Advice: Conditioning Seats Before Cover Install?

[DandeeLioness]

Hey all! Quick question that I’m struggling with for some reason…

So I bought a set of Kustom Interior artificial leather seat covers and I’m debating if it’s worth it to buy some sort of leather conditioner or leather “shield” to apply to my OEM seats before I put the covers on? I’ve never owned anything leather/leatherette before so I don’t know if that’s wise or not (or if it’s overkill).

My car is still a baby and very few butts have graced the passenger or back seats yet so I’m not concerned about them being dirty. They’d all get a quick wipe down by default.

Am I overthinking this and should I just go ahead and put the covers on? I think taking them off with any sort of regularity would be a cumbersome experience so once they’re on, they probably will be indefinitely. I just want to be sure the original seat material will hold up over time and there isn’t a newbie step I’m skipping! lol

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[19gtMD]

I have custom leather seat covers. I did use a leather cleaner conditioner on my seats before putting my covers on. It was just something i did because i had the cleaner. Not because of putting on the covers. I dont think it would hurt if you did. If your seats are still relatively new, putting on the covers would be ok if you did not use a cleaner.

 

[Johnnybee]

I’m not even sure if conditioner penetrates the leather on our seats, although I try to use Lexol on mine at least once a year, as I understand that the surface of the material has a sealer. We’re not talking Connolly leather here.

 

[noac]

I’d probably wrap the OEM seats with plastic of some sort then put the seat covers on. That way the covers will not wear against the OEM leather

 

[DFB5.0]

Hey all! Quick question that I’m struggling with for some reason…

So I bought a set of Kustom Interior artificial leather seat covers and I’m debating if it’s worth it to buy some sort of leather conditioner or leather “shield” to apply to my OEM seats before I put the covers on? I’ve never owned anything leather/leatherette before so I don’t know if that’s wise or not (or if it’s overkill).

My car is still a baby and very few butts have graced the passenger or back seats yet so I’m not concerned about them being dirty. They’d all get a quick wipe down by default.

Am I overthinking this and should I just go ahead and put the covers on? I think taking them off with any sort of regularity would be a cumbersome experience so once they’re on, they probably will be indefinitely. I just want to be sure the original seat material will hold up over time and there isn’t a newbie step I’m skipping! lol

I think as long as they are clean and debris free before you fit the covers, you should be fine. A wipe over with a damp towel should be all you need.

If you want to go nuts, then I have a couple of suggestions for you.

First, get some ColourLock Mild Leather Cleaner and clean all the surfaces. This product is best used with their specific leather brush. Apply the product to the brush, agitate and then wipe clean with a towel.

COLOURLOCK | Mild Leather Cleaner | Car Supplies Warehouse
COLOURLOCK | Leather Cleaning Brush | Car Supplies Warehouse

Top uncleaned, bottom clean. Remember, clean leather is not shiny!

After the leather is clean, you can then apply ColourLock Leather Shield. This product helps to protect against abrasion. Leather Shield is applied with a sponge, it will go on glossy but dry to a soft, matte sheen.

COLOURLOCK | Leather Shield | Car Supplies Warehouse

The good news is that these products can also be used on your seat covers, so repeat the process on those and you are all good. Reapply ever 6-9 months.

The reason why I advocate for ColourLock so much is that they are a company that only deals in leather and therefore know that different materials that get called "leather". A Meguiar's or Adam's make one-size-fits-all leather products that really don't do much, if anything to protect or clean leather.

COLOURLOCK USA - Leather Cleaner, Care, Repair & Dyeing Products

 

[DandeeLioness]

I’d probably wrap the OEM seats with plastic of some sort then put the seat covers on. That way the covers will not wear against the OEM leather

I’d thought about that as well, at least for the bolstered areas of the driver and passenger sides where the most friction would happen? I’d also like to break my habit of “twisting” as hard as I do when I get out of the car; a habit I didn’t even know I was doing until I noticed the discoloration of my old civic’s seat right where my booty definitely pivots.

These new seat covers are supposed to be safe for the OEM fabric and shouldn’t damage them at all over time, but I’m still trying to be reasonably cautious!

 

[DandeeLioness]

I think as long as they are clean and debris free before you fit the covers, you should be fine. A wipe over with a damp towel should be all you need.

If you want to go nuts, then I have a couple of suggestions for you.

First, get some ColourLock Mild Leather Cleaner and clean all the surfaces. This product is best used with their specific leather brush. Apply the product to the brush, agitate and then wipe clean with a towel.

COLOURLOCK | Mild Leather Cleaner | Car Supplies Warehouse
COLOURLOCK | Leather Cleaning Brush | Car Supplies Warehouse

Top uncleaned, bottom clean. Remember, clean leather is not shiny!

After the leather is clean, you can then apply ColourLock Leather Shield. This product helps to protect against abrasion. Leather Shield is applied with a sponge, it will go on glossy but dry to a soft, matte sheen.

COLOURLOCK | Leather Shield | Car Supplies Warehouse

The good news is that these products can also be used on your seat covers, so repeat the process on those and you are all good. Reapply ever 6-9 months.

The reason why I advocate for ColourLock so much is that they are a company that only deals in leather and therefore know that different materials that get called "leather". A Meguiar's or Adam's make one-size-fits-all leather products that really don't do much, if anything to protect or clean leather.

COLOURLOCK USA - Leather Cleaner, Care, Repair & Dyeing Products

Ahh thanks, DFB! I was lowkey hoping you’d chime in as the resident “car cleaning” pro lol

I just got this in the mail today and will be giving everything a gentle scrub this afternoon. I’d thought the same thing about using the cleaners/shield on the seat covers as well, so the investment seemed worth it to me! I appreciate the recommendation.

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