Allow me to explain what brought me to this question to detailing gurus.

A few weeks ago I bought leather skins for my xk8, and the kit came with a new armrest piece as well. Well, that armrest broke in several spots internally, so I decided to just purchase a new armrest w/ cupholder, fully assembled in the factory color. Well, factory color DOVE isn't available at the regular price of $225, I was told its 'in production' in the UK, and price is $500 and change. As such, I chose to get my next closest color (Nimbus Grey) thinking because the headliner and a-pillars are in that, but alas, it looks too strange not matching the center console. Soooooooooooooooo, I asked an upholstery shop to dye it to the OEM color. Now, my experience with dye in the past has been rather disappointing, the areas not lasting longer than 6 months; the regular leather cleaning/conditioning often rubs the color off. I use Leatherique cleaner, from their 2-part detox and clean kit and a Zaino conditioner.

I suppose I have two questions related to this.

(1) When I get it back, is there a particular cleaner that I should use that may be more safe when dealing with any spot removal, or general dirt/dust cleaning?

(2) Is there a product that I can apply over the newly dyed surface, even if it leaves a little sheen, that will act as a barrier or protectant layer over the leather?

I'm off to google!

 

I would contact Leatherique for their guidance. Their site covers some of the Q&A's you have regarding redyed leather. I just purchased their rejuvinator and cleaner--hope to use it when it gets a little warmer. Good Luck!

 

The pigmentation usually used is water-based, so it makes sense to use a water-based cleaning product like Leather Master™ or LT Leather Care (LTT)

Leather Master™ Soft Touch (ex Vital) - (Not for use with N-Nubuck / Alcantara) This is NOT a conditioner per se but is used to improve and maintain the tactile feel and lustre by rehydration and to ensure the leather remains soft and supple. This product is often used when doing repair work to help soften the area being worked on and to dilute the pigmentation (colour) providing a more ‘even’ colour finish.

 

water based product huh, thanks.. I'll check out the Master and Care products, maybe specifically for use on this redyed piece.

 

h20boy

I would definitely suggest taking the least aggressive approach to cleaning and maintaining those areas of your vehicle. Knowing that a cosmetic fix or repair has been acomplished, especially a leather dye or color change I would just keep the area clean on a regular basis using a MF towel that has been rinsed in warm water and wrung out. You would be amazed of the capabilties that MF has without out any chemicals or cleaners.

MF towels pack more punch than conventional towels and some brushes. Suppose you want to clean an interior of a vehicle, door panels and dash areas as quickly and thoroughly as you can. You could use a toothbrush, but it would take you forever. So probably you'd opt to use the biggest brush with the most bristles you can find. Most of us know that ordinary cleaning cloths have fibers made of cotton or a synthetic material such as nylon. You've seen pieces of cotton so you know exactly how big the fibers are. But a microfiber cloth has far more fibers and they're much smaller. If "many hands make light work", so do many fingers—or many micro-fibers.

Microfibers are able to get a better grip of tiny dirt particles that bigger fibers in conventional towels would just pass over. There are natural adhesive forces that happen (forces of attraction) between tiny fibers and tiny particles of dirt called van der Waals forces. (Van der Waals forces are the things that stick geckos to ceilings using tiny hairs in their feet.) The van der Waals force between each MF and each dirt spec is pretty tiny, but when there are a whole lot of these fibers the effect is multiplied tremendously. Dust, dirt, and bacteria naturally cling to the microfibers and are retained in the towel with these magic little fingers.

Microfiber cloths for this reason must be cleaned very thoroughly on a regular basis. (I always following the manufacturer's instructions for cleaning my MF towels. Generally, the best method for me is to wash them in hot water with detergent on a "Heavy Duty" cycle then one last rinse cycle. Don't use bleach or fabric softeners which will clog up the fibers and reduce their effectiveness.)

The fact that you will be using no chemicals or cleaners will reduce the chance of any damage ocurring to this sensitve area, and the advantage is you will be cleaning this area with the power of forces...."mechanically not chemically"....Give it a try, you have nothing to loose.....

FYI-Important

When cleaning leather or any sensitive surface, always test clean an inconspicuous spot for results. Although MF is soft, it is a very effective tool for cleaning, and if used over aggresively it can remove the top protective coat of the leather or the color, therefore be gentle when using these towels.

 

I advise you to use caution if using Microfiber to clean or apply leather care products, if there are any weak areas of the urethane pigmentation the tiny hooks inherent in Microfiber can easily catch and remove it. Especially with older finished leather or a surface where soiling has been allowed to build up as it is this that damages the leather finish so any cleaning process is also likely to remove the finish/pigmentation

Microfiber consists of hydrophobic Polyester (a scrubbing fibre) and a hydrophilic Polyamide (an absorbing fibre) this nylon hybrid is created during weaving to create microscopic loops, which form a network of tiny hooks, scrubbing away dirt and grime.