Help ! I Have Applied Compound My My Leather Seats.

[tahir]

I guess this might be the blunder of all blunders posted on this site. I was going to clean my leather seats and grabbed a bottle of Meguiar's Ultimate Compound instead of Gold Class Rich Leather. Bottles are exactly the same, but the labels.

After about 3 hours as I was putting things away, I noticed the mistake. Immediately, I cleaned the seats with a blend of H2O and Woolite, About 5-1. Wiped it down really good and then generously rubbed Gold Class Rich Leather.

My, question is, have I damaged the leather? What can I do to recover from any chemical reactions it might take place next few weeks? Luckily I did not use a lot of pressure while applying compound. Leather does not look damaged but has a bright shine now. Color is safe too, luckily.

Please help.

[sali47]

I guess this might be the blunder of all blunders posted on this site. I was going to clean my leather seats and grabbed a bottle of Meguiar's Ultimate Compound instead of Gold Class Rich Leather. Bottles are exactly the same, but the labels.

After about 3 hours as I was putting things away, I noticed the mistake. Immediately, I cleaned the seats with a blend of H2O and Woolite, About 5-1. Wiped it down really good and then generously rubbed Gold Class Rich Leather.

My, question is, have I damaged the leather? What can I do to recover from any chemical reactions it might take place next few weeks? Luckily I did not use a lot of pressure while applying compound. Leather does not look damaged but has a bright shine now. Color is safe too, luckily.

Please help.

Oh Boy! I would suggest you contact the dealer on this one and ask to speak to the detailers at the dealership. they might be able to help you out by giving you the right advice on what to do next or perhaps look to see what they can do to remove any issues you might have on the seats.

Sometimes, you can also contact the manufacturer of the polish and ask their help center to help resolve the problem you're having.

good luck to you!

Ali

[SKperformance]

Dealer will have no clue , go to a proper detailing shop and say the finish looks funny btu don't say why and see what they say.

[amcdonal86]

I'd probably go ahead and used Lexol pH Balanced Leather Cleaner. It's available at most auto parts stores.

[Marklouis]

after you get your situation straightened out, good maintanance on Leather seats is simply wipe down with a damp cloth every so often to keep the moisture in them. The UV protectant is already applied to the surface colored layer for protection at the leather factory, as it is for most of your interior parts. im not saying its bad to use leather products on your seats, but it's time consuming to apply that stuff.

i would definately use the Lexol pH Balanced Leather Cleaner as amcdonal86 suggests - good stuff for surface contanimants and scuffs.

let us know what you discover!

;)

[jcrome04]

I definitely would not hide what happened from anyone if you're looking for help.

Generously use a pH balanced leather cleaner. Then apply a ton of leather conditioner. Maybe like 3-4 thick coats.

[tahir]

Thanks all for your input. I did examine my leather seats in Sunlight today. I am surprised that compound did not harm them much. The only place where I rubbed real hard to remove a stain has a very slight discoloration and that portion is also very shiny. Over all shine has diminished quite a bit. The compound is not oil based therefore I think it will not clog the leather pores.

I will be busy until next weekend and won’t have any time to work on my car. But as soon as I get a chance I will use leather cleaner, as some of you have suggested, and conditioner for next three four weeks.

The compound also got into creases and I think it will be almost impossible to remove compound from there. My fear is that crease might start to break and after a few months pop open my seats like a ‘Toilet Lid’…. lol I am still a little worried but not as much as I was last night. Thanks all.

I will update you guys in a few weeks, how my seats behave.

[90LS400Lexus]

Never know, you may have invented a new cleaner for the seats that will make them last forever.... or not.

Sorry, I have no clue- I hope you have not destroyed them.

Keep us posted!

[HRP]

I guess this might be the blunder of all blunders posted on this site. I was going to clean my leather seats and grabbed a bottle of Meguiar's Ultimate Compound instead of Gold Class Rich Leather. Bottles are exactly the same, but the labels.

After about 3 hours as I was putting things away, I noticed the mistake. Immediately, I cleaned the seats with a blend of H2O and Woolite, About 5-1. Wiped it down really good and then generously rubbed Gold Class Rich Leather.

My, question is, have I damaged the leather? What can I do to recover from any chemical reactions it might take place next few weeks? Luckily I did not use a lot of pressure while applying compound. Leather does not look damaged but has a bright shine now. Color is safe too, luckily.

Please help.

A comment and a couple of suggestions:

Comment: Most automobiles are much tougher than we credit them. Leather seats in the average care are horribly abused by kids, teenagers, and uncaring adults; not to mention the rental units, and absurd climate changes, snow, ice, salt, time, etc. A single error like yours probably will not do any significant damage as long as you rectify it appropriately. I would doubt that you did any significant damage. 10 years of wear and tear in Texas is probably much harsher than a single application of Meguiars Ultimate Compound.

Suggestion: Also post your question on Autopia.org These discussion forums offer comments and suggstion from amateur to professional detailers and it is unlikely that your "goof" is something really uncommon. And the response is usually rapid with cogent suggestions and recommendations.

Would also contact Meguiars since they have probably seen and dealt this problem before as the product containers are essentially the same.

Ditto for Lexol, Leatherique, etc.

Please report back with responses and your results.

[SW03ES]

If you understand how compound works it will help you a lot. Compounds are abrasive, and they work when being worked into the paint surface to remove scratches and such. They don't do anything when they sit on the paint. So applying them to the leather and letting them sit shouldn't hurt the seats really.

I would go get a very soft toothbrush and a good leather cleaner, Lexol works well. Get a nice microfiber sponge and wet it with the Lexol (I use a bucket of warm water to rinse the sponge) and wipe down the seats using the toothbrush to clean out the creases. Then wipe the seats down well. I have a feeling that will clean out your seams and restore the matte finish to the leather.

The poster was correct really when they said conditioner wasn't really needed, automotive leather is coated so not much can really be absorbed anyways.