Best leather cleaner / conditioner?

[Bostonbruck]

+1 leatherique. Expensive and time consuming but great results

[BMWahba]

I pretty much go to Obsessed Garage’s videos for DIY detailing and tips. While everything he does is certainly his opinion, I can at least see if I am liking the results he is getting on camera.

I use leatherique. I believe he may be using something else now.

I switched to his process of the Colourlock and Swissvax leather products and found they do an excellent job, and less invasive as leatherique. It also varies wildly depending on the condition of your leather.

[Toby22]

Soapy water / diluted simple green


elbow grease

I actually think this is a good method of cleaning heavily greased/dirty seats. Just not something i’d do on a normal basis

[tnord]

Leatherique is the best, but also the most work.

Lexol is crap-- worse than nothing IMO. Leaves the leather shiny.

Gliptone gives it a nice matte finish and good smell, but doesn't do much in the way of softening. I tried it fo one year, instead of leatherique (because it's a lot easier to apply), but quickly became unhappy with how much less soft my leather wise.

this is a bit over the top, but Leatherique really is the best. I've used a number of different cleaner/conditioners and it's not even close. I used Leatherique for the first time a couple months ago and the results are fantastic. It did basically take me two days to finish the job, but I removed the seats, did the door cards, rear seats, arm rest and everything. I'll do it again this spring when it warms up.

I would say that using lexol or any other leather treatment is better than nothing, but it does leave an undesirable sheen and slickness behind. I wonder if you left the conditioner on there for a longer period of time like leatherique if it would be more effective.

[bmw]

The leather in these cars has a plastic top coat on it, so you are not treating leather and don't and should not use a leather care product as it will just build up on top.
Clean with a microfiber towel and soapy water, or your favorite APC in an appropriate dilution.
Leather care products for 99% of cars made in the last two to three decades are nothing but wasted money.
These coated seats simply kept clean, not abraded by getting in/out improperly, and kept out of the sun will continue to look brand new.

[ATB88]

The leather in these cars has a plastic top coat on it, so you are not treating leather and don't and should not use a leather care product as it will just build up on top.
Clean with a microfiber towel and soapy water, or your favorite APC in an appropriate dilution.
Leather care products for 99% of cars are nothing but wasted money.

As mentioned earlier in the thread, the top coat is permeable.

I did a 3 day Leatherique treatment on my driver's seat with crap leather a few months ago and it made quite a difference. Because the top coat, it takes time and effort to get results, but it is definitely treatable.

[bmw]

As mentioned earlier in the thread, the top coat is permeable.

I did a 3 day Leatherique treatment on my driver's seat with crap leather a few months ago and it made quite a difference. Because the top coat, it takes time and effort to get results, but it is definitely treatable.

You can continue to believe what you want. The top clear coat, if still intact, clearly repels water (see for yourself) and is non-porous. Just because someone said otherwise does not make it true. You would have obtained the same results simply with a thorough cleaning with an APC. They got you for the product and a portion of three days of your time, but if you are happy, that's all that matters.

[tnord]

You can continue to believe what you want. The top clear coat, if still intact, clearly repels water (see for yourself) and is non-porous. Just because someone said otherwise does not make it true. You would have obtained the same results simply with a thorough cleaning with an APC. They got you for the product and a portion of three days of your time, but if you are happy, that's all that matters.

please explain how leather with a topcoat can acquire stains.

[yhp2009]

One has to wonder how much of that top coat still remains after 15-20 years. Especially on the driver seat

[bmw]

please explain how leather with a topcoat can acquire stains.

In most cases, the stain is on the topcoat. I'm not claiming clear coated leather it is 100% impervious, but a 3 day treatment on a non-porous clear coat, probably less than 1% of the product is absorbed. The M3's leather is thickly coated, and beads water with no absorption. Leather conditioner is only effective on non-clear coated leather, which is in some cars made before roughly the 1980s and a very limited number of exotics. That it is is still sold (and at high prices) for modern cars is pretty much snake oil.

[tnord]

I'm sorry man, but you're just wrong.

[Obioban]

I started an experiment yesterday, because this conversation keeps coming up. This is pretty easy for anyone to replicate at home, if they don't believe me.

I took a piece of never used, OE BMW leather (leftover from a hide I bought in ~2006). I made it into a coffee filter shape and secured it it using a random spring perch, with an inspection nipple poking through the bottom. I then slightly filled it with leatherique rejuvenator:



Today, inspecting the nipple from below, it is visibly damp (and you can feel/smell the leatherique) on the rough side of the leather:



I don't believe there's any explanation for this other than the leatherique going through the top coat and leather, to the far side.

Obviously this is a fairly extreme example, as I left a trapped puddle of leatherique on top of the leather, but IMO it pretty conclusively shows that the top coat is meaningfully permeable.

[repoman89]

Thanks for conclusively showing what those of us who use the stuff have been observing with our own eyes for years. I mean really, we slather our seats in the stuff and come back a day or less later and half or more of it is gone. Where does it go if not into the seats? Last I checked oil doesn’t evaporate (quickly)

[tnord]

well, it's a water based product. but yeah.

[bmw]

This reminds me of the audio forums where people are adamant they can hear the difference between cables.

At least we can all agree keeping the leather clean and out of the sun is important.