How to: Conditioning leather seats with Leatherique

[LRPMAN]

Originally posted by hongalan Great! It's a relief that I'm not degrading the Tex. What is IPA? Thanks, Alan Sorry, ISO PROPOL Alcohol You find it in Kmart. BE CAREFUL the IPA will remove paint and dye in a heartbeat.

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[Greg Elmassian]

Dumb question, what is someone using RO, which is designed for porous leather, on the mb-tex, which is non-porous vinyl? Proteins, colligens and solvents have no place on vinyl.

Is RO being used as a cleaner then? If so, isn't there something better to clean vinyl? Like a detergent?


hmmm....

Greg

[hongalan]

Hi Greg,

Here's why I applied RO on my vinyl: "...REJUVINATOR OIL was also heavily applied to all the vinyl, dash, rubber trim around the door, windows, and trunk to soften them. We even applied some to the burl wood, as the natural ingredients could not hurt!..." This was taken from Leatherique website (project XJS). After the treatment, I found the MB-Tex to be softer and not dried out as it was before.

Alan

[LRPMAN]

In the future you will find that all those treated parts are easier to maintain. BUT PLEASE DO NOT PUT THE REJUVINATOR OIL ON SUNROOF RUBBER SEALS. It will siften them TO MUCH. A little Prestine Clean works better on those seals.

[Greg Elmassian]

If the only thing in RO is protien and collegen then I cannot understand or see any value in applying RO to paint, vinyl, or wood that has been lacquered..

If RO contains some solvents or other hydrocarbon compounds (as I suspect), then it could soften vinyl, but then I don't want to use it on my leather, or at least very often.

I'm always suspicious of anything that works on both. You can put Armorall on leather, and it gets softer, but I'd be concerned about the longetivity of the leather. There is a better solution.

The company does not recommend more that using twice a year, once the leather is "in shape" as far as I can determine.

I have been using lanolin-based leather conditioners monthly for years, the leather is always clean, soft, and have never had a tear, crack, or seam rip. A quick wipe down get the dry or dirty spots.

Sounds like PC is what you need to use to keep the leather clean, but does it dry out the leather unless you put RO back on?
From what I can determine PC is a cleaner only.

So, in summary, I think the stuff is fine for leather, great for old or dried leather, and stupid for vinyl or wood.

Let the flames begin!

Greg

[Kar don]

Originally posted by LRPMAN
In the future you will find that all those treated parts are easier to maintain. BUT PLEASE DO NOT PUT THE REJUVINATOR OIL ON SUNROOF RUBBER SEALS. It will siften them TO MUCH. A little Prestine Clean works better on those seals.

George, you are from leatherique? Welcome to the forums! Love your products!

[LRPMAN]

Originally posted by AlBoston
George, you are from leatherique? Welcome to the forums! Love your products!

Yes, we just purchased a 1987 300SDL with 153,000 miles. THe only time I join a forum is after I have a car for that forum.
We will be doing a full interior restoration using all or products including some R&D products. Car is not bad, a split in the drivers seat, and a general fade all over.
I will be around to sort of keep things straight. THe interesting thing is that 95% of the time it is already correct.

[Kar don]

Originally posted by LRPMAN
Yes, we just purchased a 1987 300SDL with 153,000 miles. THe only time I join a forum is after I have a car for that forum.
We will be doing a full interior restoration using all or products including some R&D products. Car is not bad, a split in the drivers seat, and a general fade all over.
I will be around to sort of keep things straight. THe interesting thing is that 95% of the time it is already correct.

Awesome! Glad to have you here, I will be purchasing some more leatherique products soon, I'll ask for u next time hehe.

[michakaveli]

Just recieved my RO and PC and applied a heavy coat onto the seats massaging with my hands as specified. Soon after the seat is tacky to the touch. Is the RO supposed to work this fast or is this a property of the RO. And yes I do have the leather seats not MB-Tex.

[LRPMAN]

Originally Posted by michakaveli

Just recieved my RO and PC and applied a heavy coat onto the seats massaging with my hands as specified. Soon after the seat is tacky to the touch. Is the RO supposed to work this fast or is this a property of the RO. And yes I do have the leather seats not MB-Tex.

Yes it can be that fast BUT let it work for 12 to 24 hours. Put the PC in a spray bottle and spray it on your seats and wipe with a soft cloth. YOu are USING the PC to pick up the dirt and such brought to the surface by the RO.

[Nickerz]

My C55 is NAPA leather but has the holes and I read somewhere that the the C class has a clear coat on the leather and leatherique shouldn't be used for this?

Is this true for the C55? Any recommendations on what/how I should use to care for the Napa Leather in my C55?

What about my dash and trim?

Thanks,
Nick

[Kar don]

Originally Posted by Nickerz

My C55 is NAPA leather but has the holes and I read somewhere that the the C class has a clear coat on the leather and leatherique shouldn't be used for this?

Is this true for the C55? Any recommendations on what/how I should use to care for the Napa Leather in my C55?

What about my dash and trim?

Thanks,
Nick

no clear on it, Id use leatherique RO on the seats, ruffled door panel trim and armrests on the door. Pristine clean only on the rest of the car.

[LRPMAN]

Originally Posted by Nickerz

My C55 is NAPA leather but has the holes and I read somewhere that the the C class has a clear coat on the leather and leatherique shouldn't be used for this?

Is this true for the C55? Any recommendations on what/how I should use to care for the Napa Leather in my C55?

What about my dash and trim?

Thanks,
Nick

Al is correct. It can take up to 2 weeks time for the full effects of the Rejuvinator to work. The time the Rejuvinator stays on the leather BEFORE wiping with Prestine clean and the temperature during that time has a lot to do with the final results. Our Klear Kote will make it SHINY and I DO NOT think you want that with the NAPPA finish.

[Nickerz]

Thanks AlBoston & LRPMAN for your feed back!

There is a Leather Care System that my dealer gave me which has a couple of bottles of a Leather Cleaner and a Leather Conditioner. So I think I'll try this out and once I use them up, I'll get the Leatherique. The kit also comes with an Ink & Lipstick remover! In case of any mishaps. It says to apply the cleaner & conditioner at least 2 - 4 times a year.

Nick

[Kar don]

Originally Posted by LRPMAN

Our Klear Kote will make it SHINY and I DO NOT think you want that with the NAPPA finish.

Hehe George, sorry I didn't think the klear kote made it that shiny . I am going to re-apply the rejuvenator oil and see what happens. It is like around 55 degrees out so I hope it will still be effective.

[Dan Wang]

George, I didnt see an answer to this but, is there a maximum amount of time RO should be left on the leather before using PC? 48hrs? 1-week? I'm sure the answer is going to be dependent on other factors such as leather condition, type, and ambient temperature.

[Anthony Orosco]

Leatherique should stay on at least 12 to 24 hours.

Also a quick easy test, to determine if oyu have protected or aniline leather, is the water test.

Take an eye dropper, fill it with water, and then squeeze out a drop onto the leather seats in question. If the drop soaks in and darkens the leather then there is no clear coat/protection present. The dark spot will fade away in a few minutes.

If the water sorta beads up and is not absorbed by the leather then more it is protected/coated.

Before this test wipe the seats down with a mild cleaner, such as Woolite mixed 6:1 with water (1 part Woolite, 6 parts water). Or plain water and a MF towel.

Anthony

[gmdebruyn]

guys, i just got my e55 and i'm trying to figure out at what frequency i need to maintain her (wax/leather treatment/etc.). how frequenty/infrequently should i clean/rejuvinate the leather seats?

also, does leatherique protect against UV? if not, what else should i use over it?

thanks,
Gareth

[MerzadY_BoY]

Hi, im new here. I read alot about the leatherique products, and would like to try it. Only think is, my mom doesn't use a credit card online. Is there anyway i can get this without ordering online.? can i contact the distributor threw an e-mail or telephone? BTW, i live in scottsdale, Az

[grando]

The leatherique product is, in my opinion, truly excellent. I recently purchased a 1990 300E that was neglected from an interior perspective. The saddle interior was tired, dry and dirty. I ordered the restoration kit and dye (my first try was with palomino -which I thought was the color - then I finally ordered the correct dye via a custom color match with a swatch I provided). I applied the RO and PC over one weekend and over the next weekend I prepped the surface. After the prep I used the dye and applied it with a terry cloth towel (recommended method from a Ferrari guy who restored his interior with Leatherique) and the results were simply amazing. The interior is like new. I'll try to post some pictures of the before and after this weekend. To George and his family at Leatherique - Thanks! It is very satisfying to put time and energy into a project like this and have the products perform as advertised. The claims are genuine - for my restoration project 300E, the results were excellent. My mechanic thought that I'd taken my car to a upholsterer and was floored when I told him I did it myself. Try their product - you won't be disappointed.

[zoink]

This stuff is simply AMAZING!!!! I have been very picky w/ the stuff I use for my car and have been a long loyal customer for Lexol... I have been 90% satisfied w/ Lexol and I wasn't satisfied w/ Eagle One, Meguiar's, etc. etc. etc.

Let's go to the bad news first:
Like people in this thread claimed, Leatherique wouldn't leave any oily or shiny leather. I found that to be true except my steering wheel. It's quite shiny.... but hell, the rest of the seats look like new!!!!

The good news:

Two things that Lexol doesn't do a good job, IMO:
1. My rear head rests' leather have been very stiff (due to sun)... not crack yet, just stiff. Lexol couldn't do $h!t to make it soft again. W/ one application of RO and leave it overnight, the leather is soft again!!!!

2. Wrinkle marks on the outer side of driver's seat. Lexol cannot do anything... W/ only one application, leatherique can make the wrinkle marks 90% gone.... I think one or two more application could make them disappear for good!!!!

The funny thing... I swore that I vacuumed my seat thoroughly.... even when I applied RO, I didn't see or feel my hand picked up any dirt / dust. The next day when I was about to wipe the seats w/ PC I saw a lot of lose dirt.... Amazing.... must've been the RO working

And the 2nd funny thing, the front passenger's seat was the dirtiest one I think I need to tell my wife that she's dirtier than I am :v

Next job would be my '96 Maxima... I haven't cleaned the leather for more than a year and I would put Leatherique to a tougher test.... if this stuff can perform up to my expectation, hands down!!!! I would definitely be a super loyal customer!!!

I will for sure take some pictures before and after.

Here's what I did:
- Vacuum the leather thoroughly
- Massage every single part of the leather w/ RO using your bare hands.... put some pressure (don't just wipe the RO)
- Move the car under the sun and let it sit for two hours
- Move the car back to the garage
- The next day, wipe all leather w/ PC using terry towels
- Once done, wipe all leather w/ microfiber towel and you're done.

I used ~10 oz. of RO and ~5 oz. of PC. So doing one car is not that cheap. If I do the math, $60 for 32 oz. RO and 32 oz. PC., one application would cost you around $15. Still, w/ the result, it's all worth every penny.

Thanks for the sticky and thanks Leatherique!!!!

[zoink]

BTW, anyone knows whether this stuff would also work for other leather products? Like furniture, bags, shoes, etc.?

[MBE55AMG]

Originally Posted by zoink

BTW, anyone knows whether this stuff would also work for other leather products? Like furniture, bags, shoes, etc.?

Yes, it will. On their official site, it states somewhere that it's been used to restore bags, furniture, etc.

[zoink]

Thanks.... probably I am blind... I still couldn't find that information in their site. Anyway, do we need to heat the leather up also to help the RO penetrate the leather?

[Jakpro1]

Rejuvinator Oil and Prestine Clean. Call the office and ask for the MB FORUM SPECIAL, will save you some money.

Ahhhh mann!! I just ordered then read this. Anyway, mine is on the way.