Zaino Bros treatment best for new Mercedes leather seats?

[The White Miata]

I use Zaino Bros Leather Soft and Leather in a Bottle for my 1984 BMW and 1999 Miata. My wife just got a new E320 diesel (I occasionally get to ride in it!) and I asked the Mercedes dealership about what they recommend. The two leather products they had were Meguiars and Klasse. The dealership didn`t really have any insights into why they had these and not others.



Any reason I should use these products instead of Zaino?

Thanks!

[togwt]

Premium leather package- Clean with a 6:1 solution of Woolite® / water and condition by applying Connolly Leather Hide Care or Leatherique Pristine Clean



Urethane Coated Leather- Clean with a 6:1 solution of Woolite® / water and use Groit`s Leather Care or Zanio Z-10 Leather in a bottle



Vinyl or MB-Tex Covered leather- Clean with a 6:1 solution of Woolite® / water and condition by applying Groit`s Leather Rejuvenator or Leatherique Prestine Clean

JonM

[The White Miata]

So the Zaino is not as good as I thought it was? I was under the impression it was one of the best leather products. Of course, I don`t stay on top of car care products, either. :o

[kartoon]

How can you tell if the leather is coated ?

[togwt]

Originally posted by kartoon

How can you tell if the leather is coated ?



Identifying characteristics- uniform colour and grain patterns; will not scratch easily; water drops will not change colour.



As for the `best` product for leather, paint, tyres, etc, there is only one `best` that really matters, what looks best to your eyes...

JonM

[RedondoV6]

I`d stick with the Zaino conditioner for any kind of leather .. easier to use and leaves a leather scent. For natural leathers, I`d supplement periodically with a heavier conditioner like leatherique.

[The White Miata]

Jon, Could you please elaborate?

You are saying that for urethane-coated leather the Zaino Leather in a Bottle is fine, but it is not good for non-urethane-coated leather?



How do I know what I have? This is a 2005 Mercedes-Benz E320 CDI.



Thanks,

Mike

[togwt]

Originally posted by The White Miata

Jon, Could you please elaborate?

You are saying that for urethane-coated leather the Zaino Leather in a Bottle is fine, but it is not good for non-urethane-coated leather?



How do I know what I have? This is a 2005 Mercedes-Benz E320 CDI.



Thanks,

Mike



1. MB- Premium Leather Package-un coated `real` leather hides

2. MB-Tex (Viynl)

3. Covered leather



Check with your handbook, or your MB dealer, if you brought the car new the premium Leather Package would have been a significant extra cost



Rant-on :mad: What vehicle manufacturers sell as â€Ëœleatherâ€â„¢ in most cases should be illegal, and by calling it nappa, alecante or whatever does not make it leather Rant-off :)

JonM

[The White Miata]

We do have the "Premium Leather Package" as part of the Options. It is real leather and, yes, it was expensive.



My basic question is:

Why does Zaino work for urethane-coated leather and not for "premium leather"? Why are the other products better for premium, or real, leather?



Just trying to understand the logic.

Thanks.

[togwt]

I didn`t say it wouldn`t work for real leather, its just there are much better products out there for real leather, Leathique, Conne lly Hide Care.



If you really want to use Zanio its good enough, it`s chosen by most because it chemically provides a `real leather` smell, totally redundent in your case , but the choice of product is entirely up to you.

JonM

[saltydog]

I like the Meguiars Gold Class Rich leather foam, which I applied to my father in-law`s Mercedes. Nice & smooth! Seems to be lasting as well.

[MS22]

I am in agreement with Jon here, for real uncoated leather I would use Connolly Hide Food, now sold as Hide Care. The Leatherique twins are also nice but I save them for more neglected hides.

[RedondoV6]

I might disagree with Jon on what to use on coated/painted leather ... but for natural leathers an occasional condition with Leatherique or similar rich conditioner is probably the best way to go.



If you really do like the ease of use and scent of Zaino Z10, I`d use a light application of Z10 monthly on your natural leather and Leatherique once or twice a year for deeper conditioning.

[imported_memnuts]

The really important point Jon mentioned that should not be over-looked is cleaning. The dirt and oils (mostly body) will do more harm than lack of conditioning.

Second, check to see if there is a warranty with that expensive leather package. If so, follow to the letter because uncoated leather is a bear to keep like new in a daily driver and most dealers will look for a loop-hole to not honor the warranty.



If no cleaning or conditioning rules in the warranty, use whatever quality product you are comfortable with and has serviced you well in the past.

[imported_Burlyq]

I use z9 and 10 on Mercedes leather all the time. It will work fine and smell better than anything. Leatherique is probably a slightly better deep conditioner but it is harder to use. I recommend leatherique on older neglected leathers but if you use Zaino often on newer leathers they will be fine. Whatever you use try it on an unsuspisious area first if your worried about it.