My Review: I used meguiars leather conditioner all summer last year and here's what you can expect from it: -don't expect it to clean; it mainly just conditions -doesn't last that long either, that's why meguiars recommends you use it 2-3 times/year -BUT on the bright side it looks good (especially on black leather) AND it smells good! It's the only leather conditioner I've found that smells good.
I am impressed w/ your knowledge of leather. I repair and recolor leather professionally, and appreciate how confusing it can be to understand leather types, terms, and what is safe, effective care. Below is an overview of what is safe and effective - and why it's so freaking confusing to sort out. As you said, car leather almost always has a protective coating. But did you know it's invisibly porous? So every liquid applied on top, some reaches the leather below - and the residues remains forever. This is very long- but you like detail, right? There are 5 things that cause deterioration (overstretching and breaking of fibers) of the leather itself: 1) high heat, 2) UV light (direct sun), 3) harsh chemicals, 4) flexing / physical wear 5) dryness. 1 +2) Cars in normal use will get a lot of high heat and some UV from the sun. To avoid both: do not steam clean (!), park indoors, in shade, in temp-controlled garage, use sun shades on windshield. In a perfect world, treat it like your baby is living in it. 3) To avoid harsh chemicals: only use cleaners and moisturizer / conditioners specifically labeled for use on leather car upholstery (not shoes, saddles, baseball mitts). The better conditioners made for use in cars will include a little UV-blocker. Check out this video re: importance of pH and problems APC's can cause: Using household cleaners on leather th-cam.com/video/jOqZ-vN6q2Y/w-d-xo.html CLEANING: A. Liquid leather cleaners are made to clean the protective color coating. Leather itself cannot be cleaned. As you know, there is a POLYMER-BASED color coating applied in 2 layers: a clear, denser top coat over a softer opaque color layer. It's very thin, supple and tough, resists water, wear and fading. For comfort and suppleness, it's formulated to have microscopic pores throughout the entire polymer structure. These allow the leather below the coating to absorb some sweat, reducing clamminess, and they let it dry out. Comfort level is a compromise between raw leather and vinyl. B. Only cleaners labeled for leather upholstery are safe. Why? Chemistries made safe both the leather and the color coating. ALL liquids passes through the coating, and are absorbed in the leather. Offending liquids can't be removed once absorbed in leather, and their harmful residues continue to quietly rot leather forever. - Leather is sensitive to pH (acidity) Leather’s pH is 4.5. Exposure to a pH too high or too low will destroy some leather fibers. The more concentrated or frequent, the faster it goes. Ever see a chair with headrest or armrest rotted through, disintegrating or looking dark, cracked and stiff? That's the effect of pH 5 to 6 of most body oils over 10 to 20 years - a difference of only .5 to 1.5 on the pH scale = 5 to 50 x more basic. Now imagine what pH 11.5 to 12.5 does = most all-purpose cleaners, a difference of 7.5 to 8.5 = 50 million to 500 million x more basic than leather. Even in a dilute solution, that's like putting a little oven cleaner in your bathwater - and never being able to rinse it off. - The color coating can be bleached, dissolved, become permanently tacky, or peel off in reaction to chemicals in some all-purpose cleaners. Alcohol (window cleaners) and acetone are solvents. But mineral spirits and naphtha for spot removal are usually safe. - Cracks, seams, cuts, and worn areas absorb a lot more than the rest, consequently harmful products degrade those places faster. Usually the damage starts slow, but accelerates as more damaging product is added and the previous has more time to do damage. People don't detect that the leather deteriorated faster than it should. Add to that the effect of heat, UV and dryness, and car interiors degrade quickly at the weakest spots. 4) Car take a beating from flexing and sliding scuffing. No way to avoid. Preventing dryness maintains maximum strength of the leather fibers to resist these stresses as long as possible. Or add seat covers and lose weight. 5) To prevent dryness, apply a moisturizer / conditioner at least 4 x / year if often and parked in sun or in hot garage. If parked in sun daily, do this every week. Leather needs to have a 25% (by weight) moisture and conditioner content. Even leather with a water-resistant protective color coating is drying out all the time. To preserve that moisture level, restore it at the surface frequently with a moisturizer / conditioner, like topping off your oil. Don't wait for the "red light" signs like stiffness and cracking to begin. Unfortunately, it will not seem like moisture is low until it's very low and restoring enough will require a leather repair professional, and may not be worth it. Leather types: The key difference for cleaning and care is absorbency. > Absorbent leather (aniline has no sheen, semi-aniline has sheen): feels soft like peach skin, but stains permanently easily and can't be cleaned - It’s like raw wood, except you can't sand off the stains. It fades very fast in direct sun - not great for car seats. Those types are sold only on the most expensive seats - I guess if you can afford them, you can afford to replace them sooner. >Protected Leather, aka coated, pigmented (usually semi-gloss sheen): Much more practical, used on most leather furniture and car upholstery. Has a durable polymer-based color coating that acts like a 2nd skin: it's supple and stretches with the leather, but resists water, wear and fading well. Color coating for cars is engineered to handle the higher wear, heat, and UV light, but those force
My god, some of you are so damn rude. If you have an issue with his videos, DON'T WATCH and click the x button... Thanks for the videos, they're very helpful and informative.
Hardly. He totally missed any educating on how to clean deep cracks in leather.' The first 13 minutes are of very little value. He said something about using a terry towel that was white because it would show dirt better (wouldn't a white microfiber towel also show dirt?)
Thanks Darren. Very thorough analysis. I appreciate your in depth approach. Many others I see here from the rude comments are probably the same kind of person who runs out to buy a gun and then thinks the instruction manual should be comprised of a 5" x 3" piece of paper that has the words "Pull Trigger" on it. Just went out and got the Meguiars Gold Class Rich Leather that you have in the video. Thanks again!
Thanks for the hatting! I did the APC with leather soft brush, and finished with X-Wax. Pecan seats in an F150 5 years of dirt. Your tips allowed me to renew them...Looks brand new! Thanks again....
THIS is the kind of guy any one would want to detail their car. After 5 minutes of talking to him you would feel confident and assured that your vehicle is in safe, caring hands! He seems to know the ins and outs of his trade. Hes not some random guy who learned to "clean" cars from his older cousin or something.
By clean surface they mean one that has no dust, crumbs, paper fibers, or anything like that. I have used this exact product on some Leather Bracelets and it has worked great. I used it to protect the bracelets from everyday wear. The stuff that is on the towel may not be dirt. When I did this on my bracelets I bought, color was picked up by the cleaner/conditioner. The color did not look different then before I used the product. I had a blue and brown bracelet and my cloth had blue and brown stains. No affect to color. Good Product for what I need which is protecting my leather goods.
I'm a professional detailer also. He first is trying to educate you on the new "Coated" Leather before moving on to the actual review. So,e may have no idea what they may be working with Great vid man!
yeah, but i didn't need the prep on "about to pan down" or "i got 5 kids" or "common sense" I still don't get why he used terry cloth towel (was it because it was white towel?).
+deasttn he does go on on and on before getting to the part he's trying educate his viewers which can get boring but he's a good detailer. I think he chose the white towel just to help him going too far through the coating, the dye would show up. We have no terry cloth towels in my shop, microfiber only.
Cajun Grom Rider I have absolutely no doubt this guy is a first class car detailer. His work looks incredible. It's just that his rambling in the videos is a bit much for my liking.
Thank you for taking the time (contrary to many others' comments) to educate and inform regarding car seat leather composition and wear durability. Great video and I really appreciate your shared effort and energy to help me be a better maintainer of my car; WELL DONE!!
Your videos are very helpful and you have great knowledge and efficiency of detailing but man you really gotta pack that info into a smaller chunk. You sometimes use 3-4 minutes on what can be said with just two sentences. keep in mind the modern day internet crowd has the attention span of goldfish. So a little prep work before recording with bullet points scribbled on a piece of note right beside your camera will go a long way. This complete freestyle isn't proving efficient.
I think when they mean by "clean surface" is that rid any debris that is in the cracks and/or any sticky stains, like a quick vacuum and a wipe down with soapy water. That would be my first thought.
dont know if anyone gives a shit but if you are bored like me during the covid times then you can watch all the new movies on instaflixxer. I've been binge watching with my gf lately xD
I'm not a fan of the shiny look, it screams used car lot, I have an '06 300 c with 50k miles and I try not to use it too much, when I bought it last April, the seats looked brand new, after a year, it's getting that smoothed out worn look, does maguire's conditioner help restore the seats to the original matted look?
UV lighting is going to be minimum except for the dash and back section underneath the rear window. The whole UV protection thing is dabateable to me. I know it is an easy thing to accept; especially when you think about sun-block for your skin, but I am a bit skeptical especially since it is labeling in so many of the wax products, and have yet to find a single manufacturer that can actually prove the chemical they use that will filter out UV rays. I think it is more believable with interiors if the material is porous and can "accept" a product into the material just as your skin can absorb the sunblock.Most of car leather is coated with a water-based clear coating for durability, so it would suggest that any product applied to the coated material is simply siting on top, rather than actually penetrating and absorbing into it.
Can I use Meguiars APC and Meguiars Leather Conditioner on suede seats? The center of the seats are suede and the sides of the seating surface is leather.
Not to be picky, but before you use any product (cleaner/conditioner/polish) on leather it needs to be CLEAN!. This means to brush or vacuum the seats and ensure that all dirt, crumbs or whatever is removed BEFORE you clean it with the product. Mechanically clean it first before chemically cleaning it. Other than that a great informative video about leather care especially as regards the "clear protective coating" that all car leather comes with.
I just purchased a new set of leather seats, should I condition them right out of the box? Or wait till thy actually get some grime to clean them and condition them? Thank you.
Auto fetish detail I have a 2002 gmc Denali leather seats .. what is a good to give my seats that leather smell .. again . I once had a detail van .. that I saw detailing a car and he did a good job .. problem is that I was on my lunch and had to go back to work !! When I got home .. my Yukon Denali had a leather smell .. wow 👍 I been trying look for what it was he used .. any help
The good thing about a little more slippery surface, bolsters primarely, is that it wears a lot less when getting in an getting out. So if the differance in shine is neglectable it is really a good imoo
Thanks for the info . i just purchased a 2008 leather vehicle. Wasnt sure on how to clean/ and use conditioner. Before i watched this I had already purchased this product. Only thing im not sure i like the shine. I want it to look natural.
Hey Darren, great video. I own a BMW 328i e36 with black leather, what do you recommend for a complete cleaning and UV protection? My guessing is that the leather hasn't been cleaned for a long time... thanks man!
This link should give you a very comprehensive understanding as to what I do professionally: www.best-auto-detailing-tips.com/clean-leather-car-seat.html
Auto Fetish Detail Thanks Darren. I have access to the APC from Chemical Guys, and you did not mention that brand, do you think will do the job? Thanks again for your feedback and videos!!
I don't think you have to over-think APC cleaners as a whole. There are many good APC's on the market. If you have one that is working for you, go with it!
You talk so much but i like you . You do what you do with passion and thats the way it should be . My mercedes has beauitiful light grey seats and I'm not sure what to use just to clean it . a basic clean . I was thinking of Cleengreen or Dishwasher .
Please help!!! My wife used the Gold Class leather wipes on our brand new Suburban dashboard...leaving it with a bright shine vs the original mat finish...any ideas of getting that stuff off???
HI, I like your video but I have one question: How do you come about cleaning the microfiber towel after applying this product? choice of detergent? machine wash? thanks
bloqbeta Officially you are supposed to clean micro fibers in cold water, very low heat, no dryer sheets and a traditional laundry detergent. But since I buy mine in bulk, I use a virgin MF for pristine work, then once they are washed, I use them for "lesser" jobs. And for this reason, I wash mine in hot (to get them cleaner) and dry under normal heat.
I am looking for a leather cleaner and conditioner for my black leather but there are so many brands out there so I was wondering on which in your opinion works the best at cleaning and conditioning? I need some advise so I can do my seats thanks a lot
Hi Steve. With a UK spec ;82 Porsche 928S with a genuine 36k miles and almost concourse, the seats are just a little 'dry' and cracked and maybe a little grubby...magnolia...would you recommend this? Rears are mint, use same as front? Don't want to shiny. Graham
DreamClassicCars Steve...I wish that was the worst thing I have been called! Unfortunately, I am unsure as to what "magnolia" is? Is this a name brand car leather cleaner? This is my professional and comprehensive opinion and recommendations for car leather from mild to heavy duty cleaning. www.best-auto-detailing-tips.com/clean-leather-car-seat.html See if that helps....Maharg.
Hello, and thanks for the video. Would this product be good for perforated leather, ie heated and cooled seats?? Does it dry clear if some gets in the little holes?
It would be fine. Just don't over saturate the applicator cloth or the seat itself. I am unsure about it drying clear or white within the perfs (holes)
Saxophonelady For seat detailing that AFD was talking about, apply a small amount of product to applicator and use a circular motion on the perforated leather seat section. After wiping dry, you can take a portable vacuum cleaner and very gently, vacuum over the perforated area. But, the neat thing about these heated/cooled seats is to start the car and let the flowing air dry those little holes.
Thank you for the video. Very informative. Real quick question though. I purchased the Meguiars (however u spell it) leather cleaning and conditioning wipes. I also purchased a brand new Maxima about 2 1\2 weeks ago. I was wanting to clean my new car for the first time...well the Meguiars seemed to not only make my ascot leather appear shiny but also streaky to the point that it looked dirty. My leather looked tons better before I cleaned it! Any advice on how I can correct this without having to take my car somewhere for a detail it shouldn't need yet? Thanks for your help!
I'd use a weak solution of woolite and warm water. Soak a microfiber towel in the soapy solution (don't spray leather directly) and work up a few suds. Maximas are nice cars. I'm jealous.
I've purchased two different containers of this product. One was in the spray bottle, which was a bluish color, like the type you reviewed, and it smelled fantastic. The second one was in a bottle with a pump. It was a light brown color and had pretty much no smell. I'm curious if you know anything about the differences. They were both labeled pretty much the same. They were both cleaner/conditioner from the Gold Class line. Great videos by the way. I appreciate all of your knowledge. Thanks.
Travis Bugg Not sure about that. I have observed the same problem in other products and can think that the manufacturer changes things along the way without repackaging the product.
+Auto Fetish Detail This video > Meguiars Gold Class Leather Cleaner/Conditioner Review was how i came to find your channel & became a subscriber, Darren. I never would have known about it otherwise. I would looking for info on Meguiar's Gold Glass Leather Cleaner / Conditioner. Just so you know, in case you were spit balling for ideas on how to let more people know about The Man, The Myth, The Legend - Darren Priest. (ps also this is back before i got with the program and thought " oh this guys blathers on too long". Since i found this last year i am now with the program so to speak.
Darren great videos very informative. One I to APC but the plus version to clean most of the interior but do find that it dries out the leather. Do you use anything to rehydrate the leather.
I Love your vídeos! I have some questions... Based on your experiênce is the leather found on a Mercedes E420 1997 the same as yours or the newer ones? Hope you are acquainted with my car interior because It was imported from Germany. I am a bit confused on the dash/door leather x seat leather for It seems to be different. Sometimes I think the dash and Doors até vinyl other times I think they are of a different Kind of leather... I Just dont know... I have been using Dub for all interior but fabric. Sometimes I apply Meguiars rich leather after Dub is dried. Is this ok? Vídeos request (If I may...) I would also like to see a vídeo from you on DUB Developed by Meguiar’s Interior Clean & Shine There are no good reviews on It... A Second request on review would be Meguiar’s Black Wax for black cars whenever possible. What do you think about using WD40 for cleaning engines, for door rubbers, wheels... It would be so good to see a vídeo on these things. Lastly, how about the use of coconut soap + warm water for cleaning the leather seats? The same for the glass windows that have a darkening layer (film, películe) on the inside. Generally Window cleaners are not applied to them because they can be damaged (?). Thank you (from Brazil)
Thanks for the tips! Today I purchased the product you demo'd in this video, with the thought of using it on a 1991 BMW E30, with black leather seats. Something tells me I need to use something stronger. What would that be? Any info. appreciated, I want to thoroughly sanitize, clean, condition/restore the leather in the best way possible.
Forgot to mention ... (1) no rips or tears in the leather, so no problem with that. (2) After I had already bought the Meguiar's Gold Class cleaner/conditioner, someone said Zymol Z507 leather cleaner was good. Know anything about that?
Chatsworth1979 ...let me guess, you live in Chatsworth and you were born in '79?? Use this link regarding all levels of leather cleaning: www.best-auto-detailing-tips.com/clean-leather-car-seat.html Use this link as far as interior dressing/leather conditioners go: www.best-auto-detailing-tips.com/car-interior-dressing.html Cannot comment on Zymol as I have not used. As I say, "The good news is that we are filled with quality products. The bad news is there are so many products, how do you know where to start." For this reason I simply let people know what I use professionally, and that these products work, and that I have tested them for many, many years. You could spend a lifetime testing and trying out ever product out there.
Auto Fetish Detail THANK YOU VERY MUCH! I will follow your advice on my newer car (2013). Just one "special" question about an older BMW, a 1991 325iX, black leather, I have just recently purchased it ... to your knowledge is that car old enough so that its leather seats might not be "coated" the same way modern cars are? I.e., would I need to use gentler cleaners, or avoid scrub brushing that car? Again, thanks for the response, really enjoy your videos and I will try to read a lot more of the website. Interesting stuff!
You are correct in applying caution to a 1991 car. It is very likely that it could be uncoated so yes, I would apply some caution and test first or start mild and proceed from there. The thing with black leather is that as you are cleaning, it may be hard to identify if you are pulling up just dirt, or a combination of dirt and some leather color/dye....so go carefully. You will likely find it's not a problem unless the leather is heavily worn out already. Thanks for tuning in!
Wow, Darren, I've watched some of your other video's and find that you do tend to wing it and get off-topic a bit, but this one is particularly bad. I would recommend you take this down because the experience of watching it could prevent people from watching your other, better ones. Re-do this one and keep it to 3-5 minutes! If you want to stray and/or further educate your viewers, do it at the end of the covered topic ("All right, that covers our Meguiar's demo and review - if you're interested, stick around for some more useful information on leather and leather care") so people can choose to listen or not but they still go away knowing you gave them the information they were seeking, and because you gave them the option to keep watching, they will likely watch you again. btw - read about your injury on the web page and hope you have recovered well!
Folks: skip the first 13:20 minutes Please quit it with all the bloviating. Example: incospicuous area. We all know what that means. The car & the kids. Not interested. Just pan down, no need to announce it. Just do it. Did you use the terry cloth towel because of the color, or some other virgin soiled area mumbo jumbo? What about a white micro fiber cloth? (mind blown) B. This leather isn't that dirty. When in reality, that's quite a bit of dirt. WTF? Thanks for the tip on common sense and ignorance. My leather appreciates the mental pause. And with regards to the deep cracks. Thanks for not providing any real advice on how to deal with that.
Great video, very informative. Probably could have wrapped it up in 5mins and had the same impact, probably more likes. Anyway, this video is 6yrs old, I'm sure you've grown a lot since then :)
I've tried to watch two of your videos to learn how to clean leather seats... It's impossible! You keep talking and rambling over and over... Get to the point already! I'm 7 min in and I haven't gotten any informations. You should make rambling videos where it'd stated you'll be talking forever, and how to where you follow a strict script showing how to in 5 min top for people to actually get the information
Far too many commercials in short spans, I lost patience and I’m moving on. I’d complain to TH-cam. Back to back commercial that I had to watch and couldn’t skip after 5 seconds. Terrible.
My Review: I used meguiars leather conditioner all summer last year and here's what you can expect from it:
-don't expect it to clean; it mainly just conditions
-doesn't last that long either, that's why meguiars recommends you use it 2-3 times/year
-BUT on the bright side it looks good (especially on black leather) AND it smells good! It's the only leather conditioner I've found that smells good.
I am impressed w/ your knowledge of leather. I repair and recolor leather professionally, and appreciate how confusing it can be to understand leather types, terms, and what is safe, effective care. Below is an overview of what is safe and effective - and why it's so freaking confusing to sort out. As you said, car leather almost always has a protective coating. But did you know it's invisibly porous? So every liquid applied on top, some reaches the leather below - and the residues remains forever. This is very long- but you like detail, right?
There are 5 things that cause deterioration (overstretching and breaking of fibers) of the leather itself: 1) high heat, 2) UV light (direct sun), 3) harsh chemicals, 4) flexing / physical wear 5) dryness.
1 +2) Cars in normal use will get a lot of high heat and some UV from the sun.
To avoid both: do not steam clean (!), park indoors, in shade, in temp-controlled garage, use sun shades on windshield. In a perfect world, treat it like your baby is living in it.
3) To avoid harsh chemicals: only use cleaners and moisturizer / conditioners specifically labeled for use on leather car upholstery (not shoes, saddles, baseball mitts). The better conditioners made for use in cars will include a little UV-blocker.
Check out this video re: importance of pH and problems APC's can cause:
Using household cleaners on leather
th-cam.com/video/jOqZ-vN6q2Y/w-d-xo.html
CLEANING: A. Liquid leather cleaners are made to clean the protective color coating. Leather itself cannot be cleaned. As you know, there is a POLYMER-BASED color coating applied in 2 layers: a clear, denser top coat over a softer opaque color layer. It's very thin, supple and tough, resists water, wear and fading. For comfort and suppleness, it's formulated to have microscopic pores throughout the entire polymer structure. These allow the leather below the coating to absorb some sweat, reducing clamminess, and they let it dry out. Comfort level is a compromise between raw leather and vinyl.
B. Only cleaners labeled for leather upholstery are safe. Why? Chemistries made safe both the leather and the color coating. ALL liquids passes through the coating, and are absorbed in the leather. Offending liquids can't be removed once absorbed in leather, and their harmful residues continue to quietly rot leather forever.
- Leather is sensitive to pH (acidity) Leather’s pH is 4.5. Exposure to a pH too high or too low will destroy some leather fibers. The more concentrated or frequent, the faster it goes.
Ever see a chair with headrest or armrest rotted through, disintegrating or looking dark, cracked and stiff? That's the effect of pH 5 to 6 of most body oils over 10 to 20 years - a difference of only .5 to 1.5 on the pH scale = 5 to 50 x more basic. Now imagine what pH 11.5 to 12.5 does = most all-purpose cleaners, a difference of 7.5 to 8.5 = 50 million to 500 million x more basic than leather. Even in a dilute solution, that's like putting a little oven cleaner in your bathwater - and never being able to rinse it off.
- The color coating can be bleached, dissolved, become permanently tacky, or peel off in reaction to chemicals in some all-purpose cleaners. Alcohol (window cleaners) and acetone are solvents. But mineral spirits and naphtha for spot removal are usually safe.
- Cracks, seams, cuts, and worn areas absorb a lot more than the rest, consequently harmful products degrade those places faster. Usually the damage starts slow, but accelerates as more damaging product is added and the previous has more time to do damage. People don't detect that the leather deteriorated faster than it should. Add to that the effect of heat, UV and dryness, and car interiors degrade quickly at the weakest spots.
4) Car take a beating from flexing and sliding scuffing. No way to avoid. Preventing dryness maintains maximum strength of the leather fibers to resist these stresses as long as possible. Or add seat covers and lose weight.
5) To prevent dryness, apply a moisturizer / conditioner at least 4 x / year if often and parked in sun or in hot garage. If parked in sun daily, do this every week.
Leather needs to have a 25% (by weight) moisture and conditioner content. Even leather with a water-resistant protective color coating is drying out all the time. To preserve that moisture level, restore it at the surface frequently with a moisturizer / conditioner, like topping off your oil. Don't wait for the "red light" signs like stiffness and cracking to begin. Unfortunately, it will not seem like moisture is low until it's very low and restoring enough will require a leather repair professional, and may not be worth it.
Leather types: The key difference for cleaning and care is absorbency.
> Absorbent leather (aniline has no sheen, semi-aniline has sheen): feels soft like peach skin, but stains permanently easily and can't be cleaned - It’s like raw wood, except you can't sand off the stains. It fades very fast in direct sun - not great for car seats. Those types are sold only on the most expensive seats - I guess if you can afford them, you can afford to replace them sooner.
>Protected Leather, aka coated, pigmented (usually semi-gloss sheen): Much more practical, used on most leather furniture and car upholstery. Has a durable polymer-based color coating that acts like a 2nd skin: it's supple and stretches with the leather, but resists water, wear and fading well. Color coating for cars is engineered to handle the higher wear, heat, and UV light, but those force
Would a product such as Meguiar's GC Ric Leather be suitable for a nice high end couch? Thanks
Thanks for sharing u legend
The more details, the better. Thanks for this!
Why does it take so long to say si little? Former politician?
My god, some of you are so damn rude. If you have an issue with his videos, DON'T WATCH and click the x button... Thanks for the videos, they're very helpful and informative.
cnd380sec second
Wow!! 17:00 minutes talking and 15 seconds scrubbing. Get to the point man you talk a lot ..
the education was in the talking why would he scrub for 17 mins
Hardly. He totally missed any educating on how to clean deep cracks in leather.'
The first 13 minutes are of very little value.
He said something about using a terry towel that was white because it would show dirt better (wouldn't a white microfiber towel also show dirt?)
Agreeed!
Agreed. Total waste of 17 minutes 15 seconds.
Thanks Darren. Very thorough analysis. I appreciate your in depth approach. Many others I see here from the rude comments are probably the same kind of person who runs out to buy a gun and then thinks the instruction manual should be comprised of a 5" x 3" piece of paper that has the words "Pull Trigger" on it. Just went out and got the Meguiars Gold Class Rich Leather that you have in the video. Thanks again!
Thanks for the hatting! I did the APC with leather soft brush, and finished with X-Wax. Pecan seats in an F150 5 years of dirt. Your tips allowed me to renew them...Looks brand new! Thanks again....
THIS is the kind of guy any one would want to detail their car. After 5 minutes of talking to him you would feel confident and assured that your vehicle is in safe, caring hands! He seems to know the ins and outs of his trade. Hes not some random guy who learned to "clean" cars from his older cousin or something.
But after your five minutes were up you’d be stuck listening to him for an hour!
By clean surface they mean one that has no dust, crumbs, paper fibers, or anything like that. I have used this exact product on some Leather Bracelets and it has worked great. I used it to protect the bracelets from everyday wear. The stuff that is on the towel may not be dirt. When I did this on my bracelets I bought, color was picked up by the cleaner/conditioner. The color did not look different then before I used the product. I had a blue and brown bracelet and my cloth had blue and brown stains. No affect to color. Good Product for what I need which is protecting my leather goods.
I'm a professional detailer also.
He first is trying to educate you on the new "Coated" Leather before moving on to the actual review.
So,e may have no idea what they may be working with
Great vid man!
yeah, but i didn't need the prep on "about to pan down" or "i got 5 kids" or "common sense"
I still don't get why he used terry cloth towel (was it because it was white towel?).
+deasttn he does go on on and on before getting to the part he's trying educate his viewers which can get boring but he's a good detailer.
I think he chose the white towel just to help him going too far through the coating, the dye would show up.
We have no terry cloth towels in my shop, microfiber only.
Cajun Grom Rider I have absolutely no doubt this guy is a first class car detailer. His work looks incredible. It's just that his rambling in the videos is a bit much for my liking.
Thank you for taking the time (contrary to many others' comments) to educate and inform regarding car seat leather composition and wear durability. Great video and I really appreciate your shared effort and energy to help me be a better maintainer of my car; WELL DONE!!
Your videos are very helpful and you have great knowledge and efficiency of detailing but man you really gotta pack that info into a smaller chunk. You sometimes use 3-4 minutes on what can be said with just two sentences. keep in mind the modern day internet crowd has the attention span of goldfish. So a little prep work before recording with bullet points scribbled on a piece of note right beside your camera will go a long way. This complete freestyle isn't proving efficient.
zeebazu Valid points. Hopefully you have seen some of my newer one's and hopefully, you are seeing a difference.
nice speaking your mind man ahahah I dig it
+Auto Fetish Detail im from Brazil and really apreciate your tips. I ve bought this product and i expect good results in my seats. tks
i agree.
I was gonna say this as well. We'll said... great info just too much fluff.
I think when they mean by "clean surface" is that rid any debris that is in the cracks and/or any sticky stains, like a quick vacuum and a wipe down with soapy water. That would be my first thought.
Wow that guy could talk a glass eye to sleep !!
dont know if anyone gives a shit but if you are bored like me during the covid times then you can watch all the new movies on instaflixxer. I've been binge watching with my gf lately xD
@Roman Randall yea, I've been watching on instaflixxer for since december myself :D
I’m dead
I'm not a fan of the shiny look, it screams used car lot, I have an '06 300 c with 50k miles and I try not to use it too much, when I bought it last April, the seats looked brand new, after a year, it's getting that smoothed out worn look, does maguire's conditioner help restore the seats to the original matted look?
does the coating eventually wear off? if so then the conditioning would be very important.
Thanks for the video. Quick question, you don't need any extra conditioner with UV protection after applying this product?
UV lighting is going to be minimum except for the dash and back section underneath the rear window. The whole UV protection thing is dabateable to me. I know it is an easy thing to accept; especially when you think about sun-block for your skin, but I am a bit skeptical especially since it is labeling in so many of the wax products, and have yet to find a single manufacturer that can actually prove the chemical they use that will filter out UV rays. I think it is more believable with interiors if the material is porous and can "accept" a product into the material just as your skin can absorb the sunblock.Most of car leather is coated with a water-based clear coating for durability, so it would suggest that any product applied to the coated material is simply siting on top, rather than actually penetrating and absorbing into it.
Crystal clear Darren, thanks again for sharing you expertise !!
Can I use Meguiars APC and Meguiars Leather Conditioner on suede seats? The center of the seats are suede and the sides of the seating surface is leather.
Not to be picky, but before you use any product (cleaner/conditioner/polish) on leather it needs to be CLEAN!. This means to brush or vacuum the seats and ensure that all dirt, crumbs or whatever is removed BEFORE you clean it with the product. Mechanically clean it first before chemically cleaning it. Other than that a great informative video about leather care especially as regards the "clear protective coating" that all car leather comes with.
Brotha, You alright. Like the information. Good insight. Appreciate it.
I just purchased a new set of leather seats, should I condition them right out of the box? Or wait till thy actually get some grime to clean them and condition them? Thank you.
Auto fetish detail I have a 2002 gmc Denali leather seats .. what is a good to give my seats that leather smell .. again . I once had a detail van .. that I saw detailing a car and he did a good job .. problem is that I was on my lunch and had to go back to work !! When I got home .. my Yukon Denali had a leather smell .. wow 👍 I been trying look for what it was he used .. any help
The good thing about a little more slippery surface, bolsters primarely, is that it wears a lot less when getting in an getting out. So if the differance in shine is neglectable it is really a good imoo
Watch just 10:30 to 10:32 and skip the rest. You won’t have missed a thing.
Thanks for the info . i just purchased a 2008 leather vehicle. Wasnt sure on how to clean/ and use conditioner. Before i watched this I had already purchased this product. Only thing im not sure i like the shine. I want it to look natural.
Just knock down the shine with a follow up micro-fiber by rubbing the shine away in a manner of speaking.
Great!! Thank you
Does the meguiars rot the stiching? Eg the stiching might soak up some of the product and rot it ?
Hey Darren, great video. I own a BMW 328i e36 with black leather, what do you recommend for a complete cleaning and UV protection? My guessing is that the leather hasn't been cleaned for a long time... thanks man!
This link should give you a very comprehensive understanding as to what I do professionally: www.best-auto-detailing-tips.com/clean-leather-car-seat.html
Auto Fetish Detail Thanks Darren. I have access to the APC from Chemical Guys, and you did not mention that brand, do you think will do the job? Thanks again for your feedback and videos!!
I don't think you have to over-think APC cleaners as a whole. There are many good APC's on the market. If you have one that is working for you, go with it!
You talk so much but i like you . You do what you do with passion and thats the way it should be . My mercedes has beauitiful light grey seats and I'm not sure what to use just to clean it . a basic clean . I was thinking of Cleengreen or Dishwasher .
Can the cleaner be used to clean leatherette seats
just a forewarning.....the video actually starts somewhere around 8:45 and only has about 25 seconds of actual relevant information in it.
Ok I just bought the leather cleaner. I'm going to put it to use. Will let you know how it turns out!
Will this product fade color in my leather seats?
What about stitching on steering wheel or some parts of the seats? Any suggestions on how to take care of it or what to avoid when cleaning around it?
Meguiars make excellent products, have used their leather cleaner and it really does work.
Darren, can laundry detergent be used to clean leather seats? What would you use without having to use any dedicated leather cleaning sprays?
Please help!!! My wife used the Gold Class leather wipes on our brand new Suburban dashboard...leaving it with a bright shine vs the original mat finish...any ideas of getting that stuff off???
how do you clean a seat a dealer had refinished. By refinished i mean resprayed by mobile leather repair guy
meguiars leather conditioner looks good (esp. on black leather). And it's the only leather conditioner I know of that SMELLS GOOD too.
Can I use the all purpose cleaner on new leather seats?
Very informative. Really enjoy your video. Love your sense of humor. Thanks for taking time to educate us. Have a great day.
Great Video, Like the long video's. I think the longer the video, the more you are open to share.
Is this the same product as meguiar's D180?
when you clean the leather, should you only do the seat and the front parth or do you do the whole seat and back and everything?
Simple answer...you only clean the areas you want to be clean.
HI, I like your video but I have one question: How do you come about cleaning the microfiber towel after applying this product? choice of detergent? machine wash? thanks
bloqbeta Officially you are supposed to clean micro fibers in cold water, very low heat, no dryer sheets and a traditional laundry detergent. But since I buy mine in bulk, I use a virgin MF for pristine work, then once they are washed, I use them for "lesser" jobs. And for this reason, I wash mine in hot (to get them cleaner) and dry under normal heat.
darren, can this product be used on the dash?
I am looking for a leather cleaner and conditioner for my black leather but there are so many brands out there so I was wondering on which in your opinion works the best at cleaning and conditioning? I need some advise so I can do my seats thanks a lot
Kevin Matechak Armor All. Even if you hate it, 100% satisfaction so you can get your money back.
Hi Steve. With a UK spec ;82 Porsche 928S with a genuine 36k miles and almost concourse, the seats are just a little 'dry' and cracked and maybe a little grubby...magnolia...would you recommend this? Rears are mint, use same as front? Don't want to shiny. Graham
Steve? Dhoh, sorry Darren!!
DreamClassicCars Steve...I wish that was the worst thing I have been called!
Unfortunately, I am unsure as to what "magnolia" is? Is this a name brand car leather cleaner?
This is my professional and comprehensive opinion and recommendations for car leather from mild to heavy duty cleaning.
www.best-auto-detailing-tips.com/clean-leather-car-seat.html
See if that helps....Maharg.
Hey, Magnolia is UK cream colour
So noted. Thanks you
what's good for a black leather
i like the elaboration and detail in your explanation, because i care about my car and i wanna know it all :)
Been talking for 11 mins before actually using it.
Hello, and thanks for the video. Would this product be good for perforated leather, ie heated and cooled seats?? Does it dry clear if some gets in the little holes?
It would be fine. Just don't over saturate the applicator cloth or the seat itself. I am unsure about it drying clear or white within the perfs (holes)
Saxophonelady For seat detailing that AFD was talking about, apply a small amount of product to applicator and use a circular motion on the perforated leather seat section. After wiping dry, you can take a portable vacuum cleaner and very gently, vacuum over the perforated area. But, the neat thing about these heated/cooled seats is to start the car and let the flowing air dry those little holes.
***** Thankyou !
***** Great suggestion!!
Good video I personally liked it and learned things about leather now that i have leather couches and leather seats in car thank you
Was that dirt or the grey tint from the leather???
i love your videos, they’re useful and youre so knowledgable. appreciate it!
Baby come over to my house
Thank you for the video. Very informative. Real quick question though. I purchased the Meguiars (however u spell it) leather cleaning and conditioning wipes. I also purchased a brand new Maxima about 2 1\2 weeks ago. I was wanting to clean my new car for the first time...well the Meguiars seemed to not only make my ascot leather appear shiny but also streaky to the point that it looked dirty. My leather looked tons better before I cleaned it! Any advice on how I can correct this without having to take my car somewhere for a detail it shouldn't need yet? Thanks for your help!
I'd use a weak solution of woolite and warm water. Soak a microfiber towel in the soapy solution (don't spray leather directly) and work up a few suds.
Maximas are nice cars. I'm jealous.
Very informative video. You are a great detailing guru!
A car interior detailer from Malaysia.
I've purchased two different containers of this product. One was in the spray bottle, which was a bluish color, like the type you reviewed, and it smelled fantastic. The second one was in a bottle with a pump. It was a light brown color and had pretty much no smell. I'm curious if you know anything about the differences. They were both labeled pretty much the same. They were both cleaner/conditioner from the Gold Class line. Great videos by the way. I appreciate all of your knowledge. Thanks.
Travis Bugg Not sure about that. I have observed the same problem in other products and can think that the manufacturer changes things along the way without repackaging the product.
+Auto Fetish Detail This video > Meguiars Gold Class Leather Cleaner/Conditioner Review
was how i came to find your channel & became a subscriber, Darren. I never would have known about it otherwise.
I would looking for info on Meguiar's Gold Glass Leather Cleaner / Conditioner.
Just so you know, in case you were spit balling for ideas on how to let more people know about
The Man, The Myth, The Legend - Darren Priest.
(ps also this is back before i got with the program and thought " oh this guys blathers on too long".
Since i found this last year i am now with the program so to speak.
Too much talk i'm afraid, over 8 mins have elapsed and still yakking away.
GRAHAM5020 That Darren sure does like to pull his own chain doesn't he....
Darren great videos very informative. One I to APC but the plus version to clean most of the interior but do find that it dries out the leather. Do you use anything to rehydrate the leather.
Hi Steve- see comments above to your second comment.
I Love your vídeos! I have some questions...
Based on your experiênce is the leather found on a Mercedes E420 1997 the same as yours or the newer ones? Hope you are acquainted with my car interior because It was imported from Germany.
I am a bit confused on the dash/door leather x seat leather for It seems to be different. Sometimes I think the dash and Doors até vinyl other times I think they are of a different Kind of leather... I Just dont know...
I have been using Dub for all interior but fabric.
Sometimes I apply Meguiars rich leather after Dub is dried. Is this ok?
Vídeos request (If I may...)
I would also like to see a vídeo from you on DUB Developed by Meguiar’s Interior Clean & Shine
There are no good reviews on It...
A Second request on review would be Meguiar’s Black Wax for black cars whenever possible.
What do you think about using WD40 for cleaning engines, for door rubbers, wheels... It would be so good to see a vídeo on these things.
Lastly, how about the use of coconut soap + warm water for cleaning the leather seats? The same for the glass windows that have a darkening layer (film, películe) on the inside. Generally Window cleaners are not applied to them because they can be damaged (?).
Thank you
(from Brazil)
Mcquires express or ultimate for spay wax??
Great tip I made my cloth a little bit damp made it a bit easier to spread it out more even
Thanks for the tips! Today I purchased the product you demo'd in this video, with the thought of using it on a 1991 BMW E30, with black leather seats. Something tells me I need to use something stronger. What would that be? Any info. appreciated, I want to thoroughly sanitize, clean, condition/restore the leather in the best way possible.
Forgot to mention ... (1) no rips or tears in the leather, so no problem with that. (2) After I had already bought the Meguiar's Gold Class cleaner/conditioner, someone said Zymol Z507 leather cleaner was good. Know anything about that?
Chatsworth1979 ...let me guess, you live in Chatsworth and you were born in '79?? Use this link regarding all levels of leather cleaning:
www.best-auto-detailing-tips.com/clean-leather-car-seat.html
Use this link as far as interior dressing/leather conditioners go:
www.best-auto-detailing-tips.com/car-interior-dressing.html
Cannot comment on Zymol as I have not used. As I say, "The good news is that we are filled with quality products. The bad news is there are so many products, how do you know where to start." For this reason I simply let people know what I use professionally, and that these products work, and that I have tested them for many, many years. You could spend a lifetime testing and trying out ever product out there.
Auto Fetish Detail THANK YOU VERY MUCH! I will follow your advice on my newer car (2013). Just one "special" question about an older BMW, a 1991 325iX, black leather, I have just recently purchased it ... to your knowledge is that car old enough so that its leather seats might not be "coated" the same way modern cars are? I.e., would I need to use gentler cleaners, or avoid scrub brushing that car? Again, thanks for the response, really enjoy your videos and I will try to read a lot more of the website. Interesting stuff!
You are correct in applying caution to a 1991 car. It is very likely that it could be uncoated so yes, I would apply some caution and test first or start mild and proceed from there.
The thing with black leather is that as you are cleaning, it may be hard to identify if you are pulling up just dirt, or a combination of dirt and some leather color/dye....so go carefully. You will likely find it's not a problem unless the leather is heavily worn out already. Thanks for tuning in!
Can't I just use Meguiars M40 Rubber and Vinyl on leather?
If there was an event in the olympics for talking this guy would win gold , must be an American thing .
Its basically a leather detailer right !
Wow, Darren, I've watched some of your other video's and find that you do tend to wing it and get off-topic a bit, but this one is particularly bad. I would recommend you take this down because the experience of watching it could prevent people from watching your other, better ones. Re-do this one and keep it to 3-5 minutes! If you want to stray and/or further educate your viewers, do it at the end of the covered topic ("All right, that covers our Meguiar's demo and review - if you're interested, stick around for some more useful information on leather and leather care") so people can choose to listen or not but they still go away knowing you gave them the information they were seeking, and because you gave them the option to keep watching, they will likely watch you again.
btw - read about your injury on the web page and hope you have recovered well!
Not bloody raining though, is it. You should come to England sometime. 4 months continuous fucking rain.....
Dude must love the sound of his own voice. Holt shite ask this guy what time it is and he'll tell you how to build a wristwatch.
Lol...
If he was my school teacher class would probably be long and frustrating
Thanks man. Great clip!
Lot's of info!
Great video Darren!
Please cut the verbiage. Info is find but .....
Get to the point, didnt see the product in action for long
Very informative, but could have been done in half the time. Took more than 8 minutes to actually get some work done. Thanks, though!
Folks: skip the first 13:20 minutes
Please quit it with all the bloviating.
Example: incospicuous area. We all know what that means.
The car & the kids. Not interested.
Just pan down, no need to announce it. Just do it.
Did you use the terry cloth towel because of the color, or some other virgin soiled area mumbo jumbo? What about a white micro fiber cloth? (mind blown)
B. This leather isn't that dirty. When in reality, that's quite a bit of dirt. WTF?
Thanks for the tip on common sense and ignorance. My leather appreciates the mental pause.
And with regards to the deep cracks. Thanks for not providing any real advice on how to deal with that.
you type as much as this guy talks
+darren mccredie like me, you also speak the truth.
deasttn thanks mate
thumbs up...I bought the all purpose for 20 bucks...thanks for the great knowledge!
Very informative video! Thanks!!
What if that wasnt dirt, but the dye coming out of the leather 😫😫😫 my biggest fear with my leather is cleaning my seats and over cleaning them
Could it be longer!!
Ok what I think it means when it says clean surface is so that some dumbass don't go and put it on a spot where there's dirt and other shit
Talked to much and didn’t get straight to point thumbs down
absolutely perfect video
Great job, keep up the good work ...
You are talking too much my friend
Earned my subscription
Love all the information👍👍👍
Gosh get on with the product...
I don't think leather is fragile. Heck shine those hard leather shoes right. It's tuff
Come on now, keep it real information instead of just putting people on blast to make yourself feel better.
thanks you so mush. i have a 2012 Ferrari. and i dont like the car look to shini. so this product will do the job
perfecr video
How would you like to be married to this guy ? Holy Crap.
man you sure can put 10lb of shit in a 5lb bag
You ramble alot
Great video, very informative. Probably could have wrapped it up in 5mins and had the same impact, probably more likes. Anyway, this video is 6yrs old, I'm sure you've grown a lot since then :)
I've tried to watch two of your videos to learn how to clean leather seats... It's impossible! You keep talking and rambling over and over... Get to the point already! I'm 7 min in and I haven't gotten any informations. You should make rambling videos where it'd stated you'll be talking forever, and how to where you follow a strict script showing how to in 5 min top for people to actually get the information
Far too many commercials in short spans, I lost patience and I’m moving on. I’d complain to TH-cam. Back to back commercial that I had to watch and couldn’t skip after 5 seconds. Terrible.
why so long
"clean" may have been for "vacuum clean".. maybe?