leather reconditioning

[zeak]

Hi guys. I have a 7yr old neglected highlander with cracked leather seats that i am trying to resurrect. i was going to post a pic but it looks like every other pic of cracked leather. i've read all about the options and techniques for cleaning/conditioning leather but had 2 questions:
1) How close to new looking can you get your leather once its cracked? All the "before and after" pics I've seen show improvement but the streaks/cracks are still there.
2) How often should I be cleaning and conditioning to get it as looking as good as possible?

thanks

 

[Christopher.Brown]

Cracking is a result of dehydration.

Since leather is a former part of a carbon life form it was primarily comprised of water. Therefore, in order to keep it as "healthy" as possible it must be hydrated and cleaned [to remove pores of the leather of dirt in order to allow for the hydrating agent to penetrate the leather] on a consistent basis.

Therefore, you are right the line may be minimized but not removed.

There is no real answer as to duration between conditioning sessions. It all depends on usage. So someone who drive to and from work 10 miles a day is completely different from someone who uses their car for outside sales daily.

Good rule of thumb, is to deep clean the leather once, maybe twice a year, and then after conditioning, when you notice the leather is starting to have a high sheen [usually from accumulation of body oils and dirt] then deep clean again.

IMO if you were to lightly condition the seats once every 3-4 months on a light-moderate use vehicle you should be ok. On a heavily used vehicle could be anywhere from monthly-2 months.

hope this helps

 

[zeak]

Thanks!