Rob4092xx

The three most common types of automotive leather are:

Aniline: Leather that has been dyed and coated with a pigment (colored urethane paint) to yield uniform color and then clear coated. This type of leather does not reveal scars, pores and blemishes and has an artificial uniform grain pattern embossed. It is typically the only real leather in the seat and located only in the center inserts of the seat. The sides, bolsters, etc., are vinyl painted with the same colored urethane paint so it matches the leather inserts perfectly giving the entire seat a "leather" look. This is what 99% of cars have including Corvette, Escalade, newer Ferrari and Lamborghini. Don't believe me? Put a drop of water on your seat and see if it soaks in. It will not soak in as the leather has a painted on urethane coating on it. If water can't penetrate the coating how can "conditioners" and "protectants?" Read on.....

Semi-Aniline: Leather that has been dyed and coated with a semi-transparent pigment then clear coated This type of leather may reveal some of the underlying scars and blemishes of the hide as well as some color and grain changes. Almost never seen in the past twenty years.

Synthetic: Much of the leather, and in some, all of the leather in many of today's vehicles is entirely synthetic or engineered leather. It looks like real leather but is really entirely synthetic. This is in use in some high ticket brands like Lexus, MB and Infinity for example. It is often difficult to tell what is real leather and what is engineered leather.

The bottom line is 99.9% of cars sold today have leather only on the middle insert of the seat bottom and back. The sides are completely 100% vinyl. The color and texture matches the leather inserts perfectly as they are all sprayed with a colored urethane coating. A perfect way to demonstrate they are vinyl is the water drop test outlined above. Another way is pull some of the seat siding out from underneath the seat. Notice there is a foam backing? Real leather (from real cows) doesn't have foam backing on it.

Have you noticed the change in new car window stickers when referring to the seats? They now call the interior "leather lined," or "leather trim." Just take a look at a new C7 Corvette window sticker. They don't say "leather seats" like they used to. Now they say, "trim, leather." This is because only the center inserts are actually leather! The remainder of the seat is vinyl. Remember, vinyl has a foam backing on it.

Everyone seems to like the term "conditioner," but just what is conditioning? When leather professionals speak of “conditioning leather” they are usually speaking about leather hydration. Properly hydrated leather will be soft, plump and flexible making it resistant to creasing and cracking. Most traditional conditioners are typically oily or contain silicone, wax or things like Aloe or Neat's-foot or Mink oil. No protected leather needs or benefits from these things. Conditioning products were initially designed for a much different type of leather.

Most oily conditioners leave a film on protected leather that can hasten the accumulation of soil. Conditioners do not penetrate the urethane painted top coat to condition the leather. True, some of the H2O in these conditioners evaporates and raises the relative humidity surrounding the leather which is beneficial as the leather will pick up the H2O through the process of transpiration, but a damp wipe down will do this as well and not leave that soil grabbing film. Keep in mind that the topcoat was added to the leather for the purpose of preventing spills and liquids from getting to the leather, as well as hiding the leather’s underlying scars, and blemishes, and making the leather more abrasion resistant.

Leather conditioners do nothing to prevent stains or dye transfer. If your leather has developed cracks, using an oily conditioner may further degrade the adhesion of the painted topcoat around the crack and make the damage worse.

So how does this painted on protectiv eurethane coating work and still allow the leather to stay hydrated? Much the same way as a rain coat would protect you from a driving rain. At the same time the rain is being repelled, you will begin to notice that your clothing is becoming damp due to the 100% humidity level. That's basically how your leather stays hydrated, at the molecular level. If you want to test this put a drop of water on your protected leather in an inconspicuous place and leave for 15-20 minutes and you will see that it does not soak in. That is the urethane top coat preventing the absorption of the liquid as it was designed to do. H2O is a small molecule when compared to an oily conditioner so if water is not being absorbed by the leather, the larger molecules of a conditioner certainly are not.

Ok, so for those who insist that their leather feels softer after using a conditioner I can suggest three reasons for this. The first is that the conditioner has left an oily film on the leather and it altered the "hand" or feel of the leather. It has not really done anything to the leather, as it can't get to the leather, but it makes the hand feel nice for a short time until it is rubbed off or evaporates.

The other reason is that the conditioner likely contains a good deal of water and that it is raising the humidity level in the proximity of the leather. If this happens, the leather may absorb the water molecules and plump up and feel softer. The thing about this is that a wipe down with a wrung out watered cotton towel would accomplish the exact same thing. The third reason is that the term conditioner has no defined meaning. Who knows what is in the bottle labeled Leather Conditioner? What one company calls a conditioner another might call a protectant. The industry has too many vague definitions.

Leather is made soft in the tanning process and then sealed. You cannot add oils back through the topcoat of protected leather. Leather becomes hard if it loses its needed hydration. Dry leather shrinks and feels hard. Much the same way a chamois gets hard when it is dry. Rehydrate the chamois and it becomes soft again. Rehydrate your protected leather and it should soften to the degree designed in the original tanning process. Think about it.

I never use products that contain neat's-foot, mink, or other oils, silicone, aloe, or any other odd, useless item, but often the labels doesn't tell you what is in the bottle. This includes Leatherique, Lexol, 303 Protectant, Armor All, Zaino, etc., etc. These products do nothing but sit on top of the urethane coating until your clothing wipes them off. In the meantime, they collect dust and dirt which is then ground into your seats and stitching as you slide across the seat getting in and out much like sandpaper. 90% of your seat damage comes from this!

I vacuum my leather and wipe it down with a wrung out watered towel weekly. That is it! Your leather will look like brand new for many years to come!

You are going to read a lot of people who make comments disagreeing with me. Just conduct the two above tests and make your own decisions. Does a drop of water soak into the seat or just sit on top until it evaporates? Does the backing of your seat material on the side pieces (bolster) have foam on the back? Enuf said!

robert miller

Nice and long write up good info also..

Rooster OG

It's been this way for a while hasn't it? If I ever get that as a category on Jeopardy, I'm set!

Good info.

patriotpa

More information on NaugaHyde and it's origin:

http://www.moderncamaro.com/forum/mc...ted-seats.html

Glen e

I don't disagree with the op, I write the same here often. But I will always follow cleaning with water, with a SPF protectant like poorboys or 303. If you buff after , it leaves no oils or grease. I've seen urethane seats 10 years old cared for like this, with no fade or wear.

Always Red Dave

I just use a interior detail cleaner that is safe on leather as well as other surfaces. Conditioners are a waste like you said.

pjitty

I use a conditioner that smells like leather. Don't care if it softens, I just like the smell...

CaryBob

Corvette clearly identifies its seats as leather, not vinyl. For example, the two-color and sueded seats are described in the order guide and brochures as "leather seats with sueded seating surfaces" or "leather seats with (color) leather seating surfaces". It may well be engineered leather but Corvette must be one of the 0.1% that continues to avoid vinyl.

RussM05

The OP is 100% correct.

That said, I still use Zaino leather treatment. I like the way it feels and it cleans the surface. Damp cloth works well. Whatever you do, do not use any household cleaners. That could damage the urethane protective top coat.

Red Rochester

I agree and have used aero space 303 and also wiped down with water on my C6 for the past 8 yrs still the seats look like new

obxchartercaptain

I won't disagree with the OP because anyone who writes that much about something MUST be right..... BUT what I do know ever since I started using 303 protectant on my boats bolster pads over 20 yrs ago.....I have NOT had to replace them....whereas before .... every 2 years like clockwork. I used that same product on my 02 an my 08 Verts and the seats looked like NEW when I sold them....In fact more than one person thought I bought NEW seats for my 08...."just say'n"

Rob4092xx

If you want a leather smell in your car, I recommend you purchase "Wonder Wafers." You can buy them on Ebay. Very simple to use. Open one, place it under the seat and your car will smell like leather...seriously! I get about one week out of a wafer before the smell is gone. You can buy "Wonder Wafers" in a variety of scents. Here are some examples on Ebay:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Wonder-Wafer...575733&vxp=mtr

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Wonder-Wafer...284852&vxp=mtr

I have only used the "new leather" so I can only speak for it. They smell pretty good.

Rob4092xx

Captain, I wouldn't change a thing if you have had success. Whatever you are doing must work. I suspect you wipe your seats down frequently and keep your interior clean. This prevents the "sandpaper" effect. Most people put a conditioner on once a month or two and these are the ones who really find their seats deteriorate qucikly.

DaveFerrari458

Thanks OP, very nice write-up!

Rob4092xx

Hey Bob!

First off.....my son lives in Cary and works at Research Triangle. He drives a silver 2012 C6 you can hear blocks away. He has an awesome set up and is such a great kid!

Anyway, take a look at your window sticker. It identifies the interior as "trim, leather." This is how the automakers keep from telling you most of your interior is actually vinyl. The seat inserts are all that are leather....nothing else believe it or not. This includes your dash, door panels, etc.

Try the two tests I wrote about in the original write up...water and foam backing. I suspect you will experience what I have. If not be sure to let us know.

Cary is so beautiful compared to Phoenix. Enjoy the ride!

4GS7

My 2010 RX350 was a Luxury Package car which came with semi-analine leather. It was soft like butter and wore extremely well.

Vetteman Jack

I have Vette Essentials leather seat covers in my car and in talking with Sandy and Matt at VE, they highly recommend only using a damp cloth to clean the leather. They do not recommend any conditioner or protectant. That's good enough for me.

AORoads

That's a long explanation, but a needed one. I may not see real leather very much in cars, but I do know what "alcantara," "microsuede," and "bonded leather" are. And the last one is a bit tricky because it actually has some real leather pieces thrown into a slurry and then "produced." The first two do not, and most people know that, I hope.

I do believe, coated, vinyl-ized, painted or whatever else is done to leather and vinyl, there are products out now that help to prolong their lifespan especially from UV, drying hot sun, etc. And I think 303 Aerospace is one of them.

EcoBrick Bob

Since they are not leather... can I spray them with Plasti-dip?????

Steve Garrett

Interesting, Rob