# Best brand/products for BMW red dakota leather?



## JoshB25 (Apr 13, 2014)

Hi, picked up my new car a few weeks ago. Treated the Coral red leather seats with Gtechniq L1. Seems very rough and grabby to me. Ideally after something that treats the leather, conditions it and make it feel soft whilst retaining the matte finish? Looking into the Swissvax leather care range at the moment or will L1 just do the job?

Cheers


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## Eliasasas (Feb 22, 2014)

I'm very satisfied with Zaino twins (z-9 and z-10). Matte, subtle finish when using them together, and it leaves a sort of new car smell.


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## realist (May 11, 2011)

Dr leather wipes, all you need.:thumb:


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## jay_bmw (Jan 28, 2010)

Sack all the over priced crap off that gets bigged up on detailing world for the benefit of it's sponsors and stick with the tried & tested Gliptone twins.

They are fantasic and can be had for a tenner a pair on eBay

My coral red Dakota


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## Clean ocd (Mar 29, 2014)

I like the megs gold class leather:thumb:


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## judyb (Sep 7, 2007)

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.

The type of leather you have 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 also 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. 'Conditioners' will not do any 
protecting on leather even if they say they do as there will not be enough active 
ingredient in them to do anything.

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.

Leather needs a little regular care and attention and this can be done with a maintenance product rather than a deep clean which you would then only need to do once or twice a year depending on usage and colour.
You will find that detergent style cleaners will remove the protection applied so you would need to reprotect each time you clean. 
A maintenance product like Auto Ultra Maintain helps to retain the protection rather than remove it so a reapplication of protector is only required after a deep clean.
Whilst individual products may be effective if they have not been tested together you may find they are counter productive

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

Simple steps of cleaning & protecting will prolong the life of the finish on the leather 

Hope this helps
Judyb


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## bigmac3161 (Jul 24, 2013)

I'll 2nd gliptone liquid leather cleaner and conditioner for a tenner of fleabay. Leaves great smell and lovely matte finish no ugly shinny look.


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## Exotica (Feb 27, 2006)

bigmac3161 said:


> I'll 2nd gliptone liquid leather cleaner and conditioner for a tenner of fleabay. Leaves great smell and lovely matte finish no ugly shinny look.


Read above, conditioner is pointless and people buy it thinking it conditions the leather which is doesn't as the leather is coated.


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## JoshB25 (Apr 13, 2014)

judyb said:


> 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.
> ...


Fantastic information! Thank you very much for taking the time to write that. Makes me understand the needs and ways to maintain the leather much better. Will be purchasing some of the above. Cheers

In regards to gliptone twins, I bought both about 2 years ago. Used half of it and thought it was great. Came to use a couple of months later and then smell of it was awful! Must have gone off or something so had to throw it away!! Pretty disappointed to be honest!


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