What should I do with my leather seats?

D

ddbrook

New member
I have a 2001 Extended Cab Chevy pickup with graphite colored leather seats. I have read in some previous posts about some of the newer leather seats having a clear coat on them, and that conditioners and cleaners will do more harm than good. Should I use the Zaino Z-9 "Leather Soft Spray Cleaner" and Z-10 "Leather in a Bottle Conditioner" or should I just leave my seats alone and do nothing with them?
 
I've never heard of a clear coat type layer over leather.



Anyway, if it does have this, try using 303 protectant. I don't think it will harm any 'clearcoat' on the leather. The reason is my car bra manufacturer (Colgan) said that other protectants can harm the vinyl on the bra, but the 303 would not.



Brian
 
Try taking a little dab of your cleaner or conditioner, and wiping a tiny unobtrusive area. If the color does not change, it's probably clearcoated. If it get much darker, it's probably not cleartcoated.

If it's not, I would research more before I apply anything to the finish. Enjoy!
 
Leather is porous. I don't believe there is a "clear coat" but it breathes anyway and should absorb whatever you feed it, which it likes.



I believe Lexol is the best there is for leather car. My dad was in the furniture business for years and they sold leather furniture. I've seen multiple coats of lexol take a 20 year old piece of furniture and make it look brand new..
 
modern auto leather is "finished", it's the reason why you take a white terry cloth spit on it and rub it on your seat, it doesn't come off on your towel. Try the spit test on a leather coat or bag and the brown or black comes right off.



At this point it makes sense to use traditional leather conditioners on unfinished leathers. On the finished kind, I still think the word is up.



Clean the leather with a good leather cleaner and use a conditioner twice a year and maybe 303 or something similar inbetween.



Someone can post the link that explains the leather deal better, but I still think it leaves the solution up in the air.
 
CHeck out this thread

http://216.147.22.29/forum/showthread.php3?threadid=2090&highlight=leather

and look at page 2, darbh has a good long post about leather and another site that may shed some more light on the situation.

I agree with yosteve on the conditioner a couple of times a year and the 303 on a more frequent basis, or simply use a damp MF to remove some of that grime. I have used z10 but not z9. I use z10 a few times a year and 303 or a damp Mf more often. My seats seem to be doing fine.

Definitely condition your leather prior to the winter time because that is when it has the greatest opportunity to really crack/crease and become unsightly because of the temps.

Brian330, I also have a 330i and know that BMW leather is clearcoated.

Just my .02
 
Worked GREAT on my leather seats in the Expedition - once I followed the instructions. You need to brush the cleaner in thoroughly with a soft nylon brush. Use plenty of product, then wipe off with a soft cotton towel. You will be amazed at what comes off. Then apply the Leather In A Bottle and, again, use plenty. Your seats will look great.



I'm sure there are many good leather seat products out there. The best I have personally used is the Z9/Z10 combo. Highly recommended.
 
Most leather from the early ninties and up (exeptions, some jaguars ect) are sprayed with a clear vinyl that is still breathable. Regular applications of conditioners (lexol, hide food, ect) will soften the clear coat which is not good. I can see using some conditioners like once a year just to keep the leather underneith soft, but dont use it monthly. You should use a PMDS type dressing like 303 every three weeks or so. As for cleaner, most good leather cleaners work fine (no saddle soap though!) but i use griots garage interior cleaner and found that it cleans leather better than the lexol, which i manly use for shoes anmd furnuature ect. I have found that the combination of Griots interior cleaner and 303 keep the leather in my dads LS430 looking better than when i used the lexol.
 
Using 303 on your leather seats is perfectly fine and safe. The only drawback is that your seats will get a bit slippery. You will need to use a lightly damp towel to help reduce this effect. As far as conditioners go, Lexol is ok in my opinion. I simply prefer Eagle One, Imperial Leather conditioner and the Zaino leather conditioner. The Imperial Leather is the one that doesn't really leave any slippery feel to your leather seats. It also softens up the seats quite nicely. Laters.
 
I like Eagle One stuff and I do put it on by hand but I hate the buffing later. I just tried the Zaino stuff and I like it as much as the Eagle One and the smell is better plus it can be used on plastic and vinyl.



I was never impressed with the Lexol stuff for the price. No satin shine, kind of dull. I could not tell it was on.



And be careful with cleaners because new leather seats do have a coating to protect the leather from fading and losing color.



Anyone seen them new Caddy Heated & AC seats? Now that has got to be nice. A cool or hot butt depending on the weather!
 
2500HD-Vortec, I have a 2000 Tahoe with the same color leather seats and recently sent an email to Chevy to find out what kind of leather is used. As soon as I get a reply, I'll let you know. Before learning there was even such a thing as "coated" leather, I was using pinnacle cleaner and conditioner to good effect. I also wipe regularly with a slightly damp terry cloth or miracle towell and occassionally use a little 303. However, if Chevy says the seats are coated, I'll stick to wiping clean and using 303.
 
Using 303 every two-three weeks is great with a daily wipe down with a damp WF towel. I can see the logic behind using a feeding oil conditioner once a year but thats probably not completely necesary, unless you can feel the hide drying out.
 
Here is my regime:



Every week for driver's seat, two weeks for other leather: MF and distilled water wipe down. Keeping the leather clean is important. MF handles a lot without exposing the leather to constant chemicals. End with a light wiping of 303.



Every 1-2 months: Leather conditioner (I alternate Z10 with Lexus's branded product) by hand.



Every 3 Months for the driver's seat and every six months for the other leather -- Leather cleaner (Zaino or Lexus) applied with MF.



The "clearcoat" is actually called a "top coat" in the leather industry. Almost all new auto leather is top-coated. There does not seem to be an authoritative source for the idea that leather conditioners harm top coats. If that is true, then the concern is a rumor, with no factual basis. If someone does have a link to some research or reliable source, please post. Otherwise, I think we should be suspicious of the idea that conditioners are harmful to top coats.



See adjulian's post above and the link in it for details.
 
Got a reply from Chevy.....worthless. They wont answer the question without seeing the vehicle???? They told me to ask the dealer..... I already did that and they had no clue. Oh well.
 
<blockquote class='ipsBlockquote' >

<em class='bbc'>Originally posted by Guess My Name [/i]
<strong class='bbc'>I like Eagle One stuff and I do put it on by hand but I hate the buffing later. I just tried the Zaino stuff and I like it as much as the Eagle One and the smell is better plus it can be used on plastic and vinyl.

I was never impressed with the Lexol stuff for the price. No satin shine, kind of dull. I could not tell it was on.

And be careful with cleaners because new leather seats do have a coating to protect the leather from fading and losing color.

Anyone seen them new Caddy Heated & AC seats? Now that has got to be nice. A cool or hot butt depending on the weather! [/b]</blockquote>
Same with the Beamers. The only difference is that the steering wheel is heated. :D
 
won't be buying the expensive Lexol anymore. The EO seemed to moisturize the leather more and left a much better shine than Lexol. I never quite understood the hoopla over Lexol as it always seemed to leave my seats kinda dry and pale. The EO seems to absorb much better.
 
If you look real close most of your seat is imitation leather or vinyl. The only true leather is located were your rear end sits and up the back about ¾ of the way. The back seats are all fake. I think this is to save $$.
 
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