coated leather

[nonsensez9]

Any reason to use or not use a leather conditioner on coated leather? What about the pleather? thanks

[Deanski]

Most automotive leather today has some coating on it.



Any light conditioner will work. Nothing heavy. I`s stay away from Lexol as it was really mad for uncoated leather mostly, but have changed the formula to once they realized the automotive market was using it on old leather.



Cleaning can be done with Woolite and water. Most leather cleaners are nothing more than just a soap mix with color nad fragrance anyway.



Deanski

[imported_Luster]

Z-9 / Z-10. Gentle cleaning, nice satin finish. This is typical GM "coated" leather. The Z-10 really keeps it looking nice and new.



http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v333/bluster/Trans%20Am/transam006.jpg

[Accumulator]

On some coated leaters I find conditioning to be a waste of time; it doesn`t seem to penetrate through the coating down into the leather proper. On others, it really does seem to condition/soften so :nixweiss



Try it and see if there`s any benefit from doing it.



I believe it was judyb who is a leather expert and who has posted on this subject. My experiences haven`t exactly mirrored her expert knowledge, but her take is certainly (IMO) worth a quick search and read.

[Bunky]

In a response to some questions, Lexol told me that coated leather over time will be more receptive to conditioning as the urethane top coating develops micro-cracks (exposing the leather more so conditioners can reach it) due to normal use by flexing, etc. Maybe that is why you see a difference.

[judyb]

The problem here is that if the leather has micro cracking and you add conditioners this will swell the fibres and stretch the pigment which will then increase the cracking and loosen the hold of the pigment thus making matters far worse. Cracked pigment should definitely not be conditioned but should be repaired at this stage which will be very successful and make your leather last longer.



Adding conditioners to the leather via the cracking can also unbalance the fat liquors which are carefully introduced during the tanning process and are not lost through any cleaning process. Micro cracking is usually created by the use of incorrect products and dirt in combination this is why leather should be kept clean and protected. These 2 steps will keep your leather in good condition.

[Accumulator]

The problem here is that if the leather has micro cracking ..[which].. should be repaired at this stage which will be very successful and make your leather last longer..



Any suggestions for repair materials/techniques (preferably something layman-friendly)?




Micro cracking is usually created by the use of incorrect products and dirt in combination this is why leather should be kept clean and protected. These 2 steps will keep your leather in good condition.



What do you recommend for the protection?

[nonsensez9]

so what Im hearing is... (1) a conditioner isn`t going to penetrate the protective coating unless the coating is breaking down. This might explain why my seats are excessively slippery after conditioning. (2) If the coating is breaking down, get it repaired somehow.



I guess that changes my question to... what cleaners are safest on coated leather and still effective?

[Deanski]

Try Sonus Leather Conditioner, you`ll no get a slippery feel from it and it works by also releasing the natural tanning oils used when the leather was cured.



It`s more geared to todays leather. Works well on my Porsche leather!



More severe leather breakdown can be resolved using Leatherique products. These products work best with older leather or leather that`s in poor shape.



Quite a few BMW owners have seats with leather wear and cracking on very new cars. I`ve always said to them to press BMW, NA to warranty this problem as it`s not correct to have a leather fail in this matter that soon.



I`ve used Zaino Z-9 and Z-10 leather care as well with very good results.



The older versions of Zymol Leather Treat was really good, but they reformulated it and it`s not the same as it once was.



BTW, have you read your owner manual? Most will tell you that a mild soap and water mix can be used to clean leather (Woolite). It does say this in Lexus manuals.



Just stay away from the conditioners made for uncoated or English leather from the past, these have heavy solvents that work well on that leather but poorly on todays leather. Besides smelling bad, if put on todays leather, they can break down the coating and make some dyes run or transfer to your cloths when you sit in the seat. Not very flattering!!



Regards,

Deanski

[Accumulator]

I guess that changes my question to... what cleaners are safest on coated leather and still effective?



I`ve *NEVER* had any problems with Griot`s Interior Cleaner, but it is pretty mild so I find it best on stuff that isn`t too dirty. I`ve even used it on (very nice) leather jackets and household furniture (including leather/fabric antiques) with no problems.

[mongo]

Any suggestions for repair materials/techniques (preferably something layman-friendly)?







What do you recommend for the protection?



Agreee what products do you recomend for protecting then some product like 303 or some other high quality vinyl protector.



Is Woolite safe to clean this in a 8/1 ratio water to woolite

[Accumulator]

Agreee what products do you recomend for protecting then some product like 303 or some other high quality vinyl protector.



Is Woolite safe to clean this in a 8/1 ratio water to woolite



Plenty of people use the Woolite but I`ve never tried it :nixweiss



For protection, after reading her recent posts on the subject I think you oughta search out judyb`s opinion unless you want to go with the conventional wisdom (i.e., that 303 or conventional conditioners are OK on treated leather). There`s a thread about what to use (sprayer/etc.) to apply leather stuff on which she mentions a few specific products.