Leather Interior Conditioning

[mhalfon]

Hello All,

I purchased my 2010 M35X back in mid February and I am interested in feedback on how often I should condition the black interior leather.

Also, any comments on preferred products would be appreciated. I have used Lexol in the past with great results.

Thanks in advance!

[svard75]

You mean you're supposed to clean the inside of the car?! I just use a wetnap to wipe off the leather. Haven't used any conditioners yet and it's an 06. One thing I suggest that if you've got the vented seats for Cool/Heat then turn them on full blast with the car running while you wipe down any food crumbs etc otherwise they may fall into the seat holes PITA to get out.

M

[fiveliterbeater]

theres a great writeup on this in another forum. cant seem to find it right now.

and yes you're supposed to condition your leather from time to time. as leather is basically a skin-like material,(from animals) it needs moisterizers (spelling?) to maintain its soft-like state.
your skin has natuaral moisterizers because it is attached to your body and therefore little to no moisterizer is needed.
however the leather on your car is dead and there is nothing to keep it "alive" so per say.
so it needs to be cared for and supplied with moisterizers to keep it soft and and to keep those nasty cracks in your leather at bay for as long as possible. ill look for that thread that discusses it more thoroughly.

[qship96]

Infiniti {and many others} use a coated leather and NOTHING sinks in or is absorbed by the leather- try putting a few drops of water on your seat and you will see, it just sits there- any time or $$$ spent on "leather conditioners" is a total waste of time and product.....it cant get through the coating to ever reach the leather!!! Just take a damp rag and wipe the seats clean, and apply any vinyl dressing {303 Aerospave protectant is great for blocking UV rays} if you want to protect from the sun......but it is IMPOSSIBLE to "condition" plastic coated leather!!!!!!

[fiveliterbeater]

sure....you just keep telling yourself that....

p.s. my M already had major stress cracks in it when i bought it used due to the previous owner never maintaining it....plastic coated or not....the sun and its UV rays dont care...

...time and mother nature WILL get the best of your car unless properly maintained!

[qship96]

sure....you just keep telling yourself that....

p.s. my M already had major stress cracks in it when i bought it used due to the previous owner never maintaining it....plastic coated or not....the sun and its UV rays dont care...

...time and mother nature WILL get the best of your car unless properly maintained!

DUH....why I stated to use a Ultra Violet blocking product { 303} on the leather to shield from the suns damaging rays.......but even that product sits ON the leather surface coating protectiong it......as far as a " leather conditioner" to soak into the leather and protect it like you would do to traditional leather items {like a baseball glove} FORGET IT, it will never get past the plastic coating.........you might want to do some research before you waste your $$$$$$$$ and time!!!!!!!!

[SactoM35]

Zaino: http://www.zainostore.com/Merchant2/mer ... t_Count=15

Best stuff I've ever used...on any leather.

SactoM35

[wizard8873]

I use this. it's a two step, clean and then condition, and works great for me

http://www.autogeek.net/megoclrileal.html

[cjrdriven]

And back to the OP's question:

The best product that has worked for is Meguiar's Gold Class Rich Leather Conditioner, but, then again, I am a Meguiars man by heart. I use almost all of their products so my suggestion may be biased!

Good luck.

[mexillis]

i use one made by surf city garage, mostly found in Pep Boys. I also use a spray one i think either made by meguiars or mothers. I do it at least once a month or when i do an extreme deep clean of the interior. Lastly i use a strictly labeled conditioner for leather after i clean it everytime.

[cjrdriven]

Don't let the mudd hit the leather!!

[mpgmusic]

Well, I'm no leather expert, but I have always religiously used leather conditioners on every car I've owned and have never had my seats crack, peel, split etc. (And I keep all of my cars past 100,000 miles). I've probably used every product known to man. The one I like the best, and the one I've used exclusively for my M is Zaino Leather in a bottle. My "wheat" colored seats look great at 49,000 miles, but the best thing about Zaino is the scent. I can't tell you how many times someone gets in my car and says "Wow, your leather seats smell great", or "is this a brand new car?". The Zaino conditioner may not work any better or worst than others, but it DOES maintain a decent leather scent inside my car. Use it regularly and you passengers may say similar things to you. It's really expensive (about $10/bottle) and shipping is also $10 so I order about 3 bottles each time to save a little.

Again, I'm not sure if the seats really benefit from it or not, but mine are in great condition and smell nice and leathery (is that actually a word?)

[mdstahl]

I like to use Griot's Garage for a similar reason, the scent that is leaves behind.

http://www.griotsgarage.com/product/car ... +ounces.do

[antzrus]

Yes, Zaino Leather in a Bottle is wonderful stuff. It not only conditions the leather, but I wipe it on the wood and plastic where it works just as well..??!! It smells great, and you'll end up sniffing your hands for the rest of the day; could be interpreted wrong...

[loystock]

I like Zaino products, except the Leather in a Bottle. The smell of leather is just too strong for me. I use leather cleaner/conditioner from Leatherique or Lexol.

[Pashdut]

I like Zaino products, except the Leather in a Bottle. The smell of leather is just too strong for me. I use leather cleaner/conditioner from Leatherique or Lexol.

best one i've used http://www.amazon.com/Lexol-1015-Leathe ... 045&sr=8-1

but now I want to try the Zaino!

[kluken]

I used to use Lexol and a few years back switched to LeatherCPR which I find leaves no residue and seems to do an excellent job of cleaning and conditioning. Depending on how much I use the car I do the front seats every 4-8 weeks usually and it keeps them like new.

[sdkhalsa]

I have been using leatherique on my '06 M35. There does not appear to be a plastic coating on these seats, and they absorb the oil very well. Because I am in Arizona, I am very careful with the leather as it dries out very quickly. The results with the leatherique have been very good: soft leather and excellent cleaning.

[m4m]

I barely have seven-thousand miles on my '09 Sport with the graphite interior, and the bolster already looks like it's been through 100,000 miles worth of wear, the left side on my driver's seat (sports) is all crinkled up... This doesn't seem right.
The creasing is on the driver's side bolster closest to the door, presumably because that's the spot that gets hit on my way in and out of the car every morning and evening. But I think the wear is way premature. Just ridiculous.
It's clearly the result of Infiniti using the cheapest possible solution for the "leather" seating surfaces. Unlike full-grain leather, it must be "split" or "bonded" - which simply means that it's an ultra-thin layer (veneer, really) fused to a layer of man-made material beneath.
I wasn't expecting full-grain but... Are those side bolsters even leather? I actually never realized that this leather doesn't absorb the product well. BTW I have been using Lexol and it does help a little, but still ...
I'm going to take car in for service and complain about, possibly to replace it. I wonder what kind of loving i'll get from the dealer... Does anyone know if anything can be done under warrantee?

[Lynchr]

I barely have seven-thousand miles on my '09 Sport with the graphite interior, and the bolster already looks like it's been through 100,000 miles worth of wear, the left side on my driver's seat (sports) is all crinkled up... This doesn't seem right.
The creasing is on the driver's side bolster closest to the door, presumably because that's the spot that gets hit on my way in and out of the car every morning and evening. But I think the wear is way premature. Just ridiculous.
It's clearly the result of Infiniti using the cheapest possible solution for the "leather" seating surfaces. Unlike full-grain leather, it must be "split" or "bonded" - which simply means that it's an ultra-thin layer (veneer, really) fused to a layer of man-made material beneath.
I wasn't expecting full-grain but... Are those side bolsters even leather? I actually never realized that this leather doesn't absorb the product well. BTW I have been using Lexol and it does help a little, but still ...
I'm going to take car in for service and complain about, possibly to replace it. I wonder what kind of loving i'll get from the dealer... Does anyone know if anything can be done under warrantee?

The side bolster is not designed to be used as a landing strip for your butt when getting in the car. Every one I have ever seen with this problem puts their right leg in the car and then slides their butt across the bolster. This puts excessive stress on it with the results you describe. I've seen this with Corvette, Porche, Mercedes, Ferrari, etc. in my 40+ years in the business.

With "sport seats" (any seat that has deep bolsters) the way to solve this issue is to first sit down on the seat (not the bolster) and then swing your legs in. I do this in all my cars and have never had this problem. It becomes second nature.

The dealer might be able to replace your bolster one time for you as goodwill (it is not a warraty issue), but if you don't change your way of getting in the car the new bolster will be in the same shape again in 7,000 miles. It's kinda like getting the bugs off the front of your car with steel wool. It works but the paint won't survive the treatment and it's not because the paint is defective. Please don't take this wrong. I'm simply trying help you understand what is happening.

[antzrus]

I barely have seven-thousand miles on my '09 Sport with the graphite interior, and the bolster already looks like it's been through 100,000 miles worth of wear, the left side on my driver's seat (sports) is all crinkled up... This doesn't seem right.
The creasing is on the driver's side bolster closest to the door, presumably because that's the spot that gets hit on my way in and out of the car every morning and evening. But I think the wear is way premature. Just ridiculous.
It's clearly the result of Infiniti using the cheapest possible solution for the "leather" seating surfaces. Unlike full-grain leather, it must be "split" or "bonded" - which simply means that it's an ultra-thin layer (veneer, really) fused to a layer of man-made material beneath.
I wasn't expecting full-grain but... Are those side bolsters even leather? I actually never realized that this leather doesn't absorb the product well. BTW I have been using Lexol and it does help a little, but still ...
I'm going to take car in for service and complain about, possibly to replace it. I wonder what kind of loving i'll get from the dealer... Does anyone know if anything can be done under warrantee?

The side bolster is not designed to be used as a landing strip for your butt when getting in the car. Every one I have ever seen with this problem puts their right leg in the car and then slides their butt across the bolster. This puts excessive stress on it with the results you describe. I've seen this with Corvette, Porche, Mercedes, Ferrari, etc. in my 40+ years in the business.

With "sport seats" (any seat that has deep bolsters) the way to solve this issue is to first sit down on the seat (not the bolster) and then swing your legs in. I do this in all my cars and have never had this problem. It becomes second nature.

The dealer might be able to replace your bolster one time for you as goodwill (it is not a warraty issue), but if you don't change your way of getting in the car the new bolster will be in the same shape again in 7,000 miles. It's kinda like getting the bugs off the front of your car with steel wool. It works but the paint won't survive the treatment and it's not because the paint is defective. Please don't take this wrong. I'm simply trying help you understand what is happening.

What happens when your butt is so damn old and achy that sliding in and out over the bolster is your only alternative? Not that it's my problem personally...

[Lynchr]

What happens when your butt is so damn old and achy that sliding in and out over the bolster is your only alternative? Not that it's my problem personally...

You do what you have to do. Just saying it's not a defective bolster. Getting out isn't a problem, it's sliding in that causes the damage. Sitting down on the seat and then swinging your legs in saves the bolster.