I know the quality of the leather has been discussed at length previously but I'm hoping someone can advise me on the best cleaner and conditioner to use. On previous cars I've just used a damp clean cloth to keep the seats looking good not polished and shiny but the Yeti drivers seat, having covered just over 8k miles is beginning to shine and polish and it's annoying me everytime I get in it.

Gliptone and Dr Leather has all been mentioned as good but do they keep the seats matt or do they clean and make them shine. I really want to keep the matt effect as the shiny look has that "used / worn look"

I know this could be in the Styling and Car Care section but felt that the Yeti leather (the bits that are) is specific in that its not very good.

Edited 18 October, 201213 yr by servicepoint

Just proves a point already made - new leather looks great, but used leather (especially on the Yeti) looks rubbish. I would stick to cloth if Alcantara not an option. Fortunately, I did not have a choice, but I love the sports seats with white stitching, that comes as standard on the Urban - and they will always look the same if treated with respect.

I use both the gliptone and sonus pair each for cleaning and preserving. I do them every six months and they look like new even with 30,000 miles of wear. :-) Matt finish also once it's rubbed in and wiped over for both products. :-)

On the 1 yr+ Yeti's I have viewed at dealers the leather does not look like it keeps it's original condition for long and other makes of cars I have viewed appear to me to be better in retaining the look (although only a small sample)

My Honda with 8 yrs of use looked better. Remember only the bit you put your bottom and back on are real leather.

I notice a lot of 'real' leather is a skin of leather bonded to an artifical material. (DFS the sofa people

quote its all 'real' leather and use this leather bonded material on some areas you don't sit on which can't be as good as the real thing).

Not sure what type of leather is used on the Yeti.

I assume most leather cleaners/conditioner will not make it matt, only keep it the same as is or more shiney if you use any effort in applying.

Edited 18 October, 201213 yr by kibby

What is Sonus Pair ...comes up as Hi-fi if you google it?

12k miles and my Yeti driver seat looks like brand new still ?

Never cleaned it.

I have just cleaned (an hour ago) my Gobi leather seats with Auto Glym - Leather Care Balm (no shine yet). It is supprising how dirty they have got in just ten days from new! The dreaded blue jeans stain (pax seat only...). The quality of the leather is poor; but the seats are very comfortable. Time will tell how they wear...

Peter

Its only the drivers seat needs done, I'd hate to condition it and then have to do all the rest because it looks shiny.

What is Sonus Pair ...comes up as Hi-fi if you google it?

http://www.cleanyourcar.co.uk/interior/sonus-leather-care-kit/prod_39.html

If i had to choose a pair id probably go with the gliptone ones but they are both very good. I used to use ag leather cleaner but these are better imo. :-)

I had an Octavia with Onyx leather seats for 7 years and used Armoral Leather Wipes to 'clean & condition'. After 7 years of daily use the seats were still in excellent condition and although they had the lived-in look of leather they certainly were not worn or tired. To my mind they looked as good as new!

I now have a Yeti with Gobi leather seats and am expecting that being lighter coloured they will need a bit more care but after 6 months of use and an occasional wipe with the Armoral wipes they look great. I know what Tristar means by denim blue stains but the wipes took the stain off with no problem.

Incidentally leather will inevitably gain a sheen over time as you 'polish' them with your rear, however, the sheen is mild and in my opinion leather seats look and feel much better than fabric seats (love the heated versions in my Elegance model). I know some people prefer fabric but its all down to personal choice.

I have just cleaned (an hour ago) my Gobi leather seats with Auto Glym - Leather Care Balm (no shine yet). It is supprising how dirty they have got in just ten days from new! The dreaded blue jeans stain (pax seat only...). The quality of the leather is poor; but the seats are very comfortable. Time will tell how they wear...

Peter

I did similar a couple of weekends back - a pair of black cotton trousers were imparting a definite colour caste to the driver's seat. I used Meguiars leather cleaner/conditioner http://www.meguiars.co.uk/product/370/Gold-Class-Rich-Leather-Cleaner-Conditioner/ which doesn't add any shine and got rid of all the dye (well - it came off the leather and onto the microfibre cloth which has proved stubborn to get clean). I did all the seat faces while I was at it, but couldn't tell any difference other than for my seat.

12k miles and my Yeti driver seat looks like brand new still ?

Never cleaned it.

Same here.

Edited 18 October, 201213 yr by ejstubbs

The doeskin coloured leather in my Jaguar is 18 years old and still looks like new. I treat it twice a year with Auto Glym Leather Balm. I have never seen leather in any of the lower price cars that compares to that in the dearer ones. I go for cloth in our Skodas - we have had 5 so far.

When I were a lad and leather was leather, the best thing was Connolly's Hide Food. Nowadays that is usually a bad idea, and this explains why:

"A potential minefield is the actual quality of the fabrics and leathers used in modern cars. What appears to be leather these days is often more likely to be textured vinyl, particularly when found on the backs of seats and on door cards. Real leather is often only used on the cushion and upright of seats, and even then it is often quite different to traditional leather. In days of old, manufacturers would take a hide and shave it into three layers. The bottom layer (suede) was discarded and used for other purposes, while the top two layers were used for various parts of vehicle upholstery. However, the modern approach is to swell the hide using a chemical process and then shave it into as many as ten layers using computer-controlled machinery. These thin layers are then pressed and stamped with a leather texture in order to mask any imperfections, and then laminated between a fabric base and an uppermost layer of clear breathable vinyl. In effect, many modern leathers are actually vinyls with a thin layer of leather veneer and require different cleaning methods as a result, in particular the use of water-based cleaners and protectants as opposed to traditional oil-based leather feeds."

- quoted from http://www.polishedbliss.co.uk/acatalog/caring-for-interior-surfaces.html

If you go into a showroom and look at a £100,000 car you wil probably still see real leather. There is no chance of confusing it with the 'leather' in ordinary cars.

Totally agree with the above. The leather is one of the cost saving areas on the skoda compared to say, even a Tiguan - that felt far more supple and thicker with a nicer, more natural grain. On the Yeti, a fair amount of it isnt actually even leather, its leatherette as most probably realise.

I'm tempted to go with the Meguiars stuff as per dbg400, I really only need to do the seat cushion on the drivers seat as its showing some signs of creasing and shine, so hopefully this might help.

I'm tempted to go with the Meguiars stuff as per dbg400, I really only need to do the seat cushion on the drivers seat as its showing some signs of creasing and shine, so hopefully this might help.

Silly question perhaps but why wouldnt you take another 60 seconds to clean and protect the rest of the seat whilst doing it? And also the remaining leather/leatherette in the cabin?!

Use Meguiarsa Gold Class Rich Leather cleaner/conditioner - however not on the Yeti(fabric covers) but on Ikea leather swivel Poangs, these were in poor condition when bought on the well known auction site, having very polished surfaces and also were very stiff to the touch, the above cream was used with several applications - now the covers are back very supple with a slight sheen - this treatment has also been used on nap finishes also with no adverse effect!

Do not use conditioner on car seat leather - complete waste of time and you will normally end up with a greasy shiny finish.

Use a leather cleaner, such as Dr Leather wipes or the products from LTT leather solutions and use a protector to seal the cleaned surface.

You will then have a lovely matt finish.

Ok,

It got be better of me and I went to Halfords and bought the Maguiars stuff.

Very easy to use and no odour, started with the drivers seat and ended doing the rest too. Had a bit of a panic at thru start as it looked to have given the seats a bit of shine however on final wipe with a clean dry cloth it dulled down to more matt, probably not as matt as new but it still has some drying out to do.

If I get a chance will post picture.

Will confirm if the seats have melted by tomorrow.

Well, when I were a wee laddy I used to keep my trusty leather football in tip top condition by giving it a good seeing to with Dubbin, wonder what effect that would have on my 'leather' seats :think:

Managed to get some pictures this morning, not the best quality I'm afraid..as you can see some creasing on the drivers side although iirc they were there from new. The Maguiars certainly helped the slight polished parts on the edges of the side sqauts.

I am still awaiting my Gobi interior Yeti so cannot comment on this as yet. But I do have a five year old Octavia L & K 145k on the clock and apart from some slight scuffs on the outer drivers seat (cream leather), when cleaned they look as good as new. I assume the backs etc. are vinyl and I can confirm they also clean up well, do not mark or show signs of cracking etc. I have based my new car order on the quality of the Octavia interior, I assume and hope that the Skoda materials and build quality have been maintained