Leather Conditioners... Grrr (sniff)...

Ok, so conditioners that may smell leathery (not just "great", but like actual leather) are:



  • Auto Magic
  • Car Brite
  • Platinum
  • Zaino
  • Griot's
  • Tanner's Preserve
  • Turtle Wax

I will try to check out the local ones and see if I can get samples of the order-only ones.



Hey Mmmmph, did the complimenters note it smelled like leather, or that it smelled like a new car? I'd go along with the new car smell of it. But personally I find new car smell pretty foul. It's a very chemically smell. Maybe it's my sniffer, though. I had my wife smell the car and she noted it smelled like a leather briefcase she'd bought a while back, but also noted it wasn't a particularly pleasant smell (she, like me, likes the smell of Lexol, though I wish it were more leathery smelling). I guess I just need to smell some stuff to find something I like. I think I also need to give the Pinnacle a few days. Maybe the chemically smell will subside and leave just a leather smell (although I don't really care for the finish it leaves. It is matte, but you can tell something is on there. It's matte like a matte vinyl/rubber protectant, not matte like just natural leather).



HellrotCi, the ******** is about that recent announcement DavidB made about a vendor. I guess for some reason they complained about the way their name was used? So now the names are just ****'s. :nixweiss



edit: Thanks 4DSC
 
Well, the chemically smell has lessened a lot. I guess it has sort of a new-car-with-leather smell now. It is better, but I don't really care for it. When I got in the car this morning, though, my butt slid right down into the middle of the seat and stopped with a big squeak. I noticed that the whole time I was in the car. I slid around a lot and it was very squeaky. The steering wheel and shifter also felt very slick. This is definitely a :nono with me. One thing I really liked about my car was how soft the leather felt. Lexol enhanced that feel. The Pinnacle makes it feel more like the seats are vinyl. So, I'll have to turn the garage heat up a bit, get a bucket of warm water and a rag, and give the car a nice cleaning with Lexol.
 
Aurora40- How products smell is SOOO subjective, but here's my $.02 if you want something that "smells like a leather store": Griot's. They make two products, a "regular" leather treatment and a leather "rejuvenator" for neglected leather (it's thicker/more concentrated). To me, their stuff DOES smell like a leather store; that's exactly how I would describe it. Seems to work OK, too. Not TOO slick, in my opinion. And if you don't like it, you're only out shipping-they'll take it back for a refund. It definitely does NOT smell like Lexol, that's for sure. I use Lexol on other leather goods, but I don't really like its smell in the car.
 
Just go to the leather store you like and buy a cheap leather product and throw it under a seat:D Also where more leather coats and gloves.....:D



I do not find Zaino dries out leather.......It does smell good once applied .........



DO NOT BUY the KLASSE Leather product as it smells like kerosene.......
 
The Griots leather conditioner is great and gives off a real leather smell. They (Griots) also have a spray scent that smells like leather and its pretty good as well but doesn't last too long. Give them a try, I've been using the leather conditioner for several years and it has been very satisfactory.
 
Aurora40 said:
Hey 4DSC, did the complimenters note it smelled like leather, or that it smelled like a new car?
Click to expand...
As much as I wish this was me, I believe you really want Mr. Mmmph. ;)



My friends never compliment about the smell of my car... heathens! :mad: :p
 
Tanner's Preserve makes the seats all slippery. Well at least it did on my car. I don't recall it smelling that great, either. I've been using the dryer sheet idea as a car smell freshener, and I love it.
 
Have you tries chemical guys? I'm curious how it compares to the Griot's as I've heard good things about it. Also I notice some detailers just applying Lexol conditioner without the cleaning product first. As that standard procedure to just go with conditioner?
 
I vote for Zaino Z-10. Almost no shine at all when dry and leaves the leather nice and soft.



Stick your nose down inside a pair of nice leather gloves and you'll know what Z-10 smells like, just like leather to me.



I like trying all kinds of products but I don't feel the need with Z-10. I completely happy with it.
 
Haven't tried the CG stuff but man does Griot's have the "luggage shop" smell. I hear the Sonus stuff is nice and neutral.



Most conditioners will do a little bit of cleaning as most any liquid will effect some solvent-action and thus clean off some dirt. I'd usually do some kind of cleaning first, but it depends on how dirty things are. IIRC the rules for this are different with Leatherique (which I just *must* get off the shelf and try one of these days) but that's a different product/system compared to most.



rasx said:
Is griot's slippery like pinnacle...
Click to expand...

I never noticed any *huge* difference between Griot's and Pinnacle (pinnacle is thinner and more creamy, Griot's is thicker and more like a gel) and neither one is slippery for me. Buff off any excess, maybe that's the problem with the Pinnacle.
 
I think the probelem is we are all confusing the effectiveness of a product with it's performance as a "perfume."



I think it's great that so many brands try to make their chemical potions smell good, but at some point, if you want it to perform, chemistry will win out over aesthetics.



My suggestion is to keep the two problems separate (unless you try the Griots product and find it satisfies both criteria). Get your leather cleaned/conditioned the best way you can, and may your car smell good some other way.



I mean, one of the best PERFORMING products in the world - brake cleaner - smells so bad it will kill you eventually! Would I prefer it smelled like roses but didn't work worth a damn? Nope!
 
what about the areospece 303 spray for leather conditioning? I used it on my dash & it shines & lasts forever! Not sure if it is good for leather though.
 
I did a old Mercedes a while back, leather interior smelled just like our #1 cash crop if you get my drift! I just used some Lexol and it improved the seats, but the car still smelled like Cheech and Chong borrowed it for a week.
 
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