Review: GTechniq Tri-Clean and Leather Guard by Mike Phillips

[Mike Phillips]

Review: GTechniq Tri-Clean and Leather Guard by Mike Phillips



GTechniq Tri-Clean and Leather Guard







Interior Detailing
The bad thing about interior detailing is that it's not sexy like doing a major extreme makeover to a cool car with a neglected finish to restore it to its glory. The good thing about interior detailing is that it's easy and farily fast as long as you use quality products.


GTechniq is a name you can trust -Mike Phillips

What I like about the GTechniq brand name and line of products is that I trust in the name on the bottle that the ingredients on the inside of the bottle are the best. There are so many products on the market and the last thing most of us want to do is invest hours of our time researching all the various options to filter our decision down to a few choices and then flip a coin and live with the consequences.

You don't have to do that with GTechniq products. Why? Because they're all good. It's normal for every brand to have their heroes and their dogs. That's because often times the people behind the most companies have their own passions for specific areas of the car and thus the performance of the various products in their line match the passion the key people bring to the table. Not so with the GTechniq brand of products. They are all good, or actually they are all great. You can trust the name on the label to mean the quality is inside and the product will do what it's supposed to do and in most cases exceed your expectations.

So let's take a look at these two GTechniq products, an all-purpose-cleaner and a leather protectant.



GTechniq Tri-Clean

From the GTechniq website

I2 Tri-Clean is an all-surface interior product that cleans and kills 99.9% of bacteria and absorbs odors.

Developed in conjunction with the global leader in antibacterial and antimicrobial technology, BioCote®, I2 ensures surfaces remain hygienic and fresh, by actively reducing the number of microbes.

I2 also contains a true odor absorber, not an odor mask, that eliminates tacky residues that attract dirt.


Directions for use

This product can be used on all interior surfaces including leather seats, dash board, door cards, carpets and upholstery

• Prior to use, test on a small area of substrate to check that the substrate is colourfast
• Spray onto a Gtechniq MF1 ZeroR Microfibre Buff Cloth and onto the surface
• Work until the surface is clean



My comments....
Pretty straightforward. Spray on, spread over surface, wipe off excess. The product will

1. Clean
2. Disinfect
3. Remove foul odors

GTechniq Leather Guard


L1 Leather Guard forms a durable abrasion resistant matte finish which offers the best ever protection against abrasion damage, UV rays, dye transfer and other discolouration. With added BioCote® antimicrobial technology, treated surfaces will kill 99.9% of bacteria.

Friction protection is particularly important on seat bolsters, seat piping and any other high wear areas.

The anti stain function is most relevant for light coloured leathers which are typically stained by dark coloured fabrics such as indigo jeans.


Myth buster
Many leather products market themselves on how they feed leather, when in fact this is not needed. Modern automotive leather use synthetic fat liquors which do not evaporate. Any product that is designed to feed leathers will not be absorbed by modern automotive leathers but instead remain on the surface attracting dirt which will then act as an abrasive foreshortening the leather’s finish.


Directions for use

SHAKE WELL BEFORE USE

• For best results apply to new or recently recoloured leather

• If applying to used leather, first clean the leather using I2 Tri-Clean and allow to dry

• Spread a thin layer of L1 using a Gtechniq AP3 Dual Layered Soft Foam Applicator immediately removing any excess with a Gtechniq MF1 ZeroR Microfibre Buff Cloth and allow the product to dry for 30 minutes before use

• For the very best results clean and then reapply a coat of L1 on high wear areas

• For high use areas reapply L1 Leather Guard every 2 months and every 6 months for low use areas


My comments....
Pretty straightforward. Spray on, spread over surface, wipe off excess. The product will

1. Create a durable abrasion resistant matte finish to protect against contact wear.
2. Provide discoloration from UV rays and dye transfer.
3. Create a surface that kills 99.9% of bacteria

Let's move on...
Enough with the technical stuff, lets see how this stuff works. This is my friend Tom's brand new 2017 Mercedes-Benz S 550 with a value of around $100,000.00 - the vehicle identification tag on the inside of the door says it was built in February of 2017, this means it's only a few months old.

This is the PERFECT time to use the Leather Guard. Most people wait till they see VISIBLE signs of damage or problems and then look for a miracle product to hopefully pull their fat out of the fire. That's reactionary thinking. Instead, be pro-active in your thinking and actions and if you have a brand new car then RIGHT NOW while the interior leather is in perfect condtion, get this product and apply it.

Since this car is a few months old I'll start by testing out the GTechniq Tri-Clean. I don't want to seal in any dirt or grime plus I need to see how this products works as far as application, removal and scent.

Even if this car just rolled off the transport truck I would still wipe all the leather surfaces down before using the GTechniq Leather Guard because that's how I'm wired. Clean then protect.


Here's the leather interior of Tom's new S 550. Pretty fancy huh?





Me spraying the Tri-Clean directly onto the seats...

Thank you Jesse for helping me to get the "action" shots showing the spray actually coming out of the nozzle.




Dampen fresh, clean dry towels with product
Because my microfiber towel is dry I'm going to dampen it with some of the product. Also note I'm wearing protective gloves? I don't know what's in all the cool products we use in the detailing world now days but I know I don't want them on me or in me.





Then real simply, spread over the surface....












Wipe dry
After cleaning the interior with the Tri-Clean, (I wiped everything down, leather and MB Tex, which is Mercedes-Benz lingo for vinyl), then wipe any excess off with a separate clean and dry microfiber towel.






Next - Apply the Gtechniq L1 Leather Guard









Dampen a clean, folded microfiber towel with the Leather Guard...








The other side....










Foam Finger Pocket
Another option for application would be to use a foam finger pocket like the Black Fine Flex Foam Finger Pocket. The benefit to a foam finger pocket is there's less product being absorbed into the smaller footprint of the foam finger pocket then there would be soaking into a folded microfiber towel.















Then wipe dry...










That's all folks. Cleaning and protecting the leather seats in your car's interior is a LOT easier than compounding, polishing and waxing the outside of your car. A LOT easier. So do it.



On Autogeek.com

GTechniq I2 Tri-Clean
http://www.autogeek.net/gtechniq-tri-clean.html


GTechniq L1 Leather Guard AB 500 ml
http://www.autogeek.net/gtechniq-leather-guard-500.html


Parting shot...

(coated with Gtechniq Crystal Serum Light)

[Mike Phillips]

***Update***


Now available on the Autogeek Store

[The Guz]

Great write up Mike. Looks like a nice leather protectant. The white interior looks great in the mercedes.

[BadgerRivFan]

Love the car! Tom has good taste