Autopia-CarCare

The Leatherique Twins are well known in their ability to restore older, uncoated, full-grain leathers. In fact the chemicals were originally developed to re-hydrate mummies for DNA and other extraction. However there is some debate as to whether the Leatherique Twins offer any real benefit to coated leathers.

To Learn More About Different Leather Types Click HERE

To answer the question (and thread title), "Does Leatherique work on coated/pigmented leathers?" I performed the following test. I actually performed this test years ago, but recently recovered the pictures used, so it makes sense to post it today as the answer remains the same.

Getting started:

The test subject is a Ferrari 360 Spider which had served as a daily driver for 3 years threes, then spent several months in a repair shop prior to this test. The coated semi-aniline leather had seen better days.

To start the test, I thoroughly cleaned the leather using a diluted (10:1) solution of Optimum Power Clean and a Leather & Vinyl Brush. After removing the dirt, I wiped the leather with a wet terry cloth towel and patted it dry. Here are some 50/50 results on the cleaning.











After cleaning with an all purpose cleaner, it is important to damp (or wet) wipe the seats and remove any sticky residues or surfactants.

Here is the leather after being completely cleaned... looks great right?




Since coated leather is sealed in a urethane or vinyl-like coating, the Leatherique Twin's should offer little benefit, or so one-side of the story suggests.

The other side of the story (opposing view) is that any coating develops microscopic tears which makes the coating penetrable. This means the thickness of the coating, as well as the actual leather hide under the coating, would benefit from the Leatherique Twins.

Here is a crash course in how Leatherique works. First, a conditioning oil named Rejuvinator Oil, is applied to the leather surfaces. This hydrating and dirt-displacing oil will seep into and saturate the leather. This floats body oils, grease and grime out of the hide while producing a conditioning effect.

To speed along the process, it is recommended that Rejuvinator Oil is allowed to soak into the leather in a heated environment, such as with the windows up on a sunny day. Allow 4-8 hours to soak in completely. Cardboard stiff leather may require several applications over several days.

Once the Rejuvinator Oil stops absorbing into the seats (cardboard stiff leather will usually drink the entire first application) and a sticky film (usually white in color from displaced oils) appears, Rejuvinator Oil has done it's job.

To remove the sticky residue, use Leatherique Prestine Clean. This is usually done by attaching a sprayer to the product, lightly spraying on the solution to a section, then cleaning with a towel (preferably terry cloth). I like to keep the towel damp wringing it out in a bucket of warm water (I also find a damp cloth helps the Prestine Clean cut through the sticky oil residue).

Once I am done cleaning with a damp towel, I will reapply Leatherique Prestine Clean by itself.


I pulled the Ferrari outside, with the top up, and carefully applied Leatherique Rejuvinator Oil to all interior leather surfaces. I like to apply it with a sprayer, soaking the leather, then rubbing it in with gloved hands. Make sure to apply heavily around stitching and folds.






Now allow it to stoak for 4-8 hours with the windows up. You can see how much has absorbed in a short time period. Apply more if needed and try to keep the interior temp warm to hot.

Finally it was time to clean the already clean interior with the Prestine Clean. IF Leatherique doesn't work, then the Rejuvinator Oil should wipe away with almost no residue and no color (other than the light caramel color of the oil).

I filled up with a bucket of warm water, grabbed some terry cloth towels, and put a sprayer on the Pristine Clean.

With in seconds of being sprayed with Prestine Clean, a dark gray/brown film appeared and began to run off the leather. Where did this greasy dirt come from? From with in the leather.

To me this was proof positive that Leatherique can and does penetrate coated (both pigmented and semi-aniline) leather and does offer a benefit.




You can see how murky the rinse water for the towel became after just wiping the door down.




And finally you can see how much dirt and grime was pulled out of the towel (compared to a fresh towel) after just the driver's section. Leatherique clearly did it's job and pulled out a mixture of dirt, grime and body oil that regular topical cleaning simply cannot do.




Not only did the leather feel even softer than before, but it felt silky and extremely soft. The side bolsters had a malleable, pliable and supple feel that had likely eroded during this Ferrari's service as a daily driver.





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