# Shoe Polish...on leather seats?



## JAMason (Dec 13, 2011)

Something that has been suggested to me by a fellow Audi owner over on Audi srs... My seats are a bit old and showing it now as you can see in the below photo










I cream them once or twice a week and they go a nice matte color but the splits are still there! I dont have the time to be buying and adding a dye to the seats, i use it EVERY day. Just after a fix i can spend some time doing every time i wash the car to clean it up a little bit! 

Jack


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## Tare071 (Oct 27, 2011)

JAMason said:


> Something that has been suggested to me by a fellow Audi owner over on Audi srs... My seats are a bit old and showing it now as you can see in the below photo
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Majority of white lines in the leather are actually stuck dirt. Just take warm soapy water and soft brush and rub it in circular way and 90% of those lines will go away. Do that on a warm day or get your seats heated up if you have heating in the seats. After thorough cleaning use glipton liquid leather (ebay is your friend) and threat the seats. If you prefer cheaper solutions go and buy vaseline and rub it in........vaseline is great for the leather.
Shoe polish? NO NO NO NO !
First of all majority of shoe polishing stuff makes your leather sticky and it gives it glossy finish and original seats and leather in your car should look more matte and not shimmery.
Also rubbing your seats too often is not good, two times a year cleaning is more than enough.


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## Phil_RS (Mar 2, 2010)

I would also check out http://www.lttsolutions.co.uk/ and their auto specific products


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## jamman (May 6, 2002)

I will be honest if you don't even have the time to dye the seats you should prob just live with them because what they need are a very good deep down clean then conditioning but that takes a lot of time to do a good job.

http://www.liquidleather.com/liquidl.htm

viewtopic.php?f=31&t=115681


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## conlechi (May 6, 2006)

Another vote here for liquid leather , cleaner then condiioner , smells great too


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## neil_audiTT (Sep 1, 2010)

I've used shoe polish in the past. Does work well but you have to keep on applying it to build the hide back up again!


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## aaron_tt (Sep 18, 2012)

neil_audiTT said:


> I've used shoe polish in the past. Does work well but you have to keep on applying it to build the hide back up again!


+1 have done it a few times myself too, works fairly well with abit of time


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## Gazzer (Jun 12, 2010)

yeah i use chip fat on mine for the shine :roll:


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## Paulj100 (Mar 24, 2009)

conlechi said:


> Another vote here for liquid leather , cleaner then condiioner , smells great too


+1 for liquid leather but as said before don't rush it just take your time. Great results .


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## JAMason (Dec 13, 2011)

Thanks for the tips guys!  I will look into that liquid leather stuff you have all listed and mentioned instead of cutting corners! I can make time for cleaning, I enjoy that sort of thing when it comes to cars. What I don't enjoy is things like dyeing leather and making a bigger mess than I started with and having to remove my seats for 2-3 days while it all drys out and sets!!

Jack


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## chassmash (Feb 16, 2012)

Gazzer said:


> yeah i use chip fat on mine for the shine :roll:


 :lol:


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## cam_d_ (Feb 24, 2013)

are all TT seats heated?


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## JAMason (Dec 13, 2011)

I'm not sure. Mine are, and iv not seen one with out the heated seats, but then iv not sat in many!


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## JAMason (Dec 13, 2011)

Shoe polish is a NO NO! But color match Leather Restoration cream works a treat! My dad gave me a pot he has for his old work shoes, tole me to try it on our old Celica GT convertible while i was washing it and BOOM! It worked a treat, the leather has a nice mat finish and not a polished look, it doesn't rub off on your clothes and any cracks or splits were stained black again. Did my TT seats last weekend and this is them now! 

Before: (This is them clean by the way...just washed them with leather cleaner!)









After:


















They arent perfect and are still wrinkled but noticeable better in the color and no longer full of brown splits. So for those looking for a cheap and easy fix...Timpsons leather restoration cream works!

Jack


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## Pugwash69 (Jun 12, 2012)

Gazzer said:


> yeah i use chip fat on mine for the shine :roll:


What a waste of good chip fat. 

Liquid leather does suggest keeping the seats warm and dry whilst it works, but I had mine in the livingroom for a few days.


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## Mr. 1576 (Jul 7, 2009)

I work in the shoe care industry. While there may be a vast rainbow of fashion colours around - one of which may suit the colour of your leather seats, I'll tell you now that the majority of readily available shoe polishes, whether they are creams or waxes, have colour transfer issues. You can ruin trousers and shirts if you're not careful.

I would certainly not advise shoe polish use on leather seats. You'd be rubbing against the surface all the time...


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## JAMason (Dec 13, 2011)

Mr. 1576 said:


> I work in the shoe care industry. While there may be a vast rainbow of fashion colours around - one of which may suit the colour of your leather seats, I'll tell you now that the majority of readily available shoe polishes, whether they are creams or waxes, have colour transfer issues. You can ruin trousers and shirts if you're not careful.
> 
> I would certainly not advise shoe polish use on leather seats. You'd be rubbing against the surface all the time...


Like i said, shoe polish is a NO NO for that exact reason. I used a leather renovation cream. Its like liquid leather and after i applied it i left it for a day on the celica, went back to it with a white cloth and rubbed the area really hard and there was no transfer from it.  Last thing i wanted to do was wreck my suit trousers!

Jack


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## jnwright71 (Apr 28, 2012)

Dyeing is not really an issue or time consuming. I bought some baseball leather dye from Dynamix and used it to refurbish the bolster and over stitching on my drivers seat. It took less than an hour and one year on the results are still near perfect. All you need do is clean the seats well using a good quality cleaner, then sponge on the colour and allow to dry (about 10-15 mins per coat). Allow to cure fully over a couple of days (you can use the car normally and there will be no colour transfer), then I lightly treated mine with conditioner. I also used some fine wet and dry paper to smooth out any rough areas and to remove the staining / black marks before dyeing.

Dynamix have all the Audi leather colours available and do small bottles from £10 upwards.

Cheers, James


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