Most Effective Leather Reconditioner

It`s the predicament I`m in now too- all the reading I`ve been doing says coated leather and these conditioners are a big waste of cash. I`d love to be proven wrong without spending a fortune. I`ll definitely report my progress on the new car and it`s leather seats


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RippyD said:
So no what`s the no-smell winner for your Audi leather? I need to give that a try.
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Any scent that the Sonus stuff leaves dissipates so quickly I can`t remember it. The IQDs I use (Meguiar`s and 1ZCP) do have scents, but as with the Sonus they dissipate before the next time we use the car.

But my #1 choice, for the rare occasions when I actually treat it, is the unscented stuff from Leather Doctor. I forget the product numbers, but both the "draggy feel" and the "smooth feel" (or whatever he calls them) protectants come in unscented versions. Ordering from Roger is a hassle, and the it`s not a quickie-approach by any means, but despite being predisposed towards *NOT* being favorably impressed, the results, even on "already perfectly good" leather were so outstanding that the Leather Doctor line immediately became my top pick. The unscented versions being available was merely a bonus.

Striker said:
It`s the predicament I`m in now too- all the reading I`ve been doing says coated leather and these conditioners are a big waste of cash. I`d love to be proven wrong without spending a fortune.
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Heh heh, that "big waste.." is what a lot of folks said about the coated leathers that I`ve treated succsessfully with products that "shouldn`t have worked" ;)
 
Ok so what do I order ? Leather doctor you said works? I`ve got three or four cars to work with.


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I only use a few leather products and prefer some that smell "like leather" because some clients want that -AND - their leather seats Smell like leather already..
A good example is the leather seats on older(2003) BMW M5`s, most Mercedes, and most Porsche vehicles have great leather that smells like it..

The best all-around Leather Cleaner for me has always been Zaino Z9 Leather Soft Spray Cleaner..
It always cleans leather, is especially effective steamed through a towel, and wiped off, or just sprayed on, brushed carefully in, and wiped off.. No additional rinsing is needed..

The Zaino Z10 Leather in a Bottle is also a very good follow up conditioner for seats that like it and Clients that want to smell leather in their vehicles..

For really great cleaning and conditioning of leather surfaces, I have never found anything better than this product from Spinneybeck --
https://www.spinneybeck.com/index.php?/shop/product/finished-leather-cleaner-conditioner-protector

It really does a great job, has just a tiny hint of a smell, leaves any leather very clean, soft, and with a matte finish if the leather was already smooth to begin with..
Spinneybeck is actually out of the New York area, and they have been importing leather hides for decades... Why wouldn`t one want to go to the people that actually deal with the leather and get their recommendations on what to use? :)

I have a bunch of really nice italian leather furniture and Spinneybeck makes them all really beautiful again.. You Want to lounge around on them because they feel so good and smell just right...

I will use the Spinneybeck product on leather interiors for Clients that like Accumulator said so perfectly - "My Audis` smell like Audis`" - want their leather to not have a "leather scent".. It is the most scent neutral of all the products I have ever used...

Not sure why anyone who makes a leather product would want to put a "lavender" scent in it.... It needs to be neutral or have a leather scent... Send that stuff back... :)

And for sure, Lexol is in my experiences and those of others, is one of the Worst things you can ever apply to leather...
I have seen BMW seats ruined by over application of Lexol leather products..
And they smell Awful !! :)
Dan F
 
But that`s the thing again- that spinneybeck company for example you said imports leather hide. So most likely non coated leather works the best with their cleaner I guess ?

And it looks like the product you have listed above is a cleaner and conditioner in one? Do they have a dedicated conditioner ?


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I have tried Autoglym out of Great Britain almost 10 years ago, when it was more widely available..
It has a great scent and for that matter, their Interior Cleaner liquid also has an outstanding clean scent and works really well too.

The Autoglym leather cleaner/conditioner was ok, worked fine, but it was typical of other European leather cleaner conditioners in the market at that time..
I dont think you can go wrong with it - but as Accumulator has so best said above - you need to find the product that will work Best for your needs all the time..

But for us that do this for a living we need to have many or at least a few really good ones that can work for different leathers And have the right scent for Clients that know enough about this to want it that way...

The only thing about Autoglym is that I dont know if they are making a comeback or if someone is selling years-old product to get rid of it, etc..
If they are indeed coming back I would love to get a few gallons of their awesome smelling Interior Cleaner just for the smell alone.. :)
Dan F
 
Striker said:
But that`s the thing again- that spinneybeck company for example you said imports leather hide. So most likely non coated leather works the best with their cleaner I guess ?

And it looks like the product you have listed above is a cleaner and conditioner in one? Do they have a dedicated conditioner ?


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Striker -
Thanks for your reply -

The Spinneybeck product I linked works great on coated leathers in vehicles today.. I use it all the time..
Audi leather loves it and it makes the leather smell - well - like natural Audi leather smells like..

Spinneybeck also sells a conditioner for aniline non coated leather since they make those hides as well..

I found Spinneybeck back on 2005 I believe, and it has never failed to work just great on a variety of automotive leather..
When I called them back then and asked them what they treated their leathers for automotive use with, they said they used the product I linked you to..

They dont sell a dedicated cleaner that I know of..

Depending on how dirty the leather is, if it cant be cleaned with just plain water and a cotton towel, then I break out the Zaino Z9 and that takes all kinds of embedded dirt out really well...

Then I might finish with Spinneybeck for the no leather scent, or something else for a leather scent if the leather being Detailed has no scent of its own, and the Client wants the smell of clean leather again...

For most American vehicles, the Zaino Z10 Leather in a Bottle treatment and conditioner works really great and smells wonderful for those that want a leather scent in there for awhile...
Dan F
 
This is a great discussion. Thanks to all for the good info.

Stokdgs said:
Why wouldn`t one want to go to the people that actually deal with the leather and get their recommendations on what to use? :)
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Could not agree more. I have some good shoes. They last forever. Best advice I`ve gotten on shoe care came from Horween Leather and from a guy who`s been making custom shoes for 30 years: wipe them down with a damp cloth frequently, shoe trees, and don`t put any stuff on them until necessary.

Note that good shoe leather is generally less processed than car seats. However, I think the same logic applies. I wish I took the same care with my car seats that I do with my good shoes.
 
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I`ll buy that product out of ny that you recommended. My brand new fiesta st has leather that feels like plywood.


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If you want a OTC (also sell it here) try Mothers. They have a leather cleaner that foams and a conditioning cream to follow up. The foaming action of the cleaner is one of the best I have found. I use this on my old 1993 Cadillac Deville that has real leather (many cows died for this boat). The seats are 23 years old and are soft and supple.
 
Accumulator said:
But my #1 choice, for the rare occasions when I actually treat it, is the unscented stuff from Leather Doctor. I forget the product numbers, but both the "draggy feel" and the "smooth feel" (or whatever he calls them) protectants come in unscented versions.
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Looked at the Leather Doctor web site. That guy has about 50,000 products. I think the stuff you referred to is Protector-D (draggy) and Protector-S (silky). Based on these I suspect you have aniline leather in your Audi. Guessing most of the rest of us do not have aniline leather.

Need to do more reading.
 
RippyD said:
Looked at the Leather Doctor web site. That guy has about 50,000 products. I think the stuff you referred to is Protector-D (draggy) and Protector-S (silky). Based on these I suspect you have aniline leather in your Audi. Guessing most of the rest of us do not have aniline leather.

Need to do more reading.
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Ah yeah..."silky" feel. That`s it. Subtle diffs but they`re there.

Actually, I do *not* think the 2000/2001 Audis have analine leather. It seems like all the other German cars I`ve had and the same stuff that works so well in the Audis also works fine on the Tahoe (though I seldom use Leather Doctor stuff on that vehicle). The "Connolly" leather in the `93 Audi is different and I`ve never tried the Leather Doctor stuff on that one or the Jag (same Connolly leather).

Email/etc. Roger and ask *him* what to get for the vehicles in question, that`s what I did (and why I can be completely happy with my results despite still not knowing as much as I should about the leather interiors in my vehicles :o ).
 
If you do need to clean/wipe down COATED leather, like that found in most less-expensive vehicles, try Woolite soap. Yes, the clothing soap made for wool. I got this tip from long-time Autopian (now MIA) Scottwax. I think it was he who got this info from a GM Cadillac Technical Service Bulletin (TSB....or maybe the owner`s manuals) to use this on their leather interiors from the late 60`s, early 70`s. Works OK for something over-the-counter and cheap.

Some of you use Meg`s Detailer Line D101 APC for cleaning interiors, including leather. BE CAREFUL not to use too strong a dilution ratio or it can remove the dye. 10:1 in recommended for cleaning leather. If you use the same ratio as that for cleaning tires or wheel wheels (3:1 or 4:1; IE, the same spray bottle) you may be asking for trouble. I found this out the hard way cleaning a LazyBoy leather chair in my home. Just my experience.....

Seems to me that vehicle leather cleaning and conditioning topics is one of the most controversial subjects in this forum and keeps coming up. There was a leather "expert" from England, named Judy (I think) who used to give good, sound advice in this forum (in my estimation) and she was raked-over-the-coals, burned-at-the-stake, for some of her opinions and advice by the less-informed and "uneducated". It just seems like there are a lot "different" leather cleaning products on the market these days.

Roger Koh (like Kohl`s department store, but without the "l") is the founder of Leather Doctors and a world-leading expert on leather care and developer of chemical leather-care products. As Accumulator said, he is "difficult" to order from, being in British Columbia, Canada, and somewhat expensive. That said, for those of you who have Ford Trucks with the King Ranch Leather interior (or detail such trucks from time-to-time), he has a kit that is designed specifically for that leather. Truck interiors have been literally ruined by the wrong application of so-called "leather cleaners" used on this particular leather.
 
Accumulator said:
Email/etc. Roger and ask *him* what to get for the vehicles in question, that`s what I did (and why I can be completely happy with my results despite still not knowing as much as I should about the leather interiors in my vehicles :o ).
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I did so this morning. He got back to me ridiculously quickly. He didn`t tell me what leather the seats have. He did tell me what products to use if they were semi-analine vs. protected vs. perforated. I still have to figure out what`s what. And in both cars the middle of the seat is perforated and the edges are not. I`ll send him pics and see if that helps. And I`ll keep reading. If the car companies would just tell us what`s in there it would be easier. Chances are both cars have protected leather that`s more like vinyl than anything.
 
Be careful using APCs on leather, they`re often alkaline which is the exact opposite of what you want for leather (which oughta be left a little acidic according to Roger). Not slamming it, I`ve used OptiClean and others myself....before I got the Leather Doctors stuff ;)

RippyD- Glad to hear he got back to you promptly!

I`ll try to remember to go out to the shop and see which of his products I have..I`m quite certain that I didn`t get "anything special" though. IIRC I`ve only used the Cleaner..well, maybe two different Cleaners, the Rinse Agent, and the two Protectants.

For the perforations (haven`t dealt with those for a while...) the trick IME is to use a minimal amount of product, and I do mean *MINIMAL*. Again, I wonder what Roger will say about that..hope it`s not something like "remove the leather from the seat and treat it", he can be pretty big on high-user-involvement processes that I`m not gonna struggle with.

And as I keep saying, even the "coated, so nothing penetrates" types of leather *have* benefitted from using those products that "shouldn`t work", at least after the leather got a bit broken-in. But the Protectants work great IME no matter what, look/feel great and I`m confident that their protective qualities are top-shelf.

Lonnie- Yeah, those King Ranch interiors are apparently easy to [mess] up! I wonder...are *those* analine leather?

One thing I`ve always wondered about regarding Woolite- how do you rinse it off? Even at a very diluted mix, that`s just not something I`d want to leave on my leather (I do use Woolite in the laundry so I`m familiar with it). But then I`m so "leave it clean!" about the rinsing that unless I`m using Sonus I`ll generally reach for the Leather Doctors Rinse Agent, which does leave things slightly acidic.

And yeah, Judy was a Leather Industry Pro who certainly knew her business..her approaches often reminded me of Roger`s even though there were differences. She did indeed get flamed by a lot of people for some reason.
 
It wouldn`t shock me that she got flamed. I think people just loooove seeing some greasy ass product on their leather that`s shined up to a new degree vs something that works.

I tried ordering the product from NY as mentioned further up in this thread. 60 bucks for shipping to Canada! No ty.




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