Cleaning/Conditioning BMW Leather

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BMW335i

New member
Hi guys,



The leather of the driver seat in my 2007 335i is looking a bit shiny/cracked/wrinkled. The leather is black.



My questions are:



1. Every other day I come from the gym and leave a large sweat stain on the seat. After getting up from the seat, the sweat evaporates almost immediately, but I worry the sweat is prematurely aging the seat. How bad is this for the leather and what can I do to limit/prevent any wear to the leather aside from changing into dry clothes before i enter the car? I was thinking a simple wipe down with a terry towel damp with water would be sufficient.



2. I've been using Zaino Z9/Z10 for a while but am not terribly impressed with the results. I was wondering if there was a new product out on the market that is popular for leather cleaning/conditioning to restore the factory matte finish to leather.



Thanks for any suggestions/advice.
 
Leatherique or Leather Masters are going to work the best IMO. The Leatherique set works the best when used together. But it takes time, the longer you leave it on the better. Leather Masters strong is a good cleaner and then followup with Vital is my second choice. Both will take the shine out and bring the matte finish back. Also softening up the leather.
 
My experience with leather cleaners is that they aren't strong enough for really dirty leather. APC works alot better for me. You ever thought about placing a towel on the driver's seat after leaving from the gym?
 
I've used Pinnacle cleaner/conditioner and was impressed with the cleaning ability. I usually put on a hoodie while I'm leaving the gym so my sweat isn't all over my seats. If I'm still warm, I'll roll down the window and it seems to work. Maybe you can try that?
 
BMW335i said:
Hi guys,



The leather of the driver seat in my 2007 335i is looking a bit shiny/cracked/wrinkled. The leather is black...
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I would normally recommend the LeatherMasters stuff, given how well it worked on the dried leather in my M3. BUT....some of the details in your post make me think differently:
1. Every other day I come from the gym and leave a large sweat stain on the seat. After getting up from the seat, the sweat evaporates almost immediately, but I worry the sweat is prematurely aging the seat. How bad is this for the leather and what can I do to limit/prevent any wear to the leather aside from changing into dry clothes before i enter the car? I was thinking a simple wipe down with a terry towel damp with water would be sufficient.
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This isn't good, to put it mildly ;) I won't :nono you but, uhm... quit doing that :D Get some kind of seatcover. Yeah, I know, but I have to do the same with the dog-haulers since I'll take them for runs in really hot weather and come back to the vehicle with no way to change before driving home.



The perspiration is acidic and can *really* do a number on your leather. No, wiping it off isn't enough. Check out the stuff Roger Koh has, maybe PM him or search out his posts; he has some stuff make just for neutralizing sweat/etc.

2. I've been using Zaino Z9/Z10 for a while but am not terribly impressed with the results. I was wondering if there was a new product out on the market that is popular for leather cleaning/conditioning to restore the factory matte finish to leather.
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This is where I'd use LeatherMasters or Sonus or maybe 1Z. But Roger has stuff that I'm sure is at least as good and I really do think you oughta be ordering some stuff from him anyhow. Yeah, this is sounding like a plug for his product line, but I think his offerings are exactly what you need.



I bought some Leatherique during the group buy a while back, but the incredible hassle of using the stuff has left it sitting unused on my shelf. If you're considering that route, be sure to give thought to what's involved.
 
^^Thank you Accumulator. I haven't frequented this site since 2008, but I always remember you giving me very detailed and useful advice. For this I thank you.



I actually ended up purchasing the Leather Masters. I did the whole 3-step routine, and my leather feels noticeably softer and supple. It was cold out when I applied it, too. I still have the wrinkles where my behind sits, but I suppose it's not possible for these wrinkles to be smoothed out by a leather conditioner.
 
BMW335i- Glad the LM stuff worked out so well. I used it on my M3 and it was great. Keep Roger in mind should you need anything for problem-solving, he really does know his stuff.



Now go buy a seat cover for those trips to the gym ;) I'd much rather sit on the leather, but sometimes it's just not a good idea. There are some decent slip-on/slip-off seatcovers that you could use for something brief like the drive home from your workout, if only to save you from having to redo the driver's seat all the time. I might be getting a new dog-hauler with Recaro-style leather seats, so I gotta give this some renewed thought myself! What was OK with the GMC isn't gonna cut it for me in a "real" car :think:
 
Jeez Accumulator....S8....M3....what ELSE do you have and more importantly, I want in :P



*don't mean to hi jack the thread OP* I'm out.
 
A real simple solution to the post-gym routine is to just throw a towel over the seat before you get in. I have a black towel that matches the black leather seats in my 330.

Just throw the towel in the laundry once a week and you are good to go.
 
Now that the leather is cleaned and conditioned, the best thing you can do is after washing your car, wipe down the seats with a dampened microfiber towel. Dirt is the real enemy of leather, acts as an abrasive every time you sit down or change your position while driving.
 
Scottwax said:
Now that the leather is cleaned and conditioned, the best thing you can do is after washing your car, wipe down the seats with a dampened microfiber towel. Dirt is the real enemy of leather, acts as an abrasive every time you sit down or change your position while driving.
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Great advice Scott. I wipe my entire interior down with a damp towel every time I wash my car. It's amazing to see how dirty the water is from wringing out the all the dirt that is picked up from this process. Good to know that water doesn't harm your interior.
 
So Leather Masters products are able to result in a net-positive experience despite the car having completely sealed/coated leather?



This has been the "problem" with my 1998 BMW (probably lots more wear and miles than the OP's). There is some true abrasion wear over the years which no cleaner is going to fix, but it seems like any product (even Leatherique) just sits there on top of the urethane coating and is a waste of money.
 
Surly said:
So Leather Masters products are able to result in a net-positive experience despite the car having completely sealed/coated leather?



This has been the "problem" with my 1998 BMW (probably lots more wear and miles than the OP's). There is some true abrasion wear over the years which no cleaner is going to fix, but it seems like any product (even Leatherique) just sits there on top of the urethane coating and is a waste of money.
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While it didn't penetrate/"soak in" the way such products will on uncoated leather, the LM stuff worked great on the hard leather of the '97 M3 I used to have (mentioned in my earlier post on this thread). Ditto for the coated GM leather I've used it on. YMMV and all that, but it did soften them up for me.
 
Surly said:
So Leather Masters products are able to result in a net-positive experience despite the car having completely sealed/coated leather?



This has been the "problem" with my 1998 BMW (probably lots more wear and miles than the OP's). There is some true abrasion wear over the years which no cleaner is going to fix, but it seems like any product (even Leatherique) just sits there on top of the urethane coating and is a waste of money.
Click to expand...



Absolutely! It's probably the safest product/system you can use. The nice thing about the Protection Cream is that it does a great job of preventing resoiling due to its water-based properties. The cleaner the super light and you can't even tell it's on the surface. What it should do is prevent additional deterioration of the surface.
 
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