LifesAnesthesia

Not really a Porsche question, but I recently bought a 2020 S4. I've noticed some creases in the leather seats along the driver side bolster. Anyone know how to remove/prevent these creases/wrinkles? I imagine this could be an issue with my 911 that will be delivered soon...

rhr992c4s

Try some leatherique on it for several hours and put it outside on a hot sunny day.

Bluehighways

Traditional Leather Care includes the periodic application of Mink Oil. 1.) Apply using a clean soft cloth and lightly massage a thin layer onto/into the leather. 2.) Allow it to sit for as long as possible. 3.) Using a fresh towel wipe away any of the Mink Oil that wasn't absorbed by the leather. I usually do this about once a year or so. If the seats are at all dirty (and after a year I assume that they are) I use any one of the commercially available leather seat cleaners first.

CodyBigdog

I’ve had this issue, to varying degree, on the following cars: Lexus, BMW and Mercedes. The ONLY car I ever had that never had any leather issues was my Jag (it had other issues). I think Brits know how to do leather right.

So, I have some firsthand experience with this, most articles or DIY videos on this suggested to carefully, and selectively apply heat from say a hair drier will help to tighten up the leather. But, be very careful how you apply the heat, or you could burn the leather, and if you do, you are f*cked. I use a heat gun on the lowest setting that I used during my hockey days. Can get much hotter than a hair drier. I keep it about 6-8 inches away from the spot I am heating up, and use a circular motion (never let the heat gun stay in one spot...keep moving it). After about 30 seconds or so, I feel the area with the back of my hand. If too hot to touch, then I let it cool for about a minute and then repeat. After about 5 minutes of this, you should begin to see the crease in the leather behind to disappear.

With that said, this is not a permanent solution. probably the only way to permanently get rid of the crease is to take it into a professional leather repair shop and they can tighten the leather for you. Good luck.

e_d_h

Annoying as is may be, bolster creases are generally not "removable". If the leather is extremely dehydrated you could remove some light wrinkles or pressure marks by warming the surface and moisturizing the opened pores, but creases are just part of leather aging and wear. Any attempt at removing deep creases by using excess heat, product, or rubbing is high-risk/low-reward in my opinion.

Colourlock has a great website with lots of info and great products.

Oil based products are better suited to aniline or "shiny" leathers found in clothing or furniture. The overwhelming majority of modern car leather has a matte finish and oily or greasy products have a tendency to alter this finish. Natural products like animal based fats or oils can oxidize and rot the leather from the inside out. Not suggesting your mink oil is hurting the leather, but there are more suitable modern alternatives from most enthusiast/professional focused car care companies: Adam's, Gyeon, Gtechniq, Meguiars, Carpro, Colourlock, etc.

Bluehighways

I'd respectfully disagree. I believe the link here covers the Pro's and Con's fairly well.

https://favoredleather.com/is-mink-o...leather-seats/

The trick (if it's a trick) is to first determine what sort of Leather (or pleather) you are dealing with before deciding on how to maintain it.

I plagiarized a bit of this from elsewhere to fit here, but the information is accurate.

'Aniline: Leather that has been dyed and coated with a pigment (colored urethane paint) to yield uniform color and then clear coated. This type of leather does not reveal scars, pores and blemishes and has an artificial uniform grain pattern embossed.

Semi-Aniline: Leather that has been dyed and coated with a semi-transparent pigment then clear coated This type of leather may reveal some of the underlying scars and blemishes of the hide as well as some color and grain changes.

Synthetic (aka vinyl or pleather): The “leather” in many of today`s vehicles is entirely synthetic or engineered leather. It looks like real leather but is really entirely synthetic.

Try this: Put a drop of water on your seat and see if it soaks in. If it will not soak in the leather either has a painted on urethane coating on it or it.

A way to see if it’s synthetic is to look at the back of some of the seat covering. The seat covering (leather or whatever) will usually have some of its reverse side exposed underneath the seat where it is attached to the seat frame. Is there is a very thin foam or cloth backing? Real leather (from real cows) doesn't have foam backing on it.'

Bxstr

Preventing these creases is going to somewhat come down to a person and their body type. If someone is smaller, they will probably end up applying less pressure to the bolster when sitting in the seat and prevent these creases. Wear is also generated when getting in and out of the car so if you can prevent that it will help.

I have a 2011 S4 and I have used Carpro leather coating which has worked great to help preserve the leather. It also prevents dye transfer. On my GT3, I use Swissvax leather milk, which works great as well. I prefer a coating for a daily driver and conditioner like leather milk for a car that sees less use.

Dyim

Leather is going to wear and crease, you can slow it down, but can’t prevent it.

Darker colours hide it better IMO.

e_d_h

Like I said before; I don't think mink oil is going to ruin anyone's seats, but none of the pros in that pro/con list are exclusive to mink oil. There are modern alternatives with higher performance and less downside.

Your description of aniline leather is actually that of common automotive pigmented leather, hence the "coated with a pigment". For instance, the aniline seats in an F150 King Ranch weather like an old wallet or boots because of the lack of topcoat on the leather.

mikey94025

So true. I was browsing 992 technical service bulletins listed on this site and noticed they even have one about "leather seat wrinkling": TSB #122-W5C4C-03 (DATE ANNOUNCED: FEB 26, 2020, NHTSA ID:#10172076) that states "If wrinkles or bulges are visible on a seat cover (e.g. Figure 1), these do not constitute a defect."

smiles11

Never seen this happen on previous gens. Something seems off here.

https://rennlist.com/forums/992/1178...t-bottoms.html

Sport-Tex is looking better & better.