After doing some research there appear to be a few choices to clean and rejuvenate my Ivory leather. I am curious what everyone here thinks.

The leather is undamaged and there is some grime and dinginess especially on the rear seat. The white stitching is darkened in some areas as is the console.

I am considering the following:

Connolly Cleaner followed by Connolly Hide Care

Leatherique Rejuvinator followed by their Prestine Clean

Brickmore Cleaner followed by their conditioner.

The Leatherique process is interesting as it feeds and moisturizes first in the process bringing the dirt up out of the pores avoiding caustic solvents. However even the Connolly leather in our cars is partially coated, so does anything ever penetrate anymore?

I have been warned to not even consider saddle soap.

Please do not mention Gliptone as I am violently allergic to its smell.

Thanks.

 

I have used the Leatherique Rejuvinator but I always felt that the Hyde food that was a cream in a jar was better. I think it was made by Connerly. It was expensive and hard to find.
Good luck!

 

On this topic: aren't car leather seats like ours coated in something to make them stain resistant/ last longer? I ask because if they are (and let's face it: they feel way different than fine leather shoes, wallets, or coats) can any surface treatment really get to or work on the pores?

Dont take this the wrong way, I'd love for someone to come back and say "no, after I did xyz, my seats now feel like my $4,000 Italian leather coat", but i doubt it. I'm trying to get a handle on how much one can really do for the seats and what are worthwhile activities given how they were made.

Re original question: I have great success with the magic eraser to clean stubborn stains. Id never use one on a polished surface, the work primarily using friction and will leave tiny scratches on high gloss surface.

thanks, John

 

I used 'cat soap' Le Chat Marseille soap for cleaning. Cheap and efficient. Dunno if available US.
cat soap

 

Connolly's Hyde Food from the UK is the best leather protectant I have ever used. Had a jar back in the late 1980s / early 1990s that lasted me nearly ten years. If you can still find it these days, I know it will be very costly. I have used Lexol for the past fifteen years or so and that has been good enough for my purposes....

 

I think a lot of it depends on what type of leather it is. Leatherique did an amazing job of floating years of sweat and crap from the seats in my Continental but had little effect on the Jag. I have a mission chair that is aniline dyed and it sucks up leatherique like a paper towel. Not only cleans but also softens the leather. Also works great on my Sperry TopSiders and other quality leather shoes. I also believe the Prestine clean, while it isn't as aggressive a cleaner as others (normally a good thing) it seems to keep vinyl (dashboards, trim, etc.) in good nick. My thoughts are a lot of leather (and so-called leather that is more the norm these days - bonded leather, in particular, is ground up scraps that are bonded together with resins and for the most part no better than cheap vinyl. However, since a portion of it is leather it gets away with using the word leather.) is so coated with paint type products, instead of being dyed, that anything that is good for vinyl will probably be just as effective as a good leather conditioner (which will just smear around on that surface) unless it has sufficient pores and cracks to allow penetration but even then it will do little good for the 'painted' surface.

Here's the rub - and what it can damage... when I first did my Continental I used a soft nail brush to remove the Leatherique rejuvinator and gunk with the Prestine clean. It was sooo gross but came out looking wonderful when finished. When I got the Jag most of the interior was in good shape but the steering wheel was kinda mucky from hand sweat and oils. Leatherique and Prestine clean weren't having much effect so I used the nail brush, lightly, and the finish on the wheel began coming off. Now the oatmeal finish has some pretty gnarly dark spots that look worse than they started. One of these days I'll have it recovered... at least I keep telling myself that.

Just my findings from my personal experience.

 

FYI, Hide Food is still available. Ive seen it recently branded Connolly and Bentley.

 

The Connelly Hide Care is available on Amazon for $35.00 USD and their cleaner is 12.99.

Thanks.

 

Supposedly we have real Connelly leather in our cars, but the modern way of finishing the surfaces makes me wonder too. I have read that the US and some Asian manufacturers vinyl coat their seats. The process for the past thirty years involves some sort of coating for the coloring process. When I ordered my front seat covers the supplier made a point that he had the original hides. They match the other pieces in the car perfectly in terms of color and finish texture. From what I saw of the backsides, they are not pieced. Perhaps we are dealing with a resin of sorts that limits absorption unless it is a penetrating application that would leave pores. I guess that I will find out when I apply product.

Thanks.

 

I am by no means a leather expert and may get laughed off the thread here, but I use the inexpensive Zymol brand leather conditioner ($10 per bottle) on both my XJ and XK. I have tried their leather cleaner also, but when I deep clean leather I typically use the Vapor Systems VX5000 steamer, so don't really have a need for the cleaner. I initially tried Zymol several years ago after I read a few discussions about it on Autopia and Autogeek forums. One I remember in particular was of a Ferrari owner testing it against others and said it produced superior results. Though the bottle instructions don't say, users find it works well if you let it "bake" in you car for several hours or the day before wiping off. It has many key ingredients in it that the others do, too.

 

Beav,
A little off topic but this company sells leather dye that will exactly match the color of your seats, and steering wheel.
https://www.seatdoctors.com/diy-leat...FQiUaQodEPUE8g
I've used their products on my 98 XK8, and my 11 XK, the color match was perfect.
Just a thought that might be a cost effective solution to your steering wheel issue.
Regards,

 

Thanks, I heard of Zymol quite a few years ago. Interesting using a steamer as it avoids any chemicals and actually hydrates at the same time. You are probably opening the pores in the most effective way so that the subsequent conditioner application will absorb well.

 

From the Internet (which is never wrong ) "Connolly Leather ceased trading in June 2002. However, in 2003, Jonathan Connolly established C B Leather Ltd and resumed the manufacture and production of high quality leather and now sells under both C B Leather and Connolly. The recipes to Connolly Hide-Food and their Leather-Cleaner have since been sold or licensed and have returned to the market."

My 2001 responds well to Gliptone conditioner, not so much to their cleaner. Most sealed leathers do well with a moist cloth. A simple test is to place water drops on the leather. If it absorbs, it's not sealed and will do well with treatment. If it sits on top without soaking in, it has been sealed.

Keep in mind the sides and backs are vinyl and do not need leather products.

 

White Bear, Thanks so much! I just ordered a bottle for my Ivory Drivers Seat ...I looks like "a dirty Blue Denim colored Ivory Seat with cracks in it!" Now, I will send Photos of the "transformation" I hope?

Billy Clyde in Houston

 

[QUOTE=Jag#4;1688131]From the Internet (which is never wrong ) "[I]Connolly Leather ceased trading in June 2002.

Every Jaguar made after 2002 has Italian leather, not Connolly. And while all modern automotive leather is surface-coloured and coated for durability (not dyed through), the surface still needs conditioning for flexibility and it will accept a good conditioner (despite claims to the contrary) but NOT a so-called "conditioner" that contains silicones to provide a gloss. Once silicone is used on the leather, conditioning is well-nigh impossible. Leatherique works very well on the Connolly leather that Jaguar used in the 80's and 90's, much less well on the Italian leather it uses now. For this Lexol is a very good choice, and there are other premium conditioners available.
For recolouring leather, that is, to replicate the surface colourant Jaguar uses (a water-based polymer) Color Plus, Leatherique and a few other firms can supply the material. Properly applied (sparingly) on clean, dry, and conditioned leather, it is indistinguishable from the original surface.
The above information is from my personal experience in restoring many Jaguars.