Nearly all automotive finished leather surfaces are treated with special chemicals that provide resistance to abrasion, scratching and marring, increasing their durability and providing protection from weathering.
However overtime, given the typical environment of a vehicles interior, which can be extremely demanding on any material used. Temperatures range from hot dry summer days, to freezing nights. Both high and low humidity, even air conditioning that cools, but also dries. Leather's greatest enemies are; sun, heat, body oils, perspiration (that contains urea as well as organic salts and acids) and body heat, which causes acids to become more aggressive and alters the viscosity of oils, allowing them to permeate the leathers finish, and ultra violet radiation (UV), which dries the hide, fades the colour by bleaching, and can cause the leather to fail by drying out the fibres causing the urethane and / or the hide to harden and / or crack.
Fairly new upholstery can be softened with Leather Master Vital, however as time passes renovation becomes more difficult, and more often than not replacement is the only real solution.
As an alternate- clean the surface with 1z einzett Plastic-Vinyl Cleaner to thoroughly clean the surface and then apply Iz Leather Care (Lederpflege) as it’s formulated with natural waxes and conditioners which moisturize the surface to prevent hardening or cracking and will maintain the original matte finish. It may require more than one application