D181, need opinions + Porsche Cayenne need advice

[Don]

I'm pricing out a white 2013 Porsche Cayenne with a leather interior. The owner and I are talking about a wash/2-step polish & seal on the exterior & tires dressed, interior vacuum w/leather cleaning and windows inside & out. I quoted him sight unseen $300-$350 depending on the condition of the leather and any tar etc. on the paint.

In the past I have used Meguiar's Rich Leather Aloe Cleaner (not the cleaner/conditioner) for leather interiors, but I don't see it on the products page any more, just the Cleaner/Conditioner which from the past I know isn't very strong of a cleaner. Which brings me to my first question. How is the Detailer's Line D181 for cleaning moderate to severely soiled leather? A gallon off the web is very reasonable and I wouldn't have a problem buying it in a gallon.

MY second question is: Does anyone have any tips or tricks for detailing a Porsche Cayenne? I've never seen one in person (other than while driving) so I have no idea of it's eccentricities or trouble spots.

Any help would be appreciated.

[Don]

Re: D181, need opinions + Porsche Cayenne need advice

*bump*


Help

[The Guz]

Re: D181, need opinions + Porsche Cayenne need advice

I can't help you on the D181. I just got that myself on Monday and I have yet to use it. I'm sure it will work just fine for your needs. If you are in a pinch for a leather cleaner you can pick up the Gold Class Leather & Vinyl Cleaner which works very well. Are you planning to seal or apply a leather conditioner?

I personally think your price is a little low based on the services you are offering. At that price I would only be doing a 1 step polish. Next time just have the customer come by so you can evaluate it prior to giving a price. Lesson learned for next time.

One thing to think about is possibly doing a 1 step using something like White Wax or D151 if the 2 step doesn't fit within the budget of the customer.

I'm not sure of the hardness level of Porsche paint but the test spot is your friend. Hard to say what will work without it. I would recommend you upgrade to some M205. It's such a versatile product and you can adjust the correction ability by pad. For example if the paint is on the moderate to hard side, you can use the new burgundy thin foam disc. It corrects and finishes very well as I have done that myself on hard paint. If it is on the soft side then UP may be the way to go.

[The Guz]

Re: D181, need opinions + Porsche Cayenne need advice

I got D180 and D181 confused.

D180 is a stand alone cleaner. It would work for your application. This is the one that I just got in on Monday of this week.

D181 is a the leather cleaner and conditioner. It's an all in one type product. From my experience, don't expect this to clean like a dedicated cleaner. I do see very little dirt when I use a microfiber applicator but I usually clean my leather with a stand alone cleaner. I basically use this as a conditioner after using a cleaner.

I just read your post over on Autopia. Someone recommended D101. You can use that as well. I would recommend it at 10:1. APC's can sometimes feel a little sticky so you may need to follow up with a damp towel.

I recall Mr. Stoops posting this which might help you. Seems like D180 may be what you are looking for.

http://www.meguiarsonline.com/forums/showthread.php?63109-Leather-sealer-treatment-issue!!/page2&highlight=leather+cleaner

The vast majority of consumer leather cleaners on the market are very light duty. If the product is a cleaner/conditioner in one then it's most likely got even lighter duty cleaning ability. And, yes, this includes our own Gold Class Rich Leather Cleaner/Conditioner. The dedicated cleaner that is part of our Leather Sealer System, however, is a very serious cleaner based on our professional grade leather cleaner. It will remove all kinds of embedded dirt that other cleaners won't even touch. For example, on my personal daily driver with two tone dark/light grey leather, I thought I was keeping it very clean since day one. And then we introduced this product and my perception was altered - the applicators turned the same color as yours even working on the light grey leather. And the leather was noticeably cleaner when I was done with it. So, basically, this is what happens when you finally use a really serious leather cleaner.

Funny story: In the course of doing what's called a "line review" (basically an introduction of new products to the buyers of retail establishments) for a major retailer a few years back, I was tagged to do the demo of this product compared to a couple of other top selling competitors - major name brands in the leather care segment with stellar reputations. Our subject car was a Mercedes E Class wagon with light grey leather interior that was noticeably dirty, but not horrible by any stretch of the imagination. The test was as follows: take a brand new, clean white terry cloth towel and roll it up; spray three trigger pulls of a product onto it; do ten back and forth strokes on the seat and observe the results. Brand A showed the seat getting wet, which we dried, and a tiny bit of dirt transfered onto the towel. Brand B, done with a fresh towel but using the exact same protocols, revealed noticeable dirt transfer onto the towel and a definite but not really dramatic cleaning of the surface. It definitely was a more effective product than Brand A. Next we used our dedicated leather cleaner, the same product found in this kit. And this is when I found myself with a real dilemma; the test area with our product was so much cleaner, so dramatically cleaner, that the seat looked weird with this super clean stripe on it. I knew I couldn't give the car back to the owner like this, so that only one thing. I had to clean the entire interior of the car. An E Class wagon, remember, so lots and lots of leather surfaces. The owner was stunned. The buyer from the retailer was blown away. I was both very pleased but a bit irritated as my schedule didn't really allow time for a full cleaning, but I had no choice but to finish the job.

D181 is a great conditioner. I would follow up your cleaner with this. I would recommend you use a microfiber applicator. It seems to work best with it versus a foam applicator.

You can get a sample size of D181 here.

http://www.autodetailingsolutions.net/d18012.html

Good luck with the job and post plenty of pics.

[Don]

Re: D181, need opinions + Porsche Cayenne need advice

Guz, Ok, I get that the D181 would make for a good conditioner, and I remember Mike Stoops' post, just one question ... which cleaner is he talking about?!?!?!?

[DasBurninator]

Re: D181, need opinions + Porsche Cayenne need advice

I used to use AP Leather Conditioner until I discovered D180. It has been my go to for leather for a while now.

Still need to try D181 and see how well it cleans.

[Eldorado2k]

Re: D181, need opinions + Porsche Cayenne need advice

Umm actually, it's D181 that's a stand alone cleaner. D180 is Leather Cleaner & Conditioner.

[The Guz]

Re: D181, need opinions + Porsche Cayenne need advice

Lol I shouldn't be typing on my phone when responding. Damn auto correct and the numbering.

He is referring to the professional cleaner and the professional cleaner that comes to mind is D181.

You can read the info on them at the following link.

Cleaner - D181

http://www.autogeek.net/meguiars-d181-leather-cleaner.html

Cleaner/Conditioner - D180

http://www.autogeek.net/d180-leather-cleaner.html

[Eldorado2k]

Re: D181, need opinions + Porsche Cayenne need advice

@Don. I believe Mike Stoops was reffering to G185 Gold Class Leather & Vinyl Cleaner. It's sold in 16oz. consumer bottle.