Brand new seat leather - What product would you use to protect it?

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CRyan

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If you purchased a new car, took the manufacturers protective fabric off the seats yourself, knew you had some type of coated leather, and you wanted to give it the best shot of survival from drying/cracking/creasing/fading for the next 10 years, what product would you put on it that first day to start protecting it with? And why?



So I have spent the better part of my spare time over the past week reading just about every thread on Autogeek and many online articles about leather. I certainly understand fully there is no consensus regarding standard automotive leather care.

What I know:

1. Most automotive leather is coated/painted in some manner by some kind of plastic/vinyl/poly coating - Although some coated leather reacts differently than others with some seats even releasing pigment when cleaned.
2. Most discussions are dedicated to cleaning and resurrecting worn leather.
3. Leather protection (unlike paint protection to a good degree) continues to be clouded in confusion and snake oil and various distinct hardened schools of thought.

I certainly do not expect a consensus in this thread. I just want to know what you would trust to protect brand new seats right now for a brand new car that you plan on keeping for the next 10 years.
 
LeatherMaster's and LTT Leather Care both have excellent products.

:)

Bob
 
I agree everyone has a different school of thought on this. I have had leather seats for years it is one of the few absolutes a car must have for me. Over the years I have used almost everything. What I have found to be the most important is to keep them clean. Lexus/Toyota recommends cleaning them with a weak solution of Woolite. I have used several cleaners over the tears depending how dirty the seats are. If just normal dirt I Think Lexol orange bottle is as good as any. I also feel for the price Mothers VLR is as good as any for light cleaning and treating. Most seats have some vynal areas any way. Cleaning and UV protection are the main things for me.
 
FUNX725 said:
LeatherMaster's and LTT Leather Care both have excellent products.

:)

Bob
Click to expand...

Of the Leather Masters, what would you use? The Protection Cream or the Leather Barrier? I cannot see that Leather Masters products have UV protection. Is UV not something you would be concerned with?

Of the LTT, would you use the Leatherguard Protector or the Ultra Protect?
 
WantcarPerfect said:
I agree everyone has a different school of thought on this. I have had leather seats for years it is one of the few absolutes a car must have for me. Over the years I have used almost everything. What I have found to be the most important is to keep them clean. Lexus/Toyota recommends cleaning them with a weak solution of Woolite. I have used several cleaners over the tears depending how dirty the seats are. If just normal dirt I Think Lexol orange bottle is as good as any. I also feel for the price Mothers VLR is as good as any for light cleaning and treating. Most seats have some vynal areas any way. Cleaning and UV protection are the main things for me.
Click to expand...

You would use Mothers VLR on new seats for protection?
 
I would first clean the leather, wipe with DI water, then use CarPro's F&L. This product is a true coating, providing a mechanical barrier between you and the leather.

While other products may leave leather looking "nice", this stuff is very durable and adds a layer of protection you can still see a month later.

I've also found topping this with CG's new Leather Serum gives the leather that smooth soft feeling.

That's what I use. Real protection. Like a big condom over my seat.
 
The main thing is to keep it clean. I use GG Interior cleaner with a micro fiber pad to clean and then wipe on some leather care spray from GG. I also wipe off the excess.
 
+! to Leather Masters Protection Cream.

It is one of the few water-based fluorocarbon protectors on the market that can actually prevent dye transfer from jeans, belts and other dyed items. LTT makes a great protector as well but it's not easy to get here in the states.

I've been using LM for over 20 years and it offers outstanding protection. I buy it in quart sizes. I also use it on my home furnishings. It dries silky smooth to the touch so it doesn't grab and hold dust and grime, it does not add gloss, leaving the leather with a new look and feel. It is also nearly odorless.

LM also makes a very good leather cleaner. I prefer the LM Strong Leather Cleaner which I typically dilute 50/50 with warm water.

I clean my automotive leather quarterly and reapply LMPC. Weekly, I vacuum and wipe down the leather with Meguiar's QID which rehydrates the leather and leaves UV protection.
 
just bought white sofa,applied on leather master cream protection and leather barrier,so far so good
 
brand new: I would clean it with CG Leather Cleaner diluted 1:6 every 3-6 months (maybe 1-2 months in the summer months on the areas that your skin touches) followed by 303 Aerospace Protectant.

After a couple years, then maybe start using a conditioner with UV protection if it looks dry. With the coated leather, there is not much reason to use a conditioner on it when it is new. Just UV protect it and that will start you on the right foot.

My 2 cents.
 
CRyan,

you haven't said what car you bought, and what type of leather is in it. Did you have leather grade options, and did you upgrade to premium leather?
It's easier to make care and product recommendations if people knew what type of leather you have, and what coating, if any, the leather has.
 
hamlyn said:
CRyan,

you haven't said what car you bought, and what type of leather is in it. Did you have leather grade options, and did you upgrade to premium leather?
It's easier to make care and product recommendations if people knew what type of leather you have, and what coating, if any, the leather has.
Click to expand...

Are you familiar with various different coatings used on coated leather? From my personal experience, I know for certain there are differences, but I cannot find any good information on what they are or how to treat specific types of automotive leather coatings.

I really wasn't looking for recommendations though. I wanted to know what variety of products people used/trusted to protect their own personal coated leather. So many discussions on leather end in a debate on conditioning/oils/lanolin/cleaning and so few discuss simply protection. Protection that actually works for people.
 
I am familiar enough with the leather on my two automobiles:

Without knowing the type of leather people are applying their products to provides very little benefit to me, which is why I made the above recommendation. For example, I could tell you I use Mothers LeatherTech Moisture Infusion Gel Cream; however, on vinyl coated leather, that would make no sense.

I use Leather Master's Leather Dye Transfer Cleaner on my Dakota Leather. This helps remove denim jeans color transfer from my white leather. Dakota Leather is coated, so I don't use leather conditioner, as it would only sit on the surface and attract more dirt.
I use Lexol Leather cleaner to otherwise clean the leather. I don't bother with leather conditioner as it will not get absorbed into Dakota Leather.

I use LeatherTech Moisture Infusion Gel Cream on non-coated leather after cleaning it with the Lexol Leather Cleaner.

Some info on automotive leather:
http://www.autopia.org/forum/autopi...tery;-surface-identification.html#post1451654

Leather cleaning and care:
http://www.autopia.org/forum/autopi...21-proper-finished-leather-cleaning-care.html

AmmoNYC Tips
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Bd_IqK5ydU]Best Interior Detailing Tricks: Leather and Plastics - YouTube[/video]
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0EOb2nEWtk]Interior Detailing: Tools, Techniques, and Materials -- /DRIVE CLEAN - YouTube[/video]

Hope this helps...
 
hamlyn said:
I am familiar enough with the leather on my two automobiles:

Without knowing the type of leather people are applying their products to provides very little benefit to me, which is why I made the above recommendation. For example, I could tell you I use Mothers LeatherTech Moisture Infusion Gel Cream; however, on vinyl coated leather, that would make no sense.

I use Leather Master's Leather Dye Transfer Cleaner on my Dakota Leather. This helps remove denim jeans color transfer from my white leather. Dakota Leather is coated, so I don't use leather conditioner, as it would only sit on the surface and attract more dirt.
I use Lexol Leather cleaner to otherwise clean the leather. I don't bother with leather conditioner as it will not get absorbed into Dakota Leather.

I use LeatherTech Moisture Infusion Gel Cream on non-coated leather after cleaning it with the Lexol Leather Cleaner.

Some info on automotive leather:
http://www.autopia.org/forum/autopi...tery;-surface-identification.html#post1451654

Leather cleaning and care:
http://www.autopia.org/forum/autopi...21-proper-finished-leather-cleaning-care.html

AmmoNYC Tips
Best Interior Detailing Tricks: Leather and Plastics - YouTube
Interior Detailing: Tools, Techniques, and Materials -- /DRIVE CLEAN - YouTube

Hope this helps...
Click to expand...

I certainly appreciate any input. And thanks for taking the time to respond.

At least for me though, I feel it is helpful to know what various people are putting on coated leather as a form of protection. In my original post, that is the kind of leather I was referencing - Coated leather ("Protected leather" from your first link) since it is the most common by a wide margin. This thread is specific to that type.

Based on your response, is keeping coated leather clean your primary/only method of protection?
 
I am not an expert on leather, I can only speak of my experiences.
Yes, for the most part. I wipe the seats down with a damp cloth weekly to remove soil and dirt, and occasionally I will treat it with a water based protectant. This allows climbing in and out easier, and provides some protection to the coating.
Check out 1z or Einszett Leather Care on AG, for example.
 
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