Does it make sense to detail new leather
- Thread starter jsoto
- Start date
Jngrbrdman
New member
If you go into a leather shop and buy something brand new then the first thing they are going to tell you is that you need to condition the leather and waterproof it. I just bought a new leather coat a few weeks ago and that was the first thing I did too. Conditioning the leather is definitely a good idea. Why wait till it is dried out and cracking before you take care of it? Prevention of damage should start the moment you get the car. Lexol will help and there are other conditioners that will help as well.
As far as making the leather softer, that depends on the kind of leather that was used. Some leather is just really hard and others are soft. You'll never get it as soft as the leather my coat is made out of probably, but would you really want it that soft? Harder leather is going to last longer. I would imagine that conditioning the leather will make it softer but its not going to change it all that much. It will keep it from drying out though. That is the big thing.
People who buy cars with leather seats and think that its not something they have to maintain till it starts to crack are really missing something. Just look at the leather on a car that is 3 years old that hasn't ever been conditioned and you'll see the value in starting now. Condition those seats once a month and they will last you for a very long time. Leather is a high maintance item and requires some work.
As far as making the leather softer, that depends on the kind of leather that was used. Some leather is just really hard and others are soft. You'll never get it as soft as the leather my coat is made out of probably, but would you really want it that soft? Harder leather is going to last longer. I would imagine that conditioning the leather will make it softer but its not going to change it all that much. It will keep it from drying out though. That is the big thing.
People who buy cars with leather seats and think that its not something they have to maintain till it starts to crack are really missing something. Just look at the leather on a car that is 3 years old that hasn't ever been conditioned and you'll see the value in starting now. Condition those seats once a month and they will last you for a very long time. Leather is a high maintance item and requires some work.
tkr128
New member
You should definately start right away. You won't believe just how fast the leather will start to dry and crack. Most people pay extra for the leather, why not take care of it?
To answer your question, Lexol should do a good job at keeping the leather nice and soft.
To answer your question, Lexol should do a good job at keeping the leather nice and soft.
Jngrbrdman
New member
From what I understand, Leatherique isn't a conditioner. Its not a preventitive maintanance step, rather it is is a repair product. You shouldn't have to use it unless you neglect your leather for a couple years. Use conditioners and cleaners for now and hope you never have to use a repair product.
Sidney Trainer
New member
I dont want to get burned here... But i have found that when the leather is new lexol doesnt amaze me with its results. As a matter of fact lexol conditioner makes the leather too slippery and shiny. I have used Meguiars Gold Class Leather Cleaner/Conditioner. I have found that if this product is applied on a weekly basis you will keep the surfaces clean and fairly conditioned. With leather seats we must remeber that people sitting on the seat will rub away the conditioner, so there is no point in spending 20 dollars on the lexol system, if for 5.99 you can get the one step meguiars. Also I keep some of the cleaner/conditioner WIPES in the car for touch ups during the week. Again this is my preference, maybe I dont know how to work lexol too well or I have mastered the use of this product.
Jngrbrdman
New member
Lexol isn't necessarily the product of choice here. I think its only being mentioned in this thread because the thread starter brought it up. We use em all on Autopia. No need to fear flames by supporting products that aren't the forum fav. :xyxthumbs
C. Charles Hahn
CCH Auto Appearance, LLC
the unfortunate thing is you can't make the leather seats in a chevy compare to the leather seats in, say, a caddy... the leather simply isnt as supple to begin with because they aren't using the same high grade hides... so don't ever expect that kind of feel if its not what you've already got on a brand new car.
Pats300zx
Super Moderator
I was not really impressed with Lexol on my leather seats either. I actually prefer Eagle One's Leather Conditioner or Meg's GC better. I think the EO or Megs seemed to make the leather softer IMO.
I also don't like Lexol. I like to maintain the nice dull satin apppearance a car has when it leaves the showroom, so i dont like shiney junk on the dash or the seats. I use the Meguiars Gold Class, softens the leather, and always returns it to the great satin finish it had when it was new.
I've heard that the one step systems aren't always the best though, is that true?
I've heard that the one step systems aren't always the best though, is that true?
Jngrbrdman said:
Jngrbrdman, I typically bow to your greater experience and wisdom. :bow But this spring we bought Leatherique to re-dye a recliner in the house and to deal with the Jaguar's leather seats. Leatherique, as I understand it, has different products -- some are dyes, some are conditioners, some are cleaners. I'm planning to use the cleaners and conditioners to keep the Jag seats lookin' great! Anybody else out there have more experience with Leatherique?
Leatherique has separate cleaner and conditioner products. They also have crack repair and redyeing products. The cleaner and conditioner products can be used on new or old leather. My family has a leather sofa and love seat (3 years old?) that the kids beat up. It worked well on cleaning, condition and even restoring some color to the leather.
Hopefully I will not start the whole clear coated leather discussion again but, 99.9% of new car leather has a vinyl/plastic coating. Therefore you can treat it similiar to vinyl. Don't go scrubbing on it with harsh cleaners or abrasives or stiff brushes though!
My treatement plan for my new leather is:
* Leatherique conditioner 2 - 4 times a year. This should feed the underlying leather.
* A light 303 coating every month or two. (I've be slack this winter). This will provide UV protection to the clear coat (vinyl/plastic). Becare this stuff can make the seat slippery.
* Light cleaning as needed. There are many products to use.
* General, heavier cleaning once or twice a year. Again many products to choose from. Usually the same as for the light cleaning.
I would think you could subsitiutue Lexol or other leather conditions. No Saddle Soap!
Hopefully I will not start the whole clear coated leather discussion again but, 99.9% of new car leather has a vinyl/plastic coating. Therefore you can treat it similiar to vinyl. Don't go scrubbing on it with harsh cleaners or abrasives or stiff brushes though!
My treatement plan for my new leather is:
* Leatherique conditioner 2 - 4 times a year. This should feed the underlying leather.
* A light 303 coating every month or two. (I've be slack this winter). This will provide UV protection to the clear coat (vinyl/plastic). Becare this stuff can make the seat slippery.
* Light cleaning as needed. There are many products to use.
* General, heavier cleaning once or twice a year. Again many products to choose from. Usually the same as for the light cleaning.
I would think you could subsitiutue Lexol or other leather conditions. No Saddle Soap!
I don't know what Audi used on their arm rests for A4s, but I just saw a '96 A4 with leather and the arm rest covering was cracked and split open like it was 20 years old. 
Obviously that car never received any leather care.
IMO, different leathers require different care and products. I've got 2 pairs of HS Trask shoes , one made out of bison leather and the other pair out of elk. I use HS Trask's Buffalo Butter on them and this stuff soaks right in and keeps the shoes in top condition. I thought, "Man if this works so well on my shoes I wonder how it will work on my car seats?" Well the Buffalo Butter didn't do anything on my seats. An hour later 100% of the stuff was still there, setting on top of the finish like I had just applied it. I also have a split hide, lamb skin jacket, which is the softest leather I have ever felt. I tested the Buffalo Butter on an inconspicuous location and it turned the leather dark, which it doesn't do on my shoes.
So what's my point? :nixweiss Doing nothing to your car's leather is not good. Car manufacturers don't use the same grade of leather that clothing or furniture manufacturers use. So the care that these products require is not the same that is needed for automobiles nor is the products that should be used the same. The automotive environment is probably the harshest conditions that leather can be subjected to, extreme summer heat and extreme winter cold. This is one of the reasons that most automotive leather is coated with a sealant. Another is for color uniformity across the model line. You could take a seat made for the first car and put it into another vehicle made 5000 units later and it would still match in color and texture. I would say 70% to 80% of the vehicles on the road with leather don't get any leather care and that's the standard that manufacturers use to build their cars to. So, IMO, modern cars have pretty tuff leather interiors. They require very little care to keep them in good shape, but the standards that are applied here at Autopia should keep your leather in peak condition for decades. Don't worry if you don't have anything to treat your leather with right now. You could go months without doing anything and no long term harm will be done so don't rush out and buy the first thing you see on the shelves.
You'll get as many different opinions on what to use on your leather seats as you would on what wax to use. Lexol is okay, but it does leave your seats a little slippery and I don't think it smells too good. I use Pinnacle Leather Conditioner and think it has a nice new leather smell to it, but other people who use it disagree.
Obviously that car never received any leather care. IMO, different leathers require different care and products. I've got 2 pairs of HS Trask shoes , one made out of bison leather and the other pair out of elk. I use HS Trask's Buffalo Butter on them and this stuff soaks right in and keeps the shoes in top condition. I thought, "Man if this works so well on my shoes I wonder how it will work on my car seats?" Well the Buffalo Butter didn't do anything on my seats. An hour later 100% of the stuff was still there, setting on top of the finish like I had just applied it. I also have a split hide, lamb skin jacket, which is the softest leather I have ever felt. I tested the Buffalo Butter on an inconspicuous location and it turned the leather dark, which it doesn't do on my shoes.
So what's my point? :nixweiss Doing nothing to your car's leather is not good. Car manufacturers don't use the same grade of leather that clothing or furniture manufacturers use. So the care that these products require is not the same that is needed for automobiles nor is the products that should be used the same. The automotive environment is probably the harshest conditions that leather can be subjected to, extreme summer heat and extreme winter cold. This is one of the reasons that most automotive leather is coated with a sealant. Another is for color uniformity across the model line. You could take a seat made for the first car and put it into another vehicle made 5000 units later and it would still match in color and texture. I would say 70% to 80% of the vehicles on the road with leather don't get any leather care and that's the standard that manufacturers use to build their cars to. So, IMO, modern cars have pretty tuff leather interiors. They require very little care to keep them in good shape, but the standards that are applied here at Autopia should keep your leather in peak condition for decades. Don't worry if you don't have anything to treat your leather with right now. You could go months without doing anything and no long term harm will be done so don't rush out and buy the first thing you see on the shelves.
You'll get as many different opinions on what to use on your leather seats as you would on what wax to use. Lexol is okay, but it does leave your seats a little slippery and I don't think it smells too good. I use Pinnacle Leather Conditioner and think it has a nice new leather smell to it, but other people who use it disagree.
A few minutes ago, I was in the garage conditioning a front passenger seat. The car had 300 miles, so I decided to give the new leather some UV protection.
My Observations...
Unlike BMW leather, Honda hide is easily affected by conditioning. Conditioning left the seat softer and shinier.
But!
The new leather became slippery and lost the smell of fresh hide. To make the story short, the seat lost the new-leather feeling as a result of conditioning. It seemed older and broken in - but yea, it was softer...
Notes:
If I were to have another new car, I will leave the leather untouched for two months until it starts "breaking-in." Then only to stop the aging process would I would condition. On that particular seat, I used Zaino Z-10, but I later discovered that Pinnacle LC yielded similar results.
My Observations...
Unlike BMW leather, Honda hide is easily affected by conditioning. Conditioning left the seat softer and shinier.
But!
The new leather became slippery and lost the smell of fresh hide. To make the story short, the seat lost the new-leather feeling as a result of conditioning. It seemed older and broken in - but yea, it was softer...
Notes:
If I were to have another new car, I will leave the leather untouched for two months until it starts "breaking-in." Then only to stop the aging process would I would condition. On that particular seat, I used Zaino Z-10, but I later discovered that Pinnacle LC yielded similar results.
tkr128
New member
ryeh2o said:
Yes, the manual for the Accord states to use water and if more cleaning is necessary, use saddle soap. This is not a good way to treat the leather. After a few months, the side bolsters and front part of the driver's seat will become incredibly worn and wrinkled. I just finished cleaning and conditioning the leather in the Accord a few days ago and was amazed at how much better it looked and felt after doing so.