That has never been the case with any Benz I've owned. Even my 2007 S600 which was put into service 4-06 and sold 12-17 still had leather that looked like brand new after nearly 12 years with absolutely zero conditioning. Twice a year I used a medium soap to do a light wipe down of the seats, dash, doors, etc. That's it.

Your body oils aren't doing anything for the seats, but you still dont need to condition coated leather seats. Like you said, cleaning them regularly is really all you need to do.

. On the contrary , yes you do. The factory topcoat ( clear protectant part of the ‘finish’) wears off/down thus, a protection creme is definite needed, trust me, I fix leather/plastic/vinyl for a living. It’s the exception, not the rule, where a factory top coat lasts a long time. What many people don’t understand is that once the topcoat wears off then the color coat( or stain) is the only thing that is protecting the leather itself( but not from oils/liquids) and that will begin to wear and then the owner finally notices it…. But it has been happening for years.

Once the top coat wears off, the leather needs to be re-dyed. If a conditioner were required, manufacturers would suggest it in their care requirements and they don’t, they only suggest cleaning.

Top coat loss does NOT require re-dying. Remember , a top coat is the clear protective coating applied after the color . Most of the same steps are needed though to recoat it. One only ‘needs’ to re-dye of there is color loss. Applying a quality protection creme will extend the life of your car/furniture’s life.

It depends on the type of leather. Most car leather is just top dyed, and when the topcoat wears off the color is going to flake. Leather used in furniture in your home and what is used in a car are very different.

If by 'type of leather' you (SW20S) mean the type of 'finish' thats put on the leather, then yes....it matters and differentiates the various types/costs/durability of leather that we use. Real leather will never 'flake' off after top coat wears off....that occurs when its been re-dyed and prepped incorrectly OR isn't real leather and is disintegrating (usually a 1-2% leather content material most often used on cheaper furniture). The thickness, quality, and durability are different among various types of furniture (leather) and in autos, but usually, its the grade of leather and the quality of the topcoat that will make the big difference.

hope that helps

Do you use the shield, conditioner, cleaner or all of the above? Just curious what works best with the leather we have.

I have used all of the above, as the cars get older you're supposed to switch to leather protector I believe,

I have been using the Colourlock Cleaner but actually using KochChemie Leather Star as a protectant, its very similar.