Leather care - interior new car scent

[mermar]

Has anyone found a product that preserves the somewhat unique to BMW new car smell?

[javarithms]

I like the Griot's Garage leather products. Leaves a nice leather smell.

[thekurgan]

The leather master's protector b+ lasts quite long.

[rjd598]

zaino has a popular product and i've heard griots has one that smells good as well. i've searched and i don't think there is such thing as a "new car smell" scent out there. they all usually just smell like new leather which isn't exactly the same as the new car smell.

[RD1M3]

Originally Posted by javarithms

I like the Griot's Garage leather products. Leaves a nice leather smell.

+1. If you enjoy the leather smell, this is a great product.

[mermar]

Thanks - BMW interior does have a unique scent and would like to maintain it.

[Jonnykin]

Originally Posted by mermar

Thanks - BMW interior does have a unique scent and would like to maintain it.

Just keep the car clean and it will continue to smell mew

[Chewbaccam]

I just buy the toxic adhesives that are used (which is what gives off the smell) and start huffing those.

jk- the griots stuff like everyone else said.

[buddalun]

I use Obenauf's Leather Oil.

[dpilat8588]

just ordered the Griot's Garage Leather Scent...I'll report back with my take on it.

[Helmsman]

Tried BMWs owm leather lotion and trim spray? I believe this is coming close to the "new car" scent. Quite nice, but doesn't stay for long. Went with Chemical' lotion since some time which I think is better although a bit strong smell the first day or two.

[rjd598]

Originally Posted by Helmsman

Tried BMWs owm leather lotion and trim spray? I believe this is coming close to the "new car" scent. Quite nice, but doesn't stay for long. Went with Chemical' lotion since some time which I think is better although a bit strong smell the first day or two.

i've heard the same about bmw's branded leather product.

[dparm]

If you want a fairly neutral smell that still has hints of leather, try Leatherique.

Frankly, I avoid anything that claims to be "new car smell" or whatever. Nothing says, "hey guys, I just cleaned my car" more than those products. I prefer a neutral/odorless car.

[dpilat8588]

Originally Posted by dpilat8588

just ordered the Griot's Garage Leather Scent...I'll report back with my take on it.

got the Griot's leather scent over the weekend. It smells great. I highly recommend it.

[hayes180]

Originally Posted by dpilat8588

got the Griot's leather scent over the weekend. It smells great. I highly recommend it.

by far my favorite. I use it one every week or so. Can't beat it!

[simpleM3]

Just jumped on the bandwagon and picked up the leathercare and spray.

[imserious]

I think BMW leather products are the way to go for a more BMW smell. I use Leathermasters and it just smells clean.

Griots smells GREAT. But it smells like you are driving a well worn baseball mitt, not a BMW.

[dparm]

Originally Posted by imserious

I think BMW leather products are the way to go for a more BMW smell. I use Leathermasters and it just smells clean.

Agreed, LM has a neutral smell, not a "I just cleaned the car" smell.

[Rich150001]

Originally Posted by rjd598

zaino has a popular product and i've heard griots has one that smells good as well. i've searched and i don't think there is such thing as a "new car smell" scent out there. they all usually just smell like new leather which isn't exactly the same as the new car smell.

I use Zaino and it does give it that "new car" smell, albeit the smell doesn't seem to last too long. FWIW, I tend to drive with the windows down all the time.

[M4chiavellif82]

zaino is what I used to use and is pretty inexpensive and good.

[Freiheit]

I'm bumping this because I would also like to preserve that "new" BMW smell. Even though my car has close to 20k on it and its 7 years old, it smells like it just rolled out of the factory. (I'm still trying to figure that one out.)

I think what the OP is looking for - and me too - is any chemical that restores/keeps the factory scent, not something that has a new car smell. Thats just crap added to the chemicals to mask whatever other scents there are in the car. A proper leather treatment should get all the dirt, sweat, dead skin, and whatever else piles up, while conditioning the leather and at the most, augmenting the natural smell.

I have Leatherique here, but I haven't had much luck with it on the other car I tried it on. The leather did not change in appearance or texture despite following the directions to the letter. It wasn't horrible - no cracking/deformities or discoloration - but the leather was pretty rigid and dull. After Leatherique, the seats are still rigid and still dull looking. I'm hoping that if I use that product on the M3 I'll have better luck. I'm willing to give it a go, and also try anything else that Autogeek or DI offers. One of the DI contributors said that Prestine Clean can be used without the Rejuvenator Oil on seats that are in good condition, so I'll probably go that route to start with.

[Freiheit]

I'd like to update you guys on a recent deep cleaning I did on my E92, and maybe this offers some hope to everyone trying to preserve the BMW leather smell.

Every once in a while I realize that I bought a used car, and I decide to clean it more thoroughly than the last thorough cleaning to get all the cooties out of the contact surfaces. Even though I had previously cleaned the leather seats, I decided to give it another go with some different stuff.

I started with Griot's Interior Cleaner. I sprayed it into a microfiber cloth and thoroughly wiped down the driver's seat, door panel, steering wheel, and center console. I left the passenger side alone for comparison. I noticed that the MF cloth pulled quite a bit of dirt up. Previous cleanings I used a terry cloth, and never noticed this level of dirt coming up. Evidently MF is the way to go.

(I'm sure DI and Griot and everyone else has microfiber cloth that comes from heaven and anything else is the devil's own, but I just used what I had on hand which was Autocraft brand from Advance. Be careful not to get the thread-seamed edges under your hand when you're scrubbing or you risk marring the leather surface. Synthetic threads are pretty rigid and can scrape surfaces. If you're too lazy to properly control your hand when you're scrubbing, then cut the damn threaded edges off. You're going to throw the cloth away when you're done anyway.)

After a thorough rubdown with MF and Interior Clean, I wiped again with a clean MF cloth. I gave it a few moments for everything to dry down. Then I attacked the seats again, this time with Leatherique oil. I rubbed the stuff into the seats, and when I was done I rubbed more of it into any areas that had started to look dry. I just kept it up until I had a decent wet look to the whole seat.

Then I did the same to the steering wheel and door panel, and shut the door. I left the car alone for two days, checking the interior in the morning and evening to see if anything changed. Over time, the leather drank up the oil, but it still had enough oil to glisten nicely.

After two days, I wiped the seat down with a clean MF cloth, then I grabbed another cloth and started working on the leather with the Prestine Clean. I kept at it until I had really gotten to every surface, then used up another two cloths wiping up the stuff.

The end result was a lot better than my previous experience with Leatherique. The microfiber cloth is obviously one reason for success, but I think pre-cleaning with Griot's Interior Cleaner was another. I have to note that it was a cool week here, with temps in the 40s for most of the time. Definitely not the hot n' steamy day out in the sun that DI and everyone else seems to think is the way to go for Leatherique time.

Now, here's why I bring this detailing story up: after doing this treatment I've noticed that the new leather smell has intensified. When I get in the car the "I just bought a new E92" smell hits me a bit harder now. The character of the scent is the same- apparently it's unchanged by the Leatherique - but its stronger. Unfortunately, it seems to fade more completely after I've had the car out for a few hours. Still, it comes back just as strong after a few days in the garage.

And the seat and wheel look even newer than they did before, so there's that. Hope this helps you guys.