Which leather product for me?

[prr]

I just got a new to me 2006 Toyota Highlander. The leather trim seats are slightly dirty, but the leather itself appears to be in very good shape. It is still fairly soft, no tears--just a bit of grime. What I think I need is a product that can clean a bit (I do not need to spend the time or money on a product that will restore to original luster--this is not a show car) of the stuff that can easily come off, but much more importantly, protect the leather so it does not harden or crack or tear. I plan on keeping this car for at least 10 years, if not a lot longer than that. I'd like to stick with an all purpose, cleaner and conditioner, just for the sake of saving a bit of time and money.

So I see Meguiars has two different products:

https://www.meguiarsdirect.com/meguiars-ultimate-leather-balm-5oz.html

and

https://www.meguiarsdirect.com/meguiars-gold-class-rich-leather-cleaner-conditioner-16oz.html

I'm pretty sure either one would be good for my car, but which one would be best for my purposes?

[prr]

Re: Which leather product for me?

Another question--they are leather trimmed seats, so the parts that you normally don't sit on would be vinyl.

Do I need to be vigilant, to make sure that my leather product stays off the vinyl, or the Megs natural shine protectant that I have, stays off the leather? Would either of these products be bad for the other surface?

[Mike Pennington]

Re: Which leather product for me?

Ultimate Leather Balm is much more of a dedicated conditioner, so in your case, the Gold Class Leather Cleaner/Conditioner is going to a great call ! In one step, you will clean, condition and protect. That product is also available in Liquid, Spray and Wipes...Your preference on how you like to apply.

As a general rule for best results and experience, leather products for leather and vinyl products on vinyl, but neither of the ones you mentioned, will damage the other surface.

Mike

[prr]

Re: Which leather product for me?

Great--that's all I need to know.

Thanks.

Ultimate Leather Balm is much more of a dedicated conditioner, so in your case, the Gold Class Leather Cleaner/Conditioner is going to a great call ! In one step, you will clean, condition and protect. That product is also available in Liquid, Spray and Wipes...Your preference on how you like to apply.

As a general rule for best results and experience, leather products for leather and vinyl products on vinyl, but neither of the ones you mentioned, will damage the other surface.

Mike

[prr]

Re: Which leather product for me?

I went ahead and started using the Gold Class Leather cleaner/conditioner. I was very pleased by the results. I think when the bottle is done, I'll move up to the leather balm, as from that point, the issue won't be cleaning so much as conditioning. Now that the leather is clean, I'd like to keep it good--and also, after getting so close to it while cleaning, I noticed some cracks appearing, so I think the balm will be a nice product for these seats over the long run.

[Blueline]

Re: Which leather product for me?

I went ahead and started using the Gold Class Leather cleaner/conditioner. I was very pleased by the results. I think when the bottle is done, I'll move up to the leather balm, as from that point, the issue won't be cleaning so much as conditioning. Now that the leather is clean, I'd like to keep it good--and also, after getting so close to it while cleaning, I noticed some cracks appearing, so I think the balm will be a nice product for these seats over the long run.

The cracks you might see, are cracks in the vinyl coating. Nothing will reseal the cracks. Go on the internet and check the difference between finished leather (like you have in your car) and real leather. Do some research before you just buy a product.