Leather reloaded
03-18-2012, 05:08 PM
#1
Leather reloaded
Hey guys and gals,
The black leather of my 08G37S coupe didn't look that great. It was shiny and some areas where "cardboard" hard. I read a lot about caring for our leather, and found out the leather is coated, therefore in order to properly clean it, we can't just use the 'usual' leather oils, conditioners, and cleaners that are used on older leather that isn't coated. I asked a friend of mine that has some experience on auto detailing and said to me he uses Leatherique on all the cars he details, even on the ones that have the coated-leather with the same impressive results.
Before you go any further, I'd like to point out that I am in no way promoting, or advertising this product. It's just what I used and what worked for me.
Let's get started then. This is what my seats used to look like:
After applying what they call "leather rejuvenator" they recommend you leave the car with the windows up and in the sun to create a sauna effect inside the vehicle, this is to allow the product to soak in, penetrate in the leather and force out the dirt and contaminants. They recommend to let it sit for several hours to a day, I left mine out in the sun for a day and moved on to the next step the morning after.
I wiped down only the right side on this picture so you can see the huge difference...
I used the brush that came with the kit to remove all that dirt buildup:
Took this pic from above the sunroof, it shows the driver's side seat all done, compared to the passenger's side with the rejuvenator still on it with all the dirt it pulled from the seat... (don't worry if you spill some of the product on your plastic areas, I inadvertently had spilled some on my center console, and it wiped right off next day...)
And the final result.
I will do a second application maybe next week, I still see some spots that need to be looked at. Imagine 4 years of dirt, contaminants, sun, and on top of that, my car was a lease for a while before I bought it, and the leaser was a smoker... (I had to wash the carpet and now that the leather is treated, the smell is gone!)
As a final touch, and to add protection to it, I used 303 on them, and wiped down the excess with MF.
Hope you found this article helpful.
The leather in my G37S has been reloaded!
The black leather of my 08G37S coupe didn't look that great. It was shiny and some areas where "cardboard" hard. I read a lot about caring for our leather, and found out the leather is coated, therefore in order to properly clean it, we can't just use the 'usual' leather oils, conditioners, and cleaners that are used on older leather that isn't coated. I asked a friend of mine that has some experience on auto detailing and said to me he uses Leatherique on all the cars he details, even on the ones that have the coated-leather with the same impressive results.
Before you go any further, I'd like to point out that I am in no way promoting, or advertising this product. It's just what I used and what worked for me.
Let's get started then. This is what my seats used to look like:
After applying what they call "leather rejuvenator" they recommend you leave the car with the windows up and in the sun to create a sauna effect inside the vehicle, this is to allow the product to soak in, penetrate in the leather and force out the dirt and contaminants. They recommend to let it sit for several hours to a day, I left mine out in the sun for a day and moved on to the next step the morning after.
I wiped down only the right side on this picture so you can see the huge difference...
I used the brush that came with the kit to remove all that dirt buildup:
Took this pic from above the sunroof, it shows the driver's side seat all done, compared to the passenger's side with the rejuvenator still on it with all the dirt it pulled from the seat... (don't worry if you spill some of the product on your plastic areas, I inadvertently had spilled some on my center console, and it wiped right off next day...)
And the final result.
I will do a second application maybe next week, I still see some spots that need to be looked at. Imagine 4 years of dirt, contaminants, sun, and on top of that, my car was a lease for a while before I bought it, and the leaser was a smoker... (I had to wash the carpet and now that the leather is treated, the smell is gone!)
As a final touch, and to add protection to it, I used 303 on them, and wiped down the excess with MF.
Hope you found this article helpful.
The leather in my G37S has been reloaded!
Last edited by jon23; 07-27-2012 at 05:57 AM.
03-18-2012, 05:10 PM
#2
For some reason my pics didn't load at first. Thanks Black Betty! Got them to work now.
Infiniti and Mt. Fuji's stitching look new, also the leather looks soft, it also feels that way!
And to think the inside of my car looked like this...
Infiniti and Mt. Fuji's stitching look new, also the leather looks soft, it also feels that way!
And to think the inside of my car looked like this...
Last edited by jon23; 03-18-2012 at 05:40 PM. Reason: Added extra pics
03-18-2012, 05:37 PM
#4
03-18-2012, 05:54 PM
#6
I see what you mean BlkG-37S, I added a note to the top of the original post with a pointer that will help anyone who'd like to see them bigger. I do need to look for a site to host my pics and will then load up the originals so you can actually see the difference.
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03-20-2012, 08:32 AM
#8
Jon23:
After long research I also ended up getting the 2 Leatherique products. This past weekend I followed the instructions closely, first the rejuvenator and left it over night, then the cleaner, sounds backward but it worked perfectly. I had the exact same leather issues, really stiff and dull and it also smelled goofy except our previous owner was not a smoker. To top it off I then added an aplication of ZAINO Leather in a Bottle. The perfect leather smell is unbelievable. Same as you, not advertising, only sharing an experience.
After long research I also ended up getting the 2 Leatherique products. This past weekend I followed the instructions closely, first the rejuvenator and left it over night, then the cleaner, sounds backward but it worked perfectly. I had the exact same leather issues, really stiff and dull and it also smelled goofy except our previous owner was not a smoker. To top it off I then added an aplication of ZAINO Leather in a Bottle. The perfect leather smell is unbelievable. Same as you, not advertising, only sharing an experience.
07-23-2012, 04:48 PM
#10
^^^ Lol. I know, I apologize for the low quality pics. My camera had died and all I had was my HTC Evo, plus I did it at night. I'm sure I need to do it again soon, as my leather was in pretty bad conditions. I really wanted to share the good results I obtained using the product...
I've been dealing with trying to get my bumper fixed after a piece of wood lodged itself through the fog light opening...what a mess! It should be fixed by next week, then I'll have time to start detailing my G again.
I'll also make sure I use a REAL camera next time and update the pics!
I've been dealing with trying to get my bumper fixed after a piece of wood lodged itself through the fog light opening...what a mess! It should be fixed by next week, then I'll have time to start detailing my G again.
I'll also make sure I use a REAL camera next time and update the pics!
07-27-2012, 05:54 AM
#11
Due to popular request...lol, I updated the pictures. They are the same ones I took when I cleaned up my leather, but higher resolution. I do need to get me a real camera though...one of these days after I stop spending so much money on mods! 
02-20-2013, 02:07 AM
#12
the thing with black interior is that its harder to notice how clean it really gets until you get down and dirty with it lol. but its nice seeing all the gunk that comes off.
11-01-2015, 09:41 AM
#13
i've been using Leatherique since 1999 or so - its great stuff.
here's a tip - after you slather on the Rejuventor, cover the seat in trash bags. slip one over the upper part of the seat, and one over the bottom the best you can. park in the hot sun for a day, repeat as necessary. increases the "sauna" effect.
you can even drive with the trashbags on and still be treating your leather.
here's a tip - after you slather on the Rejuventor, cover the seat in trash bags. slip one over the upper part of the seat, and one over the bottom the best you can. park in the hot sun for a day, repeat as necessary. increases the "sauna" effect.
you can even drive with the trashbags on and still be treating your leather.
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