Best 328 Leather Care

There are other threads on this topic but they all seem a few years old. I am looking to clean and condition my 1989 328 GTB leather and I would love thoughts on the best products specifically for the older Connolly leather (considering that modern leathers are much different). Fortunately my leather is in great shape but I want to do whatever I can to keep it that way. I have heard that Leatherique is great but it takes a lot of work. I've also heard good things about Griots. Any experienced thoughts would be appreciated.

 

This could easily turn into a "motor oil religion" thread, but since I'm the first one baited into response, my observations are these:

- Of all the leather care products I’ve tried, I’ve never seen any difference in the amount of “moisture” they add to the leather; they all seem to work.

- A big factor for me is the smell. There is animal smell leather and there is cheap treated-leather smell like what you smell on a cheap pair of shoes.

- I use Leatherique on my 308. It is a love/hate relationship. The main product – “Rejuvenator” - is a pain to put on, never soaks in all the way, gets all sticky and needs to be removed with the sister product “Pristine Clean”. But it smells like natural hide; lanolin and collagen and all that natural stuff. My 308 smells good.

- I have tried both Griot’s “Leather Care” and “Leather 3in1” on a different car and hated the smell. Hated it. It made my car smell like a cheap pair of K-Mart shoes. I spoke (complained!) with the Griot people about it and they said that their leather products are very popular and had no intention to mess with what is working for them. To Griot’s credit, they let me trade both bottles for other products of theirs that I like.

- I used to like Lexol, but ominously, the latest bottle I purchased smelled lightly scented with the same stuff that Griot’s uses.

I hope this helps.

 

I’m glade you mentioned scent because that is a huge concern of mine. Nothing beats the scent of the Connolly leather interior and I don’t want to ruin it.

 

Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Two other products worth asking about are Voodoo Blend and Connolly Hide Care.

 

I have used the Leatherique, based on this board. For some years, my preferred outcome had been to use their Rejuvenator oil, then wipe down with Pristine clean. I personally do not like the smell, it is not really a leather smell to me. But the smell fades quite quickly. The leather will end up with a very low gloss finish, which looks fine but I do not feel it adds protection from further wear/exposure to sun and such. The pristine clean did seem to be a bit hard on the leather dye, so I was not comfortable with constant use. The Rejuevenator oil seems very safe for the leather.

Zaino Z10 has a notable leather like smell, and is used sparingly, not letting it heavily soak in like Leatherique. Seems to be a cleaner and preserver in one. Still a bit chemical type of smell when applying, but no question this is the best product for restoring a leather odour I have found.

I then top coat with Claphams Leather Dressing
https://claphams.com/product/leather-dressing/

This is a small batch boutique product, and has a beeswax base that gives a nice mild gloss finish, smells wonderful like beeswax and clearly gives some protection as you would expect a wax would, and seems to last along time. Further interior cleaning with a damp microfiber is all that is required for maintenance. I have found this to be the best outcome for my 1988 Mondial all black interior leather.

 

I agree with Brian. Most of the good stuff out there will work, so picking based on smell is not a bad way to go.

Generally for leather, clean first, then treat. So first find something that cleans well and is sympathetic to the original leather. Leatherique and Lexal have worked well for me.

-F

 

Specifically regarding cleaning, has anyone ever experienced a negative impact on die color? Given that my beige leather is all original, I’m concerned about removing any of the color. Should I be?

 

After using Zymol for the longest time, I tried the Auto Glym line of leather care products this year. I was very pleased.

 

Yes, re: dye colour you should do a test on say the leather on the rear base of the seat, and see if the dye remains intact, ie. no colour wipes off onto the cloth. Threads on this typically suggest that if any dye comes off it must have been re-dyed at some point. I am skeptical of this, I think the original dyes can oxidize over time, just like a paint can, and some products are just too harsh for old leather treatment.

 

I used Leatherique on my 308. 15K miles when I bought it.22 K on it now. The leather was perfect. Now the dye has come off in splotches. The response from leatherique was unacceptable. In my opinion stay away from that stuff. They told me this is typical and really no big deal....just re-dye!!!!!! Just ****ing re-dye.....,really?

 

I have not experienced the slightest problem whatsoever for the leather of my two cars with Leatherique; I have been using it for close to 10 years now on my GTB, which, being an April 1989 produced car, has the latest grade of "Beige" (the grade of Conolly leather changed in November 1988). The only trouble, as said by some here, is that the process is rather time-consuming, and, especially in a GTB, tiring because the space inside the cabin is limited (on the GTS, you can take the top off).
I'm treating the leather twice a year on the GTB; three times for the GTS. The fact that it works well on my cars does not necessarly imply that it will work as well on others, but I have to say that I never encountered any problem.
The pictures enclosed are a repost, but shows the actual leather in the car; it has never been re-dyed, only maintained with Leatherique; as said before in other posts, I'm happy with the results, although it took me more time to achieve the result I hoped for, than what I thought to have understood at first. But I'm happy with it now.
Rgds Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

Ditto on the Leatherique. The process of using Leatherique is not immediately intuitive, so make sure you read the directions. I thought the first step would be to use the cleaner, but that is not the case. Once you understand how leatherique works, it does make sense. Great products. After all these years its still a family owned business, so I enjoy supporting them and they are great to deal with. Also they are Ferrari owners to boot.

 

About Leatherique - do you always use the rejuvenator every time? If my leather isn't dirty, is it wise to just use the cleaner? It is my understanding that the cleaner is actually the conditioner. I

 

Yes, you should be sympathetic to the factory dye.

From my experience, Leatherique works fine as does Lexal product. I would suggest trying out whatever you choose on a hidden area on the seat to see if it works for you.

-F

 

Yes, I do; always the full treatment:
- wipe the seats clean with a cotton cloth (dry);
- apply rejuvinator oil (I use a tooth brush), then let it do its work...
(if possible in hot weather, car under direct sun, windows closed, seats under a plastic wrap -with no inscriptions on the plastic, otherwise you get a nice inscription transfer on the leather...then a full day of sun is enough)
(if hot weather not possible, I left it on the leather for two to three weeks)
- apply Prestine Clean by hand, slightly massaging the leather.
- wait about 15mn, then rince the leather with a cotton cloth damped with tepid/warm water.
- wait another 15mn, then polish slightly with a dry cotton cloth.
That's what I do, and the leather likes it. Can't vouch that it will work on the leather of another car, but it works on both of mine, without any trouble whatsoever (GTB for almost ten years now, GTS for seven); it is more time consuming and sometimes a true PITA in the GTS which has the extended leather option (doing the seats only does not take that much time; doing the whole leather of the car is more daunting...)
I have to say that I used it on many different other leathers, just to see: I treated a sound-proofing leather door that is original to the family house, manufactured in 1772 (= that leather is 245 years old) and it worked just fine.
The only time I have a shift in colors is in my favourite leather armchair, a big "armchair with ears" (as translated directly from french), which was artificially aged with lighter patches of color when I ordered it thirty years ago; all color has somewhat unified with the leatherique right now.

Rgds

 

The old leather door this september, after been treated with leatherique (the wallpaper was being redone at the time...); and the armchair with the leather that was artificially aged initially, and is now getting more harmonised with each leatherique application (The big Tom is not "mine" -well, can one actually claim to "own" a cat?-, but comes from the neighborhood; the armchair is more his than mine now...) Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

I've decided to try Connolly Hide Care. If anyone has experience with this product I would love to hear application tips. The container has very limited instructions.

 

I recall the Ferrari factory recommends rubbing down leather with a gatto after applying leatherique, it looks like it turns out pretty good!

I think the factory presently recommends a Leathermasters leather care cream produced by Uniters in Italy, might be rebranded for Ferrari dealers, I tried some, it is ok, but seemed a bit chemically and was a fairly watery liquid. Might be ok for the newer leathers, but seemed pretty harsh for regular use to me.

 

The newer leathers are very different from those on 308/328; I wouldn't be able to tell if the hides are the same or not, but their preparation and conditioning is definitively different. Those used on 308/328 are the "traditional" Connolly automotive leathers, the top of the hide being "sealed" by a protective coat that make them rather hard and somewhat "plasticky" to the touch, but also very strong and durable, if they are cleaned and conditioned from time to time. The inconvenient is that this top coat might get brittle on some cars, and sometimes fracture on the creases.
During the nineties there was a shift towards softer leathers for cars' seats, etc...a bit like the leather used for clothes, with is much more supple to the touch, but also more fragile: they do not have the same protective strong top coat that the leathers on 308/328 have. On our cars, that top coat, by the way, might be eliminated by some products such as acetone or by sanding: you will get a softer leather, but much more fragile if not reconditionned.
My guess, but that is only a guess, as I am not a leather expert, is that a product designed for the newer leather would not work well with the older one.

Finding the "right" product for your leather takes time, especially as the less agressive products, which, in the long term, are often the best, act slowly, so changes are not immediately apparent. I can't recommend a product or another, I'm only able to say that leatherique works fine on my two cars, but the softening of the leather actually took more time than I thought it would.
I would avoid anything that would put another protective coat above the top of the leather, as the leather pores are already somewhat sealed, so anything above this would clog it completly.
Rgds

 

I conditioned all my leather this weekend with Connolly Hide Care and it went perfectly. I applied it using my bare hands then wiped the leather down after about 30 minutes or so. The following day I wiped the leather down once again to remove some of the remaining stickiness. The smell dissipates quickly.

 

Griots leather care transferred color to the cloth I was using so I stopped immediately.

I now use Chemical Guys leather cleaner and conditioner and like them both. One cleans pretty well. The conditioner leaves a Matt finish and smells like leather.

 

Question specifically regarding cleaning. I would like to gently clean the very minimal bolster dirt on the drivers seat that is commonly seen. Luckily it is rather minor but I would love to remove what is there. I As I mentioned earlier, I am very happy using Connelly Hide Care for conditioning.

Is Prestine Clean a great cleaner on its own with the Rejuvenator? Any other gentle cleaners work best? Also, would you suggest using soft leather brush? The most important thing to me is not damaging the original seats and dye.

 

The rejuvenator is interesting in that after sitting for a couple of days, it seems to soak in and percolate out of the leather the dirt, old care products, etc. The pristine clean then removes this bloom. I would not use a brush, you will scratch the finish, a microfibre cloth would be as aggressive I would go. For light surface cleaning, the safest approach would be a damp microfibre cloth, maybe with a drop of a pure dish soap.