Some leather restoration questions:

Post by **thecheat** » 02 Jul 2011, 10:35

I'm putting some work into my front seats. Mostly my driver's side seat since it's the worst for wear.

My rear seats are PERFECT and the leather is still like new so I'm not really worried about them. My front passenger seat is perfect except for the leather being hard. My driver's seat needs a lot of attention, it may be time for a new skin or a lot of labor to fix.

I bought "Leather Honey" which is supposed to restore the softness to dried leather. I chose it over Leatherique since I have free shipping on Amazon and it was also cheaper. It has softened them a bit but I don't think it can help too much since automobile leather is covered in a vinyl coating to protect it and is keeping this stuff out.

Should I remove the skin and treat from the inside?

My driver's side bolster is in bad shape, should I get a good replacement, have the panel replaced, or get a product to fill in the missing pieces? There is a lot of missing leather but there aren't any actual tears - it's mostly abraded away with one place that has a 1/4" hole.

The Leather Honey makes "regular" leather look great and gives it a deep shine, by the way.

Post by **JimBee** » 02 Jul 2011, 10:57

Last year there was a lengthy discussion on this site about the best products for treating the Volvo seats.

Post by **Matty Moo** » 06 Sep 2011, 03:03

How did that stuff work out for you since then?

I just installed a "new to me" set of seats in my Platinum. they look perfect, but are semi-hard from sitting.

I was going to get the Leatherique...but I just wasn't buying into it. I ended up getting Lexol Cleaner and a qt of Leather Honey. I'll see what comes about when it shows up.

After having Amazon Prime for almost a year, I finally figured out why they have it...you end up spending boatloads of money there.

Post by **thecheat** » 09 Sep 2011, 07:17

I think it helped a little bit on the seats. The problem is that automotive leather has a layer of vinyl sprayed on it which is a barrier that the treatments can't easily get past. The leather honey is great for my work boots and "regular" leather but it seems to be almost useless in the car. Or at least a modern car with coated leather. Maybe if you could remove the seat skin and treat from the inside.

I agree on the Amazon Prime... I look for things to buy. We needed a new microwave, pencil sharpener, and rice cooker. that's like 3 different store trips or just sit on the couch and add to the cart.

A few weeks ago I bought a new string trimmer from them; it came damaged in shipping and they sent me a new one no questions asked. So now I have a working trimmer and one for parts!

Post by **Matty Moo** » 20 Sep 2011, 23:22

I'll add my notes after using it.

It did okay. It definitely softened things up, but didn't make it like new. like you said, it's because of the type of leather.

But, that's why I bought that over the leatherique...it was half the price and I can use it on other stuff. In the future, I'm just going to treat them with Lexol and call it good.

ArielleLH · Post by **ArielleLH** » 22 Sep 2011, 08:24

Hi all,

Thanks for using Leather Honey! I got an alert in my inbox about this thread and wanted to stop in and say that yes, leather conditioner in general has a hard time penetrating the silicone sealers that are sometimes applied to new car leather. That coating is designed to protect the leather, and unfortunately it keeps even conditioners out. We always suggest trying Leather Honey in a small, concealed place first, to test and see if a sealer has been applied.

Please let us know, though, if you have any questions about the product - we're happy to answer them! We're a small, family-owned business and we want every customer to be happy and satisfied. You can reach me directly at [email protected].

Thanks, again!