Kar don

Here is what I reccommend to use leatherique. Buy Leatherique Rejuvenator Oil and Pristine clean, i suggest getting 32oz of each from www.leatherique.com This is by far the best leather product i have ever used, really cleans the leather very well, and makes the leather buttery soft. here is how i apply it.

1)Vaccuum loose dirt off leather
2)Put the Pristine clean in a clean spray bottle.
2)Massage 3-4 ounces of the rejuvenator oil onto the seats with your hands really working it in, i like to recline the front seats a little bit so the oil will soak into the back rests. Try and get every part of the seat, especially the seams. I like to do it when it is at least 65 degrees out. If it is colder out run the seat heaters but just make sure the sun isnt directly on the leather.
3)Let the rejuvenator oil sit on the seats for a full 24 hours for best results, minimum 8 hours. You cannot drive it during this time.
4)After the RO(rejuvenator oil) has sat on the leather for that amount of time, you should see a lot of dirt that has lifted to the surface and it will feel tacky. Spray the Pristine clean onto the leather (about 1-2 oz) and wipe off with a cotton terry cloth towel. Try and get every part of the seat. Do this to all the seats u did with the RO.
5) Now I like to take a damp (with water) new towel and wipe all the seats down again.
6) Buff the seats with a microfiber towel, and you are done.

You should have no shine on your seats now and if you want them even softer, start the process all over again. Good luck! Post results if u try it. Here is an example of this process done on a caddilac. The top pic is before (note the dirt and shine in the leather) the bottom is after and butter soft.
This pic is courtesy of gmblack3 on autopia

David N.

Al, based on everything I've seen, I agree that leatherique is the best. BUT, after doing some more research, I would not recommend using it on clear coated leather, like what MB puts in the c class for instance. Clear coated leather actually has a very thin vinyl top coat to proptect the leather underneath. The holes are there so that the leather can breath. Using leatherique, or any leather cleaner/conditioner will denegrade the top coat and expose the leather.

Manufacturers started usin this type of leathe in most of their cars because dumb people had'nt the slightest clue how to care for premium leather. So, after 6 months of ownership, their leather would look like $h*t, and they would blame the manufacturer for giving them poor quality leather. But really, the problem was that people didn't and still don't know how to take care of their leather.

The caddy you have pictured does not have clear coated leather, and is a perfect candidate for leatherique.

For clearcoated leather, treat it the same as vinyl/leatherette. It's very low maintenance. An MF and warm water is all you need. This is the point of clear coated leather. Real leather without all of the hassle.

lars

Count me another happy user of Leatherique Rejuvenating Oil. I have used it with good results on old leather that was approaching the stiffness of cardboard. It didn't become buttery soft, but it did become supple.

I was unaware that MB leather has a vinyl topcoat, David, so thanks for the tip.

David N.

Not all of it does. Their premium "Nappa" leather does not have a top coat. If the seating surface has small holes in it then it is clear coated.

500AMG

so the new E's and CLK's have coated leather and leatherique won't work??? I'm confused. i thought it was just perforated... are u sure all perforated leather has a coat?

David N.

There is no such thing as perforated leather. What you are describing is clearcoated leather. The perforations are in the vinyl top coat/clear coat(same thing) to allow the leather underneath to breathe. What point is there in putting tiny holes in the leather itself? None. The leather would probably tear if it had holes in it.

I'm not sure what kind of leather MB is offerring on CLK's and E's.

As for leatherique not working, not true. It won't work as well. Just think about it. What does leatherique do? It penetrates the leather and brings the dirt and sweat imbedded below, up to surface so it can be cleaned. How can it penetrate when there is a vinyl coating blocking most of it, aside from the perforations? And when some does get through the perforations, how effective will it be? Also keep in mind that your leather underneath shouldn't have any embedded dirt/sweat in the leather because the top coat is protecting it, thus there is no need for leatherique. There is a possibility that with continued use it will eat away at the vinyl coating. This wouldn't be a disaster. You would just have to treat your leather as though it were uncoated (meaning more work). Remember what I said in my previous post, the purpose of clear coated leather is to make maintenace of the leather easier.

awiner

I have been using Leatherique for a couple years. I really think it is the best.

In my CL, the leather is peferated, however the leater IS NOT coated. The perferations are for the ventiliated seats to blow the air though. So, not all perferated leather seats are coated with clear.

David N.

Yes, that's true. I totally forgaot about that. MB has that option(ventilated seats).

But if that option is not present, and the seats are perforated, then it's safe to assume that there is a top coat.

500AMG

The leather in my CLK does not feel like it has anything on it...however, my mother's minivan (Town & Country Limited) feels like it would have this coating on it (somewhat slick...not the *leather* feel). Could MB coat the leather while still keeping the *leather* feel?

David N.

It's possible that MB can coat the leather and make it feel soft like premium leather. The leather in my C240 is coated and it does not feel as soft as the the non coated leather I felt at my dealer.

To be on the safe side, go ahead and use leatherique. Like I said b4, it's really no biggie if you use it. From the souinds of it, you have non coated leather. Try leatherique a couple of times. See how you like it. Make a note of how effective a job it's doing. If you feel that it is keeping you leather like new, then continue using it.

Either way you can't go wrong.

Post a review and let us all know how you like the product.

Mr. Xristo

I ordered Leatherique for my Jaguar interior.. Will post picks!! I am happy to know that other people on the board are using the product.

MercBezerk

Just got to say, all this hooplah about clear coated seats, and non clearcoated seats and leather and vents and so on....sheesh!

There is something to be said about the basics...I really love the vinyl in the 1973 280. It's tough and cozy and, because of excellent maintance by myself and the prior owner, the car still looks mint inside.

I use Eagle One cleaners and conditioners, and they work wonders. The man before me (you'll love this) used a spray bottle of laundry detergent and water to clean the surface, after which he would coat the surface with shoe polish and buff to a shine. I guess in 1973-1980 that was all they had. In 1980 the 280 was detailed and put on light-duty for the man as he bought a 450SL. I bought the 280 from him in 1996. I wonder if he uses shoe polish on the 450?

David N.

That was my point about clear coated leather. IT CAN be treated like vinyl, meaning very low maintenance and no fancy products required, as on your 280.

It wasn't our intention to start a hoopla. BUT, I think it is extremely important to understand what type of interior you have so you can care for it in the best possible manner.

That's why this is the detailing forum. Because DETAILS are important to us. If you are botherd by this, then please feel free to not read this forum.

Kar don

david, the holes that you can see in the seats are not for the leather to "breath", through the holes is the seat cushion and heater. I have heard clearcoated leather has "microscopic pores" to allow conditioner to reach the actual leather itself. However I don't believe the mercedes leather ive dealt with is clearcoated (mercedes ML320/500, CL55, S500, SL500, CLK430) All felt very soft and absorbed a lot of conditioner, which actually made the leather feel softer.

David N.

From what I understand about leather, it does need to breathe. The holes are in the clearcoat, not the leather. MB is an exception because they have ventilated seats on their upscale models. So their nappa leather may in fact have holes if the ventilated option is purchased.

I've seen cl's ans s classes at my dealer with premium leather. It was very soft, more so than on the lower end models like the c's and clk's. Some of the leather on those cl's and s's had holes, while others didn't. Both were equally as soft.

Ron K on autopia mentioned that use of conditioners on clearcoated leather WILL soften the leather. BUT, in the process, it will eat away at the clear coat. It will make the leather soft enough that it will eventually stretch and ruin.

I trust what he says. The man is brilliant. He was the authority before he was kicked out.

I have clearcoated leather on my c. I have never used a conditioner on it. The leather is the same today as it was when I took delivery. I just wipe it down with a damp cloth to remove any dust.

At the end of the day you have to do what works best for you. Go with your gut!

JustinTRW

David,

I have nappa in my C. It is not clearcoated, is that correct?

Too bad Ron was banned. What happend to him?

David N.

It shouldn't be clearcoated. None of the nappa I've seen has clear. If it doesn't have any tiny holes then it it's not cleared. If it does, then it MAY be cleared. It all depends on whether or not you have ventilated seats.

As for Ron, he used to give his honest opinion (not always favourable) of various products on the market. In some cases he would recco an alternative product that was produced by his company. DavidB considered this spam, and warned Ron on more than one occasion. Ron was eventually forced out. It's a damn shame! Ron's knowledge was invaluable to the board. Nobody even comes close to him. Very sad...

JustinTRW

The leather is perforated in the middle because of the heated seats.

Do you remember what Ron's website was?

David N.

http://www.autoint.com

Kar don

David, I have noticed some stretching in the leather but I do consider this normal wear and tear. I have looked at other ML's on dealer lots and the leather look exactly the same. To me its more of the pad wearing out than the leather stretching. When i get a chance to detail our ML I will post pics of the interior and leather pieces.

David N.

Interesting. If you have a chance please do post some pics. So far my leather has not streached. I don't use any leather products on it. Just a damp towel to wipe up any dust.

Anthony Orosco

I see we have a discussion of coated and non-coated seats. The best way to tell is take some leather cleaner on a unseen portion of the leather seat in question and if the seat color comes up then you need to use a cleaner/conditoner combo that is of a correct ph balance and has a lanolin base for the conditioner.

If no color comes up then one can assume that they have a vinyl coating on their seats. More domestic autos have vinyl coated leather seats than imports.

If one does have coated seats they can then be cleaned and protected with something like 303 protectant.

I have been told that your better leather conditioners like Hide Food and Pinnacle's Leather Conditioner will not harm vinyl coated leather because they do not contain petroleum distillates. Not sure how true that is though.

Anthony

cone

I have a 2003 S class with nappa leather beige color, I have some dirties by rub, can you tell me how to remove it?
Regards

Anthony Orosco

Cone,

Hey there, so sorry for the delay in my response but we have had days and days of rain and just cloudy bleak weather here in Texas and the last two days have been real nice so I have been slammed with dirty cars. Detailing is feast or famine.

Before I reply to your question may I first ask what methods or products have you used, if any, to try and remove the blemishes?

I only ask because sometimes certain cleaning items can set the blemishes in.

Take care,
Anthony

Kar don

i believe you are thinking of paint.... i have dealt with uncleared leather with leather cleaners and never got the dye rubbing off on the cloth, ever.