Am I the Only One Confused About Leather Seats?

[FastEddie]

The vast majority of leather I work on is coated and I use Leather Master Products (be careful googling this as it can get ugly if not entered correctly). The stuff I use is designed for coated leahter and works great. And I do use Leatherique on uncoated leather but have been having mixed results on this stuff as of late for some reason.

 

[NissanMaxima]

The whole coated and uncoated leather topic and implications towards treatment has been discussed a lot on this forum. I have always used Lexol on my coated leather and it certainly has none no damage. For me, I think the advantage of using a quality conditioner on even a coated leather is:
1. it acts as an extra layer of protection against UV particularly important for the back seats under the rear window. Your car has clear coat on the paint and we still wax the clear coat. So why not put a quality protectant even on coated leather?
2. coated leather can develop cracks in that thin coating or develop bare spots. Now you have exposed uncoated leather. A conditioner will protect any compromises in the coating.

 

[irv]

Originally Posted by NissanMaxima
The whole coated and uncoated leather topic and implications towards treatment has been discussed a lot on this forum. I have always used Lexol on my coated leather and it certainly has none no damage. For me, I think the advantage of using a quality conditioner on even a coated leather is:
1. it acts as an extra layer of protection against UV particularly important for the back seats under the rear window. Your car has clear coat on the paint and we still wax the clear coat. So why not put a quality protectant even on coated leather?
2. coated leather can develop cracks in that thin coating or develop bare spots. Now you have exposed uncoated leather. A conditioner will protect any compromises in the coating.


Leather conditioners do absolutely nothing for coated leather seats but attract more dust and dirt. Proper coated leather care/longevity is to keep your seats clean.

Largely driven by an industry wanting to sell more and more product, it is no wonder these manufacturers have not done their part to inform. With advances in chemical engineering and manufacturing, we now have car leather that is highly resistant to wear and tear of day to day use. Many of us cling to an outdated fantasy surrounding auto leather conditioner. Thoughts of massaging some glorified car leather conditioner into our car leather that can take it from good to great circulates society as valid and sound truth. Unfortunately, this is outdated thinking that is being propped up manufacturers whose main goal is to separate you from your money.

https://www.best-auto-detailing-tips.com/auto-leather-conditioner.html

 

[NissanMaxima]

I respect your position Irv but I'm sure I could come up with an equal number of "pro-conditioner" articles. See for example this thread by Michael Stoops who was senior global product and training specialist for Meguairs. Granted you may say it was slanted to promote sales, but I believe what he says about thinning of the thin coating is indeed possible and likely especially in light of his egress and ingress arguments.

I think the bottom line is personally I see no harm, and only good, in using a quality conditioner. I have used Lexol conditioner on my Maxima leather since new. It is still factory supple and does not attract dust or dirt at all.

http://www.meguiarsonline.com/forum...eather&highlight=leather+conditioner

 

[JHZR2]

Originally Posted by Kestas
Originally Posted by diyjake
Originally Posted by Kestas
Industry has come out with a leather-like product that even has odor in it. Feels like leather and wears like iron. I see no need for leather seats anymore.

What product is this that you are talking about?

I'm not even sure it's on the market. I have a number of colleagues that work with interior design. They've been talking about it for over 10 years. For all that talk I thought for sure it would be out in the market by now.


MB Tex doesn't smell like leather but imo it's the gold standard for interior materials.

 

[aquariuscsm]

This guy sums it up perfectly from the Meguiar's forum:

*The coating used on automotive leather is semi permeable and can dry out if neglected. Cleaning is really important as dirt becomes embedded in the very fine pores and fissures in the coating and as you slide in and out of the car this actually amplifies the severity of contact with the surface, speeding up the wear on the coating which will reveal the colored leather underneath. That surface is very delicate and will degrade further really fast. A moisturizer will not only help prevent the whole leather/colorant/coating from drying out, it will act almost as a lubricant that helps slow down the effects of ingress and egress.*

It's like I always say. All automotive leather is coated, or else it would be destroyed upon first use. Automotive leather "breathes" on a microscopic level, that's why it's more comfortable and cooler to sit on than vinyl. I see newish cars who's leather is cracked, dried out, and destroyed because it wasn't maintained. The leather conditioners also preserve and protect the delicate stitching which vinyl "protectants" will destroy,which I've seen happen first hand.