Another.. Leatherqiue, LM, Z-10 protection question. Smell & price per application

9

93AccordLXwhite

New member
After searching for a leather protector (or conditioner I guess, not cleaner) it seems like:


Leatherique- good for major restorations, very damaged leather, offer many colors of dye

Leather Masters- another favorite, hard to search for

Zaino Z-10- much further back from the two front runners; good for maintenance, great smell (like leather), not designed as much for major restorations


The car in question is a 2004 Grand Marquis. 8+/10 condition leather seats, no major cracks or tears. Daily driver, doesn't have to turn out perfect. I'm fine with using Woolite or Megs APC as a cleaner (note- you should dilute the APC much greater than 1:10 if you plan on using it, too strong & you'll ruin the leather/coating). I just cleaned everything very well, and am mostly satisfied with the results. I'm looking for a protector, I understand the coated/uncoated etc. debates. Also the different application procedures (I'm fine with a 12-24hr dwell period). I mostly want something that will a) smell nicely like leather for awhile b) add some softness if possible (feel to the touch; not sticky, or oily) c) add any protection against sweat, grime, etc. that the seats see d) placebo effect. I'd prefer a matte to neutral finish.

I'm leaning towards Z-10 because of the smell. I've heard Leatherique smells like ammonia(?). And Leather Masters is somewhat hard to search for. As for cost, I believe they're all within a few dollars of each other for the smaller sizes. I'd really like a 500ml bottle, but the 250mls seem much more common; any idea how many applications I'd get out of that for a sedan? I'd like to spend <$3-5/application, or ~$15-25/year. I'm also familiar with 303 & Ultima, I'd prefer something with the smell of leather though.

Here is an old poll about leather products for those of you searching: http://www.autopia.org/forums/car-detailing-product-discussion/160927-leather-product.html
And leather cleaners specifically: http://www.autopia.org/forums/epic-threads/152520-leather-cleaner-recommend.html

Thanks everyone; happy detailing.
 
I have seen Leather Masters on Amazon for years.. Its ok and they have some really good stain removers..

Have seen Leatherique products for years as well, but have never thought I would be able to justify oiling up a Leather Interior, cleaning myself all up, letting it set up for 24 hrs or so, and then getting back in there, getting all oiled up again, cleaning up all the oil off the leather..

And yes, I know there were glowing testimonies abound about how good this product worked when it first came out, and I certainly dont disbelieve anything anyone with credibility said about this..
I just have not heard anything about this line for again, a few years, so perhaps its just lost its momentum???

Zaino Leather Cleaner - absolutely the best product I have ever used specifically for deep cleaning Leather using Steam through a white towel wrapped around the big triangular brush that comes with my VX5000 Steamer... I get amazing amounts of brown crud out of all colors of leather using this product in this manner..

And it leaves the leather softer and conditioned to the point it would probably be ok for some people but I always finish it off with either Spinneybeck leather conditioner or something with the preferred leather scent - Zaino, or Einszett, or even some old AutoGlym leather conditioner I have...
Zaino Leather Conditioner - Z10 absolutely rocked on our M5 Wagon Black M5 Leather Interior - it was totally protected from all the spills and it always felt great and smelled great in that vehicle...

The Spinneybeck product I refer to has absolutely no scent and really works great to clean and condition, leaving a nice matte finish... Spinneybeck may still be the largest importer of leather hides used for furniture and the automotive interior industry... I called them over 10 years ago and asked them what they used on their hides after the tanning process, etc., to condition and protect them and they said they had their own product, so I bought it and have been using it for years..

Guess it will come down to what you want to do to the vehicle interior, what your own preferences are, how much you are willing to spend, and what is the long range plan for the maintenance of it..

Everyone seems to think that Zaino is behind the times when it comes to this, but I see it just the opposite way. It may be "old school" to some, but it absolutely rocks on German Leather and Italian Leather for starters, and I feel that any leather would benefit from it IF the Client wanted the smell of leather in the vehicle for awhile...

Then you have some Leather interiors that when cleaned or not, smell like leather anyway, and even smell more like their particular scent after being cleaned...

I have heard and read about using Woolite for almost 2 decades and have never brought myself to ever think about using it... It was never designed for leather I believe, so I dont know how or why it was determined that this would be good for leather ever... I would use plain water before I would put that stuff on it... Perhaps it works great for some, I am not ever going to go find out, thank you.. :)

I have never seen damage done by Zaino or any of the other products I mentioned and I have used them all except Leatherique... :)
Good luck !
Dan F
 
I tried most of the cleaners and conditioning products and was very satisfied with the new Mothers products.
 
my personal favourite for both cleaning and to replenish the leather scent is Concept interior cleaner,i used it on my car first, and it felt fresh and clean with that beautiful leather smell a lot longer than I would have thought it could {I smoke in the car} as for conditioning the leather,, try this one,, Johnsons wax furniture polish,it has no silicones,feeds the leather and leaves a very rich leather enhanced smell in the car and the seats have a very even matt finish..
 
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