New Car, New Leather??

[galaxy]

Getting new car with leather interior. Would you guys condition right away or hold off until down the road a ways, say like when they need cleaning? Any pros and cons for and/or against conditioning right away or down the road?

[Coopers ST]

If they are a coated leather like 95% or more of automotive leather you don't need to condition. The coating prevents the conditioner from soaking in. Instead clean and protect. Dirt and other abrasives will wear down the coating, and uv rays will destroy the leather.

[OCDetails]

It may not soak into the leather, but if it adds any UV protection at all then it is worth it. There is also the fantastic smell to gain as well. The last new car I got didn't have any new car smell to it at all. I was very disappointed. The leather looked much better after conditioning and it made the inside smell a lot better too. Kind of superficial and probably didn't do a whole lot by way of protection or prevention, but it made me happy and that is why we do what we do. It won't hurt anything to put conditioner on it now.

[FUNX650]

If they are a coated leather like 95%
or more of automotive leather

you don't need to condition.

The coating prevents the conditioner from soaking in.

Instead clean and protect.

Dirt and other abrasives will wear down the coating,
and uv rays will destroy the leather.

^^^This^^^

And don't wait...
do it right away!


Bob

[GSKR]

Getting new car with leather interior. Would you guys condition right away or hold off until down the road a ways, say like when they need cleaning? Any pros and cons for and/or against conditioning right away or down the road?

I would leave it alone for the first 3 years.once you do it your married to it.just clean the drivers seat with a damp micro maybe a little cleaning solution if need be.Now if you live in Florida that's a different outake.I used to have a e350 never used anything on the interior.

[postaltwo]

It may not soak into the leather, but if it adds any UV protection at all then it is worth it. There is also the fantastic smell to gain as well. The last new car I got didn't have any new car smell to it at all. I was very disappointed. The leather looked much better after conditioning and it made the inside smell a lot better too. Kind of superficial and probably didn't do a whole lot by way of protection or prevention, but it made me happy and that is why we do what we do. It won't hurt anything to put conditioner on it now.

You must be using adams leather conditioner . Stuff smells fantastic

[galaxy]

Hahahahhaha...one thought I had swaying me toward not using anything was trying to stay away from cleaners and conditioners that may have their own fragrance and take away from the new smell. Don't want that!

So Adams leather stuff smells good? I actually really like their interior detailer.

[Detailsbydaniel]

Hahahahhaha...one thought I had swaying me toward not using anything was trying to stay away from cleaners and conditioners that may have their own fragrance and take away from the new smell. Don't want that!

So Adams leather stuff smells good? I actually really like their interior detailer.

Smells the best out of all I have tried, wife and customers love it as well. I use it on the vinyl dash in my truck to get the smell

[Eldorado2k]

Anything that smells good will take away from your new car smell, yea...
As far as conditioners, if you decide you don't like the look, they can easily be removed with a diluted APC. Megs D101@10:1 works for this. I had to remove leather conditioner from the leather seats in my brothers new Jeep Gramd Cherokee. He thought he ruined his seats and was very thankfull I rescued him on that 1. Lol.

[LSNAutoDetailing]

One thing not mentioned is the make/model/type of car, and car seats... For example, if it's a LS3 Corvette - probably has a real hide leather.
If it is high-grade leather, the best thing to do is request a set of instructions from the manufacturer or reference the owners manual.
Pinnacle Black Label has products for such leather.

If it's a run-o-the mill leather seats, i.e. like in my Mustang GT or Malibu LTZ, it's coated pretty darn good from the factory.
I condition because, like everyone else has stated, some conditioners have a wonderful scent to them. Pinnacle Leather Conditioner smells, well, like leather!!
After doing my seats the car smells like walking into one of those stores that only sells leather jackets. Sadly it eventually wears off after a few days.

But I think all other posts are pretty spot on here. There is a automotive leather expert on this forum that occasionally chimes in from the UK (I think..). Her posts are both informative and educational, in stating basically what has already been said.