1978 240D Question...

[newbenzowner1]

Hi all-

My parents just bought a 1978 240D and I was commissioned to clean it. (a daunting task: 25 years of dirt and grime) It has the leather and vinyl interior with the perforated leather seats. I'm wondering what kind of cleaner/restorative I should use. All it says in the book is warm water and soap, wipe dry. I tried that and it didn't help much. The vinyl cleaned up like a dream I just used the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser, not any detergent or anything. The leather is a different matter and I'd like to restore it a bit too. (is it possible to bring back the leather smell after so long?)

Thanks for any advice/help.

[psfred]

Leatherique. Do a google search, it's available from several places. They sell a very good restorer, too.

Do not clean the leather unless you have leather treatment to use as soon as it is dry (or according to the cleaner/restorer instructions), it dries the leather out too much.

Also, check to make SURE it's leather, not MB Tex! Very difficult to tell them apart since the TEX is perfed, too. If it has sonic welded seams, it's tex. Has a fabric backing, too. Leather will be natural on the back side, MB didn't use dyed through leather then (and may still not, I don't know). If the leather is in good shape, the only reliable way to tell is to feel under the seat for fabric backing, and on mixed construction, that won't help either.

Later models (W124 for sure) have sewn covers for both MB TEX and leather, only the style or a very sharp eye (or window sticker) will tell you.

The best clue is the cover design, but I don't remember the difference on the W123!

Peter