CG Leather Conditioner/Cleaner

Anyone use this combo and have any comments about it?

If not, what are the leather cleaners besides Swissvax that you guys use or recommend?

 

I like the Cleaner, the Conditioner is mediocre

 

I like the Lexol products a lot. They are well priced, and perform great. Conditioner does not smell so great though:sorry:

 

For a good 1 stepper, I really like 1z cleaner / conditioner. Has good enough cleaning abilities and leaves a nice scent behind. It probably doesn't soften the leather up as nice as some of the higher end conditioners however...although I've never really tried any...

 

What makes the conditioner mediocre?

 

It makes it look supper shiny, ok on light color but on black it looks oily. Didnt make the leather that much softer. Its ok, one of the few CG products i dont like (cough New Car smell :bla2

 

Leatherique. Megs leather cleaner & conditioner is also good.

 

The CG leather conditioner is terrible. Leaves the leather very shiny and slippery. Todays protected/ coated leather does not need to be "conditioned." Its more important to keep it clean and apply a protectant. I recommend Leather Masters from Phil at DD.

 

WHy doesn't the new leather need to be condtiioned?

ALso, anyone try the Zymol leather combo?

 

i use the CG leather cleaner and then condition with a little einzsett conditioner. works great.

 

I've tried the Zymol leather conditioner and it works quite well, but I've been using Leatherique Rejuvenator Oil and I'm enjoying using it, leaves a nice mate finish and leaves the leather suppled and fresh..hard to describe to be honest but it works quite well. As for the Zymol cleaner, to be honest I'm now convince that steam trumps any leather cleaner out there...but that's just my opinion...and possibly biased :whistle:

 

Coated/ protected leather is used in the majority of cars today. Think of it as a clear coat on leather. Leather conditioners cant really get through it. Instead, they just sit on the "clear coat" and attract dust and debris which in turn degrades the "clear coat" which leads to damaging the leather. Its most important to keep the leather clean of that dust and debris using a protectant which will repel it.

 

So it's better to not even get a conditioner? I drive a new BMW, so I'm assuming my leather is coated.

 

In my opinion based on the research Ive done, no you dont need one at all.

 

My mother drives an X3, black leather, about 12k/year. The 3 year lease is up in 2 months, and the leather still looks and feels pretty much new. I have never conditioned it, just thoroughly cleaned using Woolite/Water 8:1 (I know some reccommend against this, but it has worked well *for me*) every once in a while. Even the rear where the dog rides every once in a while still looks great.

I stopped using conditioners early last year when I realized that any benefit was just a perceived one.

Now Leatherique, Leather Masters, etc. I can see really having their place in the world of leather, fortunately I haven't come across many cars with stiff leather where they would really work their magic.

 

Here's a link from the Einszett USA web page describing how their leather conditioner is intended to work. Page two, in particular, talks briefly about pigmented leather, and the notion of cleaning the *surface* of the leather, rather than the hide itself. It's a good read. I've used the 1Z leather stuff over at JL's place, and I really liked it a lot. Next time I order from DD, I'll be getting some of my own.

Anyway...

I guess this is a "different strokes" thing, but I've used the CG "Pure Leather Conditioner" on one vehicle, and I actually really liked it. This was the red BMW M5 that I've got in the monthly competition. A bit of research led me to believe that those cars have "Nappa leather" - whatever that means - and I can say that the finish on it has a different look than most anything else I've seen. The owner also managed to ruin part of it by using 409 to clean up a spill :yikes:

Anyway...I really, really liked the way the CG Pure Leather Conditioner worked on this particular leather. It drank it right up. On initial application, you guys are right - it looked glossy and terrible. But after it sat for a bit, it stopped looking like that, and took on more of a dark, rich appearance. The owner was thrilled with the results as well.

 

You should always know exactly what type of leather you are working on and the proper products to use on it.

 

Absolutely - which is why I started poking around on bimmerforums (among others). It clearly didn't look like regular old leather.

Edit - so how does one *know* with any certainty what's the right product on a particular type of leather? All the leather conditioners I've ever seen say pretty much the same thing on the label..."this is great for leather." I doubt I'm expert enough with regards to upholstery to be able to differentiate between different types just on sight.

 

Thanks for the replies guys, I know what to get now.

 

You can generally tell the difference between coated and uncoated leather just by looking at it. Uncoated leather will change color if you rub it or drop water on it. Coated leather will not do this and water will tend to sit on it and not be absorbed.