What is the best leather cleaner and conditioner you guys are using?
and how often do you clean the leather?

 

I just bought and tried McGuires...I'll post how it works out

 

autopia.org

lexol


gange

 

I have heard that lexol is among the best, if not the best leather conditioner and cleaner on the market..... I have used McGuiars before and it did a wonderful job.... I have black leather in my car, and it did a very good job in cleaning and conditioning my leather.....

 

I have heard that lexol is among the best, if not the best leather conditioner and cleaner on the market..... I have used McGuiars before and it did a wonderful job.... I have black leather in my car, and it did a very good job in cleaning and conditioning my leather.....

 

I use Lexol cleaner and conditioner. it is probably the best and most expensive. I heard Mink oil makes the leather awesome, but oily for a while. AUTOPIA.ORG check it out, its awesome.

Gange :-)

 

Mink oil does make leather greasy, but it is great though...... I use mink oil on my leather jacket to keep it clean and conditioned....

 

www.zainobros.com

Hands down best stuff on the market. I use all their products on my show car as well as my daily drivers.....

 

Has anybody ever used Connolly Hide Food for their conditioner?

 

The leather on the top of my back seats are really hard. Will conditioner work to soften it? Or is there nothing that i can do?

 

Use either the McGuiars or Lexol cleaner/conditioner before the leather cracks...... My leather has already cracked on the top of the back seat.....

 

i like meguires too but it dosent give my leather a shine. is there something out there that will clean and condition like meguires but give it a nice armoral type shine?

thanks

 

Can you use leather conditioner to make the leather soft again? or once the leather gets hard, does it stay hard?

 

http://www.lexol.com/newauto.html

 

I have used Connolly Hide Food on my TL for 3 years. You can buy at any Jaguar dealer. The stuff is awesome. Its kind of pain to apply cause its a paste (like wax). It will make your leather very supple and shiney, plus your car will smell like new leather. The amount of shine depends on how much you buff it.

I just bought some lexol and used in my max, I ran out of the Connolly's. I have only had my '97 for 2 weeks. The leather in the max feels like vinyl to me its very hard. The lexol is so easy to use. Not much of a shine though. The leather still isnt very supple. I figure its going to take a while (and several applications) for any leather treatment to penetrate the hard leather in the Max. So far the Lexol hasnt made a noticeable difference. I havent tried the Connolly's in this car either.

I have tiny bit of the Connolly's left maybe I will do just half a cushion and see if it makes a big improvement.

 

I read somewhere that it is easier to apply the connolly with your hands than using a sponge or rag. I guess i'm going to buy it and try it myself.

But does the connolly leave a film on your leather to where it gets on you clothes?

 

No you rub it in and let it set for a while. Then you come back with a clean terry cloth towel to remove any residue and to buff the leather.

I dont know about using your hands sounds pretty messy.

 

Be careful of the product you choose to condition your seat.

I came across a wackload of free Armour-All leather cleaning/conditioning samplers. I tried it out & it does work well BUT I & my passengers now slide around a lot in our seats! It feels as if the leather is teflon coated . Gotta do the auto-x seatbelt-lock trick now to stay anchored in my seat.

 

I use Lexol.
Works great.
Just did it last week.

 

Ya I know what you mean. A guy at work uses armor all products in his Expedition. We slide all over the place. In general, I would stay away from all Armor All products.

I guarantee if you use Connolly's you wont regret it. I have heard alot of good things about Lexol. Thats why Im giving it a try.

 

This is good info thanks guys.

 

My wife runs a horse business, and she cleans and reconditions all of her tack with Murphys Oil. She recommended it to me for my Maxima. It works pretty good! She said it will also "heal" leather thats dryed out and starting to crack. She proved it by reconditioning a very ratty western saddle. Maybe you guys should try it out and see what you think!

 

Isn't Murphy's oil for wood?


Gange

 

http://www.leatherique.com/

Leatherique. When I had my 3rd gen (black leather) it really did help to soften the seats up a bit...the tops of the back were dried to a crust so there wasn't too much that could be done since they were so far gone...but when used according to their directions, multiple applications of this stuff does really work.

 

I used the old Soft Scrub trick to clean the leather in my wifes Max. and it worked real well. I need to go back over it with a conditioner, I think I am going to use McGuires.

 

I just put I30 black leather in my 97 GXE, and the seat bottoms are quite firm. I've applied numerous coats of McGuirres and allowed it to soak in good, but it still doesn't want to soften. The leather is remarkably clean, but still stiff. I'm looking for that soft feeling again. Thank god there are no cracks in the leather. Hows can I get the leather to soften? Mink Oil?

David
HNE

 

Connolly's contains mink oil...all natural ingredients. I ran out of Connolly's before I could try it on the Max. But I really liked the results in my Acura. I always got lots of compliments but the leather was considerably nicer in the Ac.

I tried Lexol and didnt really get the results I wanted, although it super easy to apply. Plus it smells like chemicals. I just got Zaino's Leather in a bottle. Stuff smells like new leather. Ill try it this weekend.

So far I have tried:
Mequire's
Connolly's
Lexol

 

I'm glad someone mentioned that, because it is the most important thing for me. I have really bad allergies and just dont react well to that "chemical smell" you describe. Maybe I'll try the Connolly's stuff.. I have some Lin Seed Oil that I was going to try sometime soon. Maybe today? I'll let you guys know.

 

If your leather has moderate drying issues (Umm...it feels stiff), go to leatherique's website and check out their stuff. It does work...here'a quick run down of the system: Get your bottle of rejuvinator oil and *liberally* apply it to all leather...we're talking give it a good dousing. Let the car sit in the sun all day and preferablly all night...this will help create a hot environment for the conditioner to penetrate into the leather. Next day, use the cleaner with a clean, damp rag and apply the cleaner to the damp rag and go to town. 2-3 applications will make a noticable difference in leather...especially newer leather that doesn't have a lacquer finish. Pretty much all the other stuff people have mentioned just seems to clean the surface...leatherique actually rehydrates the hide itself.

 

Outstanding. Thanks

 

I tried Meguiars and Lexol over the last month. I have to say Meguiars did a better job. I have heard so much about lexol but was kind of disappointed with the conditoner. I do believe the Lexol cleaner worked better though. Maybe it is because they recommend you using a damp sponge or rag to apply? How do you guys do your seats? How much conditoner do you apply? I am thinking about putting a ****load on next time to make my seats softer. I have noticed that the leather in my 2000 is different than the 02-03's. Seems to be harder?

 

bump

 

bump

 

I can't get anyone to describe their method of softening up their seats? I just want to know what you guys do and how much of the conditioner you put on the seats.

 

I would guess your best bet would be to follow the directions. Some of the products are a wipe on, leave and minute and wipe off affair and some aren't. Letting a product that was designed to be wiped on and then off to sit and dry on the leather might do more harm then good...IE, it might seal pores in the finish. But this can be a sticky point too depending on how thick the protective finish is...some finishes are thin and breathe--look really close at the leather and see if you can see hair pores--while some are thicker and completely cover the hide and have no ability to breathe. If I remember correctly, Seton was the supplier of leather for 5th gen cars--leather can vary from hide to hide or it may be a different grade or type of leather used on your '00 compared to the '02-'03s. If you do have some areas that are starting to feel cardboard like, really seriously check out leatherique's rejuvinator oil. I haven't used anything else that actually softens the leather.

 

I use a slightly dampened terry cloth covered sponge. I apply it liberally. Enought to cover every nook and cranny evenly.

I tried Meguirs Cleaner/Conditioner followed by Zaino Leather in a Bottle. I applied the Megs liberally on the leather and let it sit for a few hrs then I came back through and wiped everything down with a damp rag. I then applied Zaino to everything leater and vinyl. A slight improvement in softness and pliability. A huge improvement in looks and smell. My leather looked gray now it looks black and much healthier. And the smell of Zaino cannot be topped. It smells like brand new leather...awesome.

 

Just used the Zaino leather cleaner & Leather in a bottle on my 2011 seats. Excellent stuff & highly recommend. You can also use it on your leather furniture. Makes the leather smell BRAND NEW!

 

^^you seriously bumped a 9 year old thread for that?