What to use to soften leather???

Leatherique sounds great....I'm going to try it, just based on these testimonies.



I've had great experience with Zaino "Leather in a Bottle" for leather softening.



One thing I do is apply it directly with my hands, as opposed to a cloth of applicator. That way ALL of the product goes into the leather, not into the cloth. I really work it into the leather. Makes it soft and smooth.
 
Meguiar owns everything I've tried and is *actually avalible* nearly anywhere.



On a side note the leather/plastic/vynil/rubber stuff that came in my moose wax kit works surprizingly well.



Don't let the fact that it dose everthing from one bottle scare you. Follow the directions and wait 10 min after that and the leather actually looks great!



(I *allmost* prefer this over MG now, simply because the MG stains some of my nonleather stuff if I'm not careful. '93 lexus woot!)



Which minus wear on ONLY the driver's seat, looks bette,r is thicker, softer and more durable than both '03 Caddy & Lincoln leather btw...
 
I've got leatherique sitting on the rear seats of my RX300 as I write this and will use the prestine clean tomorrow morning. Based on everything I've ever read or heard on leather cleaners and conditioners it's the best. I'll find out shortly!



Jeremy



BTW, that step by step above is G R E A T!
 
Soaking as we speak!

I just got back from purchasing some Leatherique. While there the salesman showed me how to soak the leather seats with the stuff, and massage it in with your hands. Now he said it may take a couple of applications of the oil till the leather is saturated.

( you can tell when the same amount is on the seat at 5pm as you put there at 7am the same day.)

He said to do it gradually,(day by day) till the seats become saturated.

Then wipe clean with white rags and the "pristine clean".

I'll get back to you all later, after i have done the whole process, as i hope jeremyP111 will.



As a side note, the dealer told me a story of this Rolls Royce meet he went too in the U.S.A.. He met a guy that had a 1920's Rolls that had original leather that felt like cardboard. He tried leatherique over and over (some 50 to 75 applications) till he had original leather that was as soft as new.

So, if it don't feel just rite the first time, don't be afraid to re-apply and re-apply.



Cheers!
 
Update:



I just sprayed some more onto the leather to really get them saturated. It really does soak it up. And I thought my leather was in pretty good condtion as it's only 3 yrs old! I guess I was wrong!



Jeremy
 
I still use Zaino on almost a weekly basis as the interior of the SC430 is Ecru or like a cream white! A real pain to keep clean, but as long as you keep a maintenance schedule on it, the leather should remain clean along with common sense.



I did a badly kept Austin-Heley last year with Leatherique. It took many applications and after getting a good start and owner was not driving it, I removed the seats, brought them inside and re-applied Leatherique. This time borrowed my friends paint oven at the shop. Got them nice and hot all around, kept adding the oil several times during the A/H bake-off. Once removed, a good amount was absorbed. Did the cleaner and checked next AM. Damn if these seats didn't look new! Re-installed the seats, owner asked if I had them re-covered, but then noticed a mark that he would only know and was amazed on how well they looked, felt and smelled. He was very happy and continues the treatments for maintenance.



Leatherique is a product you just cannot rush, but time does make it work well and the warmer the leather, the better it gets. Just don't stick them under heat lamps for a long duration or the leather will start to shrink.



For light colored leather, I would advise to test an area to make sure it's OK and not going to darken the leather dye. So far, it hasn't. I always check with Leatherique if you are not sure as to type of leather you have. It's only a phone call and can save you headaches!



Still use the 1Z or Autoglym now and then, but the 1Z has a small amount of carnuba, which can protect the leather from light dirt, but prior to Leatherique, I have to strip the seats with a good cleaner so the oil can penitrate.



Hope all of you take your time and find it as good for you as it is and was me.



Regards,

Deanski
 
Woolite and water clean leather very well and leave it very soft, so nice, in fact, conditioning it seems to be a waste of time. Lexus is now recommending it in their leather care directions that are included in the owner's manual. A customer of mine who just bought a 2003 LS430 told me to only use Woolite and water to clean the leather in her car since that is what it said in her book...and I told her that is what I've been using to clean leather for the last 8 years! They say to use water and a detergent for wool to clean their leather. They say to cut it 20:1 but for most leather that hasn't been cleaned in a while, you need to use a 10:1 to 6:1 ratio.
 
Leatherique -



What's not clear in the instructions on the bottle or the web site is to use plenty of warm water when removing and keep rinsing out your rag. So use plenty of water...I always thought water was bad for leather until I called Leatherique.



If you have any questions, George the main distributor, will be happy to talk to you. Real nice guy.



SCOTTWAX - Interesting...I'll try some Woolite today. I have a leather toolkit and owners manual cover that is too thin for Lexol, and leatherique. I'll try it 20:1.



Rgds

Frank
 
Update

I used the leatherique several times till i had indeed found the saturation point. I then used the Pristine Clean to remove the accumulated dirt. It went well, but i had this gut feeling that it was not as clean as it could be. I actually thought about getting a pail of water and going over it again, as the Honda manual that came with the car said to clean the leather with water.

Wanting to report back to you all with my results, i now read further input on the thread from Scottwax, and the water and woolite cleaning solution.

Thanks Scott for your input, and now i'm going to go back to the seats and see if i get any more dirt out of them.

Chat back with y'all soon,

Cheers!
 
Well, after having the leatherique sit on my rear seats for 24 hours, I cleaned with pristine clean and wiped with a damp terry towel and followed up with a clean dry terry towel and buffed them up. They came out cleaner than I ever expected them too. Looks better than new.



Jeremy
 
I used Zero, (made by woolite) mixed 15 to 1 with water. The leather came out very nice. The pail of solution was moderately

dark in colour when i was done. I'm glad i had a second go at it.

The steering wheel was the worst, i never thought it was going to end. Leatherique is a great product, and it feels good to know that the seats are cared for during the winter.



Cheers!
 
One online dealer of the product seems to have good prices on it.



Goodspeed



Leatherique does do the job!



Those of you who haven't tries it, you're missing out getting your leather clean, soft and smelling new again.



Give it a try!



Regards,

Deanski
 
I see Leatherique will offer discounts too if you belong to one of the car clubs listed on their site
 
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