Leatherique results, I'm a believer
 

so i ordered the leatherique package recently (rejuvenator oil, pristine clean), even though i read about how the TL leather is treated, etc.

anyway, got a nice warm day today, so i decided to give it a try. i know i'm going to get a ribbing for this, but i didn't have the foresight to take 'before' pictures. nevertheless, here are some 'after' pictures

i followed the manufacturer directions, which are also summarized here: http://www.detailedimage.com/Ask-a-P...r-care-how-to/

the 'nicer' photos i took with my nikon d5100 dslr, but it was a 35mm 1.8 lens so i couldn't get everything into one shot sometimes (this may not mean anything to some of you). the 'duller' photos i took with my phone, but gives you a wider angle. and there's one last one that looks really shiny, that was a picture i took when i first got the car, the dealer put some shiny coating on the leather before they delivered it to me...dunno what they used...admittedly it was a brighter day, but the shine was pretty unnatural and i was turned off by it at first

anyway, i don't know if it totally comes across with these pictures, but i'm quite happy with the results. messy, took quite some time, but it smoothed the leather out quite a bit and restored a more natural-looking matted finish. the leather is slightly softer, it seems more moisturized, so i'm hoping this is helping to protect the leather as advertised. no sticky finish, very lightly scented, kind of sweet and unobtrusive, not synthetic smelling.

leatherique is a 'buy' in my books ;) i'll probably do this once or twice a year.

though i've heard that some people use lexol products for maintenance cause it's easier for weekly application, and optimum for the vinyl/dash/door panels that aren't leather. anyone have recommendations on this stuff?

thanks

That looks great and thanks for posting pics! :thumbsup:

i know nothing beats personal experience, but...

there was an article somewhere on leather care products that explained what products are for what types of leather and TL was not the one leatherique was recommended for

something to to do with dyed vs. coated and fibers rotting from soaking up the wrong chemicals
it even explained for to determine what type you have and based on that "leather master" products were the best choice for our cars

the article was independent and impartial, recommending different products for different leathers, i don't think it wasn't even strictly car related, which made it more informative than detailing essays

i'll post the link if i can find it again

I was on the edge about this stuff (especially after reading all the threads on it here), but now I'm quite certain I'm going to try for the product. :thumbsup:

What were the sizes of the bottles you used? I'm only thinking of doing the front 2 seats since they're the most worn.

got it! i was wrong it was auto related :)

http://detailingwiki.com/index.php5?...e_Leather_Care

quote "While leather that is polyurethane-coated is relatively easy to care for by virtue of its protective plastic surface, it is also inaccessible for purposes of maintenance. Meaning, of course, there is absolutely no point to using leather oil-based conditioners on plastic coated leather"

and this one is good too

http://www.1z-usa.com/assets/KIC/Kee...ather-Care.pdf

although it is a manufacturer's article, but the basics point to the same clues

bottom line is, while the "oil" part of leatherique is not doing much as our leather is pigmented, the effect you had observed is from the good wash you gave it with the cleaner component of leatherique, to which there're cheaper and easier alternatives

sorry to be the party pooper :(

Looks great! I've never had a problem with Lexol for my seats but I'll look into Leatherique next time I start looking to buy.

I love my 35mm f/1.8 as well ;)

yeah i read those articles that abirvalg posted, that's what gave me some pause before i got the leatherique. i was struggling between that and the lexol products (which i'll probably still get anyway for more frequent maintenance, it's cheaper, easier, less mess, from what i've read). i think i also read some conflicting opinions too, stating that despite the TL leather being coated, the rejuvenation oil still had some positive effects. ultimately, who knows? haha. i just decided to go ahead with it anyway. though consider this, even if the rejuvenator oil didn't have a significant chemical effect, it caused me to be more diligent with the cleaning than i might have otherwise been with a 'cheaper alternative'. perhaps someone wants to use one of those other alternatives (or even just use the cleaner part of leatherique without the oil), take some pics, and do a comparison.

this seems like a once/twice a year treatment anyway. it seems costlier, but i think spread over a year, it's not that big a deal. abirvalg has some valid points, but i'll probably keep doing the annual clean, nice way to pass a day if you're into cleaning stuff, haha. i like seeing the transformation, that's why i like hand washing the exterior.

when you put the rejuvenator oil on, you can immediately see a difference in how the centre (perforated) parts of the seats absorb the oil much better than the sides. i've read that only the perforated parts are actually leather, everything else is vinyl (especially the headrests). but the fact that the centre absorbed better suggested that maybe the oil actually does get into the leather somewhat. after cooking, i also noticed that the oil was more uniformly flattened onto the perforated parts. i'm also thinking that because all the leather is creased somewhat, some of that oil must be getting in, right? i don't really know enough about leather conditioning to comment on it, but seems intuitive, no?

i got the smaller bottles, cost me about $45 shipped in Ontario, Canada for both 16 oz bottles. they recommend 4 oz per seat, so a bottle for all 4 seats i guess, but i only ended up using about half the bottle for all 4 seats and thought i was pretty liberal with it. but because i already had an idea that some of the seats weren't really leather, i didn't go over those parts as much with the oil, and i didn't even bother doing the headrests. i also used about half the bottle of the cleaner, to wipe off the oil from all 4 seats and rub the rubber gaskets around the doors. i initially wanted to test it out on one seat, but when i started getting messy anyway, i figured i might as well do all the seats

i would think that a car enthusiast would logically also be a photography enthusiast, haha ;)

I did something similar last weekend however I used Auto Glym products. Used a paint brush and really got in there. The results were really darn good. I also applied the cream (put it into a buffing sponge and made sure it was not creamy any longer so it did not get caught in the breather holes).

very nice, i've been using zaino's leather cleaner and leather in a bottle, might give this one a try :thumbsup:

That's cuz of the perforation not the type of leather, vinyl false .. its leather,



Your just as well off to use the Woolite solution for cleaning followed by 303 on our seats .. the leather is coated.

yah i'd considered using some autoglym products cause i think they were on sale from canadian tire last month, some reviews spoke about them favourably, but i guess i ended up with leatherique somehow, still wanted to see how it worked

i've heard good things about zaino leather cleaner, that it has the best smell, will have to give that a try sometime

vaguely heard about woolite solution, and i was going to get 303 or optimum, will probably go with optimum because it's supposed to have a more subdued finish. i think at least the headrests are vinyl. what do you guys use on the vinyl like the dash?

maybe i'll try some of those other products later and see for myself if they work just as well as the leatherique.

i've tried all kinds of stuff on the dash
surprisingly the best result came from rather cheap stuff
either "Son a Gun" or "KIT conditioner" both are sold in yellow bottles at many stores

they look and smell the same

they make the dash look very smooth, and not too shiny
the best way to apply is liberally wipe on with terry cloth without applying any pressure
if you wipe it with a clean cloth a day later it'll take some edge off the finish

overall makes the dash look new and even

Always heard good reports about Leatherique-this proves that out.

Did you use the plastic bag and let it sit for 24 hours or what?

Thanks for posting and great results, I have been meaning to try this for some time now.

Wanted to check if you guys are still having good results with leatherique?

I have. I feel like it does a great job on my car. Tan leather in a convertible can be a little difficult to keep clean.

Any other cleaners but clean very good compared to this? Just trying to find out if it worth for me to spend close $100 for some cleaners when I can get the same results with half the price.

I use the Leatherique twice a year for a very thorough cleaning. I use Lexol at all other times.

How much do you go through to clean your car once?

Of the Leatherique? Maybe a third.

Thanks!

I just did a complete detail of my interior this last weekend used the Leatherique. I ended up using about half of each bottle, but my interior was REALLY dirty from having the top down quite a bit.

FYI - https://acurazine.com/forums/car-tal.../#post16082711

I have been using LEXOL for about 15 years. Can anybody who used LEXOL, compare it to Leatherique?

I use both. I use Leatherique about twice a year and then Lexol for the rest of my cleanings. Leatherique, IMO, is for the occasional deep clean, and the Lexol is for the more routine maintenance.

It may not matter, as I have no idea. However, the only part of a 3G TL seat that is leather is the perforated center. Nothing else is leather.

Bought my 3G on Dec 26, 2005. Currently has 219k on it. Only use 303 and Meguairs on the interior. Still looks new. And I drive the piss out of it, and have kids.

Thanks for the recommendation. Interior looks spot on!

Im going to be trying out Leather Honey on the next couple details I do, Ill post pics and make a small review. Heard really good things.

Those were written by TOGWT. Google TOGWT leather.

For example...
Proper Finished Leather Cleaning and Care