What do you use to protect new leather?

Any good hide food; Lexol, Connolly, Maguires and Leatherique etc. And yes, massage it into the leather with your hands.

It's never too early to start treatment, so do it as soon as you know the dye has cured. European leather isn't vat dyed, it's sprayed on so it's best to wait until it's fully cured.

If the replacement leather was vat dyed, you can condition it immediately.

 

I can tell you this, if applying conditioner by hand, clip your fingernails first to avoid scratching the leather.

Tony

 

I've used them all and swear by Leatherique. Bit of a pain to apply but the results are worth the effort.

 

+1--great stuff

 

I wouldn't use anything other then Concorso Leather Soft!!! It is the best. www.concorsowax.com

 

Neatsfoot oil if the seats are clean. If not, clean with a weak solution of saddle soap, first.

 

If it is aniline leather, as I am assuming it is, I would first recommend keeping the leather clean.

Solid particles, such as grit and grime, are going to the be the most damaging as they will abrade the leather's surface.

Secondly, human body oils will act to 'dry out' leather over time.

As far as conditioning, I would recommend using something that is not oily, or doesn't leave an oily surface behind, as this will only attract and hold dirt.

There are plenty of very good products out there for leather care, here are a couple.

For regular cleaning/maintenance

Leather Masters Cleaner/Leather Masters Vital
Gloss-It Leather Cleaner/ Gloss-It Satin Leather Polish (conditioner)
Zaino Leather Cleaner/ Zaino Leather Conditioner


For more thorough cleaning and restoration
Leatherique Rejuvinator Oil/ Leatherique Pristine Clean

If you clean your leather frequently, and condition it from time to time, you will likely never need the Leatherique, but it is still a good option to do once a year/twice a year.

I do not recommend Connolly Leather Feed/Hide Food, whatever it is called nowadays. The Connolly factory closed a long time ago. I have heard reports of that product damaging top-coated leather in the past, and on alanine leather, I find that other products seem to work much better.

 

Lexol or Leatherique or something that is not petroleum based like Hyde Food.

 

I think you should just trade me your new seats for my used ones, that way you won't have to be worried about hurting them. (Tan?)

 

I like Vansons leather balm.. Used for bike leathers. it has a natural oil base with a light waxy finish.. rub in, let it dry, and buff..

 

Let me first take some mis-information out of this thread:

A statement that European leather is not vat-dyed is nonsense. In fact, most european tanneries vat-dye their leather, with some exceptions. It is easy to see: if the back of the hide has more or less the same colour as the front, it is vat-dyed. Look at the dide in a cut, and see if it was dyed correctly, through and through. The colour should be uniform.

Aniline leather in a car is totally useless. It'll look like trash in no time at all. Aniline leather has no surface coating, what you see is the dyed hide. There is no protection at all, the hides' pores are open and dirt can get in at will. ALL car leather is surface coated (spray painted). If the hides are finished with a thin coat, they are often called semi-aniline.

On brand new leather I would use nothing. For maintenance, maybe use something to feed the hide at the beginning and at the end of the driving season. Leatherique makes a nice product, but when you want to do it more easy, you can even dilute full cream milk in some water (check if the water is soft, not too much calcium, as it will leave stains)

Some leather these days is Scotch-guarded, which offers protection for a good while. I think there are products to do this afterwards as well, but be careful, they may change the appearance. Do your research for that.

In general, be careful what you put on your leather. Some oils have the tendency to penetrate, but then accumulate under the finish, resulting in the finish getting lifted from the hide. Other products leave a grey shine on the leather after repeated use. Be careful if you have contrasting stitching.