Leatherique Review

[Alext]

Picked up some Leatherique rejuvenator oil and pristine clean for my 135i the other day.

I decided to try it on my 2 seat leather sofa first which is an off-white colour (almost like BMW lemon yellow). I only did one side so that I could make a good comparison between the two.

Only last week did I fully clean and treat the sofa with the cleaning stuff it came with plus Meguiars Gold Class leather cream. So I wasnt expecting much improvement if any. Also I was debating on whether I actually needed to use the rejuvenator oil after reading some posts on other forums that it was only for badly damaged/dirty leather etc.

Well I am glad I didnt listen to them! I applied the oil generously with my fingers, massaging in well and covered with plastic glad wrap. Then I heated it gently with a hair dry for about 15 min. I left it for around 4 hours then removed the excess with the pristine clean from a spray bottle. I used a white terry towel and the amount of dirt that came out was incredible! The contrast between the side I did and the other was clear. The side treated with Leatherique looked new in comparison! Leather was soft and supple with a matt finish.

This product is a real winner. Best I have used for leather!

[Greg@DetailedImage]

Thanks for posting up a review on the Leatherique products. I have had similar experiences with these products because when used properly this combination is outstanding. If anyone would like some tips on how to apply this product check out our Detailing Guide for Leatherique.

[TOGWT]

[Leatherique leather care products are some of the best in the industry. They are the product of choice for the Bentley and Rolls Royce Owners Clubs. Leatherique can restore faded, hardened and neglected leather when applied properly.] Detailed Image site

[Leatherique arose from a need to find a product that would restore the leather in his 1939 Bentley. Nothing he tried was adequate for this special car, so he approached Peck about creating something new. After a lot of work, they produced Leatherique”] [Leatherique]

This type of top-grain premium leather is mostly used in prestige European automobiles; Aston Martin, Bentley, Ferrari, Jaguar, Lotus, Lexus and Rolls Royce, US Cadillac and high-end German automobiles such as Mercedes-Benz, Daimler AG and BMW. This is the market sector both Leatherique and Connolly were originally formulated

The majority (95% + ) of automotive upholstery is by-cast polyurethane covered leather, these leathers have aspects of a natural finish, but more uniform in appearance, by-cast will also stretch more than top grain leather and is therefore subject to show creasing. The heavier pigments can create much darker colours, protected leather has a substantial finish applied that makes them more resistant to heavy wear and stains.

Reminder; you are dealing with the finished surface coating and not with the leather itself. Meaning, of course, there is absolutely no point to using leather conditioners on Polyurethane coated leather.

[rsjean]

Does this mean that Leatherique does no good on our BMW leather seats?

Originally Posted by TOGWT

[Leatherique leather care products are some of the best in the industry.

The majority (95% + ) of automotive upholstery is by-cast polyurethane covered leather, these leathers have aspects of a natural finish, but more uniform in appearance, by-cast will also stretch more than top grain leather and is therefore subject to show creasing. The heavier pigments can create much darker colours, protected leather has a substantial finish applied that makes them more resistant to heavy wear and stains.

Reminder; you are dealing with the finished surface coating and not with the leather itself. Meaning, of course, there is absolutely no point to using leather conditioners on Polyurethane coated leather.

[Red Bread]

Originally Posted by rsjean

Does this mean that Leatherique does no good on our BMW leather seats?

In brief, yes. It can have effect, if you break down the coating on the seats, over a long period of time or through neglect, but on new, well treated seats, all it should be capable of doing is adding a scent to the interior and applying a bit of short term greasiness over the leather.

My M Coupe has semi-aniline Nappa leather that responds fairly well to leatherique or similar products, but on my 1er, with fully treated seats, I wouldn't bother with it. My M Coupe is also ten years old and has some slight wear in spots, and those spots respond quite well to treatment.

Can you get very minor effect from using a leather conditioner on new, fully treated seating? Sure, if you leave it the sun, let it get good and hot and open up the pores as much as possible. You'll get a very minor impact from treatment, but it's certainly nothing like what you'll get on untreated or even semi-aniline leather. For most modern car leather 303 protectant or something similiar with good UV protection is easier to apply and will have better results.

Note that this only applies to basic BMW leather in the 1er, 3er, 5er and Z;, upgraded "full leather" packages and Nappa or Individual leathers are semi-aniline and will respond to treatment with Leatherique, Connolly (if you can find any of the remaining product) or Spinneybeck will work quite well on those.

[Alext]

Well I just tried it on my 135i. All I can say is that it gave an amazing result. I have lemon yellow interior and it managed to remove ingrained dirt that no other leather treatment has been able to do. PLUS it gave a lovely as-new matt finish to the leather. I can feel that the leather has softened slightly but not by much.

I also used the Leatherique on the steering wheel and WOW! it is now better than new. From factory the top part always felt a little dry and was a bit dubious that as an M-Division product it passed quality control, now the top feels AMAZINGLY tactile and soft; I cant keep my hand from giving it a little squeeze now and then. It just feels like a quality leather steering wheel should and the finish is a perfect matt black.

I am an avid fan of 303 protectant but it did nothing for the leather conditon or appearance at all BTW. Plus it leaves the leather slightly slippery which I dont particularly like esp on the steering wheel. I would suggest using 303 only on areas most exposed to the sun and not in contact with your body, like the rear and sides of headrests etc.

Next I tried the stuff on a 14 year old leather lounge. The leather itself is high quality Italian product so didnt have any cracks etc, however it has been only treated with over-the-counter type leather cleaners. Over time the grime had worked its way into the leather so that I simply got used it as the usual colour. The leather was almost cardboard hard on some high wear spots.

Now after two treatments with the Leatherique, the leather is now clean and a lot softer. It is by no means as new but much, much better than the state it was in.

[Red Bread]

Alext,

I meant to mention that high quality furniture is likely to be one place that you'll really see a huge difference, and I'm glad to see that you discovered that. Leatherique also has their conditioner with dye already in it, if you'd like to return your seats to their original cleaner, something that's much easier to do when they're in good shape and the leather is appropriately conditioned.

Funny, my steering wheel was awful from the factory as well, and leather treatment really did help with it. My experience is that a first class leather treatment like Leatherique can do a great job at removing human oils and grime, and usually better than other leather "cleaners", but they'll do nothing to actually treat finished leathers, except where the leather has been abused. However, they will work wonders on unfinished and semi-aniline leather, and in very high contact areas like steering wheels and shift knobs.

My current cars both have black leather, so I get a little lazy. I'd love to get something like Lemon on whatever replaces the M Coupe soon, so I'll be sure to remember your experience with 303 and Leatherique. Thanks!

[Alext]

You're welcome!

[HeyMoe53]

Hmmmm, seems to be a difference of opinion on the value of Leatherique for 1-series leather seats. Though, I might have to get some for the steering wheel. I have been hesitant to use 303 on my M-wheel.

[JHZR2]

Originally Posted by Alext

Well I just tried it on my 135i. All I can say is that it gave an amazing result. I have lemon yellow interior and it managed to remove ingrained dirt that no other leather treatment has been able to do. PLUS it gave a lovely as-new matt finish to the leather. I can feel that the leather has softened slightly but not by much.

I also used the Leatherique on the steering wheel and WOW! it is now better than new. From factory the top part always felt a little dry and was a bit dubious that as an M-Division product it passed quality control, now the top feels AMAZINGLY tactile and soft; I cant keep my hand from giving it a little squeeze now and then. It just feels like a quality leather steering wheel should and the finish is a perfect matt black.

.

This is great to know. I bought leatherique to use on the leather seats on my 82 Mercedes, and wasn't that impressed. I also have a lemon interior in my 135, and have always been a bit hesitant regarding the use of products on the leather for fear of color change or anything else. The driver outer seat bolster is starting to show some dirt and wear so its great to know that this product will work for that.