Hey guys,

I would like to protect my leather by cleaning it first then applying a good conditioner . With so many products out there and so many confusing Youtube links its hard to find the good ones.
My 1996 XJS has tan (saddle) leather interior so what product would you recommend ?
Connolly , Leather Honey or something else ?

Thank you for your advice


Terry

 

Terry,

An old-style leather rejunevation / conditioning cream is not at all what you want for your leather. Your 96 XJS has a leather that is sealed after the dyeing process. After cleaning, you need to use a protection cream not a conditioning product.

Have a look at Furniture Clinic - Leather Care, Leather Cleaner, Furniture Repair & Restoration and maybe give teh guys a quick ring. They understand Jaguars as they do the seminars for the Jaguar Enthusiast Club over here.

Good luck

Paul

 

Paul. link doesn't work.

 

Hi Malc4d,

Not sure of the problem. The link seems to work fine from my end? Try this one:

Furniture Clinic - Leather Care, Leather Cleaner, Furniture Repair & Restoration

Cheers

Paul

 

Link works for me.

 

Hmmm both give me http 403 forbidden.


I did find this site through google.


https://www.furnitureclinic.com/?gcl...FVglgQodRt4CrA

 

Try this:
http://www.furnitureclinic.co.uk/

 

Same http message. Maybe they only want US customers on the US site. lol

Works if l go directly to the site.
Thanks

 

It's a UK site, and I'm in the US.

 

Hi,

So after reading more messages from car owners and watching even more youtube videos, most of them very confusing I must say,but obviously a few very helpful (Thanks to this site) I have decided to go with Leatherique and purchased it on Ebay .
I have used their products last year when I dyed the seats of my BMW and was very pleased with the quality of their products .

I will keep you informed .
PS my seats look amazing I just want to keep them that way. The XJ-S has now 10600 miles
so its pretty much brand new.

Terry

 

I like Autoglym. Their leather cleaner works very well, as does the conditioner.
http://www.autoglym.com/products/pro...ther-care-balm

 

I use lexol as a cheap maintenance product, throw it on boots, seats, bags, etc because it is easy and dries easy.

I pretty much hate hide food. It smells bad, requires a ton of buffing to remove the gross residue, and the chemical smell gives me the impression it will eat stitching.

For heavy cleaning and conditioning I love leatherique. Setting the conditioner up takes a long time to have an impact, but it does a good job. The leatherique cleaner is awesome though, plus a kit comes with a nice brush that is a must have for getting leather good and clean.

Even the mid-range wipes can be useful to have in the car to clean a spot or to just wipe down the car. I find dry spots in traffic and it gives me an itch, but later I forget. Doing a once a month deep clean and condition can be tedious and easy to forget, so something easier to do more often is best.

 

I use Fiebings Liquid Glycerine saddle soap and a very soft brush, shoe brush would work. Spray on and work it with the brush, it will lather a little, then wipe off.
Worked for me
Nick

 

Terry,

Leatherique have a good reputation but the only product of theirs (AFAIK) that is suitable for your excellent condition XJS seats is their leather cleaner. Do not use their Rejuvination cream or any form of "hide food". Your leather is sealed and all of those products are a waste of money as they can't penetrate to the leather.

What you really need to use on your seats, after cleaning, is a protection cream, not a hide food product, hence my direction to Furniture Clinic.

Good luck

Paul

 

Here is the US link https://www.furnitureclinic.com/index.php I just ordered the cleaner, protection cream, as well as the brush.

 

This is like asking about oil. Nothing wrong with that, but there is no resolution, just what people think works best. Some folks think that the newer coated leathers are impenetrable and only require a cleaner and others will tell you that the "plastic" layer does in fact breathe and can absorb conditioners. You can find supporting information for both points of view online. Based on my experience with my three Jags, I subscribe to the latter point of view: coated leathers do in fact accept conditioners (by accept, I mean absorb, not dry on top) and breathe. I am not only saying this because if leather was sealed with an inflexible, impenetrable coating it would no longer even feel like leather, but because of my experience::

My 74 E type V12 has been recovered in recent OEM Connolly Vaumol Leather. This leather accepts conditioners quickly. Since it is a remake of the original it may be very lightly coated, but it sucks the conditioner right up

My 95 XJS AJ16 originally did not accept any kind of conditioner. Only certain panels like the headrest would. Eventually I bought new seats, removed the old seats and found out that most of the front seats where made out of AMBLA which is fake leather. Since having new seats made out of 100 percent original Connolly Autolux leather as found in the 95 V12 models, the new leather accepts and absorbs conditioners. Not as fast as the E type, but it absorbs. This is a coated leather that some will argue is impenetrable, but that is simply not true.

My "beater" 2004 X type has the lowest grade and heavily coated leather of the 3 Jaguars. It's the original leather. The front seats are heavily clear coated in comparison to the rear seats, but WILL eventually accept conditioners as well.

So in my experience with Jaguar leathers, they will all benefit from conditioners. Coated and non coated. The only time there won't benefit and just sit on top of your seats is when you have fake leatherette, which unfortunately some AJ16 XJS's have

 

Ok so as I mentioned, I decided to go with Leatherique and purchased it on Ebay .
First you need to know that my seats were amazing start with and that it was just a "maintenance" routine.
After using the Leatherique products, I can say this.
Yes,my seats look soft and nice, but the product is very hard to remove once applied and the seats feel very sticky.

Final comment:
I'm not 100 % sold on the product but I'm not 100 % dissatisfied either. However I will use a different product next time.

 

Terry,

I think you're experiencing the problem of putting a "conditioning" cream on a sealed leather surface. They only really work on unsealed leather or sealed leather where the sealing coating is worn off. Do try a "protection" cream. On your pristine seats, this would be a better option.

As mentioned, the side panels of an AJ16 seat are Ambla, but all the seat facings are leather.

Cheers

Paul

 

Hi guys I,m new but thought I could input to this topic,I use autoglym leather care cream I love their products BUT find the White creame leaves a milky like colour to my black interior, it does soak in and it does defiantly soften the leather but I would say if you have dark leather look elsewhere but on the the lighter colours I suppose this would be an excellent choice.

P.S I heard loads of good things about gliptone when I was looking for a replacement product but I have not tried it any thoughts anyone..............

 

Paul ,I should have listened to you !My seats are so sticky its embarrassing .I'm going to take your advice and get a protection" cream from furniture clinic.

Thank you.
Terry