04lrg

Will leather harden and crack over time if conditioner is not used on un-used or rarely used leather (like the back seats)?

LexBob2

I had an Avalon XLS for 4 years which had very nice tan leather, and I never did use any conditioner on the front or rear seats. The rear seat rarely got used and the leather stayed just as nice as the front seats.

UDel

Yes, leather needs to be properly nourished with PH correct oils that are found in quality conditioners because it loses those oils over time and dries out and it needs to be routinely cleaned or it will harden and crack. Areas that are sat in most will be the worst and get the dirtiest. If the car is parked out in the hot sun for any amount of time that is also going to speed things up especially where the areas receive most of the sun like the top of the seats and rear headrest areas. Most modern leather interiors have some kind of protectant coat but that coat usaully allows conditioners/sofeners to penetrate the coat and nourish the leather. Unfortunately some car makers including Lexus and dealerships spray a silicon type coating on the leather interior on some models of cars that they think is really good at protecting stains but it pretty much ruins the leather once applied. It is called silicon poisoning and it clogs the leather pores causing it to age and harden prematurely and will not allow any conditioners/sofeners to penetrate. The conditioners just sit on top of the leather and evaporate and the leather can never be nourished with oils of sofened up once it gets hard. It developes a hard rough waxy feeling over time that can never be corrected.

04lrg

nice, detailed info....thanks!

TonyO

Wow paint a more positive picture next time. I'm going to be depressed the rest of the weekend now knowing this

go4dabukz

I just cleaned my interior using a simple saddle soap with great results. The leather cleaned up great and feels incredibly soft. A can the size of shoe polish will only cost you $4 or $5 dollars.

UDel

I was pretty depressed finding that out too from several leather care/restoration sources and from my own experiences trying to condition and soften my leather.