Recommend a leather care product

Capra

Senior Member
Joined
Jan 27, 2018
Messages
3,320
Reaction score
1,197
Location
Gloucestershire
Your Mercedes
W204 2013 C350 CDI Pan roof
I've been using an all in one cleaner conditioner. I'm not sure if it's any good, the leather looks clean, not sure how conditioned it is.
Should I be using a separate cleaner and conditioner?
 

LostKiwi

Senior Member
Joined
Aug 25, 2006
Messages
31,328
Reaction score
21,575
Location
Midlands / Charente-Maritime
Your Mercedes
'93 500SL-32, '01 W210 Estate E240 (RIP), 02 R230 SL500, 04 Smart Roadster Coupe, 11 R350CDi
To a certain extent conditioners don't do much on most cars.
There are three broad types of leather:
Aniline, semi-aniline and coated.

Aniline leathers are like oiled leathers. If they get wet they absorb the liquid and it soaks into the fibres. They are generally very soft and a pain to clean as oils will always be absorbed. They also show nicks and scrapes extremely easily.

Coated leathers have a thin plastic coating bonded to the outer material. These are easy to keep clean and hard wearing.

Semi-aniline are sort of a half way house between the two where a finer coating is used than a full coated leather. They are softer than coated leathers but not as soft as aniline.

There are other variations as well such as pull-up (a type of aniline) and nubuck (a brushed aniline) but these are uncommon in cars.

Most cars use a coated leather. The easy way to tell is to drop water on the leather. If it beads up or isn't absorbed its a coated leather. If it soaks in like on a sponge its aniline.

A coated leather by its very nature will not absorb a conditioner. The conditioner will just sit on the surface and be wiped off.
Semi aniline likewise will not absorb much conditioner due to the plastic coating whereas aniline will soak it up like a sponge.

The only time a conditioner will be absorbed on a coated or semi-aniline leather is where there are creases. In these areas the crease creates a weakness in the coating which the conditioner will penetrate.

Good description here:
http://www.leathermasteruk.com/index_leather_types.htm
 
OP
Capra

Capra

Senior Member
Joined
Jan 27, 2018
Messages
3,320
Reaction score
1,197
Location
Gloucestershire
Your Mercedes
W204 2013 C350 CDI Pan roof
  • Thread Starter
  • Thread starter
  • #3
To a certain extent conditioners don't do much on most cars.
There are three broad types of leather:
Aniline, semi-aniline and coated.

Aniline leathers are like oiled leathers. If they get wet they absorb the liquid and it soaks into the fibres. They are generally very soft and a pain to clean as oils will always be absorbed. They also show nicks and scrapes extremely easily.

Coated leathers have a thin plastic coating bonded to the outer material. These are easy to keep clean and hard wearing.

Semi-aniline are sort of a half way house between the two where a finer coating is used than a full coated leather. They are softer than coated leathers but not as soft as aniline.

There are other variations as well such as pull-up (a type of aniline) and nubuck (a brushed aniline) but these are uncommon in cars.

Most cars use a coated leather. The easy way to tell is to drop water on the leather. If it beads up or isn't absorbed its a coated leather. If it soaks in like on a sponge its aniline.

A coated leather by its very nature will not absorb a conditioner. The conditioner will just sit on the surface and be wiped off.
Semi aniline likewise will not absorb much conditioner due to the plastic coating whereas aniline will soak it up like a sponge.

The only time a conditioner will be absorbed on a coated or semi-aniline leather is where there are creases. In these areas the crease creates a weakness in the coating which the conditioner will penetrate.

Good description here:
http://www.leathermasteruk.com/index_leather_types.htm
Thanks LostKiwi, great info as always. I think mine just has the coated leather. I had a look in the garage and I have a bottle of Simoniz Protection Leather Treatment, so that will be good enough for mine.
 

Craiglxviii

Senior Member
Joined
Sep 6, 2015
Messages
17,781
Reaction score
7,426
Location
Cambs UK
Your Mercedes
970 Panamera Turbo; W221 S500L AMG Line, C215 CL500, W251 R350L AMG Line, plus several more now gone
Go Gliptone. It's astonishing (and revolting!) what happens to eg your steering wheel or gear selector knob!
 

LostKiwi

Senior Member
Joined
Aug 25, 2006
Messages
31,328
Reaction score
21,575
Location
Midlands / Charente-Maritime
Your Mercedes
'93 500SL-32, '01 W210 Estate E240 (RIP), 02 R230 SL500, 04 Smart Roadster Coupe, 11 R350CDi
Go Gliptone. It's astonishing (and revolting!) what happens to eg your steering wheel or gear selector knob!
And you can do a Malcolm and leave the old rag used for applying it under the seat to get a nice leather smell all through the car ;)
 

C350Carl

Senior Member
Joined
Feb 16, 2014
Messages
4,580
Reaction score
898
Location
Middle East
Your Mercedes
BMW 740Ld xDrive
I used gliptone and have no complaints with it.
 

John Laidlaw

Senior Member
Joined
Nov 15, 2013
Messages
26,373
Reaction score
9,163
Location
Wirral
Your Mercedes
Land Rover Discovery 4
I’ve been using Meguairs recently , it seems as good as the gliptone and seems to leave a more leathery smell for longer - at least to my nose anyway...:geek:
 

rexemper

Senior Member
Joined
Jan 5, 2007
Messages
770
Reaction score
136
Location
Berkshire
Your Mercedes
R230 SL500 - oh yeah!
I've used Gliptone (after being recommended on here) and it works really well. I like the idea above of leaving the rag under the seat to get the leather smell for longer - sounds like a typical Malcolm innovation, God bless his soul.
 

PaulThomasFarrell

Senior Member
Joined
Dec 9, 2016
Messages
90
Reaction score
42
Location
London UK
Your Mercedes
E220 AMG Night Edition Prem Btec A
Slims. Think they're in Hounslow?Got some cleaner and conditioner for my E320 cream leather seats and wow. Amazing results. Have the car over two years and even before that I'd say the leather had never been cleaned. Soft and supple now
 

LostKiwi

Senior Member
Joined
Aug 25, 2006
Messages
31,328
Reaction score
21,575
Location
Midlands / Charente-Maritime
Your Mercedes
'93 500SL-32, '01 W210 Estate E240 (RIP), 02 R230 SL500, 04 Smart Roadster Coupe, 11 R350CDi
Been renovating the leather on an old sofa and using Renapur. Amazing stuff but it's hard to apply being a soft wax.
 

thebiglad

Senior Member
Joined
Aug 15, 2018
Messages
410
Reaction score
233
Location
Central France
Your Mercedes
2005 CLK 270 cdi
"Effax Leder-Balsam" - get it via Amazon.

We use it on our leather boots, the sofa, the Rav4, Wend's horse gear and my bike gear. Just first class at keeping leather supple.
 

gurdip

Senior Member
Joined
Jul 9, 2018
Messages
58
Reaction score
5
Your Mercedes
E350 bluetech coupe
Simple old vaseline is all i used on my previous cars no issues.
 


Chris Knott Insurance, see oursticky posts here!
www.ckinsurance.co.uk
Top Bottom