StephenK

Curious about opinions on these products.....

Zaino: Z9 and Z10

http://www.zainostore.com/Merchant2/...oduct_Count=14

http://www.zainostore.com/Merchant2/...oduct_Count=15

Leatherique: Prestine Clean & Rejuvinator Oil

http://www.leatherique.com/products.html

Rick SL55

Z10
http://www.detailuniversity.com/foru...er-bottle.html

Leatherique
http://www.detailuniversity.com/forums/leatherique/

TOGWT

Many people are unaware of the fact that since the late ‘80s early ‘90s, many of the newer domestic cars and some imports (US) do not use natural leather hides anymore. Approximately 90% of vehicle manufacturers have used (thermoplastic) polyurethane covered split hide leather for their interior upholstery. Vehicle leather upholstery is made from natural hides, chrome tanned and uniquely treated with a light pigmented water-based polyurethane coating or a vinyl covering to make it more viable for automotive seating. It retains the softness of natural top-grain leather but resists fading in direct sunlight, which besides body oil / salt, is leathers worst enemy.

While leather that is vinyl-coated is relatively easy to care for by virtue of its protective plastic surface, it is also inaccessible for purposes of maintenance. Meaning, of course, there is absolutely no point to using leather conditioners on plastic coated leather.


The majority of automotive upholstery is protected leather, these leathers have aspects of a natural finish, but more uniform in appearance, split leather (By-cast) will also stretch more than top grain leather and is therefore subject to show creasing. The heavier pigments can create much darker colours, protected leather has a substantial finish applied that makes them more resistant to heavy wear and stains. The heavier pigments and finish do affect the softness and scent, so these leathers often don't feel or smell like real leather. These leathers are more common in the automotive industry.


To determine if your leather is protected with a polyurethane covering; lightly scratch the surface to see if it leaves a lighter colour, or place a few drops of water on the upholstery surface; if it ‘beads’ it’s a pigmented polyurethane coated finish. Liquids will not penetrate protected leather. These leathers are more common in the automotive industry Using split leather produced from the lower cut or split of the hide is a relatively new development. It is normally produced in darker colours and when stretched, it lightens. It also scratches quite easily. This type of leather is now coming on to the furniture market, but has been used for automotive upholstery, handbags and belts for some time. As the top surface has high polyurethane finish, normal leather creams or oils provide absolutely no value (see conditioners).


For more information see “Basic Automotive Leather Upholstery Care” one of a collection of detailing articles on DetailingWiki; (Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation) a series of informative, knowledge based, unbiased articles dedicated to automotive detailing

This is one of a collection of detailing articles on DetailingWiki; (Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation) a series of informative, knowledge based, unbiased articles dedicated to the automotive detailing enthusiast or professional detailer in search of development and education

GL Troll

Z-10 has a great leather smell. Other than that, ditto what Togwt said.

CynCarvin32

Leatherique is the best product for cleaning and conditioning leather. It will leave the leather in your 600 feeling softer than new, it will feel stronger as it increases the strength of the leather, and it will have absolutely no shine which is very important.

I am in the process of doing my Sl55 right now. I am on the third and last day of conditioning the leather. After that I will clean it all off with pristine clean and all should be done.

It is an absolutely amazing product. Worth every bit of its fairly steep price. Place an order for the product and do a 2-3 day series of conditionings once or twice a year and the car's leather will look new every day. You will still have to worry about wear as nothing will fix that but keeping it fed with leatherique will help prevent further damage.

transenpai

I'm between these two products as well (and maybe lexol). I need to go and identify what kind of material I'm dealing with but I'm interested in finding a product to maintain my leather and maintain that new car smell. It sounds like leatherique is overkill for maintenance but I haven't read anything that said that overkill is bad!

MinnBobber

[QUOTE=TOGWT;3192822]Many people are unaware of the fact that since the late ‘80s early ‘90s, many of the newer domestic cars and some imports (US) do not use natural leather hides anymore. Approximately 90% of vehicle manufacturers have used (thermoplastic) polyurethane covered split hide leather for their interior upholstery.

While leather that is vinyl-coated is relatively easy to care for by virtue of its protective plastic surface, it is also inaccessible for purposes of maintenance. Meaning, of course, there is absolutely no point to using leather conditioners on plastic coated leather.


Thanks,
do you know what 2012 Mercedes E and ML use for leather? E class special order chestnut brown??
Their newer leather seems much harder-- not a good thing in my mind.
For comparison, do you know what the 2005 ML SE leather is??
Bob

TOGWT

[quote=MinnBobber;5071956]“Leather Surface Identification” - http://www.autopia.org/forum/guide-d...ml#post1451654

gazosnic

I used z-9/10 and very happy with the results. Seats look near mint again. Nice smell too.

ellcapitan

I wonder if continued use of oil-based conditioners actually do more harm than good to these polyurethane coated leathers?

TOGWT

It can have a negative impact on the urathene.

See "/Using Oil-based Leather Care Products" - http://www.autopia.org/forum/guide-d...ml#post1450942

dsayed

I've been using this stuff:

ellcapitan

A dedicated cleaner is one thing, but I'm having trouble understanding the conditioner-part. It seems there is nothing to "condition" on urethane coated seats. Am I missing something??

TOGWT

Modern automotive leather upholstery use a completely different tanning processes and finishing system, utilizing advanced polymers and chemicals.

Unless a Premium Leather option was purchased the type of leather upholstery used by ~ 95% of OEM is a multi stratum covering over the leather hide; the top strata is the surface pigmentation (colour) and an abrasion resistant urethane. Real leather has a recognizable fragrance that is missing from polyurethane and plastic.

Simple cleaning, hydration and protection are the steps that will prolong the life of finished leather. (urethane doesn’t require conditioning or rejuvenation) and as a consequence they do not need to be treated with aftercare products containing oils or proteins.

ellcapitan

Okay, so how is "hydration" different from "conditioning"/"rejuvenation", as it applies to urethane coated leather? (Sorry for the constant bother, but I DO want to finally get to the bottom of this, and this seems like as good a thread as any to do it.)

Also, since the surface is urethane afterall, would I be wrong to use a product like 303 Aerospace Protectant as a UV protectant on the seats, once cleaned?

TOGWT

When leather tanners talk about conditioning leather they are referring to re-hydration; in order to restore or maintain fluid balance (transpiration and evaporation of moisture); not the replenishment or replacement of the fat liquoring oils and waxes.

Modern finished leather needs to be kept hydrated with moisture to ensure the leather remains flexible and maintains its soft tactile feel. This is done by regularly wiping the surface with a damp 100% cotton micro fibre towel and by using aqueous (water- based) leather care products. There is no reason to use oil-based leather care products to condition or feed leather hides

ellcapitan

Can you recommend one or more of these aqueous, water based products? Any particular product that stands out to you?

TOGWT

My preference for water-based finished leather products is Leather Masters