UV protection for leather dashboard
 

Hi ,
I live in Perth Western Australia where we have really hot summers and sunny weather for most of the year(lucky me ) Looking out over my dash there is a huge amount of black leather that gets a fair bit of baking most days.Could anyone suggest a good quality product I can apply to reduce UV/heat damage?
Cheers Peter..

Love Perth, what I wouldn't give to be there right now!! Lived in Freemantle for a while many moons ago.

I have not used this product but all the Blackfire products I have used have been absolutely top drawer. BLACKFIRE High-UV Leather Conditioner, leather protectant, leather care

Also, use a reflective sunshade on the windshield while the car is parked in the sun and get the other windows tinted with a UV blocking type tint. That WILL save your leather.

I would go with our new Pinnacle Black Label Leather & Vinyl Coating. It's packed full of UV-blocking nano-polymers, Leather & Vinyl Coating provides longer-lasting protection than traditional water and oil based interior protectants. Nano technology is paving the way to car care longevity.

Check out the thread I just posted about it: Best Protection In Interior Care

Hi AllanG,XJL.
Same here Perth is a great place to live,beautiful weather and clean,getting a bit expensive cost of livingwise, I live just up the road from Freo (wish we had your prices for cars :-( ).
XJL, I have the model and colour as yourself,love the job you did on yours, I have a number of swirl marks on mine and am looking at following your example,bit nervous about it. When. I bought the car I opted and paid for the dealer "paint protection" but haveyet to get it done, going into it a bit deeper I found all they are going to do is apply a sealant then wax over what is already there, so hopefully I can cancel it.. Being a total 100% novice I have a couple of other vechiles I can practice on before I go anywhere near the cat.... already had the tinting done which helped alot.

Cheers Peter

Do NOT let the dealer touch your car. Here in the US dealers are notorious for creating swirls and damaging the clearcoat during their "free car wash." Most people don't care or even notice this but obviously you do. With a black car, you can not take a chance.

Thanks XJL,
This wasn't a freebie, during the purchase I was talked into getting a protection coating and wanting to make sure my new pride and joy has the best I went for it.At the time I thought I was doing well after beating them down from $1500 to $980 for the treatment....And as I said earlier I later found out it is just a sealant and wax job, BTW I have to give the car a wash before dropping it off!!
After seening the marvelous results you acheived I am going to try myself,,
Cheers Peter

Peter,

I agree 100% with XJL!! The dealer will probably run the car through a car wash (ugh!) then have a minimum wage kid dry it with not very clean rags, introducing all manner of horrid swirls. To make it worse, they will then add the paint coating and wax which may temporarily hide some of the said scratches but will seal them in! As the wax wears off after a few weeks, the swirls will become more evident.

Don't be afraid to do this yourself. I posted a thread where I did paint correction on my Jag and I had never done anything like that before. Read up on the process, the Autogeek forum has an amazing amount of information and how to videos.

Then buy your tools and supplies, take your time and you will be amazed at the results. It is not hard but is time consuming (I spent about 80 hours on my admittedly over the top correction project). When you are finished though it is very satisfying!!

Also it is great having a forum like this to be able to ask questions and learn from other Jag owners more experienced at this sort of thing than ourselves :)

Also, at the price they are charging, they are probably putting on a paint coating which is slightly different to a sealant in that it does not wear or wash off during normal use, so those swirls will be locked in until you remove the coating!!

Check this explanation. 3-Categories: Waxes, Paint Sealants and Coatings - Auto Geek Online Auto Detailing Forum

So basically they are going to OptiCoat (or probably another cheaper brand) your car with the existing swirls and marring AFTER you wash it and drive it to the dealer? That sends a multitude of red flags up. You are basically dealing with folks who don't know ANYTHING about detailing at all.

At this point I would ask for a full refund as they have not done the service and they are not qualified to do so. Read up on detaililng and watch some of the videos on the website Allen mentioned and then speak to the General Manager. Explain that the dealership is obviously NOT following the best practices followed by detailing professionals. This is evidenced by the fact that they asked you to wash the car prior to them coating it, will not removing the swirls prior to the coating, etc. If you don't get a refund, call jaguar's corporate office.

Most important point: DO NOT LET THEM TOUCH YOUR CAR (unless it is a mechanical issue and even then do not let them wash your car).

Thanks Guys,
Have informed dealer I was "concerned " about their process and want to cancel it. They said they fully understood my. desire for having my car looking the best it can (swirl removal) , will wait and see how fast they refund my payment..
Although They are still to rectify a fault in the paint on the bonnet ( hood) which isn't noticeable in sunlight ( hence didn't spot it while purchasing) as a warranty job. Will let you know how that goes,same with my swirl issues,will try to post some before and after pics.
Cheers Peter

Can we at least try to keep a thread on topic.

Unless the car has been 'clad' in leather and the skins are from some alien species of animal, they will not have 'swirls'.

Simply, if there is a need to move from dashboard leather to body paint, start a new thread.

From post #4 this thread went West.

Paint is mostly not applied to leather.

Sorry Richard,
Strayed abit there,although the concept of a leather clad car sounds interesting
Cheers Peter