Leatherique question... what am I doing wrong? - Page 3 - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

afmcorp · #31 10-16-2005, 02:42 PM

the ammonia and alcohol mixture is to clean the amourall or other silicon based treatments. it is to wipe the grease [oils] off the leather so the leatherique can penetrate and do it's job.

this mixture is called for if your leather is tight, hard and sounds like a drum when you thump it. it's needed to make the leather able to absorb the leatherique.

i am sold on leatherique and will continue to use it. the leather in the black 420 is as good as new despite it's 17 plus years.

now i will say one thing. unless you have black or the palomino i believe that leatherique and probably other types/brands may not live up to their claim because unlike black and palomino the dye/stain is more like a paint not a true stain. this coloring i believe coats the leather unlike the true stain of black and palomino. my gold 420 has a creme color and the coloring has been flaking off not to mention the cracks look like cuts and is below the surface of the leather so there is no coloring. the cracks look very dirty [dark].

the ammonia and alcohol treatment once complete is wiped down with a
damp cloth.

as for the steering wheel my 420's have i believe a rubber type compound. the gold one is loose at 12o'clock and twists around the wheel. it snaps right back and i haven't found any ties to hold the wheel on. it seems to be molded on the wheel. so i would question it's ability to do much. but i can imagine if the wheel being porous the leatherique could get in the wheel and make it feel spongy.

just my .02$

michakaveli · #32 10-16-2005, 09:34 PM

Ok, so I have been skeptical to a point about the ability of Leatherique to soften my leather. This afternoon and yesterday evening I attempted the plastic bag and direct sun light approach.

- yesterday evening I applied a coating of the rejuvinator oil onto my driver-seat seating surfaces. Of all of the seats in my E, this has the most wear and requires the most attention - after letting the rejuvinator set after a few minutes I covered the seating surfaces w/ plastic bags, such that I could sit down if need be and let the leatherique simmer as many have stated - this morning I backed the car out of the garage and let the South Carolina rays perform their magic. I have left the seats as I left them last night until after 7pm, almost a 24 hours set

- my rear seat bottom, which is easily removable I attempted the direct sunlight approach. I have seen photos of other removing their seats, coating them witht he rejuvinator oil and exposing them to direct sunlight - I think it was Dave from Boise, ID from this forum whose pictures I saw - anywho, I cleaned the surface w/ pristine clean, my seats aren't dirty at all so I didn't need a detergent - wiped them with a damp rag and then with another to dry - let the seat sit in the sun for a little to warm up and dry - after the seat was dry and warm, I applied a liberal amount of the rejuvinator oil while wearing my stylish

latex gloves - reapplied so that not dry spots could be seen in the texture of the leather - I let this sit for say, 3-4 hours

RESULTS: I first cleaned off the rear seat bottom by applying the pritine clean to the surface as I had the rejuvinator oil, massaged it and added more until the surface was very slippery - then wiped off properly w/ a damp cloth, ringed the cloth and wiped again - then wiped with a dry rag - the surface was definately softer, especially the middle where it is sooo much softer I was amazed

- now the driver's seat with that was covered with the plastic bags. I removed the bags and cleaned the surface as I did the previous - some creases that had begun to form on the driver-side bottom bolster were dissapearing. I was amazed - the seats also looked fuller as the leather was able to expand - it was dark at this point, say 7:15 or so - I need to take the car for a drive as I still need to apply some wax before the end of the night and run off some of the water - I turned on the heated seats and off I go - upon my return I re-assesed the condition of the leather. OMG, the crease that was forming onthe cottom bolbster I mentioned before had dissapeared - the rear portions of the bottom bolster was so soft that I couldn't believe it - it was like velvet soft - just checked a minue ago and yea, it's still velvet soft, that one portion - the rest of the seat is softer defiantely - I will make that ammonia alchohol mixture and reapply the leatherique

- the rear seat bottom is in my living room as I didn't feel like putting the seat back in tonight andfigured I can see how the leather behaves as it cures from the procedure - the middle of the seat bottom does not form creases in the leather when you push you finger lightly into it and it has gotten just ender velvet soft.

BOTTOM LINE: I am becoming a believer of the product. Key points, heat, plastic bags and cleaning the surface to allow the leatherique to do what it does. I will keep re-applying the leatherique until I get the softness on all the leather surfaces I want - I have tried the procedure a few times before, at least 2-3 on these seats before performing it like I had described and had the best results today - previously I have never gotten the same softness in the leather as I have so far....

Here are some pictures of the seat cushion with my finger pushed in on the center piece and then after I removed my finger 5 seconds later, notice my mark is left in the soft leather - the second shows an area next to that location that needs more attention , notice the creasing caused by my finger pushing on the surface and then when I pull away no mark - still hard. I'll add pix when I can upload them.

sorry for the rambling, gonna go wax the diesel

michakaveli · #33 10-17-2005, 01:13 PM

My driver-seat is getting softer and softer as time progresses. My car has been parked in the shade so far today and it's only 68. This stuff works. The leather is feeling more and more like from a w126

anthonyb · #34 10-18-2005, 02:32 AM

Does the alcohol/ammonia mixture strip the color out of the leather?

Also, where can you find ammonia anyways? Most of the household cleaners have other stuff mixed in besides the ammonia.

afmcorp · #35 10-18-2005, 11:09 AM

no i don't think it will. i used it very wet on a cloth and saw nothing but dirt come off my black seats. when you're done be sure to wipe it down with plain water. this combo is just to clean silicone and other grease from the leather so the leatherique will penetrate.

Jim's500E · #36 10-19-2005, 08:48 AM

There are obviously 2 schools of thought here. Each with valid reasoning from experience I'm sure.

I've used it and had (very) good results on my tan leather....not real dirty but the usual years of neglect left it dry, hard with the cracks you typically see on the drivers seat (most used)....it took me I'd say , at least 10 applications of revun then p. clean to start to notice results...not perfect brand new but darn better than before. I didn't bother with plastic bags and heat other than direct sun....and time. 2 years probably of fussing with it and I'm pretty happy. I plan to keep doing it until someone shows me a product that does a better job (hasn't happened yet).

It definitely does work to deep clean and feeds the leather ....just don't expect miracles. It is rather expensive, yes. So what, what isn't nowdays. It has worked for me and others I know. I've also heard it destroy leather too so your results must depend on your specific conditions and level of satisfaction desired.

Consensus is that George the owner of Leatherique can be a complete dud if you call looking for help....not good. But the product is IMO.

springerfever · #37 10-22-2005, 09:14 AM

I personally have never tried the Leatherique products. I have used Lexol products and recently the two Zaino products for leather care

As far as cleaners, I believe all the manufacturers make a pretty decent product. The secret is to use a soft bristle brush (such as horsehair)and thoroughly scrub the leather with a soapy mixture of cleaner/warm water.Wipe dry with a microfiber cloth and let seats air dry for an hour or so. Follow up with your preservative.

Now to the reason for this post.....The Zaino Z10 product is my favorite because of the smell it leaves after treatment. Very hard to describe an odor and different manufacturers leathers have a different smell, but the Zaino leaves a very clean and distinct leather fragrance. It also is not sticky or glossy......my 99ML430 seats look great w/235,000 miles; only a few lines in the driver seat left bolster.

Smell is an individual thing, and some might prefer other treatments, but I've had several passengers comment on the great leather smell. I didn't see Zaino mentioned in previous posts and thought I would pass along my results.