Cleaning tips

This is probably one of the more dull topics.. But I'm picking up my 996t on Thursday (very excited!). The exterior of the car looks clean enough but the seat and the alcantara etc looks a bit tired.There are tons of videos etc. on exterior detailing but I was wondering if anyone had any tips on what to use on the leather and the rest to get it looking like the dealership ones I've seen?

There's loads of interior cleaning tips amongst the dozens of threads on this sub-forum see --> http://www.911uk.com/viewforum.php?f=16 ps. You have a 'private message'

Leather can be tricky and expensive stuff to clean and maintain. I have used Lexol cleaner for some years with good results, but that is no longer available in Australia, except in small amounts in 'kits'. Wurth have a nice product https://eshop.wurth.com.au/Product-...=CS008&RecoId=categorytopseller@categorypageA

Thanks T8 I do generally try to have a look first but obviously got a bit lazy this time.. Also cheers for the PM I didn't see it and thanks for all your help so far can't wait to actually get the car (if you couldn't tell already).

Cheers Mervo I might order some of this. The dealership cars just seem to always have such a shine to them inside and out

Our local Wurth agent lives two doors away from us and he will get me some (usually free) to test out. Leather shouldn't normally have a high shine and dealers often add products to achieve that look. On my low kms 996TT the leather has a largely satin/matt finish. Lexol and similar cleaners usually leave that appearance. I will be interested to see how the Wurth goes.

Hands down the best cleaner for leather is Soap de Marseille: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marseille_soap It contains natural oils, which also treat the leather, but I still recommend applying good leather conditioner after washing

Congrats on the Turbo purchase. Truly remarkable cars. Share some pictures and details about the car when you can.

Leather conditioner is pointless on modern leather interiors as the leather has been sealed with a clear coat. All you'd be doing is adding a conditioner to what amounts to a painted surface. Keeping it clean and maybe adding a sealant to keep stains away is the recommended way to do it.

Find a leather specialist and show him the state of leather. He will probably recommend a good thorough clean with aqueous-based preparations that are mostly available to the trade. A lot of leather cleaning products for home use are mediocre in terms of results. These guys use commercial preparations with a strong leather brush to deep clean the leather. Putting oil based cleaners on sealed painted leather is generally a waste of time. I have stopped using products such as Gliptone Liquid Leather Conditioner (the company may not be around any more). I still have their products but found the best results for my other car (Italian V8) was a leather specialist who had the car for 2 days and cleaned the leather back to like new.

Pretty much right. I recently questioned some industrial chemist colleagues who suggested that most modern cars have PU coated leather and any cleaners should be close to Ph neutral and water based. Expensive oils, silicones, fats, waxes or paraffins and the like do nothing to clean or 'feed' a decent PU coated leather surface. They can however, damage it and retain dust and abrasives. A good neutral cleaner does work if used correctly. After careful cleaning, some of the available water-based 'leather guards' could help, purely to reduce abrasion from clothes and other items that can scratch (e.g., 'jean burn') on the surface of the leather and on seams and stitching. The leather on classic older cars that is not PU coated is a different matter and cracks and wear need different treatment. There is a lot of money involved in these commercial products but not always a lot of science seems to be involved.

Thanks Cheshire! I'm looking very much forward to it. Was supposed to pick it up tomorrow but a few delays so will hopefully get it and post some pics in a weeks or so. Can only hope the sun stays around till then.

I had the same issue and had great success on modern Porsche leather with LTT Leathercare products for cleaning. There's a long thread in the Cleaning section, search LTT

Lots of opinions above. Here's mine. I've cleaned leather with various methods. I don't think there's one product or method for all situations - you have to use what works. On a TVR I used Cif and a nail brush! Harsh and abrasive, but works like cutting paint and brought back the original colour underneath ingrained dirt and even overspray (don't ask). As I had removed a thin layer of the coating I fed and sealed the leather and it was noticeably more supple. On lesser extremes just a mild soap solution, or interior cleaner and a microfibre cloth, and or judicious local use of nail brush or toothbrush for dirt ingrained in the grain works very well, then wipe over with a clean cloth. For steering wheels, including all the stitching, I find washing up liquid and water and again the trusty nail brush works wonders. It's important then to wash off the solution as you don't want soap residue left on the wheel. After cleaning, and letting the leather dry you'll almost certainly want to use a colour restorer or touch in kit for scratches, scuffs and worn areas. I've used several over the years from various sources, most recently Furniture Clinic via Amazon. They've all worked well, but like bodywork, good results take time and rely on preparation. Now, contrary to some of the above, I do believe in a good dose of conditioner/hide food even on sealed leather. There are three reasons for this: (1) If you have done a bit of local touching in/colouring, a conditioning treatment helps 'blend" the repairs. (2) Although the colour coating _should_ seal the leather I'm not convinced it is 100% air and water tight. This means, firstly, that the leather does dry out over time and secondly that application of a conditioner will permeate the coating. It's particularly important if the leather has cracked or scuffed when of course the coating won't have been doing its job. There's a school of thought that you should condition the leather before touching it in, but IMHO touching in first is the lesser of two evils. Yes it might present a bit of a barrier to the subsequent conditioner but it's better than painting over a greasy surface. (3) The leather conditioner products I've used (most recently Gliptone) have a lovely, albeit probably totally artificial, leather smell! That alone is worth it! I totally agree that much of the conditioner applied will rest on the surface (you need to buff it off after a while) but I'm sure some gets through and does its thing. Alcantara doesn't need any treatment after cleaning. I've got good results even on manky steering wheels with washing up liquid and water, and, yes, a nail brush. Again important to rinse, and 'fluff" the surface fibres as far as possible and allow to dry.