for SE-i owners

[w261w261]

Time to condition the leather! You should do it at least once a year, and it only takes maybe a half hour. Particularly important if you have to park the car in the sun, which will make those little headrests in the back seat crack like old asphalt.

[charliekuney]

There are LX-i's with leather, too. :)

[carotman]

There are LX-i's with leather, too. :)

Not from the factory.

[2drSE-i]

It was an option for LX-i's. Too bad most of our leather is SHOT.

[Dr_Snooz]

Time to condition the leather! You should do it at least once a year, and it only takes maybe a half hour. Particularly important if you have to park the car in the sun, which will make those little headrests in the back seat crack like old asphalt.

Come on dude, no how-to? No pointers on what to use, how to keep your leather tip top, fix tears, etc.? Tsk, tsk.

FWIW, the Zymol leather conditioner at Target is awesome. I use it every six months on my leather. Keeps it soft and supple. Their leather cleaner is a little harsh used full strength. I avoid Lexol as it never seems to do much of anything for leather. I get in the next morning and can't tell I've done anything other than get my hands dirty.

[Civic Accord Honda]

It was an option for LX-i's. Too bad most of our leather is SHOT.
it was also an option for the lx :)

[w261w261]

It was an option for LX-i's.

Can someone confirm this? News to me. Anyone have a Honda brochure for the LX-i? Anyone have factory leather? It would seem to me that the doors then would be leather too. I'm doubtful.

[charliekuney]

Not from the factory.

Yes, they were. :)


Can someone confirm this? News to me. Anyone have a Honda brochure for the LX-i? Anyone have factory leather? It would seem to me that the doors then would be leather too. I'm doubtful.

I have a brochure for all '89 Hondas, but I don't remember if it shows leather as one of the options. I think you would have to see the one specifically for the Accord to see the Accord-specific options. My sister's LX-i had factory leather, and I have pictures. She had a black-on-tan leather LX-i coupe. Yes, the door and rear inserts are also leather.

I also have the original window sticker and options list for my Accord, and I'll see if it says leather as an option or not (although I don't think Accords with the red interior had leather as an option).

[w261w261]

<< I have a brochure for all '89 Hondas, but I don't remember if it shows leather as one of the options. I think you would have to see the one specifically for the Accord to see the Accord-specific options. My sister's LX-i had factory leather, and I have pictures. She had a black-on-tan leather LX-i coupe. Yes, the door and rear inserts are also leather. >>

That has got to be a rare bird for sure! I bet no one on this site has one, or we've had heard about it by now.

[w261w261]

Come on dude, no how-to? No pointers on what to use, how to keep your leather tip top, fix tears, etc.? Tsk, tsk.

FWIW, the Zymol leather conditioner at Target is awesome. I use it every six months on my leather. Keeps it soft and supple. Their leather cleaner is a little harsh used full strength. I avoid Lexol as it never seems to do much of anything for leather. I get in the next morning and can't tell I've done anything other than get my hands dirty.

Unless you're starting with hides that are filthy and need to be brought back, I don't think you even need to use a cleaner...maybe after heavy use. I just wipe mine off with a damp cloth, then let the car sit in the sun and bake up really nice. My theory is this opens up the pores in the hides so the conditioner will get absorbed well.

I was very fortunate in that my car (bought from orig owner in '01 at 86k) had been garage-kept it's whole life. I had to replace 4 or 5 panels in the driver's seat ($500, that's why most ratty leather interiors stay that way), but everything else was fine. The passenger seat is discolored in a few places, but you can buy or have formulated a color for that....I just haven't gotten around to it.

BTW, there was stuff going around a few years ago that Armor-All and the other treatments actually promoted the decline of vinyl. Was that ever substantiated?

[Nafs Asdf]

Almost on topic, any tips for bringing back a worn leather steering wheel to it's former glory?

[2drSE-i]

BTW, there was stuff going around a few years ago that Armor-All and the other treatments actually promoted the decline of vinyl. Was that ever substantiated?

Its because armor all and other cleaners have silicon in them, which supposedly is very bad for car interiors. Not sure if its true or not, but i've bought into the hype.

[w261w261]

Almost on topic, any tips for bringing back a worn leather steering wheel to it's former glory?

What's the matter with it?

[carotman]

I'm 100% positive that the LX-is with leather were just cars that got re-upholstered by the local dealer. It wasn't an option available from Honda directly.

[Nafs Asdf]

What's the matter with it?

20 years worth of wear and tear and hand sweat, figured maybe someone would know of any good ways to make it look a bit fresher. I wouldn't know where to start without damaging it more.

Would like to get it reupholstered, buy that doesn't really fit into my budget at the moment.

[charliekuney]

I'm 100% positive that the LX-is with leather were just cars that got re-upholstered by the local dealer. It wasn't an option available from Honda directly.

Seriously? I don't understand why someone would want to bother putting leather in one of these cars (post-purchase), but I'm still sure they had the option (pre-purchase). It doesn't say that in the full-line brochure for '89, but it might for the one for the Accord.

Maybe the person who had my sister's LX-i before her took the seats and inserts out of an SE-i, which is why they don't look reupholstered.

[carotman]

Well, I bought a complete brand new seat cloth fabric for my car like 2 years ago. It had came from a reupholstered car back in 1989 and had been kept in a bag ever since.

The dealer would offer the option, just like sunroofs on coupes. Came as an "option" from the dealer but it was an aftermarket unit.

[charliekuney]

The dealer would offer the option, just like sunroofs on coupes. Came as an "option" from the dealer but it was an aftermarket unit.

Well, that definitely explains it. Sorry for questioning your wisdom! :|

(Coupes didn't come stock with sunroofs? That's why they are always crappy and leak...)

Edit: I just texted my sister and she said that the original owner said the leather was 'stock'.

[w261w261]

Til I see a Honda options list, I'm voting for the dealer-installed leather. And when the dealers did it, the leather was usually uber-cheap, as they figured that customers would say "leather is leather," and wouldn't know the difference. It's hard to say who has the lower opinion of the other, dealers of customers, or vice versa. It's part of what is wrong with automotive retailing. At least the Honda dealers aren't out and out scumbags, like the Toyota cretins.

[Dr_Snooz]

Til I see a Honda options list, I'm voting for the dealer-installed leather. And when the dealers did it, the leather was usually uber-cheap, as they figured that customers would say "leather is leather," and wouldn't know the difference.

I did see an LX-i in the yard with leather (LX-i badge, rear drums and no cupholders). The door panels had leather inserts too. Obviously, I can't say whether it was factory or dealer or swap or what, but it did have leather.


Its because armor all and other cleaners have silicon in them, which supposedly is very bad for car interiors. Not sure if its true or not, but i've bought into the hype.

I avoid Armor All and most every other vinyl conditioner. They all seem to make my stuff dry out and crack. I do use Zymol Vinyl because it uses all natural ingredients like avocado oil, collagen and pixie dust and stuff.


Almost on topic, any tips for bringing back a worn leather steering wheel to it's former glory?

Try wet-sanding it.


Unless you're starting with hides that are filthy and need to be brought back, I don't think you even need to use a cleaner...maybe after heavy use.

My leather is fairly light and always seems to look better when I clean it first. I might just be imagining it though.

[MessyHonda]

also to save the interior....you can tint your windows.

[Rendon LX-i]

x2...or a window shield like when you tan lOL

[Strugglebucket]

Lately I've been seeing a lot of LX-i's with leather in the junkyard. They are always coupes.

[MessyHonda]

Lately I've been seeing a lot of LX-i's with leather in the junkyard. They are always coupes.

yeah i saw this one car that looked like it had the se-i tan interior on a coupe that was a lx-i