Leather Headliner Maintenance Tips

If you own a convertible, summer is probably your favorite season. The skies are often clear, people are cruising, and nothing is quite like putting the top down to let the summer breeze cool off the scorching summer sunshine.

Even though you might like putting down the top on your ride, if you own a leather convertible top you need to make sure that you maintain it carefully to make it last.  Here are two tips to help make your leather convertible top last:

Keep it Supple

Few things ruin leather like too much or too little moisture. During the summer your convertible top can get cooked by the summer sun, drying it out, or drenched during summer rain storms. The key to keeping your leather convertible top in good shape is keeping it supple.

Although there are many leather treatment products available, one of the best ways to keep leather supple is with a little shaving cream. Not only does shaving cream help moisturize your leather convertible top, it is also readily absorbed, keeping the leather pliable. When you apply the shaving cream to your convertible top make sure that you:

  • Squirt the product into your hands and then rub down the entire surface.

  • Squirt in more shaving cream when you notice that your hands are sticking to the leather surface.

  • Rub in the shaving cream so that leather surface is shiny.  

  • Rub in a little extra shaving cream where the convertible top folds, bends, or flexes.

Keep it Secure

Opening and closing a leather convertible top exerts a tremendous amount of pressure on its seams. Over time, this pressure will wear down the stitching used to meld the seams. Once one seam starts to slip, other seams bear even more pressure when you open or close your convertible top.

One way to quickly and easily reinforce seams on leather convertible tops is by applying a little superglue to worn or loose seams. When applying the superglue, take the following measures:

  • Clean the seams thoroughly before applying the superglue. Alcohol-based cleaning products work well as the help degrease, clean, and dry very quickly.

  • Apply the superglue with a brush applicator. A small brush like one used to apply nail polish is perfect for these types of gluing tasks.

  • Open (and leave) your convertible top when applying the superglue. Although superglue dries within a few minutes, leaving your convertible top open after you've applied the glue for a few hours will help the seams tighten up.

To learn more, contact a company like Fred's Auto Interiors. 


Share