How to restore 5 year old hard/neglected leather upholstery???

[Dominik]

Hi all,

Just bought a new 'old' car it's 5 years old and the leather has not cracked yet except the driver's seat where it has a few creases/wrinkles.
However uncracked the leather is overall quite hard and looks like someone had been using Armorall on it 'cause it has that slippery feeling and a bit of shine.
Can it be restored with Lexol (already mail-ordered some cleaner and conditioner) or should I get some serious stuff like the Letherique?
Also will a tear develop in the creased areas? or will a good conditioner smooth them out a bit?
Has onyone had some luck with restoring dry creased (not cracked yet) leather??
Any input much appreciated

 

[Russell]

Get leatherique. Worked great on my 95 BMW. Will do it again next year when warm/hot. Works best if the car is n a situation where the seats are "hot" for at least 24 hours.

Meanwhile not sure what it use. Several of the over the counter cleaners and conditioners may work. Mothers, Lexol, Mequires and Blue Magic seem to be generally ok. Make sure to use a cleaner before conditioner to get the dirt is out of creases etc. It is abrasive. Also several treatments of conditioner may be needed.

 

[Dominik]

Russel, what shape was your leathr in when you used it? mine has been treated with some kind of cheap silicone stuff (eventhough dry to touch it leaves residue on your hands). Except the drivers seat it is crack and wrinkle free but hard to touch. Did you use the preping cleaner first? and then the oil?
Thanks

 

[Russell]

Dominik,
my leather was in reasonable condition with no cracks but dirty. Apparently there was not much treatment. First thing I did was vacumn the surface. Then apply the leatherique OIL. Let set for 24 hours in the hot sun. It will pull the junk out.
Then use use the PRESTINE CLEAN to remove all the gunk. Wipe down with water and let dry. Buff with clean cloth. I found I had to repeat the process a couple of times on the harder leather areas. Works great

 

[OutlawTitan]

Highly recommend Leatherique but it definitely works best (actually it is amazing) when its HOT outside and you can leave the car in the sun with the windows rolled up for a day or two.