jatwrite

The seats, obviosly, and the arm rest pads & material right above them. But what about the dash? And the rest of the door panels? (I'm using Leatherique, in part because I want to restore leather scent, but there's no point in trying to get a leather smell from vinyl, right?)

frank

i'd just use a damp cloth on the Plastic parts

2.7tDallas

Vinlyex of 303 works great on that stuff. head over to teh detailing forum

jatwrite

Thanks, but I already have Leatherique; just need to know what parts are leather

2.7tDallas

I thought you were kidding about the dash being leather. You were, right?

jatwrite

I don't recall who it was, and I thought it was a weird claim, but that's what he insisted. And that's why I ASKED about it now; I never said it was leather. In any case, I'm interested in finding out what IS leather so that I can get on with the task at hand, i.e. using Leatherique where it will restore leather scent. (BTW I already put it on front passenger seat; looks clean, but no scent restored yet. I do hope that aspect improves as I continue; otherwise I will have been misled yet again by an AW post, not to mention Leatherique's claims.)

S4M3

To detail something, first you want to clean it (scuff away dirt and grime) and then condition it (apply vinyl, leather dressing).
To clean it you're gonna wanna use an all purpose cleaner. I know some places swear to use their leather cleaners but they are basically an all purpose cleaner diluted to their specifications and probably has some conditioner added. But something like a diluted 409 will work good. If you have the means check out HAMMA all purpose. Say you're doing the door. Do this in the shade. Spray the whole door so it is all wet with cleaner and lightly scuff all the vinyl with some #00 steel wool. The cleaner will provide the lubrication and the 00 steel wool will scrub embedded dirt loose. DO NOT USE anything abrasive on the wood trim or gauge cluster plastic. It's ok to use the steel wool on chrome such as the door handles or exhaust but be careful the door handles are just chrome wrapped. Dry the door with a cotton towel. Then you're gonna need an air compressor to purge the leftover cleaner out of the cracks and crevices with your hi pressure air. Dry the excess cleaner again.
Conditioning - Most vinyl and leather conditioners are close to the same chemicals. Vinyl conditioner is probably cheaper but leather conditioner will smell nicer, be nicer to the touch and probably work the same if not better on vinyl as well. Anyway use that on the vinyl and leather. Don't use any conditioners with silicone as they will be shinier yet will dry out the vinyl. On the wood trim some people say to use a spray wax like Meguiars Quik detailer (if you must) but I prefer to use an aerosol silicone spray. (silicone is ok on the wood because it has a non porous finish). Get some Perfect 10 aerosol. This will but a super glossy finish on the wood that will also help to hide scratches. Buff it in with a microfiber towel.
Don't tell anyone I told you guys all that.

2.7tDallas

409 contains isopropyl alcahol (read the label) which even in a diluted from, is not good to clean any kind of plastic or vinyl.

I have used Vinylex (made by lexol) and 303, and prefer the look of 303.

DO NOT use steel wool on anything inside the car! Steel wool is sandpaper basically. Would you wetsand your dash??? Vinylex or 303 will clean and protect at the same time really well.

Leather and vinyl conditioners are comletely different for obvois reasons. Leather is HIDE and needs OIL/maosture and UV protectant. Vinyl is PLASTIC and needs UV protectant, but NOT much oil/moisture.

I STRONGLY reccomend that JATWRITE go over ot the detailing forum for more info, or start here<ul><li><a href="https://www.audiworld.com/tech/ext51.shtml">https://www.audiworld.com/tech/ext51.shtml</a</li></ul>

jatwrite

I tried it years ago, when I was a kid, and scratched the chrome. Duh! Is today's chrome really that much better?

jatwrite

The fact that you STRONGLY recommend (in capital letters) that I go to the detailing forum suggests you might believe I am somehow inept at this. I am not; I have cleaned leather, washed and waxed and polished and detailed my cars for over 40 years, gathering numerous compliments from strangers on their appearance along the way -- including two this week for my black/black '00 S4 with Florida exposure. But I don't pretend to know it all, I'm open to new ideas, and I'm still waiting for an answer to the question I posed in the opening post above.