Leatherique question... what am I doing wrong? - Page 2 - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

Ethan · #16 08-22-2004, 12:55 PM

I like Leatherique have seen it pull dirt out of leather very well. Dying leather, lacquering leather this stuff really has to be done with the leather pulled out, you know there is also waxing leather

Check out this products site www.lederpflege.de

As far as dull looking leather you know what one of the main causes of dull seating areas of leather? denim jeans.

get a chance check out page ninety of Mercedes Benz Classic issue 2/2004

plink49 · #17 08-23-2004, 09:53 PM

I have used the full Leatherique system and I have mixed thoughts on it. I do believe the rejuvinator oil and Pristine Clean (which seems WAY over-prised for what it does!) does a good job on keeping leather that was decent to begin with in good shape, and even renew to some degree dried out leather.....but not to the degree they tout it! My biggest problem was with the crack filler. I followed Leatherique's directions to the absolute letter and the end result was gorgeous...but after a week of using the seats the cracks opened up again. I contacted them regarding it and they said to replace the leather...a very damn lame reaction as far as I'm concerned!! I'm not real thrilled with the company. Bottom line is, I don't recommend it.

psfred · #18 09-12-2004, 10:24 PM

I've come to the conclusion that leather must be dyed through with aniline dye to get good color and texture. Surface "dyeing" is actually a coating of vinyl paint. This will probably look terrible on decorative stitching (since I don't expect to see any other type, it's usually hidden).

New leather is available, either done yourself, from a good automotive trim shop, or from Mercedes for MBs and some aftermarket places. Custom job will have to be redone.

Leatherique will NOT save rotten or torn leather, although tears can be repaired. It will soften stiff leather, but you will need heat and time to get it into MB leather, it's "surface dyes" with vinyl paint.

Rather than overnight treatments, I would recommend the opposite -- apply in the morning, cover tightly with plastic, and leave in light shade (direct sun would probably be too hot). This, hopefully, will drive the leather treatment into the leather itself.

High gloss won't be provided by an oil treatment, high gloss is a surface layer added by one of several methods. I prefer a nearly matt finish -- glossy leather is too slick, hard to stay put in the seat!

Peter

tkd_M119 · #19 10-14-2004, 03:30 PM

Last week just for curiosities sake, I tried the plastic wrap approach.

It seem to significantly soften some pretty stiff leather in my wife's Q45. Will be trying the same on the top part of the rear seat in my W124 (hard as plastic!) and will post results.

KCampbell · #20 10-21-2004, 10:38 AM

Heat is the key to Leatherique, and repeated applications. See my comments on the other Lexol/Leatherique/Color Plus thread regarding surface treatments of leathers.

Kevin

tkd_M119 · #21 11-11-2004, 05:29 PM

After covering w/plastic for two weeks -

Hard as plastic spot on the top of the rear seats is now a bit softer. It is noticable but not great - if I had to break it down more "scientifically" I'd say the leather is about 15% softer. I guess I'll have to wait for summer for max. effect.

afmcorp · #22 11-18-2004, 02:56 AM

hi guys

you probably should talk to leatherique by phone. as for it's performance i give it a 10 1/2 out of 10. when applied properly it will bring back the leather to like new. i did exactly as i was told and it came out perfect.

ok here is what i did

==first vaccum to get the gritty stuff out.
==second mix a one to one mixture of rubbing alcohol and household ammonia.
now wash the leather with this mixture. clean it several times until your cloth is staying clean. now let the leather dry real good.
==you've got to clean it properly to remove any silicone treatments[sun of a gun or amour all] silicone as we all know is death to leather and even vinyls. once you've got it truly clean the product will do the rest.

my 88 is black leather. when i finished it did not shine. i feel the colors black and palomino are dyes whiich do not change the surface texture. you will need to use a leather seal and shine liquid. you can get that at leatherique or Tandy leather. i use to tool leather for archery stuff and once i had it all cut in i would "stain" it which does not have a shine. so to get a high luster i used a sealer. now depending how you apply that finish it will be satin to hi gloss depending on your application. for me with black i really don't like a shine. i prefer a light sheen. you can get this sealer liquid from leatherique but i would study up on application techniques before committing.

my thought on colors other than black and palimino is they are colors that are sitting on the surface. i don't want to argue here about penetration etc: but instead let me say look at any old un-cared for leather seat with color and when they start cracking and breaking the color on the surface, all you see is the raw leather. my 87 is a perfect example of this. it has cream color seats and every cracked surface area looks black due to dirt and grime.

the longer you can leave that first treatment on the better your seats will look and feel. i used a whole quart of the rejuvenator on my seats then i kept adding coats of the pristeen clean. the interior is super looking.

don't give up just yet. also look for postings from thomaspin or go to his website. he has used a filler to eliminate the cracks then dye to re-color.

Cressida · #23 12-11-2004, 08:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lino

I bought into the Leatherique name like you and to be polite

the results were not good. I would never buy the products again. I used half of each of the large bottles of Prestine Clean and Rejuvinator Oil and I feel like I wasted my money. I consulted many people who used the products for tips and suggestions to make sure I was doing things right. I know that I have had much much better luck with over the shelf products in the past. I also bought the dye and prepping agent and crack filler and tried dying the interior of one of my unique cars and ruined the entire project. I tried hand brushing the dye and airbrushing and now I am out an interior. I haven't driven that car in 3 years and still searching for new leather for that car. I saw so many kits and frankly, not one that I came accross has the fit and finish of factory. The worst thing is that the dye that's on the stitching. It's horrible. That was the biggest disaster I have ever done regarding anything automotive. Bottom line, my personal experience with Leatherique is bad and I would not reccomend them.

I have the same thoughts and experience as the above. I'd use more readily available and less expensive leather conditioners and cleaners. The dye and crack filler should be avoided as within a few weeks it will show cracks and look terrible. I cannot reccomend their products.

afmcorp · #24 12-11-2004, 02:40 PM

you guys have me curious now. would somebody with bad results detail what they did. i did my work between january and april so it never saw any temp above 65 degrees because thats all i heat the shop to. and i never used plastic bags. after having used the product i do believe the most important step is the cleaning with alcohol & ammonia. my seats were hard as a rock. perfect in all other areas just very hard.

i can't speak for the crack filler nor the dye because i have no history using either. but like i said before i feel the only 2 colors that dyes would work on is the black and the palomino. IMHO all other colors are like paint adhereing only to the surface.

now don't get me wrong i am not doubting anybody here or criticizing i am just curious as to why my seats came out so good. i just want to analyze the methods used.

thanks for any input
craig

After covering w/plastic for two weeks -

Hard as plastic spot on the top of the rear seats is now a bit softer. It is noticable but not great - if I had to break it down more "scientifically" I'd say the leather is about 15% softer. I guess I'll have to wait for summer for max. effect.

Originally Posted by lino
I bought into the Leatherique name like you and to be polite the results were not good. I would never buy the products again. I used half of each of the large bottles of Prestine Clean and Rejuvinator Oil and I feel like I wasted my money. I consulted many people who used the products for tips and suggestions to make sure I was doing things right. I know that I have had much much better luck with over the shelf products in the past. I also bought the dye and prepping agent and crack filler and tried dying the interior of one of my unique cars and ruined the entire project. I tried hand brushing the dye and airbrushing and now I am out an interior. I haven't driven that car in 3 years and still searching for new leather for that car. I saw so many kits and frankly, not one that I came accross has the fit and finish of factory. The worst thing is that the dye that's on the stitching. It's horrible. That was the biggest disaster I have ever done regarding anything automotive. Bottom line, my personal experience with Leatherique is bad and I would not reccomend them.

michakaveli · #25 10-16-2005, 02:15 AM

Any updates. I currently using the Leatherique to maintain my leather and hopefully soften it some. I can't get the rear headrests to soften and it's been warm here.

I have wiped w/ pristine clean, wiped with damp cloth to remove all residue - let dry thoroughly - applied the rejuvinator oil and let sit for a day, at least 12 hours - no plastic bags, just closed windows, and car outside - this stuff does help to clean the leather but not getting the results some are raving about.

Any input guys. I gonna go back know and apply the rejuvinator and put some plastic bags over the rear headrests...

Ferdman · #26 10-16-2005, 07:01 AM

michakaveli, no doubt you understand that the Prestine Clean should be used after the Rejuvenator Oil has baked into the leather for an extended period. If you've tried this process several times accept that the rear headrests' leather is as good as it will get. We own three W124 cars and a W210 car ... the leather in the W210 was never as soft and supple as the leather in the W124 cars, and never will be. It's a lesser quality ... thinner and stiffer. MB has been forced to compromise on leather quality, among many other things, to keep the price of their cars competitive with the rest of the market.

ksing44 · #27 10-16-2005, 08:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by afmcorp

you guys have me curious now. would somebody with bad results detail what they did.
i do believe the most important step is the cleaning with alcohol & ammonia.

Leatherique almost destroyed my steering wheel. I suppose it is fair to say that the finish on the steering wheel was already on the way out, but the Leatherique finished the job. I also hated the thick gooey mess of the oil. I also tried it on my passenger seat, which for some reason has one panel that has some dry cracks. I didn’t use plastic bags or anything like that. I just applied and let it sit overnight and then used the pristine clean to try to get the gooey mess cleaned off the seat so it wouldn’t ruin my wife’s cloths. Well the seat is unchanged. I didn’t use any alcohol or ammonia, but honestly, I can’t imagine using such harsh cleaners on my leather. Maybe if the seats were almost ruined, then I would be willing to try more dramatic procedures. For example, I can’t really imagine sanding the leather, unless I was willing to buy all new seating surfaces if didn’t work out.

I am done with Leatherique. I think it may work with a lot of weird effort, if your seats are really in bad shape. I just don’t think it is the right stuff to simply detail my car on a regular basis. I think something simple like a leather wipe might be the thing for simple maintenance to keep the seats from drying out. Maybe when my car is 30-years-old, I will try the Leatherique with ammonia, alcohol, and some sand paper.

Ferdman · #28 10-16-2005, 11:21 AM

ksing44, Griot's Garage Leather Care works fine, especially if you condition your seats every 4 to 6 months.

michakaveli · #29 10-16-2005, 11:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ferdman

michakaveli, no doubt you understand that the Prestine Clean should be used after the Rejuvenator Oil has baked into the leather for an extended period. If you've tried this process several times accept that the rear headrests' leather is as good as it will get. We own three W124 cars and a W210 car ... the leather in the W210 was never as soft and supple as the leather in the W210 car, and never will be. It's a lesser quality ... thinner and stiffer. MB has been forced to compromise on leather quality, among many other things, to keep the price of their cars competitive with the rest of the market.

Yea, I understand the Pristine clean is to be used after as well, but it's a oretty decent cleaner and I don't have ammonia as stated earlier to pre-clean. My leather is rather clean to begin with. I know the leather in a w126 is way more supple than my w210. Sad to see MB go the crappy route with one of the most important materials in the car.

Ethan · #30 10-16-2005, 12:48 PM

I use leatherique to clean both my 2002 MB leather and 1998 MB with MB-Tex. No reconditioning needed just cleaning perspiration from running.

But the 2/2004 issue of Mercedes-Benz Classic had a great article on leather care. 30 year old leather.

They mention a technique of luke-warm water and detergent and a damp microfiber towels for drying followed by a dry woolen cloth. They also metion wax for adding protection and suppleness.

Two leather products they endorse at the end of the article are

www.lederpflege.de

www.autoblitz-mayer.de

you could probably get a back issue of the 2/2004 edition by going to the MBUSA website and searching either the US or German page.