Seeking Best Matte-Finish Leather Protectant Coating for Red Leather Seats

[Dustin Cropsboy]

I`m not a detailer, I`m a total noob... I just bought a 2018 Toyota and I want to protect the light red leather interior.


I seek a product that will (in order of priority for me)

I.) Not remove the red color of the leather or damage it in any way,

II.) Prevent the red seats from being discolored from dirt and skin oils,

III.) Help the seats be easier to clean after being subjected to clothing dye transfer,

IV.) Protect against pencil marks, ball point pens, and other abrasions,

V.) Make it possible and easier to clean difficult food (chocolate, grease) and other stains,

VI.) Help preserve against UV damage (vehicle has a panoramic moonrroof over the front and back seats)

VII.) Will preserve a nice matte look and not leave a high-gloss sheen,

VIII.) Won`t smell too nasty.



I`ve looked at so many products and product claims that my head is spinning. So I post this here, to see if anyone has real-world experiences they can share. I think I have it narrowed down to four products:

How would you rank the effectiveness of each of the following products... in your own experience?




1.) CarPro "Cquartz Leather Coating"


2.) LTT "Auto LeatherGuard" or "LTT Auto Protect" (not sure which one to use for light red seats)


3.) Leather Masters` "Leather Protection Creme" + Leather Masters` "Leather Barrier" + Leather Masters` "Ink Stop" (why do they say not to use Barrier on dark-colored leather?)


4.) Gtechniq "Leather Guard L1"




Will any of the above meet at least the top seven items on my wishlist above?


Or should I go with:


A.) Your favorite protectant that I have not discovered yet.

B.) Chemical Guys "Leather Protectant Dry-to-the-Touch Serum"

C.) Gold Eagle "303 Aerospace "Protectant"

D.) Guardsman "Protect and Preserve"

E.) Meguiar`s "Leather Sealer"


I want the most matte finish possible, and the most protection possible.

Would any of the above remove the color?
Would any of the above leave the surface shiny?
Would any of the above not protect as well as the others?

Would any of the above last longer than the others?
Would any of the above smell worse than the others?
Would any of the above have advantages over the others?

Can any of the above be used in layers over each other for any benefits? If so, in what order?

Should any of the above NOT be used together for any reason?

I assume my seats must be coated, I highly doubt they are semianiline, etc. The red leather is also perforated, if that makes a difference.

I live in the U.S.A. and the vehicle was assembled at the Georgetown, Kentucky plant. I have heard Lexus owners have used products on their red leather that removed the red coloring from the seats. So I am leery of just trying multiple products before checking to see if they will mess up the color. As the salesperson was showing me how to use all the buttons, etc.-- AFTER I purchased the car-- she puts the fear of Kiichiro in me: "Pencil marks will NEVER come out of this matte red leather. Chocolate will stain the leather FOREVER. Denim color transfer will be forever PERMANENTLY indigo. Pen marks will NEVER be able to be removed..." and she goes on and on. This wasn`t part of any upsale attempt to try to get us to buy any kind of simonizing or something like that-- so I got legitimately scared.

I`m looking for products that will maintain that nice matte finish (and NOT make it look like greasy vinyl or something) -- but WILL help prevent the staining, marking, abrasion, oil discoloration, food marking, sun fading, and color transferring that the dealer has apparently had so many complaints about and make it easier to clean when the inevitable does occur.

[Dustin Cropsboy]

(before image) Stock photo online to show color in question.

[Dustin Cropsboy]

well, I`m obviously great at working this interface. Same pic, uploaded four times, and I can`t figure out how to delete the attachments.

[booyah]

Here is a video of the Car-pro stuff on red leather! I got some to do my dark blue leather in my truck but have not tried it yet, I was seeking a matt finish as well and from what I have seen and read this will be good!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_c...&v=2hHHA2WPJv0

[Mike lambert]

Polish angel or dr Beasley if you do it yourself. My best advice is find a Modesta installer and have the leather coating applied

[Dustin Cropsboy]

Here is a video of the Car-pro stuff on red leather! I got some to do my dark blue leather in my truck but have not tried it yet, I was seeking a matt finish as well and from what I have seen and read this will be good!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_c...&v=2hHHA2WPJv0

THANKS. I am leaning toward that product most of all.

I presume the extreme test at the end was three layers on top of otherwise UNCOATED leather? (Looks shinier than some LTT demonstrations I`ve seen, and even shinier than LM protectants.) Do you know how long any of these products are commonly said to last in real-worl experience?

[Dustin Cropsboy]

Polish angel or dr Beasley if you do it yourself. My best advice is find a Modesta installer and have the leather coating applied

aaannnd back down the rabbit hole I go.

When last I looked at "Polish Angel" they only had leather cleaners and conditioners. Do you know the exact product name of their leather protectant/coating product? Snowcake?

And the Dr Beasley is the "Leather Lock Pro"?

And now I`m off to google "Modesta LPS Leather Protection System"

Anyone know which of these lasts the longest and shines the least?

[The Guz]

I am going to point you to my threads for both Cquartz leather coating and Gyeon Leather Shield on Autopia and on Autogeek so you can read up more on each coating.

Review CarPro Cquartz Leather Coating

Review - Gyeon Leather Shield (Leather Coating)

https://www.autogeekonline.net/forum...r-coating.html

https://www.autogeekonline.net/forum...r-coating.html

Appearance wise they both look the same. Both perform very well. I don`t use pens or any of that on my seats so I can`t comment on that. Cquartz has been on my dad`s car for 1 year and it`s doing just fine. Gyeon Leather Shield has been on mine for quite some time as well and is doing just fine. Abrasion will eventually wear it out.

If you don`t want to go the coating route then you have the option to use the Meguiar`s Gold Class Leather Sealer kit or Gyeon Leather Coat which leave a matte finish. Not as durable as the coatings but still work well.

Your seats are more than likely coated leather but you will have to verify that. You will also have to test a leather cleaner in an inconspicuous spot to see if it pulls any color.

[Dustin Cropsboy]

I am going to point you to my threads for both Cquartz leather coating and Gyeon Leather Shield on Autopia and on Autogeek so you can read up more on each coating.

Review CarPro Cquartz Leather Coating

Review - Gyeon Leather Shield (Leather Coating)

https://www.autogeekonline.net/forum...r-coating.html

https://www.autogeekonline.net/forum...r-coating.html

Appearance wise they both look the same. Both perform very well. I don`t use pens or any of that on my seats so I can`t comment on that. Cquartz has been on my dad`s car for 1 year and it`s doing just fine. Gyeon Leather Shield has been on mine for quite some time as well and is doing just fine. Abrasion will eventually wear it out.

If you don`t want to go the coating route then you have the option to use the Meguiar`s Gold Class Leather Sealer kit or Gyeon Leather Coat which leave a matte finish. Not as durable as the coatings but still work well.

Your seats are more than likely coated leather but you will have to verify that. You will also have to test a leather cleaner in an inconspicuous spot to see if it pulls any color.

THANKS! I had not seen your Gyeon Leather Shield review - I do appreciate your videos.

I`m afraid I`m a little in need of education...

So-- I think I understand that there is a difference between cleaning products and conditioning products. I think I understand that there is a difference between cleaning products and "protectant" products (except for a very, very few brands that might toss in a little of their protectant ingredients into a mild cleaner product (like an ltt Ultra Maintain or something. But --

Is there a difference between a "protectant" and a "coating?"
--and if so, what is that difference, and which is which in the list below:



Modesta LPS Leather Protection System

CarPro "Cquartz Leather Coating"

Dr. Beasley "Leather Lock"

LTT "Auto LeatherGuard"

Leather Masters` "Leather Protection Creme" + Leather Masters` "Leather Barrier" + Leather Masters` "Ink Stop"

Gtechniq "Leather Guard L1"

Chemical Guys "Leather Protectant Dry-to-the-Touch Serum"

Gold Eagle "303 Aerospace "Protectant"

Guardsman "Protect and Preserve"

Meguiar`s "Leather Sealer"

Polish Angel ?



And, are there different TYPES of coatings? and if so waht are tradeoffs between one type and another ? (E.g. if Cquartz & Gyeon are quartz-based, what is Modesta or LTT or LM or Gtechniq ?)




Aaaaaaannnndddd....

If my leather is "coated," that does not mean that an additional coating is not needed, necessarily? Right? Or does it? Are these "coatings" just more of the exact same "coating" the leather already has? Since the dealer indicated these particular seats are particularly prone to things like dye transfer and ball point pen damage-- maybe the leather just doesn`t have a very good coating? Or is something like a Modesta a completely different product altogether?

[BudgetPlan1]

Leather Shield from Gyeon has worked well for us; not shiny at all.

[Dustin Cropsboy]

Leather Shield from Gyeon has worked well for us; not shiny at all.

Great. I`m convinced. I`m gonna try the Gyeon q2.





Before I started checking on what would be the best bet for this leather, I didn`t even know things like exterior ceramic coatings existed.


Now I want one. (Exterior is black).


I want the best self-cleaning one I can get.






Trying... not... to grab... the red... pill...

[DBAILEY]

If you want something that is not a SiO2 coating the Ultima Interior Guard has a great fell to it on leather. It may make the leather color a bit richer looking but has a nice satin finish. The M37 LeatherGuard also has a nice feel to it, a bit closer to matte finish and supposedly will last longer. Both of those products should meet your requirements you just have to apply to about twice a year.

I on my own car I am currently using UIG on the front seats and the M37 LG on the back seats

[MattPersman]

We have black leather but have used Ultima and now Gyeon leather coat

Black leather is forgiving but the look didn’t change with the two products you could see where you were applying them to but didn’t make it all shiny or greasy


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[BadgerRivFan]

+3 with the Guz and BudgetPlan1 on Gyeon Leather Shield.

I’ve used it on brand new vehicles, and on the seats in my ‘84 Riviera Convertible which sees direct sunlight. Super pleased with the look, feel, and durability of Leather Shield. Application was also very easy, and pretty much impossible to goon up.

Use Gyeon Leather Cleaner for prepping the seats and ongoing maintenance if needed. I wipe my seats down with a damp microfiber soaked in ONR and it makes freshening things up quick and easy.

For me, there’s no need to try other options as this stuff just works well.

[Dustin Cropsboy]

I`ll definitely test it before full application. Pink or purple seats might be fine, but I`d like to keep the red.