The Detailing Hand Book

 

The leather interior of the Honda S2000 is quite comfortable.  However, leather is a rather delicate material and it must be cared for in order to maintain its appearance and suppleness. 

 

 

 

Leather which has not been properly cared for can fade, harden, crack, and even tear.  The leather in the S2000 takes a particularly bad beating from the sun when the top is lowered.  Leather can also be soiled by body oils particularly those from sweat.  Examining your steering wheel will undoubtedly show that the places where your hands normally sit are the dirtiest.

 

 

 

There are many leather care products to choose from.  All in one (cleaner & conditioner) products tend not to work as well as separate cleaner & conditioner products.  Additionally, many people maintain their leather with products designed for use on vinyl/rubber (ex. 303 Aerospace Protectant, Armor All, etc).  While these products provide UV protection they often leave leather slick & glossy.  Also, these products lack the essential conditioning oils which keep your leather supple.  In the end, it’s better to use products intended only for leather.

 

 

 

Always take great care when dealing with leather.  Leather can easily be scratched or even torn.  Additionally, leather has a top coat which contains the dye.  Essentially, you should treat leather gently like a painted surface because if the top coat is removed the repair will need to be done by a leather shop.

 

 

 

Leather cleaning should be done as necessary.  Some leather parts like the steering wheel may need to be cleaned more often due to their constant contact with your skin.  Leather conditioning should be done once per month depending on climatic and other conditions.

 

 

 

The leather areas on the S2000 include . . .

• Seats
• Door inserts
• Steering wheel
• Shift boot (MY 04 )
• Shift knob (MY 04 )
• Arm rest
• Emergency brake handle

 

What you’ll need . . .

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• Shade – Most car care products are not designed to be used in direct sunlight.  Using leather products in a hot interior can often cause the product to dry prematurely resulting in a streaky or blotchy finish.  Therefore, it is important to find a shady spot to work in.  This can be under a car port, a canopy, or in a garage.  Sometimes even just putting the top up will provide enough shade to work on the interior.  It is not recommended that you detail under a tree as sap, leaves, pollen, or other debris could fall on your car during the detail.
• Vacuum – a 5hp shop vacuum is a detailer’s best friend.  However, a household vacuum with a hose and attachments will suffice as well.  The most useful attachment to use when simply vacuuming is the crevice attachment.  The crevice attachment works well in all areas not just in tight areas.

• Microfiber towels – cheap microfiber towels from a wholesale club like Costco are a great tool for leather care.  They’re cheap enough so that you won’t mind getting them really dirty, but they are absorbent and soft like more expensive microfiber towels.  Make sure they are clean and that all tags have been removed before use.
• Scrubber – dusty or lightly dirty leather can often be cleaned using only a microfiber towel.  However, dirtier leather may require the use of an interior brush, an old toothbrush, or even a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser.  Use a brush on mildly dirty leather and a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser on very dirty leather.  When using a scrubber do so extremely gently.  Never scrub leather with a lot of elbow grease as you may remove the top coat.

• Leather cleaner – your choice of leather cleaner.  Some popular leather cleaners include Lexol, Zymol, Townsends, and Meguiar’s Aloe Leather Cleaner.

• Leather conditioner – your choice of leather conditioner.  Some popular leather conditioners include Lexol, Zymol, Townsends, and Meguiar’s Aloe Leather Conditioner.