ShawnOk

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I really miss having that new, deep, supple leather feel. Anyone got any tips on leather conditioning? Products? Procedures? Thanks in advance.

bacardi11

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I use Lexol on my car.

iolmaster

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You only need to keep the leather clean. There is no need to condition like there was years ago. All modern leather used in cars today is coated. Most companies use polyurethane. This makes the leather last much longer than it used to. The polyurethane makes the leather impermeable and conditioning is not needed.

BertL

Shawn,
I hate to suggest doing a search, but take a look at this really terrific Sticky at the top of this forum https://www.clublexus.com/forums/aut...s-leather.html for starters. You'll then want to do a quick search here as well.

Every few weeks there is another thread iteration on leather, seats, type of leather, conditioning and cleaning, and favorite products netting about the same comments and recommendations each time. There are people that love Lexol, others that love Leatherique, others with Zaino Z9+Z10 and the great smell of Z10, Leather Masters and a whole lot of others. All can accomplish an objective, some perhaps better than others helping prevent or at least remove blue jean transfer on light-colored seats as some of us have found with Leather Masters. Some are not as greasy as others, some are intended more to help repair or "recondition" leather that has not been taken care of, others to maintain leather/vinyl in relatively good condition, etc. -- sort of depends what the situation is with your seats to begin with and your personal preference of which products to keep using in the long run.

You'll also want to ensure that you keep your seats "hydrated" between conditioning -- I use a clean damp microfiber towel to just wipe down my seats every week when I wash. That helps a lot, combined with conditioning every few weeks/months to make eventual cleaning easier, and the occasional removal of blue jean transfer or general dirt or grime that may have accumulated on my very light parchment interior as need be.

After you've taken a look at what's out here in general, I suggest you then post with a few more specifics if need be -- age of your vehicle (we've got that -- 2002 SC), general condition of your leather, any specific problems you are having, color of seats, etc and some really good folks here that know the real skinny on leather I'm sure will chime in with more specifics to help you out -- they always have with me.

FWIW, I used Zaino Z9+Z10 on my 2002 SC430 with ecru (off-white) leather interior from the day I originally purchased it in 2002 until I sold it 7 years later. The leather looked, felt, and smelled like new even on my very last ride.

Good luck.

MDames2

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It is a waste of time and money to use products that are supposed to deeply condition and restore leather. As one earlier poster said, the leather on these cars is coated with a protective barrier. Any "deep" conditioning product you put on the leather will simply sit on top of the protective coat. I recently had the leather on my 2003 SC430 re-dyed and re-coated. I have the saddle interior. It looks very nice now. However, it does not have the new supple leather feel. After a certain number of years, the leather dries out a bit and loses its' elasticity. You'd have to reupholster the seats to get that new leather feel. The guy who worked on my seats said that all you need to do to keep the seats in good condition is use a small amount of mild detergent in water to clean the surface and then put a protective product on it like Aerospace 303. This protects it from UV rays. You should do this every couple of months, more if your seats get excessive use. After having used Leatherique, Zaino, Leather Masters, and Lexol, I can tell you they never made the leather look or feel any better than the simple cleaning and use of Aerospace 303.

SC43052

+1

As MDames2 says, pigmented leather is leather that is painted with a solid color paint and then coated with a plastic protective layer (vinyl or urethane) to protect the leather and paint. 99% of leather used today in automobiles are this type as it is liquid and stain resistant, easy to care for and generally long lasting.

Leather used years ago (or available today as an option in some higher-end cars), is leather that is aniline dyed so that the natural grain of the leather shows through and generally has a very light protective coating applied in automobile applications. This type of leather is expensive because only top quality unmarked hides are used, and will turn darker if a drop of water is applied. Depending upon the type of protective coating, these type of hides can react favorably to being "fed" with moisturizers such as Leatherique.

But for the vast majority of modern pigmented leather (including SC430 leather) the Leatherique type of conditioner only sits atop the urethane protective coat, giving the seat a greasy feel until it is eventually rubbed off by clothing or subsequent cleaning.

Protecting pigmented leather is best done by regular vacuuming and wiping down with a damp cloth to prevent dirt, small rocks and other debris from scratching the clear protective layer and dulling it or actually wearing through the urethane coating, which exposes the painted leather from which the paint is then easily worn off, leaving a dull brown or gray surface (the actual color of the base leather). This type of wear-through is often seen on side bolsters and edges of the drivers seat.

And as MDames2 says, water molecules are small enough that during the damp cloth wipe down, some water will get through the protective coating to help moisturize the paint on top of the leather hide itself. The molecules in traditional leather conditioners are too large to penetrate the protective surface of pigmented leather urethane coating.

Any vinyl protectant is good for pigmented leather. Aerospace 303 has excellent UV inhibitors if you do a lot of top-down driving. I personally have had excellent results with Einszett 1Z Leather Care, both in the SC430 and my BMW, but again, any good vinyl protectant will do a good job once the leather has been thoroughly cleaned.

ShawnOk

iTrader: (1)

Thanks for all the detailed info. I used Meguiar's Gold Leather Cleaner and Conditioner in the past, but since the car's been garaged for 4 years, I want to get her running like the first day I drove her; including the leather. I have some 303 and will def use that, as well as other hints put forth in this thread and the stickies. Thanks again, everyone.