I will be buying a new vehicle this year and the trim level that I want has leather seating (not imitation leather) and various leather trim (may be imitation leather). I have never owned a vehicle before with leather in it and am looking for suggestions on products and procedures on taking care of the leather.

I buy my vehicles for long term ownership (I bought my current car brand new almost 19 years ago) so I am looking to take care of the interior to last, not just short term care.

The vehicle will NOT be garage kept so I am looking for quality products to use and also proper procedures for cleaning and conditioning/protection. Links to quality articles and videos are appreciated. I know they are all over the internet for me to find, but don't know which ones are good and which are BS from people/salesmen that don't know what they are talking about.

Edit: Leather is black in color if it makes a difference and I don't want a shiny appearance to the surfaces.

Once a year, I have a full detail on my truck. He uses Lexol on the leather and it’s not shiny and is low odor.

About 6 months later, I use Obenauf’s Cleaner and then conditioner on it. It is very shiny and stronger odor (few days only).

The passenger seat will dry out more quickly if you drive solo a lot. Especially the front bolster. And become more prone to cracking if it later gets heavy use. So more frequent conditioning there.

A thing pillow or cushing for you will raise you up a bit and keep the seat closer to new-looking longer.

Lexol leather conditioner. The brown bottle for dark leathers. The white bottle for light colored leathers. You can use the lexol leather cleaner to clean the leather if it's dirty, then follow that with conditioner.

Lexol leather conditioner. It cleans lightly too.

Yep, Lexol on BMW and Porsche leather for 25+ years.

I’ve always used Zymol products on my leather.

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Originally posted by Black Pepper:
I will be buying a new vehicle this year and the trim level that I want has leather seating (not imitation leather) and various leather trim (may be imitation leather).

What vehicle are you buying (Brand/model)? So many new vehicles are marketed as having 'real' leather when they're really not. Knowing what you're getting would better help identify the quality of the leather you'll be dealing with.

Leatherique. This is the best leather conditioner and cleaner on the market. It is more expensive but is far and away better than anything else you can buy.

Swissvax. It is not cheap but it is the finest leather care product family out there bar none. It is all I would use on the leather in my BMW M3 when I had it, the Mercedes G550 when I had it, and the real leather that is in my LandCruiser now. The cleaner is very effective while still being pH balanced and ultimately gentle with the leather and the conditioning products that are used immediately after are amazing. If you want the best, in my opinion, Swissvax is where it’s at.

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Originally posted by NaploleonSolo:
Leatherique. This is the best leather conditioner and cleaner on the market. It is more expensive but is far and away better than anything else you can buy.

I agree. Excellent product!

Connolly Hide Food.....it is good enough for Rolls and Jaguar!! I have used this stuff of many decades, and it has never disappointed. It is not cheap, but you only need "a little dab". I love leather whether in auto or furniture.

Guys, please stop with the "This is the best product on the market" commentary. For those here who know me, you know I've lived and breathed auto detailing for most of the past 20+ years. The days of only one or maybe two good products are long gone. Off the top of my head I can think of maybe 10 or 12 excellent leather care products (a couple of which already mentioned above), but there is no 'one' best product. 'Leather' care has gotten really specialized (like so many other aspects of auto detailing) in that the type of leather (i.e. why I asked what vehicle the op was seeking to purchase) really dictates the product(s) to use. Out of the top 10 'real' leather care products I can think of, the only real distinctions I'd make between them are price and availability. In today's auto detailing world we are absolutely blessed to have an abundance of excellent products all the way up and down the chain to choose from.

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Originally posted by bigdeal:

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Originally posted by Black Pepper:
I will be buying a new vehicle this year and the trim level that I want has leather seating (not imitation leather) and various leather trim (may be imitation leather).

What vehicle are you buying (Brand/model)? So many new vehicles are marketed as having 'real' leather when they're really not. Knowing what you're getting would better help identify the quality of the leather you'll be dealing with.

Yes, tons of them have "leather seating surfaces" basically the center of seat bottom and seat back are leather, the rest is naugahyde

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Originally posted by bigdeal:
Guys, please stop with the "This is the best product on the market" commentary. For those here who know me, you know I've lived and breathed auto detailing for most of the past 20+ years. The days of only one or maybe two good products are long gone. Off the top of my head I can think of maybe 10 or 12 excellent leather care products (a couple of which already mentioned above), but there is no 'one' best product. 'Leather' care has gotten really specialized (like so many other aspects of auto detailing) in that the type of leather (i.e. why I asked what vehicle the op was seeking to purchase) really dictates the product(s) to use. Out of the top 10 'real' leather care products I can think of, the only real distinctions I'd make between them are price and availability. In today's auto detailing world we are absolutely blessed to have an abundance of excellent products all the way up and down the chain to choose from.

Well, what are the top 10 then? Meguiars is probably in there.

Thanks for the suggestions. I have heard of Lexol products before, but the others I have never heard of. I searched them out and they all seem good products. I saw one video of a guy that uses Lexol and has a 15 year old vehicle and the seats look very good for the age and he had purchased the car used not new.

Lots of choices, was just looking for good solid products to choose from.

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Originally posted by c1steve:
Well, what are the top 10 then? Meguiars is probably in there.

Nope IMO Meguiar's does not have one of the 'top 10' leather care products. As to the top ten, that would only be my opinion, which is little different than any of the other opinions voiced previously, though I have used all of them (and more) at one point in time.

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Originally posted by Black Pepper:
I saw one video of a guy that uses Lexol and has a 15 year old vehicle and the seats look very good for the age and he had purchased the car used not new.

Lots of choices, was just looking for good solid products to choose from.

The recommendation I always make for anyone with leather seats of any quality are the following.

1 - Most important, vacuum the crap off them frequently, and wipe them down with a damp (not wet) microfiber cloth. Keeping sweat and crud off of them will help extend the life of the leather substantially.
2 - If a cleaner is necessary to address spots, use the mildest cleaner you can. Then consult a good detailer (not the guys with the drive through) for a good product to use on your particular seats.

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The vehicle will NOT be garage kept ...

Baking in the sun can't be good for leather. It goes without saying that you should put a reflective sunshade in the window. But I'll say it anyway.

Good thinking. Thanks for mentioning that. While that recommendation wasn't mentioned here before you brought it up, the owners manual does make that recommendation under the section on care and maintenance. Will help keep a lot of the UV rays from attacking the interior and help keep the temps down a little in the hot summer months.

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Originally posted by egregore:

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The vehicle will NOT be garage kept ...

I haven't seen any recommendations for reflective sunshade(s) to put in the window(s) when the car is not in use.

I found Leather Honey last year. It was on a few different detainers site. It works pretty well.
www.leatherhoney.com