New car....have detailing questions

[kbooneKJ]

I just bought an 03 limited...BLACK with white leather. the leather is in pretty good shape but i can see that it has never been cleaned good. I had some armour all leather stuff at home but it didnt really clean the seat up at all. what do you recomend i buy so i can keep my seats looking nice and not cracking/flaking apart?
second question: my car is black and looks like its never been waxed either, i have a clay bar and meguires wax but what should i do about the fine fine scratches on the paint? (i dont have a buffer)

 

[JeepJeepster]

This stuff is good. Ive got it but havent had a chance to use it yet.

http://www.autodetailingsolutions.net/meguiars-rich-leather-gel-g17914.html

For cleaning, I personally use Meguiars APC+ cleaner. Works wonders for cleaning anything on the interior. You can dilute to clean anything from dashes, to leather, to carpet.

http://www.autodetailingsolutions.net/d10332.html

 

[kbooneKJ]

here is a pic of my drivers seat, if you can see it there is some wear on the side. I did a search on here and I guess amour all makes leather seats crack and thin out?!?!? Ive used armour all a few times in the last two days...

 

[HoosierJeeper]

Not much you can do for that....

For the paint, try Cleaner wax. If it's bad, maybe Swirl X...

 

[JeepJeepster]

If you thoroughly clean the leather using the APC+ that I gave you a link to them put the protectant on it the appearance of those cracks will greatly be reduced. A micro fiber towel is good to use to clean and also apply the protectant with.

If you dont want the full gallon you can buy the sample. Just be sure you but a separate bottle and a sprayer so you will have something to dilute it in. It has dilution ratios on the side of the APC+ bottle. Ive gotta say the full gallon is fairly cheap and you can use it on anything if you dilute it properly. 10:1 is usually used for leather.

Dont say I recommended it but those Mr. Clean Magic erasers clean the heck out of leather with that APC+. Im not recommending it since if you rub too much or too hard it can damage the leather, those things are very abrasive.

 

[HoosierJeeper]

I just bought an 03 limited...BLACK with white leather. the leather is in pretty good shape but i can see that it has never been cleaned good. I had some armour all leather stuff at home but it didnt really clean the seat up at all. what do you recomend i buy so i can keep my seats looking nice and not cracking/flaking apart?
second question: my car is black and looks like its never been waxed either, i have a clay bar and meguires wax but what should i do about the fine fine scratches on the paint? (i dont have a buffer)

What about the KJ? Sorry, couldn't resist.

If you can wait a week, I'll be getting some Swirl X, and using that on my Land Rover, black also. Has some moderate swirls...I'll let you know how it works if you want.

 

[kbooneKJ]

Is the apc stuff sold in stores at all?

 

[JeepJeepster]

Is the apc stuff sold in stores at all?

Ive never seen it in a store. It would be cheaper to order it from ADS if youre ordering anything else with it anyway.

 

[Clyde Frog]

I just bought an 03 limited...BLACK with white leather. the leather is in pretty good shape but i can see that it has never been cleaned good. I had some armour all leather stuff at home but it didnt really clean the seat up at all. what do you recomend i buy so i can keep my seats looking nice and not cracking/flaking apart?
second question: my car is black and looks like its never been waxed either, i have a clay bar and meguires wax but what should i do about the fine fine scratches on the paint? (i dont have a buffer)

Armourall makes a leather cleaner that works OK for getting stuff up so once I hit minor blemishes (dirt, soda, etc), I let it set in and about 30 minutes later I do the whole seat with the Maguiars Gold Class leather conditioning wipes.
http://www.autogeek.net/meggolclasri.html

They work great and you can tell a noticable difference between the quality of the Maguiars compared to the Armourall. It also has a nicer smell. I use it both in this BMW and my Libby and it really helps even the worst leather feel much softer and less like it's about to crack and turn into dust. I'll have to take a pic of my driver's seat sometime and show you what it looks like lol. 7 years of never conditioning a leather seat = no bueno. It won't repair your cracks (obviously) but it will certainly help the entire seat look and feel much better while helping it last longer.

Maguiars costs about $8 for the wipes but it's well worth it.

I also use the Maguiars dash mister on my dash, works great and really gives it a nice look.