Cheap Gm Leather

[90zxdriver]

Yes, our trucks have leather and I use the term loosely. It feels like more of a plastic/vinyl than leather. Sit in a Lexus, Mercedes or a vehicle with Katzkin and you will know what I'm talking about.

 

I have tried numerous products from many different manufactures but they have never really done anything... just kind of clean it up. So, I'm asking does anybody have any tips/tricks or know of any products to make these GM leather seats feel like the soft subtle leather found in higher end cars. I'm thinking the old saying "you can't shine a sneaker" is going to prove true here but I figured I'd see if anybody else who has these seats has found a proven method for improving them.

 

So lets hear it.

[chris B]

Yes, our trucks have leather and I use the term loosely. It feels like more of a plastic/vinyl than leather. Sit in a Lexus, Mercedes or a vehicle with Katzkin and you will know what I'm talking about.

 

I have tried numerous products from many different manufactures but they have never really done anything... just kind of clean it up. So, I'm asking does anybody have any tips/tricks or know of any products to make these GM leather seats feel like the soft subtle leather found in higher end cars. I'm thinking the old saying "you can't shine a sneaker" is going to prove true here but I figured I'd see if anybody else who has these seats has found a proven method for improving them.

 

So lets hear it.

 

I use Zaino leather cleaner and conditioner and it does a good job but you are never going to get cheap leather to feel like quality leather

[built04SS]

saddle soap works good keeps it from rinkling up too

[Dylan06SS]

The truth of the matter is that its just a really low grade hide and unless you own a bentley, rolls royce, or other uber high end vehicle you're never going to actually TOUCH leather in your interior. I believe the back seat isn't even leather... I'm fairly certain the back bench in my 2004 was 100% vinyl.

 

All the major manufactures for a long time now have been apply a clear urethane coating to the leather, the reason is 2 fold:

 

1) Aesthetics. The leather used is pocked, scarred, uneven, and lumpy b/c it comes from low grade hides. To mask those imperfections the urethane product is sprayed on like stucco texturing. Even then in some cases you'll see all the flaws. The drivers seat in my TBSS had marks that looked like someone had put out cigarettes on the skin of the cow they used to make mine.

 

2) Durability. Most people buying a $20, $30, $40, even $80,000 vehicle won't take proper care of the interior. As a result the seats will fade, discolor, stretch, etc. and they (manufactures) would end up replacing interiors under warranty due to consumer incompetence. The urethane coating is low maintenance and will withstand lack of care for much longer without showing signs of failure like a raw leather surface would.

 

The hides used in REALLY high end interiors that actually are uncoated leather come from cows that are raised in pens without barbed wire or thorn bushes. They're processed differently and handled differently... and the cost reflects that.

 

But, I digress... b/c there isn't actual LEATHER to be cared for in your interior you don't need a leather specific product. You need products to clean and protect the surfaces, but adding lanolin (animal fat) like many brands of products do, or oils, or claiming to "feed" the leather is a bunch of BS. The stuff you'll be applying to your seats will never come into direct contact with actual leather, it will simply be riding along on top of that urethane coating.

 

Thats why our 'leather products' are both called "Leather & INTERIOR Cleaner or Conditioner" You can use them on every hard surface of the interior like door panels, the dash, seats, arm rests, etc. Our conditioner has an SPF 65 so it does a fantastic job of doing the most important job - keeping your interior protected from UV fade. Also it dries to a nice low gloss finish and doesn't feel greasy or oily like a lot of the lanolin or silicone based products do.

Edited November 8, 2010 by Dylan@Adams (see edit history)

[Hankg42]

This subject is discussed a LOT on the Corvette Forum too. Maybe the #1 complaint about the C6 is the "quality" of the interior. That and the fact that the leather is coated and leather conditioners do nothing to help.

 

That being said, I use Zaino Z-10 (which also says it works on vinyl). If nothing else, it smells great!

[misterp]

 

There is no 'improving' the factory 'leather' in our trucks, because it's not real leather. The only thing you can do is to upgrade it, replace the seat covers with Katzkin covers. This is why I love the interior of the older Ford King Ranch super-dually trucks, the seats were *actual* saddle leather. I use the Zaino leather conditioner only because I love the smell of the mink oil, because the pores of the GM leather interior are sealed it doesn't really *do* any conditioning!

 

Mr. P.

[Fireman31]

If you do regular maintenance on your leather, it will look great for a long time, especially if you have taken great care of it since day 1. I have done regular maintenance on my leather ever since I bought my SS new. I still get compliments to this day that the interior of my SS looks new even though I have had the truck almost 4-1/2 years and 54,000 miles. I clean the leather every 3-4 weeks with a 50/50 water and Woolite mix, and condition it with Mother's Leather Conditioner(i like the way it smells lol).

[1BAD2K]

I had the same issue and almost gave up. I tried leatherique, which is what we use mostly in our ferrari and lambos customers cars, due to no one else wanting to pay for the service, and It made the seat much softer and more supple. Not a super cheap product, but for the initial cost of the supplies I would say well worth it. I couldnt find anything else that would give me the feel I wanted and not leave my seat looking like someone spilled a bucket of greasy fried chicken in them lol.