Top leather cleaner/conditioner picks for leather steering wheel in 2015 VW Golf.

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chip douglas

New member
Hello,

I've been reading reviews and posts on the many leather conditioners/cleaners and I've noticed that Leather Master and Pinnacle's leather cleaner & conditioner get many nods - though I've also come across a number of apparently top-notch leather care products.

A few things I'd like to know :

* Can leather conditioners stain adjacent vinyl surfaces ?

* Like many, I like clean and matter looking leather - clearly, I don't want anything shiny looking which strays from OEM look. Money is no object since leather can only be found on the steering wheel of my 2015 VW Golf.

What are the best of the best leather cleaners/conditioners out there ? You guys are welcome to share your experiences with various leather products.

Many thanks !


P.S. The care is merely a month old, so at this point I'm only looking at maintenance, but since maintenance is key, it's best to get everything covered from the start.
 
I really like Adam's. It gives a completely matte finish, has a high SPF (UV protection), and is safe on plastics and vinyl as well.
 
Do you both Adam's cleaner and conditioner, or you've used Adam's conditioner along with another brand's cleaner ? Btw, thanks for your response - Adam's has definitely received some pretty good reviews. I've checked and it's something I can easily find in Canada.
 
Most likely, a Golf would have coated leather/vinyl (V-Tex leatherette) so conditioner is pointless. Get a good leather cleaner and then get a protectant. For leather cleaner I have been happy with CG Leather Cleaner. I usually dilute it 1:6 which makes it out to about $0.09 per ounce. For protectant, 303 Aerospace is great and I really like Blackfire Interior Protectant as well.

I wouldn't use a protectant or conditioner on the steering wheel (saw your other post). Just clean it regularly to remove the sweat and dirt and you should be in good shape.

I just looked up "VW V-Tex leatherette" on Bing and all sorts of info is out there.
 
chip douglas said:
wdmaccord : do you think the 2015 Golf's steering wheel is also made of V tex leatherette ?
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That would be my guess. A leather cleaner that is safe for all leather types is your best bet. I've used the CG Leather Cleaner on MB-Tex (Benz), BMW leatherette, Lexus, Honda, Mercury, Chevy, Nissan...great results with all of them. I've always used the 1:6 dilution even though they say you can use it straight. If something needs a little more cleaning power, I'll switch my tool before increasing my concentrate on the cleaner.
 
The Guz said:
I just did a review on Blackfire interior products. All of them work very well.

http://www.autopia.org/forums/detai...-interior-protectant-leather-conditioner.html

The term conditioner is very broad.
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I've been real happy with the interior protectant. Versatile as well. Todd Helme did a demo a while back showing how to create different looks with it depending on your preference. The bottle I got was a 32 oz. freebie and was like a lotion, so I dilute it 1:1 in a spray bottle.
 
I'm aware I'm derailing my own thread here, but wdmaccord, would you be so kind as to recommend a safe (for rims) tire cleaner ? One thing that's crossed my mind is this : when you spray APC (or any dedicated tire cleaner), some of it is bound to land on rims. Are so APC or dedicated tire cleaners unsafe for rims ?

As far as my rims are concerned, I'm going to use P21S as it seems somewhat safer than Sonax FE. Sonax has rave reviews and I'm sure it's a good product, but my VW Golf is only a month old, so the Sonax would be overkill. The last thin I want is for my rim OEM finish to fade.

I wanted to send you a pm, but thought asking it here would be just as good. Thanks for your help.
 
Leather Masters Rapid S Cleaner & Protection Cream are excellent. The protection cream can even be used on the steering wheel; I used it about 6 weeks ago on my Camry leather-wrapped steering wheel and it was perfect--left a matte finish and feel. The biggest "pro" to using LM is the ease of application. All you need is a sponge to apply both the cleaner and cream (unless the leather is dirty, then you can use a terry cloth), they spread easily and a little goes a long way.

I just picked up a bottle of 303 Protectant, but haven't tried it out yet--but I hear it's very good (same thing with CG's Leather products). Pinnacle/BlackFire/DP also get great reviews.
 
chip douglas said:
Does coated mean it's aniline or semi-aniline ? Just curious.
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Doesn't matter what type, if it is coated, you are just cleaning the coating not the actual material underneathe.

For rims, I have been using the DUB wheel cleaner (Advance Auto) which is similar to SONAX at a much better price point. Even though your wheels are new, use something like that anyway for the first good cleaning. Then you can clay and seal. Once I have sealed my wheels, I use my regular carwash soap (Duragloss 901) diluted 1:32 in a spraybottle to clean my wheels in regular maintenance washes. Hope this helps. Then I use the DUB everytime I am going to re-seal them. Even though DUB is a lot cheaper, I have gotten great results with it.
 
wmaaccord : regarding dedicated tire cleaners, I have one concern, what I mean is some of tire cleaning solution will get on the rims - I'm wondering whether this could harm the rim's finish.

Also, what I'm missing is a «safe» bug & tar remover. I'm not the type to buy just about anything thinking it is safe. I prefer asking those who've had lots of experience with these kinds of products. Better safe than sorry.
 
chip douglas said:
wmaaccord : regarding dedicated tire cleaners, I have one concern, what I mean is some of tire cleaning solution will get on the rims - I'm wondering whether this could harm the rim's finish.

Also, what I'm missing is a «safe» bug & tar remover. I'm not the type to buy just about anything thinking it is safe. I prefer asking those who've had lots of experience with these kinds of products. Better safe than sorry.
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A tire cleaner won't hurt the rims, but like any product, don't let it dry. A lot of people like Poorboy's Bug Squash for bugs, but I just use Adam's Waterless Wash to pre soak bugs before I start washing.
 
wdmaccord said:
Doesn't matter what type, if it is coated, you are just cleaning the coating not the actual material underneathe.
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To a degree....coated leather doesn't mean impenetrable or in this case impermeable.

pigmented.jpg


Care

Caring for pigmented leather is truly about keeping the leather clean. Dirt and particulate will scratch and wear the leather leading to shiny appearance and exposure of the leather hide underneath. Acidic body oils can wear or stain the vacuum frequently and use a gentle, water based cleaner to remove embedded dirt and oil. Use a protectant or conditioner that features protectants (to reduce abrasion and increase sun fade resistance). Over time the leather coating will crack microscopically or stretch in the seams and folds. Conditioners can penetrate the coating through these cracks and openings, keeping the leather underneath soft and supple.

wdmaccord said:
For rims, I have been using the DUB wheel cleaner (Advance Auto) which is similar to SONAX at a much better price point. Even though your wheels are new, use something like that anyway for the first good cleaning. Then you can clay and seal. Once I have sealed my wheels, I use my regular carwash soap (Duragloss 901) diluted 1:32 in a spraybottle to clean my wheels in regular maintenance washes. Hope this helps. Then I use the DUB everytime I am going to re-seal them. Even though DUB is a lot cheaper, I have gotten great results with it.
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You can also dilute SONAX Wheel Cleaner 1:1 with distilled water if you want to make a milder cleaner.
 
SYMAWD : What do you use as a tire cleaner ? As far as I've read thus far, it seems that it's best to use a dedicated tire cleaner over APC.
 
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