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How to bring hard leather seats back to life?


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It depends. If you have a 98 with leather you would say is in good condition, then the leather is likely very hard to begin with. They don't make em like they used to... At any rate, keeping them conditioned is the best way to keep them looking great. You aren't going to turn boot leather into suede just by using a conditioner, so don't hold out any hopes that it will get much softer, but you can help keep it conditioned and flexible so it doesn't crack and open itself up to ripping.

 

Off the shelf I really don't know of a good leather conditioner. I've tried them all and they have all just sort of fallen short. You can go to a leather repair shop and they usually have good stuff. They are experts and can evaluate what type of leather you have and give you some good directions too. Personally I am a huge fan of the Wolfgang leather conditioner I order online. Autogeek.net is a good place for that. The Pinnacle leather conditioner is great too. Another good choice for a cleaner/conditioner combo is also available online and it is called Poorboy's Leather Stuff. That is what I enjoyed on my LGT because it is more of a gel and didn't gum up the perforations in the seats.

 

Regardless of what you use and where you get it, the key is to keep the leather conditioned at this stage. I've got a leather care article on my site if you want to check it out. It needs to be updated, but it is still relevant information. :)

_________________________________________

“Cleanliness becomes more important as godliness becomes more unlikely.”

O C D E T A I L S . C O M

OCDETAILS BLOG

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It depends. If you have a 98 with leather you would say is in good condition, then the leather is likely very hard to begin with. They don't make em like they used to... At any rate, keeping them conditioned is the best way to keep them looking great. You aren't going to turn boot leather into suede just by using a conditioner, so don't hold out any hopes that it will get much softer, but you can help keep it conditioned and flexible so it doesn't crack and open itself up to ripping.

 

Off the shelf I really don't know of a good leather conditioner. I've tried them all and they have all just sort of fallen short. You can go to a leather repair shop and they usually have good stuff. They are experts and can evaluate what type of leather you have and give you some good directions too. Personally I am a huge fan of the Wolfgang leather conditioner I order online. Autogeek.net is a good place for that. The Pinnacle leather conditioner is great too. Another good choice for a cleaner/conditioner combo is also available online and it is called Poorboy's Leather Stuff. That is what I enjoyed on my LGT because it is more of a gel and didn't gum up the perforations in the seats.

 

Regardless of what you use and where you get it, the key is to keep the leather conditioned at this stage. I've got a leather care article on my site if you want to check it out. It needs to be updated, but it is still relevant information. :)

 

Well, by 'good condition' I mean they aren't cracked or cut. It's a twelve year old car, and I assume the previous owner never treated the leather, so the seats now feel like the vinyl booths at a crappy diner. The parts that aren't in the sun and don't get sat on are still nice and soft though, which makes me think there may still be hope.

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I haven't really had much luck with Lexol. The fact it is a spray would probably have something to do with it. Look at it this way... Leather is just like your skin. If your skin was dried out and cracking, would you want a spray moisturizer, or a lotion moisturizer? Sprays just don't put down enough product to soak in and be useful. It evaporates too quickly and gets absorbed into your applicator to quickly. Maybe for perfect leather it would slow down the aging process, but when you are trying to restore leather, or just bring it back to life like the OP is trying to do, then you really want to find a good lotion or gel. Preferably find one that is dedicated to conditioning and isn't a cleaner/conditioner all in one (Leather Stuff is an all in one, but still really good). The Lexol leather cleaner has worked well for me, but the Lexol Leather Conditioner smells like goat urine and didn't seem to be really doing all that much good for the leather.

_________________________________________

“Cleanliness becomes more important as godliness becomes more unlikely.”

O C D E T A I L S . C O M

OCDETAILS BLOG

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  • 4 weeks later...

I'm a bit late to this conversation but the best method of cleaning/conditioning leather I've found is a 2 step process I learned from some Chrysler owners when I owned my LHS.

 

Step 1: Take a Mr Clean Magic Eraser and some water to the seats. This will get any/all crud off the seat. You may need to use more than one erasor as they tend to come apart as they are used. Clean up any particles they leave behind and let dry. It also tends to dry out the leather a bit as the water dries and makes the leather primed to soak up conditioner.

 

Step 2: use a good liquid conditioner and rub it into all nooks and cranies. Allow the seats to soak it up. You may have to apply 2-3 coats. Don't be afraid to leave some conditioner on the surface of your seats as it'll probably soak up overnight.

 

Step 3: enjoy soft, supple seats and that wonderful leather smell :D

Current: 16 Crosstrek Premium w/ Eyesight & 05 Outback XT 5MT

Past Subies: 14 FXT Premium, 14 WRX hatch, 06 Legacy 2.5i SE 5MT, 98 Outback wagon

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  • 3 weeks later...
Magic erasers are abrasive, so I would only consider one on leather as a last resort. That's probably why your leather seemed dry afterwards. While easy to use, there should be less abrasive ways to remove most dirt and grime.
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