Quote from: bpd1151 on April 24, 2014, 08:11:36 PM
Larry....... I was totally unaware of your position in the interior industry, and for as many years as you report! 
Very cool! 
IDK if you could offer any opinion on the following, however, having seen other owner's complaints (about the cracking "leather") just as the OP reports here..... I have been religious about routinely applying a leather conditioning product.
My choice thus far has been Meguiar's Leather Conditioner.
It has held up pretty well thus far, and it's advertised to replenish the moisture content molecularly within the "leather" itself, that ultimately not only protects the material, but also allows it remain moist/pliable/flexible, and thus in turn...... preventing the cracking issue so many others have experienced.
Based on my usage alone, and knowing I haven't had any issues to date, what are your thoughts on these types of products?
Hey Mike I have been retired for long enough that some of my firmly held beliefs may now be turned upside down and not be worth diddly but since you are asking, here is what I used to preach. Look at the label on your product and if you see any kind of oil as an ingredient, get suspicious. The OP's crack is in vinyl not leather. So is leather conditioner good for vinyl, and vice-versa? Hard to believe one product is good for both. Vinyls are a petroleum product. As they age they give up there oils (plasticizers) and get more brittle. The old sales pitch of adding oils and emollients to replenish or slow down aging was I felt pretty reliably BS. My rule was that adding any oil...petroleum based, body oil, sun tan oil, mink oil, would speed plasticizer migration not slow it. Hence the finding that shining up the vinyl with ArmorAll ages not rejuvenates. On the other hand I do LOVE 303 which acts like sun glasses for your vinyl.
I installed a leather kit on my brother's new car. He loved that car and he put some Canadian leather preservative on it every week. Inside of one year the feel of the upholstery was on a par with aging 6 or 7 year old interior. I got Katzkin to give him a reduced price on a replacement and redid his car. His instructions per Katzkin for clean & maintenance was to damp wipe or sparingly use mild soap & water then buff dry. No emollients.
Maybe chemists have come up with some new great miracle product but until I know better I'm a doubting Thomas and I consider them snake oil.
My wife knows me well and she considers me a low credibility source ....so there you go. LOL
2010 Steel Blue Metallic, Fully Loaded, non PP, LMS 4+, K&N drop in, 170 T-stat, 3 bar MAP
