Leather Care?

Discussion in 'Detailing' started by Dwight, Sep 18, 2009.

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  1. Dwight

    Dwight Racing with the Gods
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    I got leather punch seats with my '08 MCS and they're due for cleaning/conditioning. Dealer supplied something called Permaplate that's supposed to work on both leather andvinyl. I don't think so. About to go after it with saddle soap as I know it works and won't clog the perforations. Is there something better/easier? Lexol maybe? :confused:
     
  2. M^Cubed

    M^Cubed Member

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    leatherique :)
     
  3. BlimeyCabrio

    BlimeyCabrio Oscar Goldman of MINIs
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    IMHO, Leatherique is great for periodic (maybe annual) cleaning and conditioning - but is overkill for more frequent use.

    I use Lexol cleaner a few times per year, and Prima Nourish hand applied after the seats dry from the Lexol. I use Griot's Leathercare Spray for periodic detailing, every time I clean the interior.

    None of these should clog the perfs. The lexol works well and easily - spray it on a damp applicator or cloth and massage in. Rinse frequently in a bucket of warm water. Use a wet microfiber cloth to rinse the seats afterward, rinsing frequently.

    With the cabrio, my seats get NASTY. Can't believe how much brown crap the Lexol gets out.
     
  4. Commander Dan

    Commander Dan New Member

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    I've got a cabrio, too... but maybe twice a year I use Zymol leather conditioner on my seats. (They're not perforated, though.) The navy blue leather looks and feels great, but I guess I'd like some fresh scent smell - the Zymol is odorless.
     
  5. Dwight

    Dwight Racing with the Gods
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    Leatherique

    Thanks for the help, guys. Found Leatherique's site and that's probably how I'll go. They were the only outfit I could find that specifically said their product did not contain silicone or petroleum products. Both kill leather eventually. I always knew laziness and procrastination would pay off! :D
     
  6. ScottinBend

    ScottinBend Space Cowboy
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    The Zaino leather cleaner and protectant are also very good. Been happy with the results for better than 4 years now.
     
  7. Nathan

    Nathan Founder

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  8. Prima Car Care

    Prima Car Care New Member

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    Thanks for the article link, Nathan. Dwight- I think you'll find lots of handy info in the article.

    I agree with BlimeyCabrio's take on the topic...

    Leatherique is excellent for an annual or even every-other-year deep cleaning and conditioning. It is the only system which will physically purge your leather's pores of all the gunk that has built up within them. If you don't clean out the pore-deep gunk then all the conditioning in the world won't penetrate well enough to do you much good. Leatherique is definitely the way to go for this level of cleaning and conditioning.

    On a monthly basis (or thereabouts), I think Leatherique is too time-consuming and expensive. And, you really should do at least a quick cleaning and light conditioning at regular intervals, lest your Leatherique process will be even more labor-intensive and you'd be potentially damaging you leather.

    Lexol/Nourish combo is a popular maintenance team. Prima Nourish was specifically designed with perforations in mind... it will not clog. Also, Nourish does not contain silicone or petroleum.
    The Lexol cleaner is pH-balanced and does not contain any harmful ingredients. As you've found, there are so many products out there with ingredients that are harmful for leather.

    Note that saddle soap is too harsh for automotive leather. It should only be used on, well, saddles. :yesnod:

    Finally, I wanted to say bravo! for questioning a product that is for leather AND vinyl. Egads, eh? It might be fine for the vinyl but I doubt it's any good for the leather. Good call!

    Hope that helps.

    -Heather
     
  9. BlimeyCabrio

    BlimeyCabrio Oscar Goldman of MINIs
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    WooHooo! Score one for Blimey!
    :lol:

    Even a broken clock is right two times each day.
     
  10. Dwight

    Dwight Racing with the Gods
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    Deja Vu Again

    Thanks here too, Heather! :smilewinkgrin:
     
  11. Prima Car Care

    Prima Car Care New Member

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    :lol: I love it! :lol:

    -Heather
     
  12. Justa Jim

    Justa Jim Well-Known Member
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    I have used a German product called "lederbalsm" on our saddles and other tack for many years. Keeps leather supple, yet strong. Works great on my MINI too. Can be found in any tack shop or from Dover Saddlery on line.

    Jim
     
  13. Metalman

    Metalman Well-Known Member
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    Yeah, I think this stuff was developed for lederhosen.
     

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  14. Justa Jim

    Justa Jim Well-Known Member
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    Could have been, now that you mention it. :cornut:

    Jim
     
  15. BlimeyCabrio

    BlimeyCabrio Oscar Goldman of MINIs
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    #15 BlimeyCabrio, Sep 9, 2010
    Last edited: Sep 10, 2010
    I'm here to sing the praises of Leatherique (some more).

    I have to admit... I had NEVER used it on my MINI. Just hadn't gotten around to it. And the Lexol seemed to be getting a buttload of nasty out of my seats every time I used it. Most recent Lexol cleaning was about 4 months ago, before MOTD. I have the worst case scenario of leather in a convertible in a climate that gets fairly hot in the summer.

    Today was a perfect sunny day and I didn't need to go anywhere - so I parked the car in the sun, slathered/massaged a copious amount of Leather Rejuvinator into the seats, put the top up, and let it bake. After a few hours most of the stuff was absorbed, so I slathered/massaged on some more. The seats were so hot, the actually burned my palm while putting on more product. I used almost 16 ounces of product total on the seats and all my leather boots and armrests.

    Tonight, after about 10 hours, I use the Prestine Clean to wash down the seats. How much nasty did it get out? (click to enlarge)
    bucket.jpg

    This is what came off ONE of my rear seats, in about two gallons of rinse water. Obviously that's a lot more than 4 months of dirt. That's what the Lexol wasn't getting all by itself. As was discussed earlier in the thread, the Leatherique Rejuvinator "floats" contaminants out of the pores of the leather. Here's a great example (click to enlarge):
    seats.jpg

    The line across the seatbacks is where the windscreen rests against them. While it's a little hard to tell, on the right side, it's just a crease. On the left side, there's a couple of ugly black marks in the creases. Those marks were not visible before applying the Leather Rejuvinator. The same marks were on the right side before I cleaned the seats with the Prestine Clean. That's the gunk that was effectively "massaged" into the leather by the windscreen over time, that the Rejuvinator floated to the surface.

    I thought the seats felt and looked good after a regular Lexol / Nourish treatment. But I really didn't know what I was missing. They look and feel *new* now... after 4 years and 80k miles.
     
  16. TGS91

    TGS91 New Member

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    AND you and I agree to a T! Matter of fact I just did a Lexol clean this week. Lookin Good!
     

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