[tintivilus]

Hey all,

I'm about to run out of my OTC Zymol leather cleaner and I'm looking around for what to replace it with. I've found a lot of recommendations here but not really any comparison between them. Could anybody comment on the relative merits of:

cleaners:
Z9
Leatherique Prestine Clean
CG Leather Cleaner
Pinnacle Leather Cleaner

cleaner+conditioners:
Poorboy's Leather Stuff
Pinnacle Leather Cleaner+Conditioner

The zymol stuff was a decent regular cleaner, but my cremebeige seats and armrests are starting to seem a little grimy. Maybe something with more oomph is in order?

I was leaning toward the Leatherique, but I checked out the Jetta Degunkification thread and it looked like CG was a contender. Anybody used more than one of these? Any others I missed?

btw: I still have a fair amount of Zymol Treat conditioner left, but I'm not particularly wedded to that if I'm missing out on something better.

[jmlcrm]

Try woolite in a 1-7 to 1-20 ratio with water to remove dirt and BMW leather care to treat the seats after... Works like a charm and keeps the seats looking brand new!

[uabimmer]

i'm trying to find a good cleaner also

[tintivilus]

Originally Posted by jmlcrm

Try woolite in a 1-7 to 1-20 ratio with water to remove dirt and BMW leather care to treat the seats after... Works like a charm and keeps the seats looking brand new!

Hey, that's a good idea! one of my persistent issues is the armrest stitching looking kind of dingy; I guess Woolite would clear that right up?

[J-Sud]

I like Leatherique and Leather Master

[BK]

Z-9 works great for me. Isn't Leatherique more of a "system"? It seems more hard core to me, probably not something you use all the time. I thought you put it on, let it soak in while baking in the sun with windows closed, then wipe it off.

[Malek@MRF]

Leatherique is quite pointless unless the leather is negletted or just really old.

Woolite diluted 9:1 with light rubbing with soft brush and then a final wipe with a slightly damp super soft MF or terry towel. I try to use WHITE towels for my seats to minimize any potential color transfer.

Follow up with the BMW leather care system. It works flawlessly. Take my word for it. I took the plunge and tried it and I now prefer it over all the other leather products I have used in the past.

Stay away from Meguiars leather products. They are all crap IMO.

[ibimmer954]

I've been using Black Magic Leather Cleaner. I'm really happy with how that product works on Leather. Gets my Beige leather pretty clean. I have to work it in a little bit with a Terry cloth towel, but the results are nice. The Black Magic cleaner does not work on vinyl, though.

Then I use the Zaino Leather Conditioner after cleaning. Zaino Conditioner makes the Leather softer... and of course you get that crazy-good fresh leather smell!

[L~R~G nor cal]

For a cleaner I would stick with CG Leather Cleaner. Buy a gallon and it will last forever. I usually dilute it half and half with water for normal leather cleaning, but if it is really dirty then use it at 100% strength. Works better than anything I have tried. Just make sure after you use CG Leather Cleaner to follow it with a little mist of water and dry it off. You want to get all of the cleaner off the leather before conditioning to make sure you don't get white soap spots.

Leather conditioner is a whole different story though. The CG Leather Conditioner is great and the best bang for the buck, but I like Leather Master Vital (conditioner) the best.

[Saigon]

Originally Posted by L~R~G nor cal

For a cleaner I would stick with CG Leather Cleaner. Buy a gallon and it will last forever. I usually dilute it half and half with water for normal leather cleaning, but if it is really dirty then use it at 100% strength. Works better than anything I have tried. Just make sure after you use CG Leather Cleaner to follow it with a little mist of water and dry it off. You want to get all of the cleaner off the leather before conditioning to make sure you don't get white soap spots.

Leather conditioner is a whole different story though. The CG Leather Conditioner is great and the best bang for the buck, but I like Leather Master Vital (conditioner) the best.

CG leather is by far my favorite leather conditioner; you just can't beat that "natural" smell

[tintivilus]

Before I go on another chemical purchasing round I'm going to give the Woolite a try. The bottle I have says it's "Now Concentrated! 50% More Washes!"

So are the 7:1 and 9:1 suggestions above with the normal concentration of the stuff or the 50% more! version? Should I be mixing 15:1?

[Neurorad]

I used to do a 2-step process - cleaner, then conditioner (Pinnacle products).

Then I switched to Pinnacle's combined cleaner/conditioner (to save time). Seems just as good, so I 'm on my second bottle now. I'm quite pleased with it.

If I had more time to spend on detailing, I'd still use the Pinnacle combined cleaner/conditioner.

I wonder who makes BMW's leather care products - anyone know?

[Malek@MRF]

Originally Posted by Neurorad

I wonder who makes BMW's leather care products - anyone know?

Smells like the zaino product, but I don't think it could be that simple, lol.

I personally really like the BMW product, it works excellent.

But also, if the leather is pretty dirty and neglected, a two step system that is more effective might be needed. But for mildly soiled leather, or for just simple leather car and protection, the BMW stuff is awesome. It brings back the 100% OEM look & color of the leather, is dry to the touch, and makes the leather feel soft and hydrated again.

[tintivilus]

This morning I hit my grungy armrest (which the Zymol cleaner on microfiber didn't help) with 18:1 Woolite and an old toothbrush and it cleared right up... but I'm not sure how much of that was the brush and how much was the soap

Anyway I think a decent upholstery brush is in my near future, and I'm definitely going to try out the Chemical Guys leather conditioner because it seems like such a deal (16oz for $9 )

[Bill-SD]

I'm sure these other products are very good also, but Leatherique certainly isn't pointless! It's a VERY good product. I use Pristine clean on both the leather and vinyl. It leaves a clean mat suface. I use the Rejouvenator Oil for periodic conditioning. I have no dought this combination beats and OTC product....

[Houman21]

I use Leatherique on my 20 year old leather seats in an old benz (natural non coated leather) - I would not use it on the seats in my 335 because it's overkill at this point and time.

[Bill-SD]

Originally Posted by Houman21

I use Leatherique on my 20 year old leather seats in an old benz (natural non coated leather) - I would not use it on the seats in my 335 because it's overkill at this point and time.

I use it in my 18 year old E34 also, but it works pretty damn good in my 1 year old 335 also. It's a very good product, and not just for old leather. I think you may be giving people the wrong idea. I'd say Leatherique is one of the top 2-3 products on the market. Certainly in the top 5...