather steering wheels as those seem to break down even more quickly.

For plastic and vinyl you are looking for something with good UV protectors. If you clean frequently, you could just use a protectant as you won't have much dirt and oil on the plastic. But using a mild cleaner every so often might be a good idea.

[rover137]

Re: Leather + dash treatment for new car?

Thanks for responding. The leather in the new car would be similar to the car i have now (both Hyundai) and after 6 years of ownership the seats still look like new and i didn't do anything to them. I guess the car is always garaged at home and at work it sits in an underground car park. Apply the interior detail as a form of cleaning? With the steering wheel of my old car i always just put the Armor All protectant on it and it came up quite nice - do you think a leather protectant would be better than some form of Armor All or Mequiars protectant?

That makes sense - i.e with regular cleaning just a protectant can be used. I only just bought a new bottle of Armor All (before finding these forums), maybe i'll just use that up before buying some form of Meguiars protectant.

Thanks!

[tcope1]

Re: Leather + dash treatment for new car?

do you think a leather protectant would be better than some form of Armor All or Mequiars protectant?

I think they are about the same. I think the leather cleaner may be a little less harsh then some interior detailers but I don't think it will make much of a difference. If you wanted to use what you already have, I'd do that. Do vacuum the leather seats before cleaning. Spread the sewn seams slightly and get into the cracks. Do this often.