Restoring leather, dried etc.

Danglerb · 12-12-2007, 12:30 AM

Making this its own thread, my latest 928 has been sitting under a cover for a couple years in the desert, and I am hoping getting the proper juices back into it may revive it.

What I have so far and suggestions;

Lexol cleaner
Lexol conditioner
Neatsfoot oil
Bentleys pure glycerin
Hide Food

Liquid leather brings up a number of curious hits, here are a few:
Gliptone Liquid Leather cleaner and conditioner $23/ 2x 250 ml
3D car wash soap Liquid Leather $21/gal
Leather Therapy Restore

Instructions so far, vacuum and brush to remove as much surface dirt, then clean, wipe dry, condition, maybe let sit, then wipe dry. Also try stuff in a place it doesn't show until you know what it does..

psychII · 12-12-2007, 04:02 AM

When I bought my 86.5, the leather was in fair condition. While not cardboard hard, it was also not as supple as I wanted either. After some search, I tried Leatherique. The results were less than expected. I guess it cleaned the leather, but did not appear to soften it any.

Let us know what you find that may work better.

psychII · 12-12-2007, 04:06 AM

Oh, I currently use Lexol products. While they do not soften the leather, the aroma is nice and it returns the black leather seats and trim back to black with a slight sheen.

Mule · 12-12-2007, 05:13 AM

Soffner, expensive, but nothing else even comes close.

Car Care Specialties is where I get mine.

Danglerb · 12-12-2007, 10:38 AM

Soffner leather conditioner by Surflex, made by colorplus, http://www.colorplus.com/index.html

Does sound pretty good, but not available from very many places. I may try it, but I want to get something on the leather today if I can, and most neutral sounds like the Bentleys to start with after cleaning.

Danglerb · 12-12-2007, 10:32 PM

I didn't get to spend nearly the time on the car that I wanted to today, but I did at least go over it quickly with Lexol cleaner followed by the Bentley pure glycerin. Is this tan or cork, I kinda like it despite the worn look.

Rixter · 12-13-2007, 05:17 AM

to soften use Leatherique... for best results remove the seats, lather on thick, put a large black trashbag over them and put them in the sun for a few hours

psychII · 12-13-2007, 01:24 PM

I didn't have a lot of luck with leatherique. Left it on for about 26 hrs, when the temps were in the 90's during the day. After the second coat, leather is still hard.

Pauwl · Pauwl's Garage

Pulled up in a gas station yesterday next to an old Silver Cloud. Very well kept (a little embarassed about the shoddy state of my shark).

The owner recommended "Hide Food" for the leather upkeep.

Danglerb · 12-13-2007, 09:31 PM

I think if you bought a car with Connelly leather it would either come with a jar of Hide Food, or a pamphlet recommending it. When I bought my first 928 back in 86 they had Hide Food at the dealership and I bought a jar, its someplace, never got around to opening it.

SeanR · 12-14-2007, 05:05 PM

I have had fantastic results with Leatherique Rejuvinator and Prestine clean.

It is pricey, but well worth the cost.

http://www.leatherique.com/

Danglerb · 12-14-2007, 08:39 PM

I poked around the house and found my jar of Hide Food, so I may use some of that in the next go round. Hide Food, at least my jar, says its made by Connelly.

I wonder if the different results from different people might not be due to details about the damage to the leather or the type of leather or type of treatments previously done to the leather? Could be best results are only possible from trying several products on smaller areas and then using what worked best on exactly what you have.

Pauwl · Pauwl's Garage

Got around to getting my leather stuff, which is from ProTech.
It has 2 bottles, one to clean, one to nourish.

I have a before & after picture. On the before picture you can see some serious scuff-marks on the top (the shark used to do regular runs to the garbage tip with loads of building rubble).

And after:

Danglerb · 12-23-2007, 12:17 AM

Pauwl, how does it feel after treatment?

I just ordered some Soffner.

Anybody know who has the best shipped to SoCal price on Leatherique Rejuv?

Pauwl · Pauwl's Garage

Quote:

Originally Posted by Danglerb

Pauwl, how does it feel after treatment?

It was relatively hard (not bone dry) when I started. After the 2nd round of the conditioner, I can now pinch the leather in parts, so has it's softness back for sure.

Not sure how long it'll last with the sub-zero temperatures outside. I'm presuming I'm going to have to give it a once-over every 2 weeks for the first while. It's been at least 10 years since this leather saw anything except a damp cloth. Maybe longer.