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I was wondering what product to use to clean and persevere my C7 dash. I used to just dust it but get a couple of drops of glass cleaner on it and plain water will not get a couple of small spots out.. Thanks, Mike
Good question. I've heard on here several times not to use conditioner, however I'd be using something to help guard against the dreaded 3LT 'dash leather shrink' that many develop.
I've used this product and couldn't be happier. Normally Im not a fan of 2 or 3 in 1 products, but as usual, Meguiars offers a great product. I will say, that it adds a bit of a shine to the leather, but you can just wipe with a microfiber towel to remove the shine if its not to your liking.
Then once done, to protect the leather, (to also help avoid the 3LT stretch) I use this lotion, which just makes the leather feel very soft and smooth:
I thought leather had that thin layer of whatever on top so conditioners did not work?
^ Agree
Many, many threads on this. Search is your friend. However, many of us use Areospace 303 to provide for some UV protection. Most just use a damp microfiber towel as recommended by GM.
Total Interior by Chemical Guys. OEM look, not greasy, not shiney, cleans, provides UV protection, disinfects, and is an all around awesome interior cleaner. I'm not a fan of the deep wet gloss look. I had some dirt on my center console and this cleaned it right up and looks factory. Everyone that's tried the product has loved it.
The dash has a plastic type coating on it like the other "leather" portions of the car. WATER ONLY ON MICROFIBER! If you need something stronger use a mild cleaner. Any of that other junk you coat the coating will attract dust, and you will find yourself in a viscous circle of cleaning your dashboard regularly. There is no product that "soaks" into the leather on the dashboard to condition it.
Last edited by joemessman; 07-12-2018 at 01:36 PM.
1) Leather Care: Only use water and a micro towel.
2) Leather Clean: The OP wants to remove spots left by window cleaner. Use mild soapy water with a micro towel and clean. Finish by wiping over with clean water and a micro towel.
I know GM says to not use anything, but they don't care how your interior looks after 5-10 years, it only needs to hold up for 3 years in their eyes.
Harsh cleaners/detergents are obviously no good as they will damage the plastic coating, but putting something on that provides UV protection and something that helps prevent the plastic coating from drying out would be beneficial in my opinion.
I used protectants on my WS6 for 13 years and when I sold it the interior looked brand new.
^^^^ The plastic coating on the "leather" contains UV properties. No need to smear on additional products. And your interior would have looked brand new anyway by just wiping it down with a damp microfiber periodically.
Im in no position to argue with Tadge, however, lets just use some common sense. You can CLEARLY see any version of Vette (especially the older Vettes (C4/C5) where everyone claims the Vette leather is covered with a protective coating...however, there are WAY too may Vettes out there that have cracked, wrinkled and worn leather and other Vettes of the exact same year, that the leather looks brand new. Do you honestly think that's because someone used better "soap & water"?
Of the hundreds of Vettes I've seen at Car Shows over the years, clean interiors have always sparked my interest. I've always taken the time to ask the owners of the Vettes with leather that looked like crap and the leather that looked brand new...100% of the folks I've spoken too with crappy worn leather all said - "yeah I never used anything on my leather cause I was told there was no benefit to using leather cleaning/conditioners". In addition, 100% of the owners I spoke to with like new leather interiors (not just clean - Im talking SHOW winning interiors) all said they use some type of cleaner and conditioner on their leather with regularity.
I use cleaners and conditioners with regularity on all my Vettes and both of my C4s, my C5 Vert and now my C7 all had/have interiors that looked like they just came out of Bowling Green factory (no cracks, no wear spots, no rips).
Now you can look at this information how you please - its your car, your leather. To me, this is proof enough that no matter what protective coating GM uses, leather gets dried out, worn out and stretches - water and soap will NEVER protect your leather from age and use - but cleaners and conditioners will give you at least an improved chance of your leather standing the test of time... Personally Id rather use these products and (so far) never have leather issues vs not use them, and wish I had.
07-12-2018, 01:45 AM
C7 3LT leather dash care
