Cleaner & Conditioner for leather?
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TO THE 7
Due to the type of leather BMW uses, Leatherique is probably the best and safest product to use.
I have futher details on this at home, I'll try to remember to post those details here tonight.
I have futher details on this at home, I'll try to remember to post those details here tonight.
There are a few types of leather used in automobiles. The main two seem to be;
-Full grain (naked) leather: The top o' the line in leather! BMW's Nappa leather is full grain. Open pores in the leather to allow to "breathe". This leather should display the natural markings and grain characteristics of the animal from which it was taken. The best leathers are clear, clean, and supple. The better the quality of hide or skin, the less it has to be treated. The natural grain variations should be exposed. One should see the "fat wrinkles" and the feel should be supple and natural to the touch.
-Corrected Grain (finished) leather: BMW uses this for the Steering Wheels, Shift Boots, Emergency Brake Boots, and Shift Knobs. Even though all hides feature the natural markings of the animal, some of these less desirable marks are buffed out to create corrected grain leather. Corrected grain leather offers the sturdiest finish and is the most economical leather. This leather will have a very uniform surface but will deteriorate under flexing due to the dense finish coat.
Leather Care; Leather is an extremely durable material. However, leather does need to be cared for. Body oils, dirt and perspiration in high wear areas can clog the natural ability of leather to breathe. This grime can migrate through the top coat and cause the lower layers to separate. A regimen of cleaning will remove the body oils and dirt, this will in turn prevent damage. Abrasive detergents, saddle soap, solvents and silicones should be avoided.
A quick wipe down with a soft 100% cotton face or hand towel that has been wet down and FULLY wrung out should be performed at regular intervals to remove surface dirt before it has a chance to become imbedded. Two to three times a year, you should use a dedicated leather cleaner followed by a moisturizer.
Leather Care Products;
Lexol: (one of the most known names); These products are preferred for corrected grain leather, but can clog the pores of full grain leather. This will inherently cause damage to the leather layers. Supposedly, Lexol will recommend that you do not use their product on BMW's Nappa leather.
Spinneybeck: A newer name in auto leather care, but has been highly recommended by LeatherZ. I haven't personally tried Spinneybeck's products, but they do sound like quality products.
Leatherique A new name to most folks, but they have been around for over 30 years! I have tried their products and find them to be everything that they claim. Several auto enthusiasts clubs swear by Leatherique products. Their formula is based on a natural old Swedish Secret and is a complex blend of proteins and collagen that actually restore the tensile strength to the leather, not just sit on top and make it slick and greasy. It does not harm carpeting or headliners and will also soften rubber door trim and vinyl. Repeated applications, with sufficient permeation time are required for cardboard hard, neglected leather.
Links:
http://www.leathermotive.com/leathercare.html
http://www.leatherz.com/leathercare2.htm
http://www.crownltd.com/MaintLeather.htm
-Full grain (naked) leather: The top o' the line in leather! BMW's Nappa leather is full grain. Open pores in the leather to allow to "breathe". This leather should display the natural markings and grain characteristics of the animal from which it was taken. The best leathers are clear, clean, and supple. The better the quality of hide or skin, the less it has to be treated. The natural grain variations should be exposed. One should see the "fat wrinkles" and the feel should be supple and natural to the touch.
-Corrected Grain (finished) leather: BMW uses this for the Steering Wheels, Shift Boots, Emergency Brake Boots, and Shift Knobs. Even though all hides feature the natural markings of the animal, some of these less desirable marks are buffed out to create corrected grain leather. Corrected grain leather offers the sturdiest finish and is the most economical leather. This leather will have a very uniform surface but will deteriorate under flexing due to the dense finish coat.
Leather Care; Leather is an extremely durable material. However, leather does need to be cared for. Body oils, dirt and perspiration in high wear areas can clog the natural ability of leather to breathe. This grime can migrate through the top coat and cause the lower layers to separate. A regimen of cleaning will remove the body oils and dirt, this will in turn prevent damage. Abrasive detergents, saddle soap, solvents and silicones should be avoided.
A quick wipe down with a soft 100% cotton face or hand towel that has been wet down and FULLY wrung out should be performed at regular intervals to remove surface dirt before it has a chance to become imbedded. Two to three times a year, you should use a dedicated leather cleaner followed by a moisturizer.
Leather Care Products;
Lexol: (one of the most known names); These products are preferred for corrected grain leather, but can clog the pores of full grain leather. This will inherently cause damage to the leather layers. Supposedly, Lexol will recommend that you do not use their product on BMW's Nappa leather.
Spinneybeck: A newer name in auto leather care, but has been highly recommended by LeatherZ. I haven't personally tried Spinneybeck's products, but they do sound like quality products.
Leatherique A new name to most folks, but they have been around for over 30 years! I have tried their products and find them to be everything that they claim. Several auto enthusiasts clubs swear by Leatherique products. Their formula is based on a natural old Swedish Secret and is a complex blend of proteins and collagen that actually restore the tensile strength to the leather, not just sit on top and make it slick and greasy. It does not harm carpeting or headliners and will also soften rubber door trim and vinyl. Repeated applications, with sufficient permeation time are required for cardboard hard, neglected leather.
Links:
http://www.leathermotive.com/leathercare.html
http://www.leatherz.com/leathercare2.htm
http://www.crownltd.com/MaintLeather.htm
Hi vlad et all,
When you mention "BMW's Nappa leather" is that the same as what I have (in my E39) "Montana leather"? I'm definitely new to leather upholstery.![[rolleyes]](/images/smilies/rolleyes.png "Roll Eyes (Sarcastic) [rolleyes]")
Also, I recently picked up a bottle of Meguiar's Gold Class Leather Cleaner and Conditioner. Has anyone tried this? Any thought/comments?
Thanks in advance,
AH Cruz
When you mention "BMW's Nappa leather" is that the same as what I have (in my E39) "Montana leather"? I'm definitely new to leather upholstery.
Also, I recently picked up a bottle of Meguiar's Gold Class Leather Cleaner and Conditioner. Has anyone tried this? Any thought/comments?
Thanks in advance,
AH Cruz
Well, I would have to assume that the Montana leather is very similar to the Nappa leather.
I have never tried Meguiar's leather cleaner/Conditioner, but if it's a whitish cream type product, then it's probably similar to Lexol.
Look at it this way...
1. Lexol is not recommended for certain leather due to clogging the pores and breathing abilities of the leather.
2. Leatherique, (and possible Spinneybeck), can be used on all leather.
Personally, I would buy the product that I don't have to guess about. I really don't think that you will be disappointed with the Leatherique. Call them up, talk to them a bit. They're very knowledgeable and friendly folk!
I have never tried Meguiar's leather cleaner/Conditioner, but if it's a whitish cream type product, then it's probably similar to Lexol.
Look at it this way...
1. Lexol is not recommended for certain leather due to clogging the pores and breathing abilities of the leather.
2. Leatherique, (and possible Spinneybeck), can be used on all leather.
Personally, I would buy the product that I don't have to guess about. I really don't think that you will be disappointed with the Leatherique. Call them up, talk to them a bit. They're very knowledgeable and friendly folk!
I have tried many different products for leather and my favorite is Zaino Z10 which is a leather conditioner. It is very easy to use and almost impossible to screw up. It is very fair priced but only sold direct. www.zainostore.com They also make a leather cleaner which is fine but nothing special over other products.
If you want you can use the old fashion way, mineral oil. You can get it cheep and it works well. It is about as gentle as it gets the only problem is you have to use it correctly or else you can do damage. You can only do it once a month any more and the leather will crack. First you apply it, you need to let it sit in the sun to absorb it for an hour or two, and then wipe it off. If you let too much stay on the seat then the seat will get extremely slippery.
If you want you can use the old fashion way, mineral oil. You can get it cheep and it works well. It is about as gentle as it gets the only problem is you have to use it correctly or else you can do damage. You can only do it once a month any more and the leather will crack. First you apply it, you need to let it sit in the sun to absorb it for an hour or two, and then wipe it off. If you let too much stay on the seat then the seat will get extremely slippery.
This stuff looks really good and seeing tons of raves for the Zaino product line. Thinking about moving over to their products for my Bimmer. The old stuff I used was okay for the Cougar, but now as we step up in cars, may be time to step up in the products used to clean it.
My only gripe, and it is not a money thing, rather a principle thing, how shipping on a small bottle of z10 can cost almost as much as the bottle itself. I get 20 pound shipments of stuff shipped for like $6, but an 8oz bottle of Z10 costs $8 to ship???
My only gripe, and it is not a money thing, rather a principle thing, how shipping on a small bottle of z10 can cost almost as much as the bottle itself. I get 20 pound shipments of stuff shipped for like $6, but an 8oz bottle of Z10 costs $8 to ship???
Unfortunately, it is a flat rate for shipping. I just ordered some more of my usual products and it all came to about $90 including shipping. I order about every 9 months: 1 Z-2 car wax, 2 Z-6 gloss enhancer sprays, 1 Z-9 and Z-10 which is the leather conditioner and cleaner, Z-16 Tire Gloss, and when necessary I get the ZFX.
For everything the price for all the products is actually very fair. The only thing wich is over priced is the ZFX which they want $20 for, supposidly it will last through several bottles of wax, but unfornatly the cap came off and dried up so I had to buy more. The ZFX speeds up the drying time on the wax so you can put on more coats in a shorter ammount of time.
So if you buy a lot then the price is ok, but what can you do. All my stuff totaled 7 pounds and came by UPS. At least they are very prompt there, I ordered the product on sunday night, it shipped monday and I recieved it on wendsday.
One other nice thing about the Zaino leather conditioner is that it smells like leather so it gives the car a great smell.
Also if I wait for the group buy on acuramdx.org which happens about every 3 months then Zainobros throws in a free bottle of car wash.
For everything the price for all the products is actually very fair. The only thing wich is over priced is the ZFX which they want $20 for, supposidly it will last through several bottles of wax, but unfornatly the cap came off and dried up so I had to buy more. The ZFX speeds up the drying time on the wax so you can put on more coats in a shorter ammount of time.
So if you buy a lot then the price is ok, but what can you do. All my stuff totaled 7 pounds and came by UPS. At least they are very prompt there, I ordered the product on sunday night, it shipped monday and I recieved it on wendsday.
One other nice thing about the Zaino leather conditioner is that it smells like leather so it gives the car a great smell.
Also if I wait for the group buy on acuramdx.org which happens about every 3 months then Zainobros throws in a free bottle of car wash.
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I use a 100% cotton cloth from Griot's Garage http://www.griotsgarage.com/catalog.jsp?L1=L1_1000&L2=L2_1001&SKU=14600 they are lint free and extremely soft. Do not use terry or any other towel with lint or you will spend longer cleaning up the lint. Although the towels are a bit over priced they are worth it.
While on the subject of towels, I use Fieldcrest Royal Velvet towels for washing and some detailing for my car. I get them at the Feildcrest online outlet. About every 6 months, they have a great sale and you can get free shipping and usually something like 20% off. Comes out to like $6 for a bath towel and $4 for a hand towel.
Now back to the leather conditioner, First make sure the leather is clean, you can use lexol or Zaino's leather cleaner, many companys have ones that work, nothing that leaves a residu though. I use Zaino's cleaner, its been desgined to work with the conditioner so I know there cant be any problems. For the conditoner, I use the Griot's Garage cloth to apply it, try not to use too mutch like me. Then I let the car air out for a few hours to make sure the stuff is dry. And to finish up, I give the leather a final polish. Make sure to apply it evenly because it does darken the color slightly and if it is not even then you will notice it, any slight messups usually go away when I give it the final polish, if you missed a spot, just put a little more on you and adjust as mutch as you want, you cant screw up. Make sure to pay close attention to any wrinkles on the leather, if you use the product correctly then you can take years off the leather. Now alot of the stuff I mentioned above is mostly because I use a little too mutch of the stuff, if you use it correctly you probably dont need to let it air out. I figure more is better than less, if the leather shows a lot of wear, it cant hurt to apply more or even a second coat to very rough or dry areas. When I use it on my dads MDX I use about 1 fourth of the bottle each time for the front seats and the rear bench, along with all the head rests and a few other parts of the car that is leather. I use it about every 2-3 months or whenever I see excessive wear.
If you have any questions feel free to ask.
While on the subject of towels, I use Fieldcrest Royal Velvet towels for washing and some detailing for my car. I get them at the Feildcrest online outlet. About every 6 months, they have a great sale and you can get free shipping and usually something like 20% off. Comes out to like $6 for a bath towel and $4 for a hand towel.
Now back to the leather conditioner, First make sure the leather is clean, you can use lexol or Zaino's leather cleaner, many companys have ones that work, nothing that leaves a residu though. I use Zaino's cleaner, its been desgined to work with the conditioner so I know there cant be any problems. For the conditoner, I use the Griot's Garage cloth to apply it, try not to use too mutch like me. Then I let the car air out for a few hours to make sure the stuff is dry. And to finish up, I give the leather a final polish. Make sure to apply it evenly because it does darken the color slightly and if it is not even then you will notice it, any slight messups usually go away when I give it the final polish, if you missed a spot, just put a little more on you and adjust as mutch as you want, you cant screw up. Make sure to pay close attention to any wrinkles on the leather, if you use the product correctly then you can take years off the leather. Now alot of the stuff I mentioned above is mostly because I use a little too mutch of the stuff, if you use it correctly you probably dont need to let it air out. I figure more is better than less, if the leather shows a lot of wear, it cant hurt to apply more or even a second coat to very rough or dry areas. When I use it on my dads MDX I use about 1 fourth of the bottle each time for the front seats and the rear bench, along with all the head rests and a few other parts of the car that is leather. I use it about every 2-3 months or whenever I see excessive wear.
If you have any questions feel free to ask.
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Oh, so I should pick up a cleaner as well as the z10 then, correct? Then clean it and then apply the z10? And after I apply the first coat of z10 and let air out (will probably end up using too much too) you mention a final polish. Is this another coat of z10 we are talking about or what exactly? I am not as dumb as I seem with these questions, lol, just never dealt with leather before and don't want to screw anything up.
Thanks!
Thanks!
Id suggest getting their cleaner also. For the final polish, I just mean using a fresh cloth and just shining it up. While doing that it evens out any mistakes that you make, and takes off any extra still on the car. Usually I do it at night and just open all the doors and air out the car overnight, no need for sun, just time.
Unfornatly the leather smell is so strong, your hands will smell like leather for a day![[:D]](/images/smilies/biggrin.png "Big Grin [:D]")
Unfornatly the leather smell is so strong, your hands will smell like leather for a day
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