jandackson

One of the few issues that my car had when I bought it was dry leather. The steering wheel, shift boot and seats were all pretty stiff and even hard in some places. I first tried Lexol. Even after several treatments over a few weeks, it barely made a dent. So I decided to get a bit daring and give my trusted SNO-Seal a try. I have used this for years on hiking boots and leather bags etc with great results. Well, after one treatment so far, the seats, steering wheel and shift boot have all come back from the dead. The color is now black instead of a dark gray and the leather is now supple and soft. Give it a try.

MoeMonney

Interesting, I may try this.

JTT

Also very interested as I have a section of my drivers seat that looks like it was water damaged, hard feeling. Can you expand a bit on how you applied? I ask because I"ve always applied SnoSeal to boots liberally, then used hair drier to melt and absorb it into the leather. Did you use heat? How long did you let it set before buffing off?

kmagnuss

Funny I saw the thread and I was going to say Lexol. Love that stuff.

jandackson

The key to success with any conditioner, and especially SNO-Seal is to apply to WARM leather. The heat will open the pores in the leather and allow the conditioner to penetrate rather than sit on the surface. sno-seal is a beeswax base with petroleum carriers. The carriers allow the wax to soak in and then they evaporate. If you apply the conditioner first and then warm the leather, the carriers evaporate before the wax can penetrate the leather. This is critical for successfully rejuvenating the leather.

I park ark the car in the sun with windows closed until everything is toasty. Get in,close the door if it is chilly outside, and apply per the directions. Let it sit for a few
hours or overnight if possible. Then remove excess with a clean towel. If you want, you can buff the seats for a shiny appearance. I prefer a more matte finish so no buffing.

The seats may may be a bit tacky at first, but this will go away after you wipe off excess wax.

We we have had a ship load of rain in N Cal this year. I was getting water marks from rain hitting the seats. Sno-seal removed the spots and waterproofed the leather so no more spotting.

The Lexol is a good product but it seems it doesn't rejuvenate as well (or quickly) as the Son-seal. And it does not waterproof the leather.

Schnell Gelb

A pro trick method is to wrap the item loosely(as best you can) in plastic after the application of Lexol(or similar). Then leave it in a the sun. The plastic helps retain the volatile fractions ot the restoration product and moisture for longer.That gives the leather even longer to soak up the lanolin or whatever is in the leather treatment.
Disclaimer- not my idea and I am not an expert but I just do/share what they recommend and link the reference for your convenience..
http://www.detailedimage.com/Ask-a-P...r-care-how-to/

Cuda911

Ask over on the detailing forum. Based on their suggestion, I bout some product, forgot the name. You paint it all over the leather, everywhere. Then close up the windows and leave the car sit in the sun all day. Then wipe it off. Works very well. Same concept as Schnell Geb's.

islaTurbine

Leatherique?

Schnell Gelb

See link in #6 above

thebowl

Leatherique is where it's at, when it comes to leather.

Jeremy Hazeltine

I have been wanting to rejuvenate my seats. What lexol do i need? Conditioner or both cleaner and conditioner?

Schnell Gelb

The main ingredient for treating leather is just lanolin. The 'secret sauce' is usually a mild solvent and hype. I use Lexol but have found no-name alternatives to be just as good. The only miracle product I used was the combo pack from Leatherique. Ihave never found a just-as-good alternative to it -mainly because it is not particularly expensive. The cost is in all the other restoration work - removing the seat ,replacing padding etc.
The fun part is that after destroying your hands with mechanical work, slathering on gobs of lanolin on seats is a great way to soften YOUR skin :-)

Cuda911

Yep.

rolex11

There's also Leather Master....

They have a complete line of cleaners, conditioners, and rejuvenators.

Been using on my cars leather and home leather for years.

porschedog

^ Leather Master - sounds like a Dominatrix

I like the Sno Seal trick - getting my Recaros warm so it cooks in is not problem.