rtkrausshouse

whats the trick on keeping your leather new, i have a 2006 997 s and its
starting to look ruff.

aron in toronto

Try searching in the "Concours and Car care" forum, and you'll find lots of tips from the pros.

No HTwo O

The best leather care product I have used is from www.colorplus.com. I use this on my leather 2-3 times per year. The leather looks better than new. Little things are important too like:

1) Weekly vacuum
2) Sun shade- to keep the sunlight off the leather
3) Clothing and belts that rub/damage or color transfer onto the leather. Be careful what your passanger wears too.

John D.

Psst..??

I'm gon'na move this thread into the right forum, OK??

Best to you - and WELCOME rtkrausshouse..!

John D.

Cosmo Kramer

I just ordered some Leatherique it is supposed to be awesome stuff. I will post back once I have put it on.

Marine Blue

Plus 1 on Leatherique. I've been using it for several years with very good results.

I've also heard good things about Colorplus products but have never tried it. Many also like Leathermaster, maybe someone will chime in with a comparison to Leatherique.

Welcome to the forum

odgaard

leather masters is great stuff...

the cleaner, conditioner, and protectant really revives leather and gives it an amazing natural smell. i suggest checking it out

TOGWT

Many people are unaware of the fact that since the late ‘80s early ‘90s, many of the newer domestic cars and some imports (US) do not use natural leather hides anymore. Approximately 90% of vehicle manufacturers have used (thermoplastic) polyurethane covered split hide leather for their interior upholstery.

Vehicle leather upholstery is made from natural hides, chrome tanned and uniquely treated with a light pigmented water-based polyurethane coating or a vinyl covering to make it more viable for automotive seating. It retains the softness of natural top-grain leather but resists fading in direct sunlight, which besides body oil / salt, is leathers worst enemy. While leather that is vinyl-coated is relatively easy to care for by virtue of its protective plastic surface, it is also inaccessible for purposes of maintenance. Meaning, of course, there is absolutely no point to using leather conditioners on plastic coated leather.

TOGWT

Leatherique
[ Leatherique arose from a need to find a product that would restore the leather in his 1939 Bentley. Nothing he tried was adequate for this special car, so he approached Peck about creating something new. After a lot of work, they produced Leatherique”] [Leatherequi]

[Leatherique Prestine Clean is part of a two-step leather maintenance system. Step one - Leatherique Rejuvenator Oil is a protein collagen complex that is absorbed into the hide to nourish it, and while it will expel dirt to the surface, it does not harm the dye in any way. This oil nourishes the leather and forces contaminants out of the pores.

Step two - Prestine Clean then removes these contaminants from the surface of the leather and leaves it with a clean, matte sheen. This is the only leather care system that calls for the conditioner to be used first, and it makes perfect sense! The leather absorbs as much of the oil as it can and expels the rest to the surface, along with all the contamination.] [Leatherequi]

Comment
According to Leatherequi you apply the (conditioning) oil first and then the cleaner, so it must first dissolve its own oils, limiting its capacity to dissolve dirt and oils in the leather. They state that their cleaner will only remove dirt (oils) not the Leatherequi oils. I would question how does the cleaner distinguish between oils (i.e. the most common dirt in leather are body oils followed by suntan oils and then oily residue brought in via the a/c) that should be removed and Leatherequi's conditioning oils? (See also oils)

In my opinion the chemistry behind the Leatherique system simply does not add up, whereas leather cleaning and protecting is a relatively quick and simple process (i.e. cleaning and hydration) it seems that this system takes a huge amount of effort.

The products collagen and elastin proteins cannot soak in to finished leather fibres; no matter how long you leave it (even in a heated environment) simply cannot permeate the polyurethane covering.

You should avoid using these types of conditioners for coated leathers. If you use an oil-based product the problem will be exasperated as the oil will attract dirt/grime to the surface. This product also contains lanolin, waxy cream and white spirit that can react with the coating used on today’s leather. It's a great product for the renovation or restoration of old English leather hides or other uncoated natural leather.

An extract from “ Automotive Leather Upholstery Care” one of a series of in-depth © detailing articles by TOGWT ™

Marine Blue

If leatherique is not recommended why does it work so well? I've used a few other products including Lexol, Griots, Meguiars and was never overly impressed with any of them. I like Griots for regular maintenance but it doesn't clean well.

Leatherique removed years of embedded dirt in my current 1990 GT and took the seats from average to near perfect.

Is Leather Master that much better? Are there other products we all should be considering?

I'm always open to new suggestions but I need some valid reasons why one product is better than another. Before after pictures or maybe people that have tried both....

TOGWT

Research
Research others opinions and products, test them and then make an objective decision based upon factual information not marketing hype or brand loyalty. I have always thought that the more facts and information you have at hand the easier it is to judge what information you are being given. After all, how can you fully understand and properly use any product unless you have all the facts?

Detailing products
No endorsement of companies or their products mentioned is intended, nor is criticism implied of similar companies or their products not mentioned. The author does not provide any guarantee of results and is not responsible or liable for any third-party products or services. Brand, product and company names used throughout these articles are trademarks of their respective companies and are used for product identification purposes only.

Car care chemicals are the most misunderstood component auto detailing, they should work on their real merits, not ‘smoke and mirrors'. Proceed with this in mind; the products you use constitute a very small factor in the equation.


Most importantly - choose carefully whose advice you listen to, and more importantly what advice you act upon, so I would strongly suggest that you verify any information that I or anyone else shares with you.

I would add that if you wnt to purchase a $50 product to clean and condition polyethelene (plastic) its your choice and your hard earned money

Marine Blue

Well I was hoping for a different reply but I can certainly understand.

I agree leather has been painted for many years and as time passes they get more creative with the finishes. I personally don't think the newer finishes are better than the ones produced in the 80's/90's but it does allow the suppliers to use hides that probably couldn't be used before.

When looking up close on my seats I can see very tiny holes in the leather where paint doesn't cover, would this be wear or natural? You need to be really up close to see this (as in 12 inches from the surface) and it is uniform.

I try to only speak from experience of products I've used and I'm not biased nor do I buy into hype. I was hoping to get your opinion based on what you have used and compared.

I agree that detailing products are very much misunderstood and the real key is to find a product you like and use it frequently. But there are products that don't work well such as Lexol's leather cleaner which even with regular use won't do much.

I want to pull the trigger on Leathermaster but I want to read a good comparison from someone who's used it and Leatherique. I've perused Detailing Bliss but haven't found a really good comparison.

detailersdomain

go for leather master its quick and easy

Marine Blue

Phil have you used both products? I trust your opinion.

detailersdomain

I would have to agree with TWOGT as Leatherique is a huge process.