NA8 LE Tan interior - Leather bits VS Vinyl bits

madkeen · Postby **madkeen** » Thu Feb 19, 2015 4:51 pm

So I have a a vinyl cleaning product in one hand, and a leather cleaning product in the other hand. Can someone please tell me exactly which parts of my 'tanned leather' interior are leather? Is it just the front of the seats? How about the doors and dash? Unfortunately my nose gives me few clues. :roll:

Thanks

bruce · Postby **bruce** » Thu Feb 19, 2015 4:57 pm

SE seats, only the faces are leather. Sides and backs are plastic.
But, I googled up a lot of info regards using products on seats. In summary, if the leather does not absorb water (SE seats don't), they've been factory treated and won't accept any conditioning products. Warm water and a mild soap is best. It's a convertible, so it is likely the seats have some sort of coating.

lizard · Postby **lizard** » Thu Feb 19, 2015 5:01 pm

Leather cleaner will be milder on both the leather and vinyl so my pick would be the leather cleaner

hks_kansei · Postby **hks_kansei** » Thu Feb 19, 2015 5:05 pm

As Lizard said, usually the one product is fine for both.

As for the leather/vinyl in the car, basically everything but the seats is Vinyl.

The seats i'm not 100x, but I woudl expect them to be a bit of both, 95% sure the seat backs would be vinyl.

Mr Morlock · Postby **Mr Morlock** » Thu Feb 19, 2015 5:24 pm

normally seat facings will be leather ( when they claim leather seats) and the sides etc will be vinyl. Door trims and dash will be vinyl / plastic . Many vehicle owners manual give instructions on how to clean and maintain and a wipe with a gentle soap is not going to a be a prob. One of our members who was expert with leather always reckoned it was best treated with Mr Sheen- never tried it myself. If you want to do some reading there is plenty on cleaning leather on the internet and mags etc and it can become complicated. Not all leathers are the same as mass produced cars often have additional processes done to get a consistent look etc.

lizard · Postby **lizard** » Fri Feb 20, 2015 8:38 am

Mr Sheen on leather "piss off " :roll:

aka_juffa · Postby **aka_juffa** » Fri Feb 20, 2015 8:43 am

Mr Morlock wrote:One of our members who was expert with leather always reckoned it was best treated with Mr Sheen- never tried it myself.

That would be Benny, who owns a leather company. I remember reading the same advice for use of Mr Sheen on leather. Have used it successfully on the leather covered steering wheel of our beloved 5s.

J.

KevGoat · Postby **KevGoat** » Fri Feb 20, 2015 9:13 am

I use Mr Sheen on our leather lounge. Works great. Been using it for years ...

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93_Clubman · Postby **93_Clubman** » Fri Feb 20, 2015 9:34 am

snshami had much success with the restoration of the tan seats in his NA8 LE (see 2/3 down page): viewtopic.php?t=46765

Or just clean & treat with the original, plain Mr Sheen (not Lemon scented etc):
search.php?keywords=sheen&terms=all&author=benny&sc=1&sf=all&sk=t&sd=d&sr=posts&st=0&ch=300&t=0&submit=Search

hks_kansei · Postby **hks_kansei** » Fri Feb 20, 2015 11:24 am

Mr Morlock wrote:One of our members who was expert with leather always reckoned it was best treated with Mr Sheen- never tried it myself.

If I recall, Mr Sheen is a mixture of waxes, silicone, and spirits.
The waxes and silicone form a protective barrier (similar to how car waxes work) and the spirits helps clean oily grime away.

I've also heard of people using it on car paintwork as a quick way to shine up display cars at shows etc.

madkeen · Postby **madkeen** » Sat Feb 21, 2015 8:27 am

Awesome! Thanks everyone. Never ceases to amaze me how helpful this forum can be.

I've bought a bunch of Bowdens Own products to tackle my exterior paint, a Bowdens vinyl cleaner for the relevant inside bits... And will give Mr Sheen a go on the leather seats based on this feedback.
Cheers

KevGoat · Postby **KevGoat** » Sat Feb 21, 2015 11:02 am

You can also get Mr Sheen leather wipes. From memory, about $5/$6 for 30 pack from Woolworths ...

Bowdens Own has a great reputation. I've been using some on my SE's seats and seems to work ok. My seats are near perfect, so I'm just after conditioning the leather and keeping them that way. The Bowdens conditioner gives the leather a flat, natural look. I have found that it needs careful and even application and rubbing in really well, otherwise I get some "patching", but after doing a few applications now, I seem to have it worked out ... will probably just use Mr Sheen again though once I've used this up ....