What do you use on your dash and seat leather for cleaning and treatment?

 

Zaino. Smells great, easy application (not goopy/sticky at all), high quality stuff. I use the full line of Zaino products. The only negative is steep shipping cost if you buy one by one. I'd recommend getting the starter packs, and if you ever run out of stuff, buy multiple bottles rather than one at a time.

 

Lexol cleaner and conditioner for me, usually about once a month (which may be a little obsessive, but I am already getting premature wear on the driver seat side bolster and I am really nervous about the leather peeling around the center speaker on the dash...which has happened to a lot of owners)

 

Here's what I have learned about caring for modern automotive leather. It has worked well for me. I have had minimal wear on my DD's since adopting these methods and have never had an issue with cracking, peeling or shrinking leather. Feel free to disagree, as these methods pretty much rule out the use of most popular products, and as such will be controversial.

1. The most important part of leather care is keeping leather clean. If you were able to clean your leather gently every day with vacuuming and a damp cloth, the use of any other product would probably be superfluous.

2. Modern automotive leather is almost without exception coated in a thin layer of pigmented urethane. There are extremely rare exceptions using aniline leather. Even semi-aniline leather (available for example in the XJ Supersport and new XJR) has a thin coating.

3. As a result of 2., the leather is virtually impermeable to oil-based products, although it is to some degree permeable to water. It does NOT need "feeding", "conditioning", "replenishing" or any other equivalent, despite what the label on most popular products will state.

4. Therefore use of an oil-based product (most of the over the counter leather "conditioners" such as Mothers, Meguiars, Lexol, Zaino etc.) is counterproductive as the oil will sit in the surface layer, and over time will attract dirt and dust, the very thing you want to avoid. Don't ask me why oil-based products are still so popular, I don't have an answer.

5. A water-based product is the correct choice. These will hydrate the leather, will leave no harmful residue, and may possibly provide a bit of protection against UV, soiling and staining with whatever minimal product layer is left behind. Two great products are Leathermaster and LTT. I am affiliated with neither company.

6. Many swear by Leatherique. This product was developed for vintage leather and AFAIK was not developed with modern leather in mind, although the company makes no distinction in their application instructions and there are many people who use it on modern cars. I have no idea what is in this product apart from "proteins" as stated on their website; the product looks fatty or oily to me. Anyway, I would stay away from it due to its consistency and application method, which is to me clearly a nonsense for coated leather.

 

I agree with the above, and have had better success using primarily a wet microfiber to clean the dash. I also use the armorial towelettes that are labeled something like "detail cleaning non-oil finish"

 

Damp microfiber followed by a microfiber with 303 Aerospace protectant. Water help with a little hydration and picks up abrasives. 303 provides a little hydration and UV protection.