Leather, semi-leather, plastic

In detailing the interior, you use leather cleaner & protector on leather and plastic solutions on plastic, but no plastic solutions on leather. OK, now what if you don't know for sure just what the material is??
I think it would be better to use the leather solutiions on plastic than plastic solutions on leather.

What comments does other board members have on this?

Subal

If you're not sure what the material is, your best bet is to not put anything on it until you locate what the material is. In the long run you will be saving yourself a simple unwanted costly problem that may occur down the line.

This is where you're going to have to do your homework on what vehicles have what materials & the differences of plastics that differ from ABS plastic. When in doubt, use some simple water & soap to clean the affected material or surface.

No, when in doubt dont use soap, you dont know how the surface will react. There are many questions to ask, is it clear coated material, not clear, will it stain, will it smear the color?

Describe again what it is your trying to treat.

many detailers who do the wholesale/auction cars use the same product for everything, regardlesof silicone or solvent content. the higher line detailers and those concerned with quality use application specific products. the questions that dan and toddco ask are important because you need to know what type of surface you are working with.to be on the safe side, you could use a product such as 303 0r any quality dressing for vinyl. some on the board prefer lexol for coated leather. an option for uncoated leather would be the connoly hide food or lexol. i can tell you i have had good luck with the lexol on uncoated leather. there are many products that are sold for these applications and it will take you a llittle while to find one you like. i would recommend these lexol/303 first as you can find them easily through internet mailorder.

I use lexol on almost all types of leather, on coated leather, I apply vinylex sometimes, but usually lexol. Whats up dude, did you get my email?

My basic problem is not being sure just what the material is. Leather, plastic or one of the combinations. Some of these newer combinations are a mixture of ground leather and plastic. So what do you use on these. If I am not sure, I will err in the more conservative direction by using a leather treatment. This will not hurt plastic will it?

Allan

It shouldnt but, are you talking about leather with a clear coat over it? If so, you can use a water based plastic and rubber dressing, or a leather conditioner.

its true that you really should know what type of material you are working on, but one saying is that if your not sure what it exactly is use the least aggressive, if your not sure its plastic or leather treat it as leather. but your sure bet is to first find out what it is, even if you have to ask the dealership where you bought it from. also theres a saying that you should with any cleaner try it first on a hidden area.