I'm looking at cleaning and reconditioning our leather seats. The seats are two tone mini your satellite gray and because they are a light color I'm somewhat concerned to mess this up (either by leaving a sticky mess, or by damaging the color).
. . . the car was new on this picture.

I read a lot of good things about Leatherique so I decided to order some.

I just replaced the steering wheel that was a bit worn out and used the old one as a test to get a feel for using Leatherique.
The result was a bit underwhelming. The water base oil didn't exactly absorbed into the leather after a day and a half the way I had hoped. Leaving the steering wheel somewhat sticky (from the product). And once I used the cleaner conditioner the leather didn't feel as "rejuvenated" as I had hoped, nor did it seemed to have removed the dirt. I wasn't sure I was doing this right or if Learique is adapted for mini leather at all (not knowing what type of leather is used).

Now I understand the seat might behave a little differently than the steering wheel (maybe different leather and also more heavily used with hand oil build-up in the pores).

Who has experience in using Leatherique with Gen2 mini leather seats?

 

I've had good results with Meguiar's. I even use it on my lounge chair.

 

Thanks,
I've used Meguiars product. I was hopping Leatherique might be a step up for the long run...

 

Keep in mind that some auto leather has had a coating applied making it virtually impervious to treatment other than cleaning the surface. That may be why your steering wheel hasn't absorbed the product. I've been using Leatherique products for about 30 years with great results.

 

I recently ordered leather cleaner and conditoner from Ziano.....
Been using all their other products with great sucess....been using Lexol....not very happy with it.

 

Thanks guys for the additional options. I do have some leatherique so I'd like to confirm it's okay on a mini seat.

So you are using Leatherique on your MINI seats? Do you have a 2nd gen?
Yes I understand some leather dies are more lice paint which creates a barrier. That could be what I run into to with the steering.
I'm not quite sure how to tell though. I know there's a water test but honestly with modern cars it seems harder to tell since they all have more protectant than in the old days.

 

Leather conditioner/cleaner threads are like oil threads. Much love/hate for products.

Trackrat is correct in that most modern automotive leather has a clear urethane layer topcoat. Think of it as clearcoat for your leather in the same context as clearcoat for your paint. I've used Leatherique in the past and was also underwhelmed. You won't do any damage by using it though, as long as you remove the so-called oil.

This is my process for cleaning/conditioning leather. Some of it was taken from the Leatherique procedures.

First I clean the leather. I like Lexol leather cleaner, but others would likely work equally well.
Then I condition. I've used Lexol deep conditioner, I've used Obenauf's leather oil, and my latest attempt is Leather Honey.
Then I clean again to remove the oil/conditioner I applied in the previous step.

I like Leather Honey the best. It's a WV company so that is a plus for me too. It is sticky so the last cleaning step is a must. I've also heard that Leather Honey can darken some leathers. If your seats are coated this shouldn't happen. Always test in an inconspicuous location first.

 

Yes, that's what I'm not sure, if it will absorb into the pores of the leather at all.
After some thoughts I'm going to test one of the headrest (the front side which is the only leather part) and see what happens.
This way one of us can still drive the car while testing . . . and worse comes worse I could always replace the head rest. That's easy though I don't think it will be an issue.

 

Quick update...
I tried on one of the headrest and though it didn't do any arm I don't think the rejuvenating part was a stellar result.
I left the product sit for two days with some sun and some indoor time.
The product never really fully absorbed. Its hard to tell if some dried out or absorbed. If it did absorb maybe 20-30% at most got absorbed.

Here is a few pictures. The top is the headrest with the treatment and cleaned. The bottom the other headrest untouched after 6 years. It's cleaner but not all that obvious.
It suppose to be more supple but frankly it's hard to tell the difference which tells me it didn't truly absorbed.
I don know I will use it on the rest of the seats. It seems more trouble than it's worth...



Leatherique After - Before

Rejuvinator after two days.

 

The newer leather might be sealed and keeping the Leatherique from absorbing properly.

I used it on some off white Porsche seats from the 90’s and it did make them softer without damaging or darkening the leather. However, the seats didn’t have any dark piping like yours to worry about bleeding.

I also covered the seats with a thin plastic drop cloth, smoothing it like a second skin, to help keep the leatherique from drying while in the sun. The seats were out of the car at the time, but I think indirect heat from a hot interior and a couple of more applications would have made a bigger difference.

 

The rear head rests in my 2002 BMW 530i were extremely hard and rough. I did a treatment with Leather Honey and did see improvement. Wasn't substantial but I'll keep an eye on it. May try a couple more applications. The factory coating is definitely gone. When I drizzled the Leather Honey on the headrest it started to soak in immediately. I needed to distribute it over the entire surface quickly.

 

I have kids so white leather in the car would be masochistic. I have white leather dining chairs, and shocking as it may seem, a silly magic eraser works offensively well. I tried everything to get stuff off,
one swipe and I had to clean 6 chairs it was so dramatic. It did feel a little less supple after the light sanding, but a conditioner after brought it back. The chairs are not car leather but it is real leather. I tried it on my leatherette bar stools with the same Good results. Does not clean the stitching though.

 

Be careful with the magic eraser. Consider it to be very small grit (high number) sandpaper. It is a mild abrasive.

 

Yes it is about equivalent to a 3000 grit wet sandpaper. It sounds illogical, but it works and in my experience has left no visible signs of wear, even on piping. After use it seems the residue or abrasion dries the leather out slightly which is easily corrected with any leather product, or white vinegar and linseed oil (1:2). Vinegar and lemon juice is effective, so is baking soda and borax, but baking soda is between a 70-220 grit equivalent, depending on the size of the clump.

 

What I’ve found is the Prestine Clean soaks in fast an if you apply some pressure using a microfiber it will do a great job of cleaning leather when it’s not extra dirty. It will soften things up after multiple applications too.

 

have you considered using a slightly stiffer brush?