Leatherique Application

[imported_HiTek21]

A friend of my brothers recently acquired a 93 RX7 and asked me if I could look at his leather seats. I had an opportunity to inspect the seats this morning briefly and they`re pretty dry and some of the red coating is peeling off of the seat near the drivers door where people constantly rub against when getting in and out, but for a 17 year old car they look really good overall.



I purchased the leatherique kit a few months back but haven`t had a chance to use it on my own car yet and figured this would be a good opportunity to try it out. I`m concerned that the red coating might peel off more around where its already starting to if I apply leatherique to the seats. According to what my brothers friend said, the previous owner never did any cleaning or up keeping of the interior. It spent most of the time in the garage sitting.

[3Guy]

Email Leatherique (George), I`m sure he`ll quickly respond to your question. They also sell leather dye that can be color matched, so that might be a solution where the `red coating` has peeled off. I`ve used their leather dye on a worn armrest and couldn`t be more pleased with the results- looks as good as new!

[rdorman]

I just did an entire interior dye. Look in Click and Brag under Saving My Daughters Car. I would touch it up first but I don`t think the PC and RO will cause any dye to fail that is not already toast!

[Alfisti]

I`ve had the pleasure of using Leatherique several times. It`s a remarkable product.



It`s hard to comment on the dye issue you`ve asked about. I`ve never had colour coming off with Leatherique but that`s just my experience.



Are you familiar with how RO and PC in the kit is used? It`s very different to other leather treatments and really works best on un-coated (un-finished) leather.

[Cosmom3]

Hey guys,



I didn`t want to start a new thread, so I thought I`d ask my question here.



Question:



Is it ok -after a 24 hour period- to reapply RO onto the seats after proper absorption, or do I need to use pristine clean, wait a few days, and THEN reapply RO/PC.



I`ve applied leatherique several times before today, however I`ve never considered doing multiple passes, so I thought I`d come here for advice.



Just for reference, I`ve read the article below and a few others before posting.



Leatherique Leather Care How-To – Detailed Image (http://www.detailedimage.com/Ask-a-Pro/leatherique-leather-care-how-to/)





Thanks!

[togwt]

[Are you familiar with how RO and PC in the kit is used? It`s very different to other leather treatments and really works best on un-coated (un-finished) leather.] Alfisti



That`s the type of leather this product was formulated for

[Alfisti]

It`s ok to reapply RO multiple times until absorption ceases. Only then do you need to wipe off residue with PC.



Couple of questions:

1) Is it un-finished leather?

2) Are you leaving the car in the sun/heat to facilitate the action of RO?

[Cosmom3]

The leather is straight from my 97 m3, so I`m not sure what you mean by un-finished. It`s not been sanded, dyed, or manipulated in any way.



I started the process yesterday around 1pm and around 2pm was finished applying the RO. The interior temp ranged from 123 to 128 degrees. These are just a few pictures from yesterday and now this morning (in that order). Apologies in advance for the crappy lighting. I wasn`t planning on posting them up. :)



https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-yv40Sg-PUPk/ToNSEmtAyWI/AAAAAAAAAPE/tx87uU7yj5Y/s512/IMG_4131.JPG



https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-aBZVkoNwIa4/ToNSDk4CcZI/AAAAAAAAAPA/8WnmAwiHJI4/s576/IMG_4133.JPG



https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-cLWglJknl7A/ToNSDZfvElI/AAAAAAAAAO8/U2xsTjzxNFE/s512/IMG_4134.JPG



https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-Z1NseB88TAo/ToNSDphAQpI/AAAAAAAAAO4/yvLLPG3zd6M/s512/IMG_4135.JPG

[Alfisti]

Hi cosmo, by un-finished I mean un-coated. Since the early 90s most leather was coated with a thin layer of vinyl for durability and cleaning. This vinyl coating prevents products like Leatherique from working properly as they`re not absorbed through the vinyl.



How long after application was that last photo taken?

[togwt]

The leather is straight from my 97 m3, so I`m not sure what you mean by un-finished. It`s not been sanded, dyed, or manipulated in any way.





http://www.autopia.org/forum/guide-detailing/136895-leather-upholstery%3B-surface-identification.html#post1451654



http://www.autopia.org/forum/guide-detailing/136421-proper-finished-leather-cleaning-care.html



http://www.autopia.org/forum/guide-detailing/137661-various-leather-surface-conditions-correction.html

[Rob4092xx]

If your leather has a urethane coating (almost every leather seat has had this for the past 20 years or so), Leatherique is useless. I don`t care what the "experts" say.



I have tried Leatherique on several of my car`s seats. They all had urethane coated leather. Leatherique, nor any other "conditioner" product, can soak into the leather due to this unpenetrateable urethane coating. All you end up with is a greasy mess on your seats. Then, dirt is easily attracted to the seats and acts like sandpaper when you get in and out of your car.



I am sure Leatherique is a great product for unfinished, dyed only, leather seats. It does not work for any others!

[Alfisti]

Sorry...urethane, not vinyl. :o

[lostdaytomorrow]

Yeah unfortunately thats just not the case. This has all been well discussed and debated in the past on the forum?

[Cosmom3]

The leather is straight from my 97 m3...



https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-yv40Sg-PUPk/ToNSEmtAyWI/AAAAAAAAAPE/tx87uU7yj5Y/s512/IMG_4131.JPG



https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-aBZVkoNwIa4/ToNSDk4CcZI/AAAAAAAAAPA/8WnmAwiHJI4/s576/IMG_4133.JPG



https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-Z1NseB88TAo/ToNSDphAQpI/AAAAAAAAAO4/yvLLPG3zd6M/s512/IMG_4135.JPG



Hey guys,



Thought I`d post up an after shot:



https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-RQDGxeu3fNU/TozdhfoyeNI/AAAAAAAAAQ8/UificS3U-gg/s512/IMG_4145.JPG







Overall I was pleased with the leatherique application(s). The RO process lasted approximately 35 hours -18 hours inside temp ranged from 112-128 degrees- and after all was said and done, I`m quite pleased.



Because of the harsh lighting (annoying garage window overexposes) you can`t get the most accurate portrayal of how the leather improved, but overall it is more plush and looks healthier.



Just for reference, this is the third pass of leatherique this car has seen over the period of 3 years. Also this was the first time I let the RO sit overnight and ensured the inside temp was over 100 degrees.



Feedback welcomed

[Alfisti]

It`s to be accurate from pictures but the leather looks richer, plumper. Does it feel softer?



The second last photo shows where it was absorbed in the fissures of the leather. But even on the coated sections it can absorb moisture through the coating if left on the surface long enough in high enough heat.



Looks like it worked nicely. Of course, it worked much more dramatically on un-finished leather.