George-Leatherequi e-mail, a few months old but relevant- [Hi TOGWT; I have read your informative posts in other places as well. Yes, I'm an old British car enthusiast very familiar with the Connolly used on RR, Bentley, Jag, Ferrari, Alfa which it's true are among our specialty. I'm presently restoring two mid 80's Porsches. The hides are only 25 years old, but are already hard as bricks, cracking and splitting, warping, and shrinking so badly the stitching is pulling apart. Do you think I can contact Porsche's leather manufacturer and complain that the guaranteed 30 year flexibility of the leather as mentioned by Judy is not up yet and they would owe me a new interior? The molecules in the Rejuvenator are attracted to the protein receptors in the existing hide as the hide is very spongy and fibrous, so it is able to penetrate through the finish and also through the stitch holes and the fibers share the nourishing molecules and pass them on laterally under the finish. It will take several coats, but I've been able to restore cardboard hard leather to healthy suppleness. Cracked, faded surface need to be prepped and re-dyed. I feel that is what we're talking about, the care of the actual hide. I understand that the commercial companies have their own agenda on cleaning the water based surface. But not all of us have brand new cars with perfect leather. Allot of us love the challenge of restoring an old classic, or want our newer cars to have healthy hides, not just shiny, fragrant finishes. I feel we can amicably address both issues, the actual hide and the surface finish, as there are two strata’s to what we call a leather upholstery.] I used to use Leatherequi products on older leather upholstery. However this changed my thinking in regards to using it on finished leather. [Fat liquor is not volatile nor migratory, so leather is not going to lose it. However, along with the fat liquor, the other critical factor is moisture. Any leather is going to lose its moisture in a hot car. Although leather seems dry, it is not. Of course too much moisture quickly leads to mould and mildew problems, so soaking it down is not reasonable. Ideally, exposure to humid atmosphere will help balance the effect of over drying on hot days. Leather is very dynamic with respect to moisture content, meaning moisture comes and goes easily under normal circumstances....] American Leather Chemists Association (ALCA) Detailing isn't rocket science, but any aspects that aren't intuitively obvious need to be researched and thoroughly thought out. There is no `one correct way' to apply a product; the way detailing products are customized, are what each individual finds give them their desired results, which may or may not be in accordance with the manufacturer’s recommendations. Using the same application methods and products of one individual may or may not give you the similar results; but it’s always best to adopt your own methodologies by experimentation with different products, after all that half the fun of detailing
I believe what TOGWT is saying is that on older, non coated leathers, Leatherique is a great choice. However, on newer coated leathers, the conditioners cannot get through the coating so its more of a waste of money than it is a bad product. For most modern leathers, using a cleaner every few months and wiping the seats down with a damp cloth when you vacuum will keep the seats supple. When in doubt, READ THE OWNERS MANUAL! LOL
^Yeah I'm kinda seeing that also. Basically Leatherique is a great product but is not as effective on today's leather. I guess the leather of today in general is much stronger and doesn't need the care. Sounds like you can just use a damp cloth to scrub it clean and then condition it. I assume this is why the king ranch leather is best with leatherique as it is a more natural leather.
I don't believe I have ever posted this experience here, but I'm pretty sure I posted this in Autopia years ago. I purchased the leatherique kit for my 1998 Olds Aurora back in 2008. I performed the treatment and ended up with considerable dye transfer in several areas that IMO are not exposed to the daily wear and tear. The worst affected areas were the leather seams. I contacted Leatherique about the issue and I was asked to provide pictures of the damage. I was also asked if I was the original owner because they wanted to verify if the leather had been refinished. I was told that the system was safe for coated leather, but a couple of users had reported some slight dye transfer issues on refinished leather interiors. I didn't bother contacting Leatherique again because I couldn't verify any previous leather repairs on my Aurora. My leather was graphite gray and the uncoated leather was black, so it wasn't really obvious unless it was pointed out. I haven't used the Rejuvenator Oil since this incident. I love Pristine Clean for leather maintenance though. I still don't know what went wrong with my application and that's the reason why I don't bash Rejuvenator Oil. GM leather is crap and the car wasn't brand new. I just wanted to post as an FYI for you guys here. Leatherique customer service was outstanding and they contacted me on several occasions asking for pictures.
Probably, but the heaviest dye transfer happened in areas were people don't seat (back of the front seats) and the rear center armrest, along with the leather seams in the back seat (which were sunk). I did confirm the vehicle was owned by two single people before I purchased. The driver's seat didn't suffer any damage at all.
All car leather post 70 is spray-on. Vat dyed leather went out in the 50s and 60s. Maybe on a Rolls or Bently it soldiered on. But for mortal cars, it's all spray on. The take-away? Surface treatments and rejuvinators, spa formulaes, etc won't make the leather appreciably softer 'cause it just stays on the top of the leather.
