Beauty

[shoekitty]

I have had camel, pewter   and Black leather seats.  I have found the best thing you can do is keep them conditioned, and always put up an insulated wind sheild  cover .  Especially in hot weather.  In really cold weather, it helps to keep seat covers on the leather. The seat cover help the seat from cracking due to extremely cold and hot weather.  At least in the front seats.  Don't wear denim jeans with rhinestone or studded pockets!!!  Take it from me, the result can be heart breaking!

I have shuttled my grandkids around  for over 25 years!  I have 3 left I pick up from school.  Make sure they do not wear pants or belts that can scratch the seats.  My grand son scratched my leather seats with this studded belt he had several years back.  I finally figured out what it was.  I also do not allow pens and pencils on the seats, as they sat just right on a school pencil and put a tiny hole in seat!!!!  I also do not allow them to drink any thing but water in car, as one time  a slurpee spilt, as well as my coffee.  Try getting that out of pewter colored carpets.

Good luck and congratulations on your new car!  I got a Fiat a little over a year ago, and it was so exciting. 

[151949]

If you really want to keep your car nice you may want to start by not allowing children to eat in it. 

[roeroe1005]

When my nephews were young and wanted their Micky D's or ice cream, I would just put towels on their laps.  I try to keep my car clean but I remember my younger nephew, Tommy, was about 6 or 7.  We were going somewhere and he said he couldn't go with me because his "sneakers were dirty" and he didn't want to make a mess in my car.  OMG, I felt horrible.  After that, I didn't care.  I would just clean it afterwards if needed.  Before you know it, they will be driving themselves!

[Katcat1]

Toyotas are excellent cars.  I own the Corolla and love it.  Leather can dry out from heat so all you need to do is take a damp cloth and wipe down.  If it's dirty I am sure there is some leather cleaner you can use.  Congrats -- enjoy!:       cathappy:

[CAMOGIRL]

My husband uses McGuires (spelling.), leather cleaner and conditioner. 

[Nightowlz]

It's a nice car. Congrats. I bought a new 2013 Toyota Avalon Llmited in 2013. It only has 5700 miles on it right now. It is loaded with everything. Love the heated & air conditioned seats & remote start. Have fun figuring it all out. I still don't know what all the buttons are for.  DH keeps mine clean. He cleans out the inside with a damp shammy after he dries the car. He puts leather conditioner on the interior with a soft cloth. He uses several different products by Mothers. I keep it in the garage so it looks just like it did when I bought it. My previous car was 21 yrs old & had around 70,000 miles on it when I sold it. It was in great condition interior & exterior since I also kept it in the garage.

[CatsyCline]

my Subaru has leather seats and i have never done anything to them. its 12 years old and there is a bit of wear on the driver's side

please consider replacing your timing belt if you plan to keep driving your Forester!  they'll run for 300k miles (or more)  but belts do break! you don't want that! esp with long commutes!

[Desertdi]

I'm surprised nobody mentioned that you MUST get a whole new wardrobe to match the car!     Definitely get a leather jacket to match the seats.........and accessories to match the exterior paint.   And jewelry......the opportunities are limitless!     Wishing you many happy hours of driving!!!!!!

[NC Bandwagon]

Hello, tigress.

Congratulations on your new car!

[Tigriss]

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@DoxieMomma wrote:

Congrats on the new ride! 

For long term care of your leather seats, Armor All is cr*p.......sorry, but it is. A lot of people use it because it's easily accessible and heavily advertised. Long term, Armor All will leave a film and buildup on your seats. Most true car guys (and gals😃) will tell you it's better to do nothing than use Armor All. 

Some good brands, that are still relatively inexpensive, are Lexol (pretty sure you can get it at Wal-Mart). Also, if you go to an auto supply store (O'Rielly's/Auto Zone), you can get brands like Meguiar's or Griot's Garage. 

If the seats are clean, they'll just need to be conditioned as needed. Most of these products are just wipe on/wipe off. This will help keep the leather nice and supple, help prevent cracking. 

Personally, I only condition mine occasionally. I live in the Deep South and almost always park outside (our garages are full of cars, hence the above knowledge). My SUV is black (draws a lot of heat) and I haven't had any issues with the seats being damaged/cracking. If I could just figure out how to fully protect them from doggie nails, I'd be set! 

Thanks!  I'm going to Auto Zone to pick up all weather mats since I park outside and will look and Meguiar's.  I've heard of them from several detail people about that brand.