Leather Softener? Whatdya use?

[KeithLambert7]

The seats on my '89 are hard as a rock. What experiences have some of you had with the softeners out there, and what process would you recommend?

I've been told that I should try and find a conditioner/cleaner that's not milky but clear so that it doesn't build up in cracks in the leather, my seats are tan. Clear = true? Who makes it?

Keith

[Charlie Stylianos]

Keith,

Another endorsement for www.carcareonline.com

If the Lexol cleaner and conditioner don't seem to help after numerous applications try this:

Surflex Leather "Soffener" - 32 oz Can
Description:
The most potent leather softener and restorer on the market. It softens old, stiff leather with a blend of natural and synthetic oils that are easily absorbed into the leather.
MSRP: $33.00
C.C.S. Price: $29.70
32 In Stock!


You pretty much apply the product to the leather, cover leather in plactic (saran wrap, trash bag) and let it sit over night. Probably will be easier if the seats are out of the car. I have not tried, but heard others have had great results.

[targa911man]

Keith--

I have heard that Gloveoleum (not sure about the spelling) is good. It's actually made for baseball gloves so should be available at sporting goods stores. I just got some leather softener from Griot's which got good reviews on one of the boards. http://www.griotsgarage.com . I have been waiting for it to warm up a little before reconditioning, because I've heard the products work better the warmer the leather is. I've got some gloveoleum too, so I'm going to test both on small areas. Just from experience with my gloves, I expect the gloveoleum to darken the leather, but I haven't heard that from people using it on their seats. Even if it darkens slightly, if it softens better than the Griot's I'll probably use it, because my leather is really hard too. One of the supposed advantages of the Griot's is that it uses penetrants as opposed to oily lubricants to soften the leather. We'll see.

I should add that I've tried Lexol without success. It makes the leather a little more flexible but does not get rid of the hardness and shininess,

[Charlie Stylianos]

I should add that I've tried Lexol without success. It makes the leather a little more flexible but does not get rid of the hardness and shininess,

I agree. Lexol has not done much to soften my cardboard like seats either. Keep us informed as I'd like to do the same.

[Doug E]

Ummm, I've used Lexol and don't seem to have the same problems. Haven't tried anything else though so I don't have a good comparison basis.

[87turbolook911]

I've applied liberal amounts of Lexol to my seats and it softened it a bit. Haven't tried anything else. Were our seats soft originally? I just figured that the type of leather Porsche used was just naturally hard.

I'd be interested in hearing about a product that significantly softens the seats.

[Marc A]

Companies that make great reconditioners for old hard leathers seats would be Sparco, Recaro, Cobra, Momo, and yes even DAD. :lol:

Sorry . . . just couldn't help myself.

[KeithLambert7]

Thanks for all the advice.

I ordered three things last week from CarCareOnline; Surflex for the leather seats, and Blitz Wax, and 3M Imperial Hand Glaze for the finish.

I'll let you all know my impressions of each.

Keith

[targa911man]

I used the Griot's Leather Restorer on my seats yesterday and am pleased iwth the results. It is not a miracle worker but does improve the appearance considerably. Softens appreciably but not dramatically. Oddly, the more you buff the less shiny the leather gets, going from glossy to a more appropriate and better-looking satin finish. Although the directions warned of temporary darkening, I didn't notice any. The label suggests repeated applications can result in more improvement, so I'm going to try that and will let you know the results.

[Charlie Stylianos]

Found this article posted on Pelican.

This gentleman used Leatherique products to restore some BMW seats.

Turned out quite well.

This is going into the Technical Documentation section as well.

http://home.insightbb.com/~todd.kenyon/leather.htm

[targa911man]

I saw that article too. Seeing is believing. I was really impressed with the end product, particularly eliminating the appearance of cracks. That Leatherique restoration process is definitely on my project list.

[KeithLambert7]

Yeah, and those were some pretty deep cracks in that article. Glad mine aren't anything like that, just hard. From everyone I've talked with, I'm starting to wonder if its not a characteristic of all pre-90 911 cars?

:?

Keith

[Chuck Moreland]

I coat liberally with Lexol. Then slide plastic bags over the seat to prevent evaporation. Let sit for a couple hours, then wipe off excess. Does a great job.