2007 SRX - Care of interior leather

j123456k · #1 (**permalink**) 07-10-07, 03:17 PM

To all,

I have a 2007 SRX with a black leather interior. The owner's manual states that I should not use leather conditioner or leather cleaning products on it, only mild soap and water. I live in Phoenix, AZ and I have always used leather conditioner type products on my previous vehicles to keep the leather soft and in good condition. With the heat and dryness inherent to my geographic location, I cannot imagine letting the leather go without treating is with sometype of conditioning compound.

My wife and I love this vehicle and want to keep for a long time. Does anyone have any recommendations relating to leather care?

Thanks,

Jeff

onewhippedpuppy · #2 (**permalink**) 07-10-07, 06:01 PM

Your first mistake was reading the manual. Every vehicle that I have owned with leather said the same thing. I use Leatherique, it has an excellent following on other forums. Made the light surface cracking on my 944 Turbo leather seats dissapear. It really is amazing stuff. Mail order only, site is leatherique.com.

Don't waste your time with the Lexol two step products, or any of the "all in one" cleaner/conditioners. Just buy the Leatherique and you're done. Mine just came in today for my new (to me) SRX. I feel the same as you do, I want to keep this car nice, and for a long time.

j123456k · #3 (**permalink**) 07-10-07, 09:52 PM

Thanks for the great tip with leatherique. I have been using Meguiars leather conditioner for my Lincoln Mark VIII, but I still got cracks in the leather over time. I will certainly give it a try.

onewhippedpuppy · #4 (**permalink**) 07-11-07, 07:07 PM

The only reason I knock the other products is because I have tried them all. I despise mail order, and like just stopping by the local auto parts store to pick stuff up. Leatherique is worth the trouble though. This time I just bought bigger bottles, so it would last longer. Make sure you get the cleaner and conditioner combo, it's a bit cheaper.

j123456k · #5 (**permalink**) 07-11-07, 11:50 PM

So if I am understanding you correctly, you purchase the "rejuvinator oil" and "prestine clean" combo kit. Is this correct? I checked out the website and the product certainly looks like a superior product, the type of product I would typically use. I also checked all the car clubs that are supporting this product........very impressive. I am definately going to order a bottle and thank you very much for your help.

How about the rest of you guys?? Any experiences with Leatherique or other products?? As much as I appreciate the comments by "onewhippedpuppy", I was hoping others would comment as well.

Thanks,

Jeff

onewhippedpuppy · #6 (**permalink**) 07-12-07, 08:38 AM

That's the stuff. My only knock on it, in order for it to be effective, you have to let the first step sit in the sun for a while. I gave my 944 Turbo 24 hours, will probably do the same with the SRX.

Over the years I've been involved with BMW, Porsche, Saab, and Audi communities, and each one has raved about the product. It's just the best money can buy.

n7don_srx · #7 (**permalink**) 07-12-07, 10:12 AM

I did a search on what to use on the Eagle Ottawa leather in the SRX. Seems like a product called Tanner's Preserve came up often in the searches. One source even said it was an Eagle Ottawa product but I couldn't verify that.
The only experience is I use Lexol on the Envoy's leather seats and it seems to be working ok but the SRX's leather has a different texture. Maybe leatherique is the answer to both.

j123456k · #8 (**permalink**) 07-12-07, 11:33 AM

Dear onewhippedpuppy or others

Just for clarification, my SRX is new, so I am looking for something to maintain leather that is already in good shape. Is leatherique still the right product........or is leatherique more for restoring?

I called up the local Cadillac Service Department and talked with my service advisor and he told me to use a "neutral colored Saddle Soap" for maintaining the condition of the leather and said that is what their detailing shop uses. I have never used this, but that is what this guy told me.

Comments?

Jeff

onewhippedpuppy · #9 (**permalink**) 07-12-07, 12:38 PM

Leatherique is for maintenance or restoration. Obviously if it's too far gone, no oil is going to help. I bought it more for maintenance than anything, as my '04 has only very light surface marking. This weekend's treatment should bring it back to like new condition. Hopefully it will bring back some of that smell too.

If it's already nice, Leatherique will keep it nice.

I've heard saddle soap before, but can't comment as I've never tried. "Neutral colored" is a bit scary, why does it have color in it?

N7, I haven't used the Eagle product, but I can tell you that Leatherique is 1000x better than Lexol. I have mostly full bottles of Lexol products on the shelf in my garage, and that is where it will stay. On the other hand, Vinylex by Lexol is an excellent product for vinyl and rubber.

donjumpsuit · #10 (**permalink**) 07-13-07, 05:35 PM

I use zaino's leather conditioner, it works great, and produces a great leather smell (if your into that).

I would recommend what these guys recommend tho, and always condition leather, as it is a skin product, and moisturization always results in a lesser chance of cracking or unsightly wrinkles, and also takes out scraps if you wear any jeans with buttons on the rear pockets (or your wife).

Be careful of the application to the zones covering the seatheat areas that have little preferations in them back and front. Apply product to the smooth leather and then wipe these areas.

oh btw,
to those who read this, never use armor-all on any vinyl or leather surfaces that you wish to remain in good condition. Armor-all destroys vinyl by keeping it in a moist state and reacting with the polyvinyls. If you ever let the armor-all dry (by just forgetting to detail your car) your dash has a greater chance of cracking because of it when it drys. The product suggest you always keep renewing the application as much as possible. A clean wipe goes along way to make your dash look nice.

j123456k · #11 (**permalink**) 07-14-07, 01:25 PM

Well,

I sent an email to leatherique and the reply I got back was very informative and impressive. Also, leatherique got good reviews on the autogeek.com, along with some other products. I also comtacted a repair shop owner that I trust and he says Lexol sucks, but had no knowledge of leatherique. He says he only uses ECOLAB products for leather.

Anyway, I went ahead and ordered the "summer special".........leatherique cleaner and rejuvinator oil. Will use and let you know what I think.

By the way, I use "303 Aerospace Protectant" on the vinyl and rubber and "Ibiz car wax" on the exterior. Any comment on those?

Thanks,

Jeff

Tomko · #12 (**permalink**) 07-14-07, 03:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by n7don_srx

I did a search on what to use on the Eagle Ottawa leather in the SRX. Seems like a product called Tanner's Preserve came up often in the searches. One source even said it was an Eagle Ottawa product but I couldn't verify that.

I have a bottle of Tanner's Preserve Leather Cleaner and another of Tanner's Preserve Leather Conditioning Cream. They both prominently display the Eagle Ottawa emblem on their front labels and carry a written endorsement from Eagle Ottawa's president on the back labels. I can't comment on how they work because the car that I bought them for has been in storage for the past two years. I'll probably pull it out next year and will be sure to post again on how these two products work.

One additional caveat. The label on the conditioning cream says that it SHOULD NOT be used on steering wheels. Makes me wonder about all of the other products on the market...

n7don_srx · #13 (**permalink**) 07-14-07, 09:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tomko

One additional caveat. The label on the conditioning cream says that it SHOULD NOT be used on steering wheels. Makes me wonder about all of the other products on the market...

Wonder if the warning is because it makes the surface slippery? Seems like I've seen similar warnings on Armorall and similar products and their use on floor mats.

j123456k · #14 (**permalink**) 07-15-07, 07:39 PM

When you say that they carry the Eagle Ottawa emblem, are you saying that it is a Eagle Ottawa product, or just that Eagle Ottawa just endorses them? I have already ordered the leatherique, but I just sent an email to Eagle Ottawa asking them to recommend a conditioner/cleaner for their leather. I also sent an email to ECOLAB asking for info about their product. My buddy that gave me the ECOLAB recommendation owns a large repair shop and is one of the most trusted guys in the auto industry I know, so there must be something there.

Tomko · #15 (**permalink**) 07-15-07, 09:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by j123456k

When you say that they carry the Eagle Ottawa emblem, are you saying that it is a Eagle Ottawa product, or just that Eagle Ottawa just endorses them?

By the way that it is labeled it would appear to be an Eagle Ottawa product. But the front label also says "recommended by Eagle Ottawa..." On the back it says Made in USA, and in small printing that it is distributed by First Brands Corp.

In reality, like almost every other product out there, I would doubt that it is actually made by whose name is on the label. I know that many (if not most) of the GM products are made by outside suppliers in accordance with GM specifications, and then labeled as Genuine GM products. For example the DEXCool used as factory fill and in the dealerships, while labeled as GM, is produced by Texaco Havoline, same goes for the Dexron VI that is produced by Petro-Canada. I think that the recent pet food problems, where dozens of various brand label foods turned out to have been all produced by the same company, further reinforces the existence of this practice.

I had a devil of a time buying the Tanner's Preserve product, and did so because it was the only thing that the leather supplier endorsed. I'm sure that there are many, many other fine quality products available. I know that I have at least two leather products carrying the GM label. As well my father uses a Mercedes-Benz product called lederpflegemittel on his Eagle Ottawa leather interior...