BigBlackLincoln
Leather Conditioner Comparison
If you are like me, and believe in keeping your car looking as close to showroom new as possible all the time, then interior care is just as important as the exterior. And automobile leather is NO exception. Leather in general, is rather robust, and degenerates slowly, taking about 50-55 years to disentigrate completely, depending on how it was originally cured. Proper treatment and conditioning, can extend that.
NOW, there are three main factors that determine the lifespan of leather in automobiles. First one, and probably the most important, is sunlight. Most cars made after 2000 have gotten better with this, but, tinted windows will SAVE an interior. I cannot stress that enough. If you buy a new car, that has no tint, go buy some 70% VLT tint. It's very light, one can hardly tell there is a tint there, not even enough to really darken the windows, but it will SAVE everything inside your car. My car has a factory tint, and believe me. My interior still looks new. No fading or warping anywhere.
When a tint is not applied to the windows of a car, whether factory or aftermarket, all of the suns rays are magnified inside the interior. (Picture sitting out in the sun every day, from sun up, to sun down, for years) because of this, after 5-10 years, that nice navy blue interior of yours has become a sky blue, and every time you touch the steering wheel, more original dye comes off. Of course, the effects this has on leather is remarkably poisonous. The leather absorbs the UV rays, and the UV rays pull the original conditioners, protectants, oils, etc out of the leather, until it becomes hard and dry. When the leather gets in this condition, it will tear very easily. It is no suprise to find cars from the 80's and early 90's with completely shredded interiors, simply because they were not taken care of.
Second biggest life span shortener, is us. Without conditioning the leather, it slowly becomes dry and brittle, and our sweat, tears, spilled Pepsi, etc does nothing to help it. In most cases, the leather will get "stress marks" or creases in it. Not a big deal, bound to happen, but, because it is not being conditioned and taken care of, the stress creases, become small cracks and tears. Very small, not a big deal, until you flop down one day and hear "Riiiip!" naturally, you jump up, scared to death that your friends will see your "Valentine's Day Special" boxers, but, to your dismay, there is a 4" long split in the center of the bottom of the seat. At this point, you realize, your pride and joy...isn't so new anymore, and....most people, simply do not care. The tear gets worse, and many more follow, until it gets to the point where you are pretty much just sitting on shreds of leather and foam cushion. Then, you break out the photos of the car when you first brought it home, and hold up the pic to your seat, and sigh.
Third largest, is a mixture of neglect, and lack of cleaning/conditioning. As you know, little bits and pieces of sand, dirt, and other debris will fall on the seat. Some people do not notice, and the particles get drug across the seat, scratching as they go. This creates a weak point, which will definately become a crease, and eventually a crack, if not taken care of. This type of thing, among lack of care, leads to cracked and split leather interiors.
Leather itself, is very robust, but like anything, it must be cared for. If you don't want to take the time, cheap out and get cloth.
So, here is how you PROPERLY take care of a leather interior, which will prevent any form of tears/cracks for probably as long as you own the car.
NEW CARS :
First thing you should do, is tint the windows. Window tint isn't only for punk-ass kids in Toyota Supra's that try and rattle your mirrors off at stoplights. They are very beneficial to the interior of a car, as I mentioned earlier. If your car came with factory tint, you're good. Next, upon getting the car home, Use some form of leather cleaner/conditioner on the seats. I recommend LEXOL. This removes any excess oils, dust, dirt, and sweat from the time the car was manufactured, to when you bought it, giving you a great foundation for future care. Next, apply cleaner/ conditioner every 2-3 weeks, or whenever a soda or some other such thing is spilled, if car is a daily driver. By doing this for several years, you will be suprised how new your seats look 5-10 years later, while the same interior in another car is cracks/torn. It will be worth the effort.
OLDER CARS:
Providing the leather is in good condition (i.e. no cracks or splits, leather is still supple, not wrinkled and/or dried out, creases are fine) do a THOROUGH cleaning with a leather cleaner, from experience, I recommend (LEXOL ph.) Do it twice, if needed, then follow up with two treatments of some form of conditioner, I recommend LEXOL, from experience. After this do so every 2-3 weeks for a daily driver, and every 1-2 months for a "Sunday" car.
The brands I have in the photograpgh here, are the kinds I prefer the most, out of all the ones I have come across.
1. / 2. LEXOL Cleaner & Conditioner 2 Step System
4/5
I feel this does the most thorough job, with the best results, as far as conditioning goes. It's a wipe on, buff off deal. Works very well. Not the cheapest, both bottles will run around 20-25 bucks, but hey, they last.
3. Turtle Wax Cleaner/Conditioner
2.75/5
This is ok as a cleaner, but severely lacks the conditioners really needed to PRESERVE the leather. Cheap enough, around 6 dollars I think. Ideal cleaner, not much more.
4. Tannery Leather Cleaner and Conditioner
3.75/5
Does a very good job of cleaning the leather, no doube there. Sprays on as a foam, which lifts dirt and other impurities out of the leather. Does a good job of conditioning, as you cna fele the elather is noticeably softer afterwards, although not as good as LEXOL. Close. Best part..... the smell. this WILL make your entire car smell like new leather. It is the most authentic smell I have ever experienced. Not come crappy scented tree fragrance, smells like the real deal. If you do not want to spend 25 bucks for cleaner/conditioner, buy this for $5. Available ONLY at Ace Hardware. At least...only place I have seen it.
Hopefully this long description will aid in your care of your leather interior, and opened your eyes.
Unless you opted for vinyl. Cheapskate. :P
Leather Conditioner Comparison
If you are like me, and believe in keeping your car looking as close to showroom new as possible all the time, then interior care is just as important as the exterior. And automobile leather is NO exception. Leather in general, is rather robust, and degenerates slowly, taking about 50-55 years to disentigrate completely, depending on how it was originally cured. Proper treatment and conditioning, can extend that.
NOW, there are three main factors that determine the lifespan of leather in automobiles. First one, and probably the most important, is sunlight. Most cars made after 2000 have gotten better with this, but, tinted windows will SAVE an interior. I cannot stress that enough. If you buy a new car, that has no tint, go buy some 70% VLT tint. It's very light, one can hardly tell there is a tint there, not even enough to really darken the windows, but it will SAVE everything inside your car. My car has a factory tint, and believe me. My interior still looks new. No fading or warping anywhere.
When a tint is not applied to the windows of a car, whether factory or aftermarket, all of the suns rays are magnified inside the interior. (Picture sitting out in the sun every day, from sun up, to sun down, for years) because of this, after 5-10 years, that nice navy blue interior of yours has become a sky blue, and every time you touch the steering wheel, more original dye comes off. Of course, the effects this has on leather is remarkably poisonous. The leather absorbs the UV rays, and the UV rays pull the original conditioners, protectants, oils, etc out of the leather, until it becomes hard and dry. When the leather gets in this condition, it will tear very easily. It is no suprise to find cars from the 80's and early 90's with completely shredded interiors, simply because they were not taken care of.
Second biggest life span shortener, is us. Without conditioning the leather, it slowly becomes dry and brittle, and our sweat, tears, spilled Pepsi, etc does nothing to help it. In most cases, the leather will get "stress marks" or creases in it. Not a big deal, bound to happen, but, because it is not being conditioned and taken care of, the stress creases, become small cracks and tears. Very small, not a big deal, until you flop down one day and hear "Riiiip!" naturally, you jump up, scared to death that your friends will see your "Valentine's Day Special" boxers, but, to your dismay, there is a 4" long split in the center of the bottom of the seat. At this point, you realize, your pride and joy...isn't so new anymore, and....most people, simply do not care. The tear gets worse, and many more follow, until it gets to the point where you are pretty much just sitting on shreds of leather and foam cushion. Then, you break out the photos of the car when you first brought it home, and hold up the pic to your seat, and sigh.
Third largest, is a mixture of neglect, and lack of cleaning/conditioning. As you know, little bits and pieces of sand, dirt, and other debris will fall on the seat. Some people do not notice, and the particles get drug across the seat, scratching as they go. This creates a weak point, which will definately become a crease, and eventually a crack, if not taken care of. This type of thing, among lack of care, leads to cracked and split leather interiors.
Leather itself, is very robust, but like anything, it must be cared for. If you don't want to take the time, cheap out and get cloth.
So, here is how you PROPERLY take care of a leather interior, which will prevent any form of tears/cracks for probably as long as you own the car.
NEW CARS :
First thing you should do, is tint the windows. Window tint isn't only for punk-ass kids in Toyota Supra's that try and rattle your mirrors off at stoplights. They are very beneficial to the interior of a car, as I mentioned earlier. If your car came with factory tint, you're good. Next, upon getting the car home, Use some form of leather cleaner/conditioner on the seats. I recommend LEXOL. This removes any excess oils, dust, dirt, and sweat from the time the car was manufactured, to when you bought it, giving you a great foundation for future care. Next, apply cleaner/ conditioner every 2-3 weeks, or whenever a soda or some other such thing is spilled, if car is a daily driver. By doing this for several years, you will be suprised how new your seats look 5-10 years later, while the same interior in another car is cracks/torn. It will be worth the effort.
OLDER CARS:
Providing the leather is in good condition (i.e. no cracks or splits, leather is still supple, not wrinkled and/or dried out, creases are fine) do a THOROUGH cleaning with a leather cleaner, from experience, I recommend (LEXOL ph.) Do it twice, if needed, then follow up with two treatments of some form of conditioner, I recommend LEXOL, from experience. After this do so every 2-3 weeks for a daily driver, and every 1-2 months for a "Sunday" car.
The brands I have in the photograpgh here, are the kinds I prefer the most, out of all the ones I have come across.
1. / 2. LEXOL Cleaner & Conditioner 2 Step System
4/5
I feel this does the most thorough job, with the best results, as far as conditioning goes. It's a wipe on, buff off deal. Works very well. Not the cheapest, both bottles will run around 20-25 bucks, but hey, they last.
3. Turtle Wax Cleaner/Conditioner
2.75/5
This is ok as a cleaner, but severely lacks the conditioners really needed to PRESERVE the leather. Cheap enough, around 6 dollars I think. Ideal cleaner, not much more.
4. Tannery Leather Cleaner and Conditioner
3.75/5
Does a very good job of cleaning the leather, no doube there. Sprays on as a foam, which lifts dirt and other impurities out of the leather. Does a good job of conditioning, as you cna fele the elather is noticeably softer afterwards, although not as good as LEXOL. Close. Best part..... the smell. this WILL make your entire car smell like new leather. It is the most authentic smell I have ever experienced. Not come crappy scented tree fragrance, smells like the real deal. If you do not want to spend 25 bucks for cleaner/conditioner, buy this for $5. Available ONLY at Ace Hardware. At least...only place I have seen it.
Hopefully this long description will aid in your care of your leather interior, and opened your eyes.
Unless you opted for vinyl. Cheapskate. :P