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So what`s everyone like for leather care?
I`ve been searching, but answers are all over the place lol from what I can tell, if you need to restore leather, leatherique is the product you need. How about cleaning? On ls1tech I saw someone use Adams polish product and it gave a nice matte, supple look. I just haven`t seen a ton of comparisons regarding it on here to this point. Once it is clean I always thought to use a conditioner, but from what I see a lot of ppl seem to be against it as it only protects the very top layer of the leather and isn`t absorbed into the leather. Am I understanding this correctly? If so, after using a leather cleaner, what products do you guys use for upkeep?
leather is probably where I lack knowledge the most, as I`ve only had one car with it, however it needs some love and it`s time to address it correctly
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Re: So what`s everyone like for leather care?
a coating protects the top layer of the clear...what`s wrong with protecting the top layer of the leather with a conditioner?
if you`re not using a leather "conditioner" what are your other options?
I like Poorboys Leather Stuff, Natural Look
Megs Mirror Bright leather
PBL leather coating
I hear PA makes a great conditioner
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Re: So what`s everyone like for leather care?
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Re: So what`s everyone like for leather care?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
512detail
a coating protects the top layer of the clear...what`s wrong with protecting the top layer of the leather with a conditioner?
if you`re not using a leather "conditioner" what are your other options?
I like Poorboys Leather Stuff, Natural Look
Megs Mirror Bright leather
PBL leather coating
I hear PA makes a great conditioner
i kinda thought it would leave you just about out of options too, probably confused myself on that one by reading one too many posts
i read a review about poor boys saying it has a pretty strong leather scent, your thoughts on this?
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Re: So what`s everyone like for leather care?
Griots 3-1 works great for me if not coating.
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Re: So what`s everyone like for leather care?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Mezzoni
i kinda thought it would leave you just about out of options too, probably confused myself on that one by reading one too many posts
i read a review about poor boys saying it has a pretty strong leather scent, your thoughts on this?
smells better than the nasty vehicle I used it on to clean!
I have no issues with the scent, overall I like natural look better but leather stuff works great too
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Re: So what`s everyone like for leather care?
I would recommend McKee`s 37 All In One Leather Lotion after deep cleaning or in between those deep cleanings.
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Re: So what`s everyone like for leather care?
99.999% of the time I just wipe it off with an Interior Quick Detailer. I don`t think I`ve done more than that on any of our leather interiors (daily drivers and dog-hauler included) for over a year, much longer in some cases.
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Re: So what`s everyone like for leather care?
What about a leather coating like Cquartz Leather, Gyeon LeatherCoat or PBL leather coating?
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Re: So what`s everyone like for leather care?
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Originally Posted by
RaydiantDetail
What about a leather coating like Cquartz Leather
Good stuff for someone looking for very little maintenance. Have a review on it
http://www.autopia.org/forums/detail...r-coating.html
Gyeon Leather Coat is ok.
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Re: So what`s everyone like for leather care?
Any lotion type of product should be avoided on coated leather. Just clean it.
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Re: So what`s everyone like for leather care?
Even if the leather is coated I still like to have some protection on it - sure it may not reach all the way through the leather but protecting that coating is like protecting the Clear Coat on your car - once it starts to fail it`ll be noticeable and very hard to return to how it initially looked. I`m partial to the Pinnacle Black Label Leather Coating - super easy to use and protects the coating on top of the leather. I`ve been using the Griot`s 3-1 Spray a lot weekly for light cleaning and it works great, and Poorboys Leather Stuff is great as well. My favorite Cleaner/Conditioner combo is Polish Angel - although the cleaner is expensive I love working with it and it smells amazing, the conditioner doesn`t have much smell but a little goes a long way and it works great for uncoated leather (or leather where the coating has failed).
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Re: So what`s everyone like for leather care?
Agree with Paul. I coated my car and the wife`s new car with Pinnacle Leather coating. To keep things clean and smelling like leather, Griots 3-1 is great. I think it is the best smelling leather product out there.
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Re: So what`s everyone like for leather care?
I use leather masters strong cleaner at full strength or diluted 3:1 depending on condition, then follow with their protection cream.
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Re: So what`s everyone like for leather care?
Every time I buy a used car that had very nice leather to begin with, it is totally dried out because the previous owner did nothing for it. In the past, I have always used Apple Leather Care, applied either in the hot sun or with the heater running full blast to keep the cabin hot. It takes many applications for the leather to finally return to being supple. I recently tried the Leather Doctor system, hoping it would work more quickly. I have to say, while I liked the cleaner, the hydrator and fatliquor just seemed like a lot of trouble for nothing, and the protector B+ didn`t seem to do anything Apple Leather Care`s conditioner didn`t do, just cost more.
I know the coating according to everyone means it can`t do anything for the seat, but I can point to a 1999 BMW that I thought had some very poor vinyl when I bought it, until I ran the vin decoder and found it had nappa leather. Over the course of a week I managed to bring it back to soft suppleness. I still wish I could find something that worked faster though.
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Re: So what`s everyone like for leather care?
Poorboys Leather Stuff. It`s a great price and really works well. My go to leather cleaner and protectant unless it`s on Ford King Ranch then I will use Leatherique
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Re: So what`s everyone like for leather care?
I was gonna go with griots 3-1 but autopia is sold out. My second choice was poor boys leather stuff but autopia doesn`t carry it ! My mother vlr and meguiars leather conditioner (pump bottle from Walmart I think) will have to do for now. I`ll prob pick up the leather boys elsewhere soon and pick up leatherique twins when it warms up out so I can let it bake in my car
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Re: So what`s everyone like for leather care?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Mezzoni
I was gonna go with griots 3-1 but autopia is sold out. My second choice was poor boys leather stuff but autopia doesn`t carry it !
They most certainly do!
Poorboy
Poorboys Leather Stuff (and Griots 3-in-1 for that matter) is great!
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Re: So what`s everyone like for leather care?
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Originally Posted by
BadgerRivFan
They most certainly do!
Poorboy
Poorboys Leather Stuff (and Griots 3-in-1 for that matter) is great!
I must`ve looked for it 3 different times.. idk how I missed this
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Re: So what`s everyone like for leather care?
I have only needed leather conditioner, and for that,... Zaino Z10 for life. The smell is awesome! Apply and close the doors for a day and I`m in heaven... smells like walking into a leather shop.
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Re: So what`s everyone like for leather care?
Always surprised with these threads concerning leather care that no one mentions Optimum Leather Protectant. It was designed from the get go for coated leather, includes a mild cleaner, easy to apply, leaves a very natural look, has a great leather sent and can also be used on the vinyl interior bits. I`ve been using it for years on my 10 year old Passat and the interior still looks like new.
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Re: So what`s everyone like for leather care?
Stay away from CG Sprayable Leather. Shiny and slick. Squeaks too.
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Re: So what`s everyone like for leather care?
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Originally Posted by
jester7677
I have only needed leather conditioner, and for that,... Zaino Z10 for life. The smell is awesome! Apply and close the doors for a day and I`m in heaven... smells like walking into a leather shop.
Another vote for Zaino!
Although I started out using the Zaino system for everything (many years ago), the only thing that I still love is Z10.
Easy to use, and the smell is amazing!
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Re: So what`s everyone like for leather care?
Heh heh...you guys who like your interiors smelling like a luggage shop.....I`m all about unscented stuff, want `em to keep smelling like what they are (Tahoe smells like a Chevy, Audis smell like Audis, etc.).
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Re: So what`s everyone like for leather care?
Gave Gyeon Leather Cleaner + Gyeon Leather Shield a try 2 weeks ago. So far, so good.
Sent from my SM-G930T using Tapatalk
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Re: So what`s everyone like for leather care?
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Originally Posted by
Accumulator
Heh heh...you guys who like your interiors smelling like a luggage shop.....I`m all about unscented stuff, want `em to keep smelling like what they are (Tahoe smells like a Chevy, Audis smell like Audis, etc.).
Have you tried Z10, cause it sounds like you haven`t.... :)
The smell fades but remains very faint. Most people will get in and comment that it smells like a new car. I also like keeping the entire car looking new, so this completes the effort by hitting that last sense.
Now detailing supplies I could care less. I`m old school, if it smell like chemicals it must be working...
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Re: So what`s everyone like for leather care?
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Originally Posted by
BudgetPlan1
Gave Gyeon Leather Cleaner + Gyeon Leather Shield a try 2 weeks ago. So far, so good.
Sent from my SM-G930T using Tapatalk
Leather Shield is good stuff. Have this and Cquartz Leather as well. Both great coatings for leather.
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Re: So what`s everyone like for leather care?
On our cars with protected leather, I have used many products (both cars have over 100K each) I have not seen any real difference in "protection". The biggest different is sheen and slickness after application. Leather Masters Protection Cream seemed to be the best to me in terms of lack of slickness and look. I have used Mothers VLR and Leather Conditioner, PB Leather Stuff, BF, DP. I have not used any coatings - too much of the other stuff that seems to work fine. Application is key to controlling added slickness.
On steering wheels, my favorite is Mothers VLR for cleaning and conditioning.
BTW, these cars are garage kept.
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Re: So what`s everyone like for leather care?
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Originally Posted by
jester7677
Have you tried Z10, cause it sounds like you haven`t.... :)
Correct! Although I`ve been in cars that were supposedly treated with it and they didn`t smell right to me.
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The smell fades but remains very faint. Most people will get in and comment that it smells like a new car. I also like keeping the entire car looking new, so this completes the effort by hitting that last sense.
Eh, that`s the thing...*any* residual scent would bug me. The Z10ed car I was in smelled faintly of a luggage/leather goods store and that`s not how it would`ve smelled in the showroom. The closest to smelling like Leather my vehicles get is the Jag and the Connolly leather in the `93 Audi, and those have a very specific scent (which a great many people actually find *awful*...).
Ieven leave the doors open after using Meguiar`s QID/1ZCP even though I like those scents, want `em *GONE* before I get in the car again.
Heh heh, IMO most people have zero idea what a new vehicle of a specific year/make/model smells like...not that I care about anybody else`s take on my vehicles ;)
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Now detailing supplies... I`m old school, if it smell like chemicals it must be working...
Yeah, I`m with you there! I like that chemically smell, especially the stuff I`ve been around for decades. And that *is* why I like using my Interior QDs so much...I like that "there`s something in this stuff that`s probably effective" smell, just don`t want it to hang around.
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Re: So what`s everyone like for leather care?
I’m a fan of the Leatherique set. If the leather is starting to get hard it softens it up. Most of the regular leather conditioners don’t feel effective (like megs gold class)
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Re: So what`s everyone like for leather care?
I really like the PBL leather coating. Actually use it on my birkenstocks for work often.
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Re: So what`s everyone like for leather care?
I`m a big fan of Leather Masters Strong Leather Cleaner mixed 50/50 with hot water. This cleans just about anything. I follow with LM Leather Protectant. I do this maybe every 3-4 months depending on the conditions of my DD. On a weekly basis, I wipe down with a wrung out towel and finish with Meguiar`s QID.
The thing I like about the QID is I can use it on nearly everything, LCD panels, dash, any vinyl or plastic and it doesn`t leave any added gloss but does leave UV protection. QID makes it easy to keep the interior pristine with very little effort.
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Re: So what`s everyone like for leather care?
Please see this thread https://www.autopia.org/forums/car-d...itioner-2.html
and look at Post #25 from Stokdgs on Page 2 Thread is from October of 2016
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Re: So what`s everyone like for leather care?
I usually just wipe down with woolite/distilled water
dry with clean mf
twice a year use some mothers conditioner, very little, wipe off excess, after the cleaning
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Re: So what`s everyone like for leather care?
McKee
Really great product.
And...
Mothers All-In-One Leather Care
Was a real sleeper. This stuff is fantastic.
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Re: So what`s everyone like for leather care?
I have been on a leather cleaning product spree lately.
So far I have used Gyeon Leather Cleaner and Leather Coat on my passenger seat in my DD as a test.
Leather cleaner foams up nicely and cleaned up the oils/ grime well. Wipe off did take a bit of effort mostly because I think I went a bit heavy with the product initially. It also seems to foam up a lot better with soft bristle brushes as opposed to stiffer bristles like the Sonax leather cleaning brush.
I have the sonax leather products as well but have not had a chance to test them out yet.
My favorite 3 in 1 leather product is the Griots Garage 3 in 1 Leather. It cleans well, leaves nice soft conditioned feel, not glossy just matte, and it smells great!
Its the one I use most regulary and I love using it on our leather couches as well every few months.
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Re: So what`s everyone like for leather care?
For weekly maintenance I use 303 Leather Cleaner and Conditioner. Doesn`t have a fake leather smell and it`s not shiny or greasy.
I also have Optimum Leather Protectant which I like a well.
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Re: So what`s everyone like for leather care?
Still just giving mine a quick wipe with an Interior QD, haven`t actually cleaned/treated anything since forever.
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Re: So what`s everyone like for leather care?
This isn`t a one shoe fits all question. Depends a lot on what climate you`re in. The one thing that true no matter where you are, is keep it clean. Vacuum with upholstery brush, wipe with a lubricated microfiber, or compressed air so it isn`t rubbing like sandpaper. I do this at least twice a week. Steam cleaning them twice a year with the brush covered with a microfiber cloth. This seems to keep the leather hydrated . Yes I use conditioners once in awhile, but I`ve used many different ones over the years. My thoughts on what conditioner to use, use what you like. If it does nothing else, it seems to help prevent stains especially from blue jeans. This is a fifteen year old seat here. https://www.autopia.org/forums/attac...id=34162&stc=1
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Re: So what`s everyone like for leather care?
I`m still not doing much of anything with my leather interiors other than keep them clean. Newest is the `01 S8 and no problems...