Leatherique: A brief how-to, my thoughts, and a few pics.

[JupiterBMW]

So, the X5 is a massive vehicle to detail, and that being said, I haven't done it at all yet. We have owned the thing over 7 months and I haven't done a thing other than take it to the local car wash (hand wash... I'm not THAT bad!). Well, I finally noticed the water would not bead at ALL, so I knew it was in need of some light correction and a good detail. Its time... Part of it was also to go through the interior with a fine tooth comb as my children are by no means EASY on the cars. Fingerprints all over the windows and trim, crumbs of ALL sorts in the seats, and milk spots as well. Not to mention white haze from my wife on the steering wheel and center console armrest... Damn lotions...

So, this leads me to my first experience with Leatherique. I actually purchased the set of products (Rejuvenate and Prestine Clean) over a year ago with intentions on doing my E46 Dinan3 ZHP, but that never happened (sold the car the day after we bought the X)... So, the X5 was as good a candidate as any. I asked a few friends, watched a few Youtube videos and read a couple of DIY articles on how to use it. It seemed pretty basic.

1. Vacuum and wipe down the seats to get rid of loose dirt and oils.
2. Apply rejuvenator oil LIBERALLY and rub it all around, giving the seats a glazed donut look.
3. Park it outside in the sun to hotbox (windows up, sunroof shade open, hot day)
4. Using the prestine clean, remove excess rejuvenator and dirt/oils from leather surface, buffing to a beautiful, soft, supple feel.

Now, my thoughts on these steps... Step 1, no issue here. I did a thorough vacuum, making sure to get anything in the cracks and seams. Step 2, hmm. I wasn't sure the best way to apply, or how much. So, I sort of guessed. The method I used was a spray bottle (frequently recommended). I do NOT recommend this, unless you want the shit everywhere. I also wore one latex glove and used that hand to push the stuff around and make sure all surfaces were covered. Didn't seem to bad, and I felt I had a pretty good coating, although it is very messy. I definitely let it run a little heavy into the seams, as many people recommended. Step 3, Florida, 80 degrees by 8am, no problem. I actually got busy with family stuff so the leather soaked for a full 24 hours before I was able to remove it. LOTS OF bake time, which wouldn't hurt from what I was told. Step 4, the work. I wised up and put the product in an empty squirt bottle (think maple syrup bottle... don't put it on pancakes though). I also grabbed a small kitchen sponge, and the latex gloves again. This time, I squirted the sponge and soaked up as much of the cleaner as I could. I then rubbed the sponge around on an area at a time. Once I covered it and loosened the product, I grabbed a microfiber and wiped it clean and dry. Of course, the leftover from the rejuvenator soak is a sticky mess. The seats all kept that high gloss shine, which was excess product and dirt that had been pushed out from the seats (so the internet says anyway). Well, my seats were all VERY tacky and sticky afterward. As a result, I went through an easy 8-10 microfiber towels wiping the leather clean. It also took a considerable amount of elbow grease. I felt like I wasn't going to have enough of the cleaner to do the whole interior, but once I was completed, I poured the leftover back into the bottle, and it was still half full (16oz bottles).

Results. Well, its pretty hard to capture in pictures, but I can say this. The seats feel like a completely different leather. Now granted, we aren't talking old beat up leather either. The X has 40K miles on it, and its kept fairly clean. Overall, the leather has a more uniform look, no areas of discoloration, and zero shine. A nice matte look. But the feel is what is so drastic. Much softer and more "moist" feeling... If that makes sense without sounding too perverted... It was a shitload of work, especially being how I couldn't just do it all at once, but it was worth it. Will I do it often? Hell no... But once a year is probably sufficient.

Below are a few pics... And again, hard to really capture much, especially when the wife is jumping in and leaving while I'm trying to snap a few "after" pics. Hence the crap in the back seat...

BEFORE: Take note of the lines in the back seat bottoms. That is from the protective mats we lay down under our car seats.









DURING:







AFTER: Not much to see, but you might agree that the leather is more matte and a "smoother", more uniform finish to it. Definitely noticeable in person...

[Cattivo]

Nice job bro looks alot better

[PAX5]

Nice job!

Instead of putting protective mats down under the car seats, try using soft, oversize cotton towels. Fold them over twice, or three times if necessary. Leave a little hanging over the edges. It also becomes an "absorber", and when soiled, just throw them in the wash!

[JupiterBMW]

Yeah, I used towels before, but they get all bunched up and really don't protect like I'd like them to, even for big beach towels... I honestly thought about buying that BMW protector for pets, but it doesn't have holes to allow me to utilize the latch points. I think the only reason I had marks on the rear seats was because last time I treated the leather (a standard over the counter cleaner/conditioner) I didn't wait long enough before putting the car seats back in... It was the first time I've seen the lines... Just glad the Leatherique was able to get rid of them.

Thank you guys for the comments though!