Dustin Cropsboy
Member
I`m not a detailer, I`m a total noob... I just bought a 2018 Toyota and I want to protect the light red leather interior.
I seek a product that will (in order of priority for me)
I.) Not remove the red color of the leather or damage it in any way,
II.) Prevent the red seats from being discolored from dirt and skin oils,
III.) Help the seats be easier to clean after being subjected to clothing dye transfer,
IV.) Protect against pencil marks, ball point pens, and other abrasions,
V.) Make it possible and easier to clean difficult food (chocolate, grease) and other stains,
VI.) Help preserve against UV damage (vehicle has a panoramic moonrroof over the front and back seats)
VII.) Will preserve a nice matte look and not leave a high-gloss sheen,
VIII.) Won`t smell too nasty.
I`ve looked at so many products and product claims that my head is spinning. So I post this here, to see if anyone has real-world experiences they can share. I think I have it narrowed down to four products:
How would you rank the effectiveness of each of the following products... in your own experience?
1.) CarPro "Cquartz Leather Coating"
2.) LTT "Auto LeatherGuard" or "LTT Auto Protect" (not sure which one to use for light red seats)
3.) Leather Masters` "Leather Protection Creme" + Leather Masters` "Leather Barrier" + Leather Masters` "Ink Stop" (why do they say not to use Barrier on dark-colored leather?)
4.) Gtechniq "Leather Guard L1"
Will any of the above meet at least the top seven items on my wishlist above?
Or should I go with:
A.) Your favorite protectant that I have not discovered yet.
B.) Chemical Guys "Leather Protectant Dry-to-the-Touch Serum"
C.) Gold Eagle "303 Aerospace "Protectant"
D.) Guardsman "Protect and Preserve"
E.) Meguiar`s "Leather Sealer"
I want the most matte finish possible, and the most protection possible.
Would any of the above remove the color?
Would any of the above leave the surface shiny?
Would any of the above not protect as well as the others?
Would any of the above last longer than the others?
Would any of the above smell worse than the others?
Would any of the above have advantages over the others?
Can any of the above be used in layers over each other for any benefits? If so, in what order?
Should any of the above NOT be used together for any reason?
I assume my seats must be coated, I highly doubt they are semianiline, etc. The red leather is also perforated, if that makes a difference.
I live in the U.S.A. and the vehicle was assembled at the Georgetown, Kentucky plant. I have heard Lexus owners have used products on their red leather that removed the red coloring from the seats. So I am leery of just trying multiple products before checking to see if they will mess up the color. As the salesperson was showing me how to use all the buttons, etc.-- AFTER I purchased the car-- she puts the fear of Kiichiro in me: "Pencil marks will NEVER come out of this matte red leather. Chocolate will stain the leather FOREVER. Denim color transfer will be forever PERMANENTLY indigo. Pen marks will NEVER be able to be removed..." and she goes on and on. This wasn`t part of any upsale attempt to try to get us to buy any kind of simonizing or something like that-- so I got legitimately scared.
I`m looking for products that will maintain that nice matte finish (and NOT make it look like greasy vinyl or something) -- but WILL help prevent the staining, marking, abrasion, oil discoloration, food marking, sun fading, and color transferring that the dealer has apparently had so many complaints about and make it easier to clean when the inevitable does occur.
I seek a product that will (in order of priority for me)
I.) Not remove the red color of the leather or damage it in any way,
II.) Prevent the red seats from being discolored from dirt and skin oils,
III.) Help the seats be easier to clean after being subjected to clothing dye transfer,
IV.) Protect against pencil marks, ball point pens, and other abrasions,
V.) Make it possible and easier to clean difficult food (chocolate, grease) and other stains,
VI.) Help preserve against UV damage (vehicle has a panoramic moonrroof over the front and back seats)
VII.) Will preserve a nice matte look and not leave a high-gloss sheen,
VIII.) Won`t smell too nasty.
I`ve looked at so many products and product claims that my head is spinning. So I post this here, to see if anyone has real-world experiences they can share. I think I have it narrowed down to four products:
How would you rank the effectiveness of each of the following products... in your own experience?
1.) CarPro "Cquartz Leather Coating"
2.) LTT "Auto LeatherGuard" or "LTT Auto Protect" (not sure which one to use for light red seats)
3.) Leather Masters` "Leather Protection Creme" + Leather Masters` "Leather Barrier" + Leather Masters` "Ink Stop" (why do they say not to use Barrier on dark-colored leather?)
4.) Gtechniq "Leather Guard L1"
Will any of the above meet at least the top seven items on my wishlist above?
Or should I go with:
A.) Your favorite protectant that I have not discovered yet.
B.) Chemical Guys "Leather Protectant Dry-to-the-Touch Serum"
C.) Gold Eagle "303 Aerospace "Protectant"
D.) Guardsman "Protect and Preserve"
E.) Meguiar`s "Leather Sealer"
I want the most matte finish possible, and the most protection possible.
Would any of the above remove the color?
Would any of the above leave the surface shiny?
Would any of the above not protect as well as the others?
Would any of the above last longer than the others?
Would any of the above smell worse than the others?
Would any of the above have advantages over the others?
Can any of the above be used in layers over each other for any benefits? If so, in what order?
Should any of the above NOT be used together for any reason?
I assume my seats must be coated, I highly doubt they are semianiline, etc. The red leather is also perforated, if that makes a difference.
I live in the U.S.A. and the vehicle was assembled at the Georgetown, Kentucky plant. I have heard Lexus owners have used products on their red leather that removed the red coloring from the seats. So I am leery of just trying multiple products before checking to see if they will mess up the color. As the salesperson was showing me how to use all the buttons, etc.-- AFTER I purchased the car-- she puts the fear of Kiichiro in me: "Pencil marks will NEVER come out of this matte red leather. Chocolate will stain the leather FOREVER. Denim color transfer will be forever PERMANENTLY indigo. Pen marks will NEVER be able to be removed..." and she goes on and on. This wasn`t part of any upsale attempt to try to get us to buy any kind of simonizing or something like that-- so I got legitimately scared.
I`m looking for products that will maintain that nice matte finish (and NOT make it look like greasy vinyl or something) -- but WILL help prevent the staining, marking, abrasion, oil discoloration, food marking, sun fading, and color transferring that the dealer has apparently had so many complaints about and make it easier to clean when the inevitable does occur.
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