I hate waiting for stuff to arrive in mail. i order stuff, and they either not get here fast enough, or i'm not around to receive them, so i have to go out at inconvenient time to collect it from depots, sometimes very far away, or stuff come in damaged or wrong one, so have to return ship them, etc.. just a lot of headache for me.
Which is why I got this, instead of more touted Lexol or Leatherique product. Having never used those products, let alone having a car that required leather treatment, before, I can only say that those products are probably, most likely better than this one.
However, for the modest price and low expectations, I am fairly please with the product.
What's it for? : they say it's a leather cleaner/conditioner combo, in an easy to use spray bottle.
What is it, really? : As a cleaner, ... not really. as a conditioner, it's better than nothing.
i've used this product for about 4 times now.
my car, being a 10 year old, with full nappa leather upholstery(door arm rest, center arm rest, seats, seat backs, bolsters, door panels, head rests.. all leather), the leather was somewhat dried and faded. (not a lot, just little bit) the side bolsters on the driver's seat show a bit of cracking. not actual cracks in the leather, just some wear lines.
especially the rear head rests. they were sort of dark grey, even though it is supposed to be black.
well, i picked up a bottle of this stuff from Canadian tire and went to work.
How do you use it then? : the instruction on the bottle says to spray it directly onto the surface and using cotton towels rub the product into the leather, and keep flipping the towel to the clean surface.
I soon found many reasons NOT to do it this way.
1. spray pattern sucks a lot. : it's not uniform pattern, and it doesn't spray evenly, leaving some areas with lots of the product, some with none.
2. over spray onto plastic trim and things : even though it is safe on plastic, even after wiping it off, some plastics become a bit hazy.
3. discoloration? (you can tell where the initial spray had been, even after you wipe it all over the seat later.)
How do *I* use it? I spray it onto a foam pad(like you use with wax applicator) and lightly rub it on the leather surfaces. it works great because you have much more control of where the product is applied, as well as how much is applied.
then I leave it for couple of minutes.
then using microfiber towels, i clean the stuff off. easy as pie.
the result? slightly cleaner, deeper black leather.
It does NOT leave the leather all plasticky but it is noticeably shinier than before.
And the leather is much more slippery than before.
those are undesirable traits, i understand, but here's the funny thing. 2 days after the treatment, my leather is suppler, more rich looking, not slippery and not so shiny anymore. so i guess it just takes some time for the material to absorb into the leather.
verdict : for the price, and for casual users, i recommend it. i don't think it will fix leathers in terrible condition, nor really be able to clean severe stains and such. but for those with leather interiors in moderate shape, occasional application of this stuff would probably help make your car look younger and healthier.
