I read the Detailing Article #6 about Leather Upholstery care. Can you help determine what type of Leather seats these are (Nubuck, Nappa, Vinyl, etc?) and what type of coating? If that's not possible can you suggest what to use on them to Protect, maintain and deep clean. I think they may be a combination of materials so I don't want to use something that works well on the center part of the seat, but damages the sides, etc. The car is a 2008 Infiniti G37. I attached a promo picture of the seats (new) and some pictures of the actual seats showing some cracking on the edges. Here is a link to a bigger version of the new seats.
i'm leaning towards them being coated leather seats. Can't imagine infiniti using vinyl on their seats. There are many cleaners and conditioners from: Zymol Zaino Chemical Guys Meguiars just to name a few nobody will be able to decide for you in terms of looks as some like a glossy finish some folks like a matte finish etc . . . . . I have heard very good things about the CG CLeaner as well as their Conditioner and just received mine but have not tried them out yet.
This type of leather is coated leather (also sometimes called pigmented, protected, finished etc.) Most auto leather is matt when it is new and looked after correctly. Leather with a shiny or glossy look is usually due to build up of dirt together with abrassion (constant sliding in and out) and this is often exacerbated by the use of 'conditioners' that contain waxes and/or oils which only sit on the surface and attract more dirt. Leather does not require 'conditioning' with anything other than water. Keep your leather clean by protecting it with a leather protector and then regular cleaning. Adding 'conditioners' which generally contain oils and waxes will change the appearance of your leather over time as dirt will build up on the surface and cause a sheen. Using the correct care methods and products will not alter the factory finish. Your type of leather is 'coated' leather. This is essentially a 'painted' leather with a clear coat finish over the top. The leather may or may not be dyed through with aniline dyes prior to the finish coating. Essentially it is this top coating that needs looking after. Cleaning is vitally important as the top coat will wear away if allowed to become dirty. Dirt on the surface will aslo become ground into the finish by constant abrassion. 'Conditioners', balms, feeds etc (traditionally oil and wax based) cannot penetrate this finish so are not worth applying - they can also leave behind residues on the finish which will only attract more dirt if allowed to remain. A protector will make the finish easier to clean and also inhibit dye transfer etc on pale coloured leathers. Leather however finished has to remain breathable and it will allow the movement of moisture back and forth (transpiration) so the use of water based cleaners and protectors will keep the leather correctly hydrated which is essentail to keeping it in good condition. The routine for correct care should be Protect from new (Auto Ultra Protect) Maintain with a regular clean or maintenance product (Auto Ultra Maintain) Deep clean with a foam cleaner once or twice a year (Auto Ultra Foam) This will prolong the life of the finish on the leather You can download a free care leaflet here Leather Cleaning, Leather Care Products, Furniture Repair Restoration, provided by Leather Training & Technical Hope this helps
Thank you for the helpful information. I will download the leaflet and start taking care of the seats as you suggest.
In my experience, you can not tell the type of material simply by looking at it. The water drop test seems to be the only accurate way to tell that I know of.
