Prepping/Maintaining Everest Gray Leather

I just did a search of this and the maintenance forum and wasn't able to find a real answer (that maintenance forum seems to have a lot of people trying to sell products...)

I am awaiting redelivery of my everest gray-interior 328 sport line. I've never had a leather interior car in my life, only cloth, so I really don't know anything about maintaining it. I guess I really have three questions, although I look to the knowledge of the group to tell me what I don't even know that I don't know!

1. Should I pre-treat it or scotch-guard it when it gets re-delivered?

2. Does anybody have any recommendations on any cleaners to keep on hand to use immediately, should I get a spot or ink or something on it?

3. What kind of ongoing protection/maintenance should I be doing for the leather (including product recommendations), and on what schedule?

Thank you very much. I do understand that these may have been answered in other threads, but I did search and didn't come up with anything useful, so I put it to you all.

Had two BMWs with gray leather. I did very little with it beyond cleaning it with BMW leather cleaner every 6 months. Pretty low effort stuff to keep looking nice.

Two products that have been recommended to me over the years for leather is...

Lexol leather cleaner and conditioner

Leatherique cleaner and restorer.

Basically, keep the leather clean and supple following the manufacturer's instructions.

Originally Posted by OBS3SSION

Two products that have been recommended to me over the years for leather is...

Lexol leather cleaner and conditioner

Leatherique cleaner and restorer.

Basically, keep the leather clean and supple following the manufacturer's instructions.

I agree. My research found that you want to do these three things:

1. clean (use Lexol leather cleaner)
2. condition (use Lexol leather conditioner)
3. protect (I've used 303 Aerospace Protectant with good effect)

I have a 9 year old Audi with black leather and I've never done anything beyond giving it a dash of leather treatment every year. It does help that the car is garaged and doesn't sit out baking in the sun.

The Everest Gray is a very light grayish white color, very nice IMO. Not sure if the lighter color will encompass more cleaning...I've always been an 'ette guy preferring the easy upkeep, so can't add to the previous responses except those recommendations are essentially what I've read.

Any advise if the color is Beiege which types of leather protectant to buy?

I just use BICK 4 on mine

Originally Posted by voip-ninja

I have a 9 year old Audi with black leather and I've never done anything beyond giving it a dash of leather treatment every year. It does help that the car is garaged and doesn't sit out baking in the sun.

I think that's a key point. My M3 was a Florida car for roughly 5 years with a previous owner. I don't think he kept very good care of the car, and I think it sat in the sun. Often. With the top down. Hence, the gray leather is virtually destroyed; hard as a rock, cracked (large single cracks and spiderweb cracks), stained and discolored. Not to mention the wear marks.

I'm now looking into pulling the seats and leather surfaces out of the car and doing a full Leatherique restoration: clean and condition with their cleaning and restorer products, repair with their crack fillers, sanding down the leather, and redyeing it all.

Originally Posted by OBS3SSION

I think that's a key point. My M3 was a Florida car for roughly 5 years with a previous owner. I don't think he kept very good care of the car, and I think it sat in the sun. Often. With the top down. Hence, the gray leather is virtually destroyed; hard as a rock, cracked (large single cracks and spiderweb cracks), stained and discolored. Not to mention the wear marks.

I'm now looking into pulling the seats and leather surfaces out of the car and doing a full Leatherique restoration: clean and condition with their cleaning and restorer products, repair with their crack fillers, sanding down the leather, and redyeing it all.

I guess it comes down to what your time is worth. At least in this part of the US you could probably have the seats completely re-upholstered for maybe $1000.