Leather treatment

[Mrbottomend]

Recommended by a guy who makes beautiful leather goods at very good prices in Winchester market...if you want a gift try him..lovely stuff!

Anyway for all leather he recommends Renapur ..a little pot goes a long way, and gives the leather a nice sheen finish..used on seats and left a while then wiped off any excess. Looks good and should help prevent drying/cracking/wear signs if done regularly..

 

[SummitDetailing]

Modern leather doesn't benefit from a Conditioner as it is coated. A conditioner is actually counter-productive as it sits on the coated surface and attracts dirt meaning you'll need to clean the surface more frequently.
That is if you have actual cow inside, Artico and the like are designed for longevity hence why they aren't actual hide.

Cheers,

Chris

 

[OneForTheRoad]

I like to use autoglym leather balm. If just for its smell.

 

[alabbasi]

Modern leather doesn't benefit from a Conditioner as it is coated.

I've heard this said by many people but I don't believe that it's correct. I agree that new leather is coated with a thin layer of synthetic coating, and that leather conditioner will probably do nothing for seats that are brand new. After time however, you should expect the coating to break down from wear or from UV rays. Leather conditioners will continue to prevent the leather from drying out and add UV protection.

Living in Texas, the top of the back seats take a massive beating from the sun and the leather becomes as hard as cardboard. I have first hand knowledge of how adding a leather condition will soften leather that would otherwise crack if you press on it.

If you're adding when the leather is new, it will do no harm and no good. But as the coating breaks down, a good conditioner will do a good job of extending the life of the leather.

 

[rayaans]

I've heard this said by many people but I don't believe that it's correct. I agree that new leather is coated with a thin layer of synthetic coating, and that leather conditioner will probably do nothing for seats that are brand new. After time however, you should expect the coating to break down from wear or from UV rays. Leather conditioners will continue to prevent the leather from drying out and add UV protection.

Living in Texas, the top of the back seats take a massive beating from the sun and the leather becomes as hard as cardboard. I have first hand knowledge of how adding a leather condition will soften leather that would otherwise crack if you press on it.

If you're adding when the leather is new, it will do no harm and no good. But as the coating breaks down, a good conditioner will do a good job of extending the life of the leather.

The coating does not break down, its essentially the top layer of modern leather which is as close to plastic as makes no difference.
Conditioners do not penetrate into this, in fact, sitting on the surface of the top coat of the leather and attracting dust/dirt due to their oily nature.

Currently, the best leather kit Ive found which isn't stupidly expensive is Dodo Juice Supernatural leather cleaner and sealant.

Of course, if you're leather is semi-aniline, its a different story but conditioners should NOT be used on modern leather.

 

[alabbasi]

deleted - double post

 

[alabbasi]

The coating does not break down, its essentially the top layer of modern leather which is as close to plastic as makes no difference.

Of course it does, otherwise you'd never see hairline cracking in the leather and just about every 10 year old car with leather seats has cracking. People would argue the same thing with 2 pack paint indicating that waxing does not help as the clear coat is just a urethane coating. The argument does not hold up.

 

[whitenemesis]

Of course it does, otherwise you'd never see hairline cracking in the leather and just about every 10 year old car with leather seats has cracking. People would argue the same thing with 2 pack paint indicating that waxing does not help as the clear coat is just a urethane coating. The argument does not hold up.

The leather naturally creases and so does the coating. Any grit and grim on the surface will then get rubbed into the crack and abrade the coating resulting in it cracking and splitting. Applying conditioners to the surface of modern leathers simply attracts more grit and eventually will exacerbate the problem.
I had uncoated nappa leather in my S203 and it was truly wonderful to sit on and touch but my word was it a royal pain to keep clean!

The best thing to try on any car seat leather is the water drop test. Apply a small drop of water to the surface, if it just sits there, conditioners will do nothing to help the leather. If the drop slow gets absorbed, then go ahead and apply the best conditioner you can get...

 

[W145user]

Don't know if all the cars I've owned have had real leather, plastic or a combination but a tip given to me many years ago is to use baby wipes.

A quick wipe and stains disappear, plus they moisturise as well !

 

[rayaans]

Of course it does, otherwise you'd never see hairline cracking in the leather and just about every 10 year old car with leather seats has cracking. People would argue the same thing with 2 pack paint indicating that waxing does not help as the clear coat is just a urethane coating. The argument does not hold up.

Hairline cracks are nothing to do with breakdown of the coating itself as already mentioned.

As for clearcoated paint, you don't need to wax it - many people don't. Same as with modern leather - you don't need to seal or condition or do anything to it unless you want to.

 

[markjay]

I must admit I don't know much about modern leather tech - but my steering wheel (one of the very few real leather itnes in my car...) feels much nicer to the touch after applying leather treatment.

I use a balm made by a well-known shue manufacturer, it is (according to the label) a blend of coconut oil, lanolin, and beeswax.

 

[reverend]

I've used Dr Leather on my last few cars and it's been great - the spray with a brush for initial cleaning and a nice matte finish and then a tub of the wipes for easy maintenance.

The leather in the E220 is the full leather but seems heavily coated compared to the leather in my LS460 - I fluked it there and it had new seats fitted 18 months ago as the dealer didn't understand how the seat heaters worked and so replaced all seats for the previous owner!

I've not gone to town on the Merc steering wheel yet as it has lots of small scratches from a ring the previous owner wore. So far I've only used the Dr Leather wipes to bring back to a matte finish, but I've got a tub of BlackRock Leather 'N' Rich Cleaner, Conditioner and Protector that I imported from the USA and that worked wonders on the previous car. It's not a one off process but over time it really improves things, probably similar to the shoe polish in the previous post tbh!

 

[Gbrowncls55]

+1 doctor leather. its a cleaner not a conditioner though.

 

[Alanlaing]

I have always used Gliptone liquid leather. Smells divine and gives a nice finish

 

[Atavus]

I also use Dr Leather.

 

[LeeJV]

Been using Dr leather maintenance wipes for a while, However I just did a full leather Decon clean and used the Colourlock leather fresh kit both are great products.

As others have already said, there is a massive myth about modern automotive leather, and it shouldn't be coated with balm's or any product that leaves behind a residue as it just attracts more dust/ dirt etc that just turns to an abrasive and will ultimately wear the coating faster.

 

[Deleted member 126251]

Modern leather doesn't benefit from a Conditioner as it is coated. A conditioner is actually counter-productive as it sits on the coated surface and attracts dirt meaning you'll need to clean the surface more frequently.
That is if you have actual cow inside, Artico and the like are designed for longevity hence why they aren't actual hide.

Cheers,

Chris

...... and convertables also have a special coating to protect it against UV.