Porsche_nuts

What do you guys use to clean your dash and interior door panel? Did an experiment today - used Meguiars interior cleaning product on driver side, and just plain water (damp cloth) on the other side. Got to admit, the side using just plain water looked a lot better than the Meguiars side. Meguiars left shiny streaks and unevenness along the top of the dash and door panel. Followed instructions, applied and wiped off and did not let it dry on the surface. Meguiars makes good products and I did not expect to see such a day and night difference between the two. So question becomes, what do you use and if you use a chemical product does it leave an uneven finish and blotchiness -- or am I just doing something wrong? Or maybe I need to let it sit overnight for it to even out?

LexVan

I use Lexol Leather Cleaner (orange bottle) diluted with water. A quality Swiss brush helps. Adam's makes a good product too.

Bishop200

Sonus Cockpit or Leatherique Pristine Clean are my favourites.

Jim M.

Griot's Interior Cleaner

Arcoril

Is there any definitive word on whether or not the dashboard leather should be conditioned? Some people used to insist that it's special and should be left alone but I don't know if that applies to modern cars.

beaverlake

I've used a BMW-sourced interior cleaner for several years and it works great. I think it is citrus based. I use it on leather and vinyl AND carpet - and if I get some on glass or the PCM screen etc there are no streaks. Best interior cleaner I have found and I'm a fussy old fart who has tried a lot products over the years.

chuck911

This reminds me of an article in excellence from a while back. It was about an early model (2.4l?) 911 that was all original and looking time capsule new. When asked what cleaning regimen did he follow to keep the interior looking so new the owner said he believed in cleaning as little as possible as gently as possible, mostly just wiping with a clean cloth dampened with a little water.

Lots of guys really like the way different cleaning/conditioning products make things look. If something gets really dirty it may need more than a damp cloth. But if the car is kept reasonably clean and your goal is to maintain- not change- the factory fresh look then occasional gentle wipes with a clean damp cloth is hard to beat.

sfo

use baby wipes .. if it's good enough for baby skin, it's good enough for your car's leather

trucheli

I have been using this for the past ten years.
http://www.1z-usa.com/products/leath...derpflege.html
And this for the interior.
http://www.1z-usa.com/cockpit-premium-16-9-oz/

Dangelus

As a concours judge, I recommend conditioning all leather especially areas exposed to the sun, including the dashboard. Always use less product vs. more. If greasy look, simply wipe with clean microfiber towel.

WindyCityC2S

Second on the cockpit premium

Quadcammer

damp microfiber works on dash and door panels just fine. Seats get a little lexol or zaino cleaner.

I condition everything with zaino. No ill effects on the leather dashes of my mercedes S-class, 993, and 997 in over 7 years.

drcollie

Interesting thread!

I happen to be in the leather furniture business, and there are three steps to proper leather care:

1) Clean
2) Soften / Condition
3) Protection barrier

And if you do that every three to six months you will be 'taking care of your cow'. Eliminate any one of the steps and you are skipping over a critical part. You have to do some maintenance to prevent it from discoloring and cracking over time. These products will go a long ways to prevent that. In fact, don't do any maintenance to your leather and what will happen is it will darken from dirt and body oils, then begin peeling and cracking. I've seen it happen many, many times. Note too, that soiling is more frequent in summer months when we are in shorts and t-shirts vs sweaters and long pants in the winter. Also, folks that are on heavy medications can sometimes cause leathers to react to the chemicals coming off their bodies, so if that's you - keep an eye on your leather and see if its changing color.

If you want a proper, high end kit, this is what I sell in my store to my leather furniture customers.



Just use water and a wipe down? Imagine you stepped in the shower and never used soap. Just rinsed every day. How clean would you get? And I have never seen a single use product that does a satisfactory job, you need a 2-stage at a minimum, the cleaner and the softener/conditioner. Single stage products are just sealing in the dirt. And all those silicone-based products are just nasty.

Porsches (and all cars) have finished leather as standard, a few have semi-aniline hides as upgrades, but no pure aniline hides are used in automobiles due to the fade and stain factor.

I use the kit above in my 991S and my wife's Audi SQ5 and have been for years. Its not the cheapest at $ 50 a kit, but its one of the best on the market and lasts quite a long time. Its not the only kit out there (Leather Magic and Leather Master make good ones as well) but this is the one my top makers specify to their dealer base.

Larry Cable

^^^ you da man!

LandShark

I like Adam's total interior detailer for regular wipe down. Not greasy and not shiny. Looks very natural.

Condition the leather once or twice (if parked outside) a year to keep them moist and protected.