-
Read the WELCOME ALL BMWFANATICS post.
Round 2: Adi's 2004 BMW 330i M-sport 6MT
- Thread starter AdiS
- Start date
Wow....magazine material pics and car. Nicely done on keeping her in great condition. [SMILING FACE WITH HEART-SHAPED EYES]
Straight six
Well-known member
raise:raise:raise:you deserve a Bells!!!...make it two
DINODENASH
Active member
straight as an arrow !!! :clapper:raise:
raise:
AdiS
Well-known member
I am a real stickler when it comes to interiors. I find an old car with a clean interior much more impressive than one with a clean exterior. This is probably because most people fixate on the exterior, neglecting the interiors and making clean ones quite rare. As such, I am somewhat obsessed with restoring and maintaining leather as it is usually the big determining factor to the perceived condition of an interior.
For me, leather needs to be smooth and free of creases and cracks, as well as matte. Nothing looks worse than an accumulation of shine on leather - it really makes the leather look old in my opinion. So I have always be interested in products and techniques that can clean leather and restore the matte finish that new leather has. Unfortunately, there is not much you can do about creasing and cracks unless you re-dye and use leather filler, but a good clean can go a long way to removing the shine.
I have been through quite a few products that achieve a matte finish after leather cleaning, but no product has more Internet hype than Leatherique. It is different to a normal “clean and condition” process, and purports to not only thoroughly clean leather, but dramatically soften/condition it as well. The basic process is as follows:
1) Condition with Rejuvenation Oil
Unlike other products, you first treat the leather. You do so by saturating the leather with the “Rejuvenation Oil”. I should point out that this product contains no actual oils, its just the name. You basically massage the oil into the leather with your hands and leave it to sit. This process is best done on a hot day, over a period of 24-48hours. Yes, that’s right — it’s a lengthy process. The theory is that the heat and time allow the leather to soak in the Rejuvenation Oil, which looses all the dirt and pushes it out out of the pores.
I decided to try this on my E46 330i on a hot day. Leather soaked in Rejuvenation Oil:
After 24 hours, the seats looked like this. It's hard to know if the leather absorbed the oil or if it simply evaporated:
2) Clean with Prinstine Clean
Once the leather has soaked in the Rejuvenation Oil, it leaves a sticky residue that can then be removed using the Pristine Clean product. You simply spray this on, gently agitate with a soft brush and wipe off with a damp microfibre, and buff dry with a dry MF. This should then reveal clean, matte-finish leather. I found this part easy enough, and if anything, it required less work than a normal leather clean as the dirt came off very easily.
Results
I should point out that when I used this product on the leather in my E46 330i, the leather was already in excellent condition and not very dirty. I was mostly going for the softening effect as opposed to using it as a cleaner. This is because I find that there are other products that are less labour/time intensive and do a good job of removing dirt and shine. As you can see from the pics, the whole Leatherique process does an excellent job of cleaning the leather and leaving it perfectly matte. I certainly can’t fault it in this department. However, I was left quite underwhelmed by feel of the leather. To me, it mostly felt the same as before. It might have softened slightly, but certainly enough for me to notice nor be consistent with the hype that the Internet would have you believe. It is possible that perhaps I need to leave the rejuvenation oil on for longer (48 hours), and do repeat applications. At this stage though, I simply haven’t bothered.
For me, leather needs to be smooth and free of creases and cracks, as well as matte. Nothing looks worse than an accumulation of shine on leather - it really makes the leather look old in my opinion. So I have always be interested in products and techniques that can clean leather and restore the matte finish that new leather has. Unfortunately, there is not much you can do about creasing and cracks unless you re-dye and use leather filler, but a good clean can go a long way to removing the shine.
I have been through quite a few products that achieve a matte finish after leather cleaning, but no product has more Internet hype than Leatherique. It is different to a normal “clean and condition” process, and purports to not only thoroughly clean leather, but dramatically soften/condition it as well. The basic process is as follows:
1) Condition with Rejuvenation Oil
Unlike other products, you first treat the leather. You do so by saturating the leather with the “Rejuvenation Oil”. I should point out that this product contains no actual oils, its just the name. You basically massage the oil into the leather with your hands and leave it to sit. This process is best done on a hot day, over a period of 24-48hours. Yes, that’s right — it’s a lengthy process. The theory is that the heat and time allow the leather to soak in the Rejuvenation Oil, which looses all the dirt and pushes it out out of the pores.
I decided to try this on my E46 330i on a hot day. Leather soaked in Rejuvenation Oil:
After 24 hours, the seats looked like this. It's hard to know if the leather absorbed the oil or if it simply evaporated:
2) Clean with Prinstine Clean
Once the leather has soaked in the Rejuvenation Oil, it leaves a sticky residue that can then be removed using the Pristine Clean product. You simply spray this on, gently agitate with a soft brush and wipe off with a damp microfibre, and buff dry with a dry MF. This should then reveal clean, matte-finish leather. I found this part easy enough, and if anything, it required less work than a normal leather clean as the dirt came off very easily.
Results
I should point out that when I used this product on the leather in my E46 330i, the leather was already in excellent condition and not very dirty. I was mostly going for the softening effect as opposed to using it as a cleaner. This is because I find that there are other products that are less labour/time intensive and do a good job of removing dirt and shine. As you can see from the pics, the whole Leatherique process does an excellent job of cleaning the leather and leaving it perfectly matte. I certainly can’t fault it in this department. However, I was left quite underwhelmed by feel of the leather. To me, it mostly felt the same as before. It might have softened slightly, but certainly enough for me to notice nor be consistent with the hype that the Internet would have you believe. It is possible that perhaps I need to leave the rejuvenation oil on for longer (48 hours), and do repeat applications. At this stage though, I simply haven’t bothered.
Sabretooth tiger
///Member
Excellent work bud :clapper:
DINODENASH
Active member
:clapper:
Brilliant
that interior sure is clean man !!! and matt
I used collinite 855 for leather ....also a brilliant product that brings back the matt finish
just clean with some mild APC and apply
http://www.crazydetailer.co.za/inde...ducts_id=579&zenid=lm4mi4u0bej3u6f7bjsttqn597
Brilliant
that interior sure is clean man !!! and matt
I used collinite 855 for leather ....also a brilliant product that brings back the matt finish
just clean with some mild APC and apply
http://www.crazydetailer.co.za/inde...ducts_id=579&zenid=lm4mi4u0bej3u6f7bjsttqn597
Budleigh
Member
Gorgeous car. As far as I'm aware, that leather should be sealed, which means that conditioning it or rubbing various ointments into it doesn't work because it just sits on the top layer. A good cleaner that removes buildup from the top layer, followed by a protectant that replaces any areas that may have worn off, works well. Especially if you protect the high wear areas like the driver's bolsters.
Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk
Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk
Great work there bud, car is looking really good! :blowheart:
I brought some leather care products back from the UK to try... The demo was done using the products on an e46 sport seat, have to say I was very impressed and ended up purchasing some. Will revert on the products after I test them out myself.
The company is called Leather Genie, link: http://www.leathergenie.co.uk/
I brought some leather care products back from the UK to try... The demo was done using the products on an e46 sport seat, have to say I was very impressed and ended up purchasing some. Will revert on the products after I test them out myself.
The company is called Leather Genie, link: http://www.leathergenie.co.uk/
