Leather Master's review on Recaro's

[Rodmar]

So I ordered some used B7 S4 Recaro Seats from a salvage yard in jersey, and here's what they looked like when I got them:










What I used to clean em? Just like the title states, Leather Master's and the kit worked wonders, took me prolly 2 hours worth of actual time to get the seats done, but after it's completely worth the 50$ kit I ordered from Detailersdomain.com, and the 2 hours spent cleaning them. I looked up tons of reviews before deciding to purchase this kit but finally decided this kit was the best and priced just right, especially with Phil's discount coupon for the site.

The seats look brand new, and I can't even believe these are the same seats to be completely honest, and would reccomend to anyone that if you plan on taking care of your seats, and interior, purchase this kit in a heartbeat, the Leather Masters Kit, so here's the link to it:
http://www.detailersdomain.com/Leath...Kit_p_149.html

Here's what the seats look like now:

[Rodmar]

Here's the guide I followed when doing it:

I have RECARO seats in my B7 S4 and posted this same thread a while back. Here is what I found: I swear by the Leather Masters system- No grease, no gloss, no sticky residue. That stuff you by from Kragen and Autozone is just a waste of time. With Leather Masters your leather will feel like it just came from the factory.

Here is my process:

If the leather is standard it is a protected leather. With that i would recommend either moe's method or the leather masters system. If it is an upgraded leather. it very well may be aniline dyed, meaning there is no protective coating. Because of that I STRONGLY recommend sticking with the leather masters system.

Strong cleaner. (dilute 1:3 cleaner/distilled water)<that dilution makes soft cleaner>
Leather vital
Leather protection cream.

The procedure is to vacuum the seats, remove all loose debris, pick off all dried matter as best you can.

apply the strong cleaner to the sponge of boars hair furniture brush.

Work/agitate into a lather.

Apply cleaner to a 18"x18" area, agitate and or brush in slightly. This is not a scrubbing action but simply to ensure the cleaner is all over the leather.

Let sit for 20-30 seconds.

Wipe off excess with clean microfiber.

Repeat process on next 18"x18" area.

After all leather is done you will want to wait till the leather is fully dried. This is important. Leather is damaged by excess moisture, it dries out rapidly. think of a wet pair of leather gloves (ala oj) they dry out, shrink and become brittle. Leather masters is a low moisture method of cleaning. Specifically designed to work with aniline dyed and protected leathers.

After the leather is dry, Depending on where you live, temp, humidity 20 min - 1 hour. Assess if it needs to be cleaned again. I generally clean it two times for good measure.

Wait for it to dry again, Often i will use a air mover or a blow dryer on low warm air held 2 feet or more away from the leather.

After leather is dry, you can generally move onto Leather vital. This is the main conditioner. For a 4 door extended leather (doors, dash, seat fronts and backs) vehicle you might use 1 oz on two applications of vital. A normal car would be 1/4 oz or so, protected leather even less.

Again you want to wait till it is fully dry. 20 min to 1 hour. This is to ensure it will soak in to the leather and not just goop up on you.

After that i usually do a second leather vital application using 1/3rd the amount i did on the first time. both applications are very very thin layers. Just like wax, less is more.

Wait for it to dry.

Apply leather protection cream. This has uv inhibitors that keep the leather from drying out from to much sun lite. this will generally be 1/2 the amount you used on yoru 2nd coat of leather vital. If there is any excess after 5 min, wipe off with clean micro fiber.

Hope this helps-

[Stevos555]

I wonder if the letherique would be another alternative but likely more money. I have need very happy with the pristine clean and rejuvenator. It's silky smooth, especially for the steering wheel.

[B72011]

Thats my question..........and maybe Phil could answer that. I have a bunch of leatherique avail from a big kit I bought last year. Is that stuff as good as leather masters? Does it work in a similar or different fashion given that it is a 2 part system.

I wonder if the letherique would be another alternative but likely more money. I have need very happy with the pristine clean and rejuvenator. It's silky smooth, especially for the steering wheel.

[Rodmar]

Phil would have to answer that I'm sure they both work good and FYI this is a 3 step process

[Epa7]

Curious about that as well. I bought Leatherique a while back and tried it on a natural leather notebook, coating the leather until it wouldn't absorb more, letting it sit at about 100F for several hours, then applying the 2nd solution. I'm not happy with the results. It made it kinda gummy and discolored even after wiping and wiping. It might be better on treated/finished leather (the notebook is smooth but totally natural--no dyes or wax, just light tanned leather.

[Stevos555]

The gummy and sticky goes away. You need to apply pristine clean and then wipe down with a moist cotton fiber cloth.

[Epa7]

The gummy and sticky goes away. You need to apply pristine clean and then wipe down with a moist cotton fiber cloth.

I used the Pristene Clean and wiped (and brushed), but it's still a bit sticky even after 4 months. Maybe I need to try it again.

[VroomVroom]

Great write-up, and terrific work on those seats. I've used both Leather Masters and Leatherique, and have no complaints. Stating the obvious - you've got to be committed if you want optimal results. For me, it's tough to mate that much free time with the right environment (namely, heat with Leatherique,and time with both), and fortunately most of the interiors I touch are in decent enough shape for easier products (Zaino and/or Poorboys, mostly), so these are luxury items. FWIW, I've used Leatherique on my wife's large Coach bag, with no complaints. For the fellow with the notebook, it might be too late now, but another round with the Prestine Clean might kill off the remaining tackiness.