[Roma]

Just a word of warning to anyone considering Ivory Leather or already has it. After spending a lot of time in the car over the last few weeks I have noticed that some dye from my and/or my wife's clothing has transferred to the leather at the bottom of the seat back - the last two inches. This is on both of the front seats.

I only spotted it when I was treating and conditioning the seats yesterday. Luckily it's hardly noticeable at the moment but will be very difficult to remove and will probably require professional cleaning eventually.

On the plus side, a few other smudge marks came off fairly easily so the Ivory Leather still looks as good today as the day that I collected the car (apart from the dye transfer strip at the bottom of the front seat backs).

I imagine this will also be a problem with the other lighter coloured leather seats. Check the area where the bottom of the seat back meets the seat squab (the bit you sit on) and let us know if you have a problem with dye transfer too.

I'll be ordering some good-quality leather cleaning fluid to see if these marks can be removed.

 

[penultimateblack]

Roma, are you sure colouring is not caused by small fibre particles? I treated the Champagne leather in my car with Croftgate Leather Protector on day one. So far it has done what the label says as the seats are still as new.

 

[Roma]

It may well be fibres trapped in the leather. I haven't had a chance to look at it properly and have assumed it to be dye tranfer. Perhaps next weekend I will try to remove the marks.

I have a friendly village car dealer a short walk away from my home. I had a chat with him this morning and he's got some Gliptone leather cleaner that he suggests will work wonders. He's given me a used bottle of it and it has enough in it to treat the marked area (which is about 6 inches wide and two inches high).

 

[penultimateblack]

Having used Gliptone leather cleaner and conditioner on my 1954 MG TF for years, I am wary about using it on the high quality leather in the XF. It leaves behind the smell of old leather, which is appropriate for classic cars and old sofas. but not a modern XF. It's also very thick and a bit harsh so it's liable to clog up the holes in the leather. The dealer gave me a complementary bottle of Jaguar Spray Cleaner / Conditioner which has the consistency of water so it won't leave any residue behind.

 

[Pounder]

Witch leather cleaner would be best for the XF?
I hope you can remove your stains Roma.
Keep us posted!

 

[penultimateblack]

Witch leather cleaner would be best for the XF?
I hope you can remove your stains Roma.
Keep us posted!

Go for the Jaguar cleaner conditioner. It smells good and is not greasy.

 

[Roma]

I have ordered the following:

1 x Gliptone Liquid Leather Gentle Cleaner Spray - 600ml () = £5.99
1 x Gliptone Liquid Leather Conditioner - 1Litre () = £19.99
1 x Leather Cleaning Brush () = £1.99
1 x Gliptone Liquid Leather Intensive Cleaner - 1 Litre () = £14.99

I believe that the Jaguar leather cleaner spray is rebadged Gliptone Liquid Leather Gentle Cleaner Spray. This is a very mild leather cleaning spray and good for a quick spruce up of the leather.

However, I need to get the dye out of the ivory leather so need something a touch stronger (Gliptone Liquid Leather Intensive Cleaner). I'll only be using it on the stained area which is the solid area below the perforations. I'll use the soft cleaning brush to agitate the cleaner and let it dwell for a few minutes. Hopefully it'll do the trick.

 

[penultimateblack]

This good advice is on the detailing world website.

You need to use a good quality water based foam leather cleaner. With light coloured leather dye transfer from clothing can be a problem although using a good quality leather protector will help inhibit this.

DO NOT use anything containing oils, waxes or silicones. (Most 'conditioners' contain waxes or oils) Most car cleaners/conditioners contain oils or waxes so should not be used as they leave residues on the surface of the leather which attract more dirt which eventually leads to cracking.

Water based products will keep your leather supples as they rehydrate it.

You should also follow cleaning with a good water based leather protector which will act like a 'scotchgard' and inhibit dirt and stains from being absorbed and make cleaning easier the next time.

Dry leather needs rehydrating with water. Oils and waxes should not be used as the natural oils do not dry out of leather. Wiping over with a damp cloth regularly will also help to do this.

It is important to maintain a regular cleaning regime cleaning dirt off the surface regularly and inhibiting the absorption of body oils into the leather with a protector is the best way of doing this. The only 'moisturizer' a leather needs is from water.

A maintenance product which combines an effective cleaner with a protector is quick and easy to use and can be used as a maintenance product once your leather has been cleaned or from new if you have just bought it.

Using incorrect care products is usually the cause of deterioration in the leather as unfortunately most car care products contain waxes and oils or silicones which do not do the leather any good.

 

[t2dav]

yes and using baby wipes also helps

 

[RPB1]

Jeans are the worst offenders for this - similar experience with my BMW which has very light beige soft nappa leather. If demin gets wet from the rain the passenger seat turns blue! It comes off easily with a baby wipe and (I not recommending this) but also a light solution of fairy liquid/soap solution leather comes up as new!

Richard

 

[XF Man]

i have i ivory seats and i've noticed that my seats have becasue blueish i've just use wet paper tissue and it came out , it was my jeans which did that