303 Protectant on leather Seats?

dan46n2 said:
Coated leather seats still dry out and need real conditioner, 303 protectant is great for keeping the seats from fading but does not condition them like a real leather conditioner (Leatherique). Even though the leather is coated it is still permeable and the leather under the coating needs to be treated if you want to maintain your seats for a long time.
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This statement is mostly untrue. The MOST important thing you can do with modern automobile leather is keep it clean. Light cleaning on a bi-weekly or monthly basis is very easy, and removes the acidic soils which cause the damage. I have customers who have cars that are three years old and the leather looks/feels brand new because I clean it bi-weekly. I may have applied 303 once or twice during that time. 303 is a water based product that provides excellent UV and stain protection. When applied properly there is no residue and only a very slight sheen. Heavy oily products such as Leatherique can actually accelerate soiling because the oils in the product attract dirt. Very little if any actually absorbs into the actual hide.
 
The problem with watery dressings is they'll rub off as soon as someone sits on the seat. Put some 303 on your left armrest and see how long it lasts where your arm sits. But I agree that conditioning coated leather is not necessary although I love the look of certain products that give a matte finish.
 
brwill2005 said:
This statement is mostly untrue. The MOST important thing you can do with modern automobile leather is keep it clean. Light cleaning on a bi-weekly or monthly basis is very easy, and removes the acidic soils which cause the damage. I have customers who have cars that are three years old and the leather looks/feels brand new because I clean it bi-weekly. I may have applied 303 once or twice during that time. 303 is a water based product that provides excellent UV and stain protection. When applied properly there is no residue and only a very slight sheen. Heavy oily products such as Leatherique can actually accelerate soiling because the oils in the product attract dirt. Very little if any actually absorbs into the actual hide.
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Bingo! Search old threads -there are some leather pros on here that have very useful info -and keeping clean, just like your paint, is the most important step.
 
brwill2005 said:
This statement is mostly untrue. The MOST important thing you can do with modern automobile leather is keep it clean. Light cleaning on a bi-weekly or monthly basis is very easy, and removes the acidic soils which cause the damage. I have customers who have cars that are three years old and the leather looks/feels brand new because I clean it bi-weekly. I may have applied 303 once or twice during that time. 303 is a water based product that provides excellent UV and stain protection. When applied properly there is no residue and only a very slight sheen. Heavy oily products such as Leatherique can actually accelerate soiling because the oils in the product attract dirt. Very little if any actually absorbs into the actual hide.
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The information I posted is also on the Leatherique site, 303 will only remove surface contaminants, Leatherique lifts the acids, dirt, etc from inside the leather and lifts it to the surface where it can be cleaned. Why would you think you can ignore the leather underneath the coating? As I said before the coating is still permeable and the contaminants will still get in the leather, although harder than uncoated leather. I think the misunderstanding is when we talk about seats that get wiped down on a regular basis (assuming that works) and seats that already have the contaminants down inside the coating in the leather, 303 can't do anything for the contaminates below the coating.
 
Actually it's easy to see with Leatherique why the 303 or just wiping them down monthly does not work. After the Leatherique rises you clean off the contaminants with a cloth and you can see the dirt and grime that came up. If the 303 by itself was working that wouldn't happen and I use 303 on my seats about once a week.
 
HappyWax said:
Bingo! Search old threads -there are some leather pros on here that have very useful info -and keeping clean, just like your paint, is the most important step.
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I agree keeping the seats clean is the most important step. However do you think just wiping them down is enough, don't you think some of those contaminants seep down below the point of where 303 works? After time they build up and will shorten the leathers life.
 
brwill2005 said:
THeavy oily products such as Leatherique can actually accelerate soiling because the oils in the product attract dirt. Very little if any actually absorbs into the actual hide.
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If you use the product right it will not attract dirt. You have to use Pristine Clean after the Rejuvenating Oil to clean the excess oil and lifted contaminants off.
 
dan46n2 said:
The information I posted is also on the Leatherique site, 303 will only remove surface contaminants, Leatherique lifts the acids, dirt, etc from inside the leather and lifts it to the surface where it can be cleaned. Why would you think you can ignore the leather underneath the coating? As I said before the coating is still permeable and the contaminants will still get in the leather, although harder than uncoated leather. I think the misunderstanding is when we talk about seats that get wiped down on a regular basis (assuming that works) and seats that already have the contaminants down inside the coating in the leather, 303 can't do anything for the contaminates below the coating.
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Just because it is on Leatherique's site doesn't mean it is true. Most of the grime is on the surface of the leather or in the coating. Mostly what penetrates the coating is sweat and body oils. Leatherique isn't going to bring a heavily body oiled leather back to new. It would probably ruin the leather, because you would have delamination issues.
 
dan46n2 said:
If you use the product right it will not attract dirt. You have to use Pristine Clean after the Rejuvenating Oil to clean the excess oil and lifted contaminants off.
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Leatherique is weird, you're supposed to work it in a reverse order, not like how you explained it.
 
Everything I've read on coated/finished leathers says to use water based cleaners and water based conditioner/re-hydration.

Leatherique is weird, you're supposed to work it in a reverse order, not like how you explained it.
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Which begs the question, how does the Pristine clean not remove the Rejuvenating oil? It's impossible for the cleaner to know he differnce between body oils and rejuvenating oil.
 
I got a Lexus and I use the Lexus Cleaner and Conditioner. Does anyone knows what's the real brand behind the Lexus products for leathers?
 
charlesaferg said:
Leatherique is weird, you're supposed to work it in a reverse order, not like how you explained it.
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Have you even read the instructions, it's exactly how I said it, here are the instructions from Leatherique's site:



"Step 1. Vacuum the surface...



Step 2. Apply the Rejuvenator Oil liberally (about 4 oz. per seat) with your hands...



Step 3. After the ph correct proteins and collagens from the Rejuvenator Oil have permeated back into the pours and fibers of the leather... Apply Prestine Clean by putting it in a Spray Bottle then wipe off with a SOFT lint free cloth. "
 
wytstang said:
Everything I've read on coated/finished leathers says to use water based cleaners and water based conditioner/re-hydration.



Which begs the question, how does the Pristine clean not remove the Rejuvenating oil? It's impossible for the cleaner to know he differnce between body oils and rejuvenating oil.
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Pristine clean removes the excess oil and contaminants that the Rejuvinating oil has lifted to the surface, it will not penetrate below the coating and into the leather. Even on unfinished leather all you are doing is spraying in on and wiping it off quickly. It does not soak into the leather like the Rejuvinaitng oil, also it conditions as well.
 
HappyWax said:
Bingo! Search old threads -there are some leather pros on here that have very useful info -and keeping clean, just like your paint, is the most important step.
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I've read the old threads and the so called "leather pros" contradict what the leather makers are saying. Personally I would believe what the leather maker is telling me to do to clean and preserve the leather and not what some guy on the internet calling themselves a "leather pro" is saying. A perfect example of this is the Woolite debate, the Cadillac and Lexus leather suppliers say to use it but the "leather pros" say it will damage the leather. I think it's common sense, Woolite is cleaning the top layer and is mild enough to be used safely, most conditioners and cleaners only clean the top layer. Letting Leatherique or a similar product soak in all day with the car parked out in the sun is going to go deeper.
 
Quality Leather said:
Just because it is on Leatherique's site doesn't mean it is true. Most of the grime is on the surface of the leather or in the coating. Mostly what penetrates the coating is sweat and body oils. Leatherique isn't going to bring a heavily body oiled leather back to new. It would probably ruin the leather, because you would have delamination issues.
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You must be one of the "leather pros" on here right? Can you back up your claim of Leatherique causing delamination issues and ruining the leather? Just to add to this, I have been using it for years on my Corvette seats and it is the only thing I have found that keeps them soft and prevents damage to them from wear and drying out. Before I started using Leatherique my seats would wear at the bolsters and I used just about every leather product out there and ended up replacing my seats. With the new seats they also started to wear at the bolsters then I started using Leatherique, it made them softer and more supple and the bolsters have almost no more wear on them years later and the leather is not dried out, it looks brand new. I'm tired of people claiming products will cause harm without any proof of what they are saying.
 
According to the back label of 303 Proctecant. It repels dust and protects from UV rays. So I think it's a cleaner/protector.
 
dan46n2 said:
I've read the old threads and the so called "leather pros" contradict what the leather makers are saying. Personally I would believe what the leather maker is telling me to do to clean and preserve the leather and not what some guy on the internet calling themselves a "leather pro" is saying. A perfect example of this is the Woolite debate, the Cadillac and Lexus leather suppliers say to use it but the "leather pros" say it will damage the leather. I think it's common sense, Woolite is cleaning the top layer and is mild enough to be used safely, most conditioners and cleaners only clean the top layer. Letting Leatherique or a similar product soak in all day with the car parked out in the sun is going to go deeper.
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Ok, shame on me for saying "leather pros" -Here is my revised statement so that I don't misconstrue/ have someone take my statement too literally:



Statement v2.0: "Read old threads, there are some experienced people that work with leather frequently -you may find some* of the information useful. "



Important Legal Notice:

*"some" does not mean "all" and you should probably use your brain to discern good from bad articles and said threads. User "Happywax" is not responsible for anything said ever and no warranty is implied or expressed. "leather pro" is a registered trademark of "Who Cares inc?!" and usage is prohibited without express written permission.

These statements are not FDA approved and will not void your existing warranty. While supplies last. Void where prohibited. :2thumbs:
 
HappyWax said:
Ok, shame on me for saying "leather pros" -Here is my revised statement so that I don't misconstrue/ have someone take my statement too literally:



Statement v2.0: "Read old threads, there are some experienced people that work with leather frequently -you may find some* of the information useful. "



Important Legal Notice:

*"some" does not mean "all" and you should probably use your brain to discern good from bad articles and said threads. User "Happywax" is not responsible for anything said ever and no warranty is implied or expressed. "leather pro" is a registered trademark of "Who Cares inc?!" and usage is prohibited without express written permission.

These statements are not FDA approved and will not void your existing warranty. While supplies last. Void where prohibited. :2thumbs:
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None of the people posting in the "old threads" have any evidence backing up anything they are saying. I take a "leather pro" or someone with a lot of "experience" working with leather to be very similar so I don't know what you are getting hung up on with that comment, either way they can't back anything up.



Thanks for the FDA warning, but I haven't eaten or used my leather conditioners as a drug. :LOLOL
 
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