Leatherique vs Leather Masters? HELP?

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04v8s4

New member
Hey guys/gals,



It's been a while since I've posted but I need some help with leather care. The car is a 2004 audi S4. All the seats are in great shape except for the driver's seat (as expected). The seats have really deep side bolsters and they are starting to show their age.



I'm looking for a really good cleaner. I have tried lexol, meguirs, and zymol with decent results. But I'm looking for something better.



I have searched and read a ton about leatherique and leather masters...but I'm still undecided. I know the leatherique process is backwards...the rejuv. oil is supposed to go on first and soak/penetrate/and lift out dirt. How does this work? Any aggitation required? Does it have to be really hot to work? (Winter time up here...no warm temps for months!)



Any recommendations from personal experience?



Thanks,

Nick:bigups
 
I use Leather Masters on my seats and it works great on them. I bought my seats used and they were in need for a little tlc. I first used Pinnacles conditioner and it really didn't do much. After much research I decided to use/try a water based product so I turned to LM it it was made a nice improvement. Well worth the price to me and will continue to use it.
 
^ Thanks for the info. It looks like people are happy with both brands. I'm just wondering if one is better suited to my application.



I maintain my seats regularly during the summer....but i need to completely rejuvinate them every spring.



Any more suggestions.
 
I have both but I've never gotten around to trying the Leatherique because it's just *SUCH* a huge production and seems like a real PIA.



LeatherMasters works fine on Audi leather and doesn't impart any significant smell of its own (my Audis still smell like Audis). It's what I'm using on all three of our Audis (even though I often use other stuff on the leather in our other vehicles) and I won't be switching to anything else any time soon- I'm one satisfied customer and IMO LM is a great choice for Audi leather and in part that's because it's not only effective but it's quick/easy enough that you'll actually do it.
 
Thanks for the info Accumulator. I actually went with the leatherique. I dont mind putting in the extra time and effort to get a good result. My seats are in pretty rough shape...especially after a long winter.



You are right though...I probably wont be too happy about spending 6-8 hours on my two front seats every time I want to clean and condition my seats.



I might pick up some of the LM cleaner & conditioner for the maintenance cleanings.



Any other input?
 
04v8s4 said:
..Any other input?
Click to expand...



Don't get the Rejuvenator Oil on materials/places where you don't want it or else you'll have a whole new project to deal with ;)



If you get a chance, post back about how it goes. How you gonna heat the seats up this time of year?



EDIT: Your '04 S4 is one of the still-nice-looking ones that IMO looks the way an Audi is supposed to look :xyxthumbs
 
04v8s4 said:
You are right though...I probably wont be too happy about spending 6-8 hours on my two front seats every time I want to clean and condition my seats.



I might pick up some of the LM cleaner & conditioner for the maintenance cleanings.



Any other input?
Click to expand...

Yes. Since you've gone Leatherique, Prestine Clean is perfect for regular maintenance cleaning. Once You've done the RO process then PC is all you need to keep them looking good.



Footnote: RO only works on leather that can absorb it. Use heaters in winter to get the temp up. PC, on the other hand, is an excellent cleaner/conditioner for regular maintenance of ANY leather seats. :xyxthumbs
 
Accumulator said:
If you get a chance, post back about how it goes. How you gonna heat the seats up this time of year?
Click to expand...



That's the reason why I never bothered with it. I live in Canada, it's not always nice warm weather up here which would cause an issue with the Leatherique.
 
First off, thanks for all the input, I appreciate it.



I'm not quite sure exactly what I'm going to do about the cold temps. Here are my thoughts.



Use a blow dryer when I work in the RO at first. I also planned on using the seat heaters to help bring the temps up.



Then I was going to wrap the seats in a plastic trash bag and use the heater in the car to keep the interior temps up.



The problem is that I dont feel like having my car idling away for 4 hours. So I may only run the car for 30 minutes or so. Then I would periodically hit the seats with the hair dryer again.



Thanks for the compliments on the car!
 
One more question...



Should I clean the seats with a warm MF cloth prior to applying the RO?



Also, I have a horsehair brush and I was wondering if i should be agitating the RO after I apply it? Or should i agitate when i apply the PC?



Thanks!
 
04v8s4- I'd better leave the Leatherique technique Qs to people who've actually used the stuff, but I'd be surprised if the BHB was suitable for use with the RO.



I can't help but think that you're not gonna get the heat factor worked out well enough with what you have planned.



Hope your hairdryer doesn't go into thermal shutdown. None of mine (four different hair dryers) will run long enough to dry both my dogs (meaning with just one dryer; I have to have at least two on hand) and that's *far* less time than I'd spend on the seats.



Do your seatheaters work without sufficient weight in the seats to trigger a "yeah there's somebody sitting here" sensor? Dunno if your car even has such a sensor tied in to the heaters, but I'd find out before you try it.



Sheesh, do I sound like a wet blanket or what? :o Just don't want you to find yourself stuck in the middle of a mess.
 
I have used Leatherique in cool weather with no issues at all. It may work a little better when it is warm out but IMHO it is marginal.



The stuff really amazes me.



I never tried Leather Master but would like t one day.
 
IME, the difference between how Leatherique works in different temps is dramatic. It can be the difference between working and not working at all - at least, not how it's suppose to.



It may be that temp variations in the cooler end of the scale will produce much the same results. But when you use it under "hot house" conditions the results are dramatic. This is especially noticeable (and critical) when restoring *very* dirty or cardboard hard leather.



But again, the proviso is that it's optimised for un-finished leather.
 
Why don't you just take the seats out of the car and put them in the house? Much more room to work and you can control the temperature quite easily. It's only 4 bolts and one wire harness a piece.
 
From what I've read you really can't go wrong with either choice.



I use Leather Masters and love it, but I've seen amazing results with Leathertique as well.
 
I've used both, I'd be hard pressed to say which one worked better. Leatherique was a PITA but it did add life to some pretty dry seats. LM is very easy to work with and doesn't make a mess. Neither smell like fake leather.
 
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