Cleaning and Detailing Questions

Stan

Stan

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What is recommended for leather cleaner / conditioner?
My seats are in great shape and want to keep them that way.

What is recommended for undercarriage cleaning (springs, shocks etc)?

Is wheel wax as good as anything else?

Thanks
 
Stevehose said:
Forleather I use Leatherique Prestine Clean and Rejuvinator:

http://www.leatherique.com/

For wheels I use Sonax cleaner, for me wheel wax takes too long to do on Alpinas.

For dirty stuff like shocks and springs I use Simple Green.
Click to expand...


+1 on Leatherique products, simple green diluted with water 50/50 works great on wheels, don't really need wheel wax.
 
I don't know if this brand is available in US, but in my daily driver car for couple years i am using Gliptone, my leather is black so i use combination GT11 (cleaner + soft horse hair brush) + GT12 (conditioner).
After couple layers of GT12 - leather in touch is soft, look satin/matte & smell as newly produced leather.
For lighter leather colors as far as i know they recommend GT13 + GT15
 
I think I need to take the wheels off to rely clean the barrel. So I f I don't want to do that often, I am thinking wax after cleaning. Logical?
 
For leather, my favorite is Zaino (Z9 for cleaner, Z10 for conditioning). I love the feel and aroma.
 
Stan, for leather seats I find the best polish can be accomplished by using the heat and shape of a properly postured 24-27 year old girl weighing no more than 119 lbs. at a height of 5'7" as a passenger. This is the proper technique for all fine leather cleaning and buffing. As with all leather products you should test on a small sample where no one can see to be sure-
Similar results can be accomplished in the rear seats using the same method however the driver's seating area may require the above with a modicum of intelligence and coordination. In your area I do not know who sells this product but you may be able to find it on craigslist under "casual encounters".

Best of luck!
 
Sorry I am about to get really nerdy and I apologize in advance.

For leather I actually like Lexol products but I have heard Sonax has a really nice cleaner/conditioner. After they are clean I highly recommend Gyeon Leather coat after they are clean. I did my m3 seats about two years ago and they are still really clean and no blue jean transfer.

As for the wheels, I like Adams Wheel cleaner. Its PH neutral, so it wont strip waxes and sealants but its strong enough to clean them really well. I seal my wheels with Jescar powerlock and it seems to hold up well. I also use it on the paint as a base sealant, then top with Collinite 845 and Beadmaker after the first maintenance wash... Here is my 02 after the last wash.

Untitled by Nick Wood, on Flickr

As for the fender wells and under side, I use Simple Green Extreme and steam. The Extreme version is their aviation formula so it is safe for aluminum and will not promote corrosion. My steamer is probably the second best detailing product I have purchased. Not only is it great for indoor use with the car on the lift but since old bmws are prone to rust, it doesn't force a bunch of water into cracks and crevasses. Here are a couple of pics from when I detailed the underside of my m3.

Before.
Untitled by Nick Wood, on Flickr

After.
Untitled by Nick Wood, on Flickr

If you get a good steam cleaner, you can actually clean everything from the leather to the undercarriage. Again, sorry for being nerdy but I love detailing.
 
I have to say I love Sonax wheel cleaner, no issues with wheel finish and it smells good also (a lot of products have an addictive smell these days).

WRT leather, I have Lexol but also use a British product Connolly Hide Care.

I have a steam cleaner, I found it can remove the dye from the leather on newer cars, have not tried it on my vintage bimmers.
 
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I use a combination of Lexol Leather Cleaner and Zymol Leather Conditioner, Zymol is the best smelling stuff on the market. For wheels I use a product called Opti-Coat Ferex which turns purple with brake dust. Also use a small wool brush from Griot's to clean the basket weaves or spokes. Then Zymol Coat to keep the wheels easier to clean next time. Before that was available, I used I used Zymol Creame wax.

For undercarriage and Waxoyl drips & runs Simple Green works great.

Chrome, only use NevR Dull and a good carnuba wax to seal it & micro fiber cloths, they are one time use. Do not use Chrome Polish, Noxon Polish, Simichrome or Flitz or kind of steel or brass wool.
 
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