Leatherique Issue?

ur2slow1 · 13 August 2011

Ok so I purcased the Leatherique "kit" from Autogeek and tried it today on my 1991 NSX and my dads 08' C6 vette but it left both cars with a "tacky" feel on the seats. I followed the instructions and applied the Rejuvenator Oil and left the cars in the sun for several hours, then I cleaned the seats with Prestine Clean but as I said, the seats in both cars are tacky as hell. Does anyone have any experience with ths product, am I missing something??

stevieray122854 · 13 August 2011

Doesn't sound like you left the Rejuvenator Oil on there long enough. When I did my Legend, I covered the seats(s) with a big, black plastic trash bag, left it on there for 24 hours and then cleaned the R.O. off. The purpose of that is to let the oil soak thoroughly in which brings all the dirt and grit to the surface so you can get it out.

Check out this thread from acuralegend.org about Leatherique. Good luck---

txtony · 15 August 2011

I have used this for years on several cars. Each time it seems to work about the same but definitely is better for the oil to sit longer in my opinion. in fact, a week would not even be too long.
Yes, leaving in the sun for a few hours will open the pores of the leather up and speeds up the process.

For the pristine clean step, I do a couple of steps. First, if it is hot enough outside and sunny, I leave the bottle of pristine clean in the sun to help warm it up. Next, I fill a bucket with warm water and get a soft rag ready. Finally, I use the pristine clean and actually rub it in by hand as I did with the oil. This may be a waste of product, but it does last a long time since less of this is used than the oil. Lastly, I then take the soft rag (usually a cotton rag, not microfiber) and wring out some water and then wipe off the residue. If may get somewhat foamy which is normal. Rinse the towel in the warm water bucket, ring out, and repeat.

A final step is the use of a dry soft rag to "buff" the seats dry. This will probably get rid of your tacky issue. If not, you might want to repeat the rinsing step again. The seat should have a matte look when complete.

Post some pictures if you can so we can check out your progress. :smile:

sylcurt · 15 August 2011

While the car was off the street for the winter, and I had the seats out doing the stereo upgrade, I used Leatherique. Ended up doing 4 applications of the rejuvinator conditioner...each one I rubbed in , probably worked an hour per seat just continuing to massage it into the leather. I covered it with plastic and actually pressed the plastic onto the tacky surface and let it sit for several days between applications. Byt he 3 and 4th treatment, a few weeks in time, the leather was so soft and supple, and yes, a bit tacky. I then used a towel to buff it until the tacky-ness was gone...then used a cleaner as per the instructions. The seats are glove soft, not tacky, and several of the hairline aging creases are gone. I love this stuff, and will do it again when it get put away this winter.

I think the key was the rubbing it in, rather than just wiping it on....my wife also said my hands were very soft as well following all the hand rubbing of the seats! ....lol

stevieray122854 · 17 August 2011

Hmmm, maybe I need to put an application of Leatherique on my wife's ass...

Moses · 17 August 2011

stevieray122854 said:
Hmmm, maybe I need to put an application of Leatherique on my wife's ass...

Wow, let us know how that goes.....

stevieray122854 · 17 August 2011

I will. Right after she kills me when I attempt such a feat. Redheads don't respond well to such idiocy.

Rob4092xx · 19 August 2011

I have tried all the leather conditioning products out there; Zaino, Leatherique (what a mess!), Lexol, Meguiars, Zymol, etc. and have come to some interesting conclusions!
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As we all know by now, the leather seats in our NSX interiors are not 100% leather. They are part leather and part vinyl.
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The leather parts of the seats are not color dyed….they are painted with urethane paint just like the vinyl parts of the seats! This process makes the leather and vinyl color match perfectly while making it appear as if the entire seat is leather.
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Urethane painted leather (like we have in our NSXs) cannot absorb anything! This is why our NSX seats become sticky after applying anyone of these conditioners; especially one that has as much oil in it as Leatherique.

Conditioners like Zymol, Lexol and Meguiars are mostly water so they do not seem to get as gummy as Leatherique! Once applied, <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <u2:WordDocument> <u2:View>Normal</u2:View> <u2:Zoom>0</u2:Zoom> <u2:TrackMoves/> <u2:TrackFormatting/> <u2

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These oily conditioners get into the seams, stitching, vent holes, etc., of the seat and collect dirt. The dirt then acts as an abrasive and wears your seats even quicker! While the seats may have looked great for the first few days after applying the conditioner, this look doesn’t last very long and you soon have a dirty mess on your hands.

Like most cars made in the past ten years or so, new car interiors have very little actual leather. This is why cars no longer have “Leather” Seats listed as an option. They are now listed as, “Leather Trimmed” or “Leather Accented” Seats. Typically, the center of the back rest and the center of the bottom seat are all that are actually leather...and they are painted with urethane over the leather to boot! The leather is not dyed...it is painted!

On most cars, the side bolsters, backside of the seats, headrests, etc., are just vinyl painted with the same urethane paint (not dye like everyone wants to call it) that the leather pieces are painted. This is what makes everything in the interior look like leather and all the same color!

I want to share my experience with Leatherique Rejuvenator and Pristine Clean on a silver 2005 Corvette C6 I owned several years ago.

I cleaned my C6 seats with a name brand Leather Cleaner. I then put Leatherique Rejuvenator on them, closed the doors and windows for one day, and then cleaned them with Pristine Clean. What a freakin' mess!

First, the seats became "gummy." There was an oily residue all over them. Then, the seats got dirty real fast! If this weren't enough, the vinyl also got creases that weren't there before.

I contacted Leatherique and they advised to never put any conditioner or oils on "painted" leather and vinyl seats. Leatherique is made for leather that is dyed, can “breath,” and is not covered in a sealant such as urethane paint. The reason is that conditioner cannot get past the paint and soak into the leather. Therefore, the product just sits on top of the paint and collects dirt. The dirt then grinds into the paint and the paints quickly breaks down. The seats may look good for a short period of time since they are covered in oil, but they will begin to wear and collect dirt much quicker.

I am convinced that the only way to treat today's "Leather Trimmed" (i.e.: vinyl and leather seats), is to wipe them down with a gentle All in One Cleaner regularly and do nothing else.
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When I clean my seats, I use Woolite Laundry Soap that comes in a bottle. Woolite is made for hand washing delicate fabric and garments. Woolite is very mild and has a perfect PH balance. Mix it 10 parts water to 1 part Woolite and use a sponge or very soft brush to clean the seat (I use a Horse Hair brush I purchased off EBay). Then, wipe the Woolite mix off the seat with a wet towel. Then, wipe the seat again but this time with a dry towel. This is as clean as your seats are going to get and with zero damage!<u1>
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Don’t be fooled by shops who say they can “re-dye” damaged or worn portions of your seats. They cannot re-dye anything! What they actually do is spray a paint on the worn parts. This paint does not penetrate into the leather so it wears off in no time.

Both my NSX and white C6 Corvette have very low miles and the seats are perfect. No wear, no tear, no shiny spots, nothing! Woolite and water, moist towel wipe, then dry towel wipe, is all I do to keep them this way![FONT=&quot]<o></o>[/FONT]

stevieray122854 · 19 August 2011

^ Excellent post. Like paint, no two leathers are the same and require different methods to get a good result. I do have a question though---after you use the Woolite solution to clean the leather/vinyl and it dries, what do you use to condition the leather?

robbiedawg · 19 August 2011

this issue about leatherique and "sealed" leather has come up before

http://www.nsxprime.com/forum/showthread.php?t=24498

the answer from this thread is that it is still useful because the leather isn't totally sealed,just somewhat less porous.all the more reason to put it on in hot weather and let it soak in for at least a day.it is the best stuff i've used

sylcurt · 19 August 2011

Well, I can only comment on the outcome of my seats, and they are great. No problems at all, yes, a little bit of residue was left , but the majority of it did soak in, I mean I used a whole bottle on two seats over 4 applications, it had to go somewhere?

I just buffed the bit of residue off and that was it....the seats continue to look good. I did this back in the winter, and I just went out and did a "white cloth" test , dry wipe...perfectly clean....then dampened the cloth, and still perfectly clean....and I always drive with the roof off. As far as the feeling, they are very soft, and not gummy at all.

Curtis

Rob4092xx · 20 August 2011

You can put a very light coat of Lexol (or similar) if you want but only on the parts of the seats that are perforated. If the leather isn't perforated, the conditioner cannot soak past the urethane coating and get into the leather itself. The perforated holes should allow the conditioner to soak in through the holes.

stevieray122854 said:
^ Excellent post. Like paint, no two leathers are the same and require different methods to get a good result. I do have a question though---after you use the Woolite solution to clean the leather/vinyl and it dries, what do you use to condition the leather?

Rob4092xx · 20 August 2011

After owning three C6 Corvettes, three NSX's, two Ford Expeditions and two Hummers in the past six years, all with urethane painted leather, I stand by my post.

The leather in all of these vehicles looked like new the entire time I owned them. All I used was Woolite and water. That is it!

The seats in my current NSX and C6 look like new!

I have had an opportunity to look at the seats in my previous NSX and C6 as I know the new owners...they continue to look brand new!

Do what you want with your seats as I can only speak of my experiences. To those who think leather painted (coated) with a urethane coating can allow a conditioner absorb to absorb through the coating and into the leather....well, I think you are really experiencing evaporation of the conditioner as it sits on the seat. I have never seen a liquid of any kind absorb through a urethane coating regardless if it is on leather, metal, etc.

sylcurt said:
Well, I can only comment on the outcome of my seats, and they are great. No problems at all, yes, a little bit of residue was left , but the majority of it did soak in, I mean I used a whole bottle on two seats over 4 applications, it had to go somewhere?

I just buffed the bit of residue off and that was it....the seats continue to look good. I did this back in the winter, and I just went out and did a "white cloth" test , dry wipe...perfectly clean....then dampened the cloth, and still perfectly clean....and I always drive with the roof off. As far as the feeling, they are very soft, and not gummy at all.

Curtis

TANTO · 20 August 2011

I believe Robbydawg has it right in the link that contains comments from DetailersParadise. Of course they want to sell products, but i don't believe the OE sealer whether Urethane or not, is waterproof by any stretch of the imagination. Even Lexol makes the leather softer, at least on an old 92 like mine. So it IS penetrating the leather, at least a little bit. There certainly is the issue also of how much "sealer" is left on an old car. The bolsters are the area that i most feel a softening which one might expect because of sealer "wear". The large flat areas don't feel much different. Bottom line to me- if your leather is only a few years old, forget the oil products, but if it's old, give it a try. FWI why i like Zymol products, don't use their Treat product without removing whatever you used last time. Makes big mess.

rbilder · 20 August 2011

NSX Driver - Magazine of the NSX Club of America - Issue 01 - 2011 : NSX Detailing Guide has a section on Caring for the NSX Leather.
It states Japanese cars leather was sprayed with a dye which still allows the leather to breath. Where American cars are clear coated which seals the pores.

The article mentioned not to ever use a vinyl-dressing which will seal the pores of the leather.

There was another article on the Leatherique products which the author did a test on three different vehicles, 91 Saab convertible, 91 NSX & a 92 Lexus. His results were the Saab's still felt like cardboard, NSX showed some improvement and the Lexus showed dramatic results.

It also mentioned leather in the past was dyed with petroleum-based dyes which sealed the pores. It says most leather was done this way up until a few years ago when water-based dyes began to be used.

The authors of the first article "Caring for the NSX Leather" by Matt Zakarian and Mike Lee said if you have any questions or comments to feel free to call them or e-mail them [email protected]

I haven't tried Leatherique... I have tried the Soffner - Original Formula Leather Conditioner from Colorplus.com (I read good things on their products here on prime).

I've been pleased with the results, but with this product I too have experienced that tacky feeling. At least until I wiped with a towel. I did use their bar soap the first time to clean & prepare the leather.

The first time I used it, I cleaned the seats with their soap. Then conditioned, then used their satin black dye to touch up some parts on my left drivers side bolster. It was a perfect match.

I was extremely pleased with the results. My seats look fantastic. I do have a low mile car.

I haven't had much problems with the seats getting dirty quicker. But my NSX is basically a garage queen that gets out on weekends and some nice weekend nights.

It tends to stay very clean. I can't say quite the same for my DD.

I'm always interested in finding what seems to be the best detailing products and information.

I had never heard about using woolite on leather. That is one of the things about this web site, there is so much to learn. I may have to give that a try.

The soffner does have oils, where Leatherique says it has no oils. I would suspect the oil would attract dirt quicker as mentioned in a previous post.

Swift · 21 August 2011

I just bought a used but well kept G35. I can tell it must have been garaged and taken care of because in the short months i have owned it has seen very hot, sunny days, and works clothes. I plan on tinting the windows but in the mean time and while it is warm out I will try different tips here on cleaning and then applying the leatherique, and take pics. This "leather" is very vinyl like yet perforated.(haven't looked through owner's manual yet)

I will then try a section sometime on some old Legend seats and see what happens.

Rob4092xx · 21 August 2011

Don't do it! Once you get that stuff on your seats you will never get all of it off. Dirt will stick to the left over product and will act like sandpaper and begin to damage your seats! Been there....done that!

Swift · 21 August 2011

I will be following your advice before hand. if my seats are not up to par with what I want I will go a step further..........

Swift · 2 September 2011

Alright guys I did the following..

I picked some "woolite" stuff in a spray bottle. Called Oxy deep. It CLEARLY states not to use it on leather.....well okay then.

I tested a a spot to see if it would do anything bad and it was okay. I noticed if I let the spray build up on the seat as much as possible without it dripping and let it stay for 5-10 min that it would bring the seat color down a shade in a sense which is what I WANTED. You see my seats seemed to have tanned on the leather portion or got a strange dirtiness to them in only a few months. I figured out this is where the real leather is, the side bolsters are the painted vinyl.

I clean off by scrubbing with a clean wash rag and warm water and i could see the rag which was white collecting some dirt.

The next day which was not as hot and more overcast is when I put the Leatherique on. I rubbed it on and let it sit for about 3hrs. I then cleaned it off with warm water again and scrubbed lightly with a wash rag.

The results at first were disappointing. Depending on if the sun was hitting the seat or not it looked like it didn't really do a whole lot. It did some, but not alot. However the next day and in better natural lighting conditions I noticed that the seats overall looked like they used to. Clean and supple. So I would do the leatherique again today but don't have time.(they say on bottle 2-3 times a year).

THIS IS DONE ON AN 03" G35 COUPE.

Swift · 2 September 2011

here are the pics. The actual leather looks far more wrinkled and not soft in the pics. I used my new Canon T3i on auto with the stock glass with no flash.

Swift · 2 September 2011

So over all the leather color matches the nice clean OEM color of the vinyl closer. Just need to apply the leatherique one more time and I should be happy.

Rob4092xx · 3 September 2011

Swift...you got something way more powerful than Woolite Laundry Soap. You got Oxy-Deep which, while made by the Woolite Company, is made for cleaning CARPETS; not fabric, vinyl or leather!

The product I mentioned is Woolite for delicate wash. The reason it is perfect for leather is the PH is balanced perfectly for leather, vinyl and the urethane paint on the leather. The PH ensures the leather is not damaged in any way when you clean it!

In my post dated 08-18-2011 at 2103 hours, I advised the correct Woolite product to use is; "Woolite Laundry Soap that comes in a bottle. Woolite is made for hand washing delicate fabric and garments. Woolite is very mild and has a perfect PH balance." I am not sure why you went with a carpet cleaner! I sure hope your seats did not get damaged!

Here is a link to the proper Woolite product! Read it and you will see it is perfect for leather and anything else that needs a PH balanced, gentle cleaner!

http://www.fabriclink.com/presentations/woolite/fabricwash.html

Swift said:
Alright guys I did the following..

I picked some "woolite" stuff in a spray bottle. Called Oxy deep. It CLEARLY states not to use it on leather.....well okay then.

I tested a a spot to see if it would do anything bad and it was okay. I noticed if I let the spray build up on the seat as much as possible without it dripping and let it stay for 5-10 min that it would bring the seat color down a shade in a sense which is what I WANTED. You see my seats seemed to have tanned on the leather portion or got a strange dirtiness to them in only a few months. I figured out this is where the real leather is, the side bolsters are the painted vinyl.

I clean off by scrubbing with a clean wash rag and warm water and i could see the rag which was white collecting some dirt.

The next day which was not as hot and more overcast is when I put the Leatherique on. I rubbed it on and let it sit for about 3hrs. I then cleaned it off with warm water again and scrubbed lightly with a wash rag.

The results at first were disappointing. Depending on if the sun was hitting the seat or not it looked like it didn't really do a whole lot. It did some, but not alot. However the next day and in better natural lighting conditions I noticed that the seats overall looked like they used to. Clean and supple. So I would do the leatherique again today but don't have time.(they say on bottle 2-3 times a year).

THIS IS DONE ON AN 03" G35 COUPE.

Swift · 3 September 2011

yeah i know what you were talking about...however for the life of me i couldn't find it at even a Wal-mart! go figure right...i even remember what the bottle looked like and couldn't find it.

Right after i cleaned with this and rinsed with this oxy stuff I used some Mequires leather wipes to recondition them a little bit for that day. Forgot to mention that.

TANTO · 7 September 2011

I just finished my first use of Leatherique. I got he car to leather temp of 160F for 2 hours, then applied the rejuvenator and left the car in the sun for about 5 hours, still at these high temps. Didn't see any need to bag the seats or reapply. I would think that 5 hours at this high temp would be hard to better with more product or time. Brought into the garage and let it sit for two days, then used the pristine clean.

I would say the upper bolster areas which were a little bit hard softened by 20-30%. I can't say that Lexol wouldn't have delivered a similar outcome.

I'm skeptical about the rejuvenator "pulling out the dirt" better than a simple cleaner. The clean first and then treat method still makes more sense to me.

As far as the tacky issue, i used a lot of pristine clean and rubbed a lot to get rid of the tachiness. Feels pretty normal now, however i'd be reticent to get my John Travolta dancing suit out of mothballs for a long ride. The pristine clean leaves a lot of dark residue that is simply the product itself, it think.

Bottom line- i'm glad i used it once, but i doubt i'll use it again. It will be interesting to see if the bolsters seem to stay soft longer than the my previousl Lexol used to do. If they do, i may come back.

bobert486 · 9 October 2011

Do you guys feel that I can get away with just usinf the Rejuvenator Oil without the Pristine Clean? My NSX is more than decent, but my bmw seats are hard as a rock. Its like Im sitting on a wood bench.

Leatherique Issue?

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