DocJ

Hello, friends....

Happy owner of a '21 GTS. Splurged and ordered it Chalk over Espresso leather. Just a stinkin' beautiful ride!! My question is, does the collective thoughts here think I should use a windshield cover all thru the year to protect the leather dash from UV radiation? The Natural Leather used is a bit softer than the normal leather package. TIA for your thoughts.

spraguedawley

Natural espresso is one of the nicest interiors I have ever seen. Congrats. If you have it it certainly would not hurt to use the windshield cover all the time. A more convenient option would be a UV blocking ceramic coating on the windshield and panoramic roof.

Terry Adams

Nice combination.
+1 on the windshield cover, though can't be used while driving.

I have the ceramic on everything, including all the glass. Though I suspect the windshield cleaning has taken some off.

Nickshu

As far as I know Porsche uses bonded leather so it's not like natural leather that will dry out. That being said I always use a sunshade when parked on all my vehicles.

LexVan

Sunshade
Zaino Z10
Aerospace 303

Winning

drcollie

Sorry, but that's not correct - Porsche does not use bonded leather anywhere in their vehicles. They use either finished or semi-aniline top grain leather and it will not "dry out" per se, but should be cleaned and conditioned at least every 6 months. where most people get into trouble with that maintenance is 1) they neglect to do it 2) they use an all-in-one product. It should be a two-step process, a cleaner THEN a conditioner. Do that maintenace 2 to 4 times a year and you won't have any issues over time. The Espresso is a semi-aniline (I have that in one of my three Porsches), the other two are finished leathers.

What is Bonded Leather? I happen to be in the leather upholstery business, and the scraps from hides at the factory are collected in bins, which are then sold by a per pound price to a jobber who ships them to China for processing. Here's bins full of scrap leather from Hancock and Moore's factory in Hickory NC. The leather is then sorted once it gets to its destination and then pieces not usable to make things like key fobs and the like are chemically melted into a slurry and applied over a polypropylene sheet (essentially plastic) and then sealed with a top sheet, basically its a leather particle sandwich, but there is none of the strength and durability of top grain leather. Eventually the "leather" begins to peel, and that's actually the top sheet delaminating. Never buy bonded leather, if you do, then know it certainly will fail over time.

Nickshu

Good to know thank you. Makes me feel better about the option price on the full leather option on my incoming Macan GTS.

jem7v

Just get crystalline 3m window tint on the windshield.

chuckbdc

dr, what products do you recommend for cleaning and conditioning?

PCA1983

First and foremost, protect that dash and the front interior from heat and sunlight.
Here is the way I do it:
Always park in the shade and/or with the back of the car facing the sun.
Keep the interior of the car cooler, by tilting the rear of the sunroof up and cracking the door windows just a bit.
Tint the windshield and door windows with the lightest nano-tech UV blocking film.
Clean & use a decent leather preservation cream several times a year.
"THATS THE WAY TO DO IT!"

Pavegeno928

heatshieldstore.com I've used these for almost 15 years. They last about 7-8 years of daily, fanatical use, trust me.
Sunshield in every car, every day, year-round, always put it in place, even for short trips. All of my leather/non-leather dashes look brand new.

Bxstr

A very light ceramic tint with high heat rejection on all windows is best for protecting the interior. It doesn't have to be dark to be effective with the new technology. Keep in mind windshield tint it not legal in all states. If light, you shouldn't have any issues, but you may need to get a note from your optometrist if you have issues with law enforcement.

Here's another option: https://www.suncoastparts.com/produc...SABEgI1KPD_BwE

spraguedawley

I am not supposed to use the windshield cover while driving? Jeez! That would explain all of the accidents I have been having.

Wilder

Apply heat rejection film to your windshield, pano roof and all windows. It won't just protect your interior against heat and UV rays but it'll keep it much cooler. And you won't have to deal with the clumsy shields. I can't stand using them.