Leatherique PSA - awful user experience, but at the fault of my own.

**BluBrett** · 06-13-2016, 12:03 AM

I used Leatherique rejuvenator approximately April, 2015. I did what I *thought* was right for my first use of Leatherique. I applied liberally and then threw plastic seat covers on while leaving my seat heaters on while driving and then leaving it in the sun during daylight hours for 24+ hours. What I didn`t think about was the fact that my seats are perforated. As I was applying very liberally, the Leatherique was seeping into the foam below the perforated leather and creating a swampy environment for my raw leather to absorb within the perforations. The leather hardened where it was perforated, the dye job (previously unknown to me, apparently done by the dealer who sold me the car) started to crack and rub away, and the expanding foam (due to overuse of rejuvenator) created tears which continued to enlarge. I emailed Leatherique at the time, while freaking out, and they simply told me Leatherique would not do that to my leather and it is somehow my fault, which was extremely disappointing. Not because it was their fault, but because they completely dismissed me without even considering investigating the source of the problem and I was left confused, on my own, watching my seats self-destruct.

I would still use Leatherique in the future, even after this disaster. I`d use it MUCH more sparingly, and I`d check it every few hours to make sure everything is coming along smoothly. My seats were repaired yesterday after a long year of seat covers, but I want to make sure you all see what misuse of the product is capable of before you make my mistakes.

Here are a couple of pictures of the seats after being destroyed and after being replaced Note: the large chunk was removed so the replacement material perforations could be matched. The leather was so hard he just pulled a chunk out like perforated cardboard:

**tropicsteve** · 06-13-2016, 06:33 AM

how old were the seats to start with? (9yrs?) if your dealer had to re-dye the seats before you got them, there obviously was a problem to begin with. sounds pretty unusual for leatherique to be the cause. the new repair turned out nice though.

**JBM** · 06-13-2016, 06:34 AM

Wow thats an incredible story.

**BluBrett** · 06-13-2016, 09:06 AM

Originally Posted by tropicsteve

how old were the seats to start with? (9yrs?) if your dealer had to re-dye the seats before you got them, there obviously was a problem to begin with. sounds pretty unusual for leatherique to be the cause. the new repair turned out nice though.

8 years old. Yes, they were old, but only the driver seat was dyed. The passenger seat was still beautiful and supple, with minimal wear on the lower outer bolster. I had considered the possibility at the time that the seats had tears repaired before and Leatherique revealed the tears, but now that I see the end result I`m convinced the seats were never torn to begin with. I`ll admit the driver seat was much more worn than the passenger seat underneath the dye, though.

**JaredPointer** · 06-13-2016, 09:37 AM

I`ve used Leatherique in the past, and I don`t recall from their directions anything special in regard to perforated leather and/or dyed leather seats. It has been a while since I have read the directions, so I could be forgetting something... It`s hard for me to believe that, based on the directions I have and my prior use, that Leatherique didn`t - at the very least - speed this process up. The fact that they seem dismissive (in your words) wouldn`t go over very well with me, and at the very least would prevent me from using their products again and letting other know about my experience.

**RaysWay** · 06-13-2016, 09:38 AM

Wow thank you for sharing!

**Marine Clerk** · 06-13-2016, 12:44 PM

Brett hmmm... Interesting .
I have perforated seats on both my Infiniti M35X and Acura MDX. I apply Leatherique during the summer once a year here in HB. Put on my Nitrile free work gloves and spray the Leatherique liberally on the seats and spread around with my hands. Let it set all day with the windows closed up and then about 4 pm I use the cleaner and remove it . It always looks great afterwards.

Can`t figure out what cause your problems. I don`t cover the seats with seat covers or leave the heater running. Plus it`s only on the seats for about 6 or 7 hours.
I use Leatherique on Non-Clear coated leather seats only because in my experience the coating prevents the leather from absorbing the oil. If after 2 hours the Leatherique is absorbed completely I`ll reapply to the dry spots. I try to never over saturate because you can`t put that genie back in the bottle.

Again, the new seats by California Auto Upholstery came out Really nice. Will go by and have them look at my Landcruiser.