Who here has conditioned their seats already? Should you wait for them to get some wear before conditioning them or is it best to do it when they are new

 

Conditioning the seats was one of the first things I did when I got the car home. I condition my seats on a monthly basis with Zaino's Leather in a Bottle.

 

Sorry if its a stupid question but whats the benefit of doing this to brand new leather...?

 

Who knows what's been done to them in the factory, and if they even have any conditioner on them? I've used Zymol leather conditioner for years, and the leather seats in our vehicles have stayed smooth and shiny, and have gotten increasingly supple over the years.

 

I guess the benefit would be to put some moisture back into the leather. Does the leather really need it at this point? Not really sure to be honest. For myself, I would just much rather condition the leather when its brand new and keep doing it on a monthly basis. I did this with my 03 G and after 3 years the leather looked like brand new.

 

one of the first things I did was to scotch guard the carpets and trunk mat, condition the leather, and wax the car.

 

My mother insists that a hand lotion is the best thing for leather... I'm like, aaah, maybe not the best thing for a car <turn corner> <slide-thump> <turn corner> <slide-thump>

*Warning* Leather interior n00b questions ahead.

Would you guys reccommend a conditioner and cleaner in one? or seperate components?.

Both once a month or condition weekly and clean once a month?.

 

Saddle soap is a good cleaner otherwise I use Lexol cleaner and then Lexol conditioner.

 

Not a stupid question, but the #1 rule with leather, is that you can't restore it, when the cracks happen, it's over with.. too late.

Conditioning from the start and on a regular basis will preserve the leather and make it age finely into a fantastic soft leather and look great 5-10 years down the road. Conditioning protects against the heat and sun fading/drying out.

It doesn't mean that you need to do it in the first week the car arrives, but you should do it within the first few months and then from there on out. When mine arrives I plan on doing it right away.

Think of conditioner as skin moisturizer, the really good conditioner has lanolin and other moisturizers that are health for skin (leather is skin) Do you put creams and moistures on your baby? I do. it's the same as human skin, callus build up, rough skin, hard cuticles etc... all come from over time, if you moisturize regularly you will not have any of those conditions even if you work with your hands, or at least it's drastically reduced.

one more thing, leather cleaning & conditioning are two separate things, and I would not recommend cleaning the leather for a while, as most cleaners can dry out or mildly damage the leather, stick with a strait up high quality conditioner, those you usually apply like skin lotion too, massaging it into the leather with your hands, then cloth buff it.

 

I bought a bottle of meguiers. what do you guys think of that stuff?

 

Meguiers makes good products so this should be fine.

 

The Zymol cleaner I use is also a conditioner (so it doesn't dry out the leather), but I use it just as a cleaner, and condition separately. And no real schedule, although you should clean more than you condition. Probably ends up being once every couple of weeks for cleaning, and once a month for conditioning - shouldn't do that too often or the conditioner can't soak into the leather as it saturates.

Also, in the summer months put conditioner on, and leave the car in the sun for a few hours before wiping it off. The heat really lets the conditioner work in, and it softens the leather really well.

Good luck!

 

If it's the meguires gold leather conditioner, be very careful not to use too much. It made my leather come out all shiney and fake looking for about a week, but if you use it sparingly it should be fine. I personally regret using it. I'm thinking about trying that leather in a bottle stuff if I can find somewhere to buy it in the west or a good site to order from.

 

Christian, you can order Leather in a Bottle from www.zaino.ca That is where I get all my stuff from.

 

I think I know what you mean. I tried it on a headrest and the bolster and I didn't like the apperance of it.

Anyone know if Kragen will refund me on a open bottle?