pilot2

There is an interesting instructional video below on how to clean and preserve car leather. Is this good information? Is there a better way?

salimshah

Please look up the special interest group about car care detailing here in CL


Salim

pilot2

Salim,

Thank you, the special interest car care detailing threads are interesting, albeit confusing, about which products to use. I just thought the RX group might find the video of interest--even though the presenter is hawking a particular product--as it provides information that is perhaps helpful to the average non-leather expert in how car leather is fabricated and discusses things that we should not do that can easily damage leather.

carguy07

I never understand how they tell you that the leather is clear coated, so it can't absorb anything. Then they tell yo u to be careful with product because it will soak in and change the color, or how jeans can stain it. Seems like you can't have it both ways.

pilot2

I think it is a breathable clear coating but liquids are not likely to penetrate.

salimshah

I will leave this thread here for few more days (to gather input from RX owners) but it really belongs to the special interest group. The redirect will enable the subscribed to seamlessly go to the new destination. Those groups were created to get focused help. As more folks engage in the special interest group, it will help bring the discussion level down for non-experts.

Salim

sktn77a

iTrader: (2)

I think the guy is right on the money. I've come to the conclusion over the last few years that products like Leatherique (which I have used for over 15 years) and Lexol do little more than clean this relatively impermeable surface. I guess the manufacturers know what they are talking about when they say use soapy water to clean the leather. As far as staining is concerned, I think you can stain a surface without deep penetration.

Given all this, I'm thinking maybe vinyl is not such a bad idea!

99rx

iTrader: (6)

I had my front seats recovered with vinyl and I love it. I redid my SC in it and the RX. Both came out great, and the vinyl wears much better.

msat

How odd.

So the fifty bucks I spent on Lexol products (cleaner, neatsfoot, and conditioner) are not good?

Hmm.

jfelbab

A few words about the leather in our vehicles…

Uncoated leather is very absorbent. Think of a chamois. While leather is a tough and rugged material, uncoated leather is not suitable for automotive seating or furniture that may be subject to rough conditions, spills and stains, hence the clear-coating or Protected leather. This urethane clear-coating is applied to leather to prevent absorption by the leather of dyes , stains and liquid spills. As a result, liquids and oils are not absorbed by protected leather. You could waste a lot of money on leather care products that may make you feel good but the real question is what are you treating. Certainly not the leather, as the protected leather in our vehicles is engineered to be non-absorbent. You can treat the topcoat, a urethane paint, for sure, but not the leather under it.

This urethane paint, much like paint on a house, is impervious to the liquids it comes in contact with, but like any paint, it can be affected by a stain, especially over time. You can indeed stain the topcoat of this leather, in fact this is what dye transfer from your jeans actually does. The dyes leach out along with perspiration, and begin to stain the topcoat, not the actual leather beneath it, but the topcoat. You can easily prove this by abrading a stained topcoat with something like fine sand paper or a Magic Eraser. As you remove the topcoat the stain will be removed. The problem with this approach is that the topcoat is very thin and using an abrasive like this will damage the leather permanently. Also remember that the leather in your vehicle is painted with a color coat and impregnated with a grain pattern which you could abrade off.

When most car guys hear the term, leather conditioner, they think of an oil or silicone based, substance that they believe will penetrate and soften and replenish or feed the leather. That just doesn't happen. When a leather professional uses the phrase "condition the leather" he is referring to restoring the moisture content of the leather. You cannot add oils to coated leather. Neatsfoot oil, Aloe, Mink Oil etc., are all useless on coated leather. The only value of any "Conditioner" for coated leather is it's moisture content. This is moisture not directly absorbed by the leather but is picked up by the leather through a process of transpiration. In this process H2O molecules are passed into the leather. The leather breathes at the molecular level. The higher humidity levels surrounding the leather allow for H2O molecules to be absorbed into the leather in two ways. The first is through the back-side of the leather which has no coatings and secondly through any microscopic pores in the urethane, perforations and stitching. Remember coated leather is engineered to prevent absorption.

To make this simple, leather needs to maintain its optimum hydration to remain soft and supple throughout its life. It is the H2O that can evaporate out of the leather, not the tanning oils (fatliquor). This is similar to a car battery that can shed H2O over time but not the acid. A car battery doesn't need more acid when the electrolyte gets low, it needs more H2O. The same is true for coated leather. It needs proper hydration.

So how does one accomplish this? This is also very simple. Just do a weekly wipe down of the coated leather with a wrung-out cotton towel. That's it. You don't need any fancy, and often expensive, conditioners. H2O IS the conditioner.

Of course, regular weekly vacuuming and quarterly cleaning with a leather cleaner are also in order, and if you wish to prevent your topcoat from taking on dye transfer or stains, a water-based fluorocarbon leather protectant is also a benefit.

Lexi66

How do I find the special interest group for leather car care?