Your one of the gurus on here mate so I've got a question for you. Could you oil the seats In a similar fashion as you would a jacket?
The urethane clear applied on the top of the leather surface will not allow an oil to penetrate in as it should. The leatherique system works in much the same way as treatment for a jacket or couch, or whatever - but relies on the surface being able to absorb it. So for old aniline leather, it's ideal - and for cracked modern leather it can help, though the adhesive in between plied layers of leather will limit how effective it will be. Basically, if you have an old 50s rolls royce, yes you can - modern vehicles, not so much unless they're already munted.
Tinsnips , im confused, i am sure my car 's leather does not have any coating on it at all as the Duragloss leather contioner i use soaks right in and does a good job of softening it with no residue. It also gives it a new leather smell too.
ps, my car is immaculate in and out with only 58k on it.
this is what i use:
Leather Conditioner | duragloss.com.au
I agree with you entirely that it smells stunning. Duragloss 221 and Zaino z10 (same same) are what they like to refer to as a water-based leather conditioner, which isn't strictly accurate. It uses a water based emulsion to thin out and carry whatever they decide to use as conditioning oils, usually mink oil and lanolin. So as you apply it to the surface, it basically flashes dry like IPA would - rather than soaks in (a negligible amount MAY get in through stitching, but no where near enough to actually be of any real benefit). This is so it doesn't leave a greasy film on the surface - but it still does leave a film (if you use the shampoo on it again after conditioning, you will remove it), and it's designed to so they can say it offers UV protection (some). Contrast that to a genuine leather sealant or coating that will actually cure and bond to the surface and serve as a sacrificial layer to help preserve the urethane and won't be wiped off.
There is piece of text on some sites (for zaino and duragloss) that kind of gives the game away a little. It's recommended for use on vinyl as well, which obviously has no use for, and is unable to absorb any conditioning oils, but will still have the same flashing effect as if you were to apply it to leather, so as not to leave a greasy surface.
Leather is cleared for two main reasons - firstly for durability and stain resistance (although, the clear can still stain - things like sun screen can bleach the clear and make it opaque). If manufacturers building mass produced cars didn't use cleared leather, and the cars were being used as much as they are today, with the vast majority of people completely disregarding any form of maintenance or dedicated cleaning, they'd have a phenomenal amount of seats to re-trim within the warranty period. The second reason is to lock the natural oils of the leather in - the average person does not care for their car, but also won't put up with seats and the like that are cracking and splitting within a year of purchase due to drying out, so clearing them locks in the moisture and keeps them sort of soft-ish. You won't have a warranty claim knocked back because you didn't condition your leather enough. So if moisture/oil is locked in, it's also locked out, at least for the functional part, perforations and stitching aside.
Please don't think I'm blatantly advising against using it. If you're happy with what it does and enjoy the smell, by all means, condition to your heart's content. Duragloss/Zaino don't have any mineral spirits that will break down the urethane or anything nasty like that - so you're not going to break anything by using it. I'm more trying to make the point that the clean/condition route is somewhat redundant with modern leathers. A clean and seal, or clean and coat approach is more appropriate for modern finishes.
I also didn't mean to imply that you let your seats get manky - but it doesn't take long for seats to have enough grime on them to start getting a bit stiff. The duragloss cleaner is very good and very gentle, I believe it does contain some mink oil which, again, won't hurt. You can use the Leatherique cleaner as a regular wipe down as well - but you can also use a non-caustic APC (weak mix) as a leather shampoo and not have any troubles, while saving a fair amount of cash.
There's an increasing range of leather coatings arriving on the local market, both DIY and pro-applied - and they're definitely worth looking into as they are designed to work with the urethane coating, rather than the leather beneath it. The big trick to getting the most out of modern leather is to keep that urethane layer clean and intact.
While on the subject of leather, I have a SS-Z ute with the "leather bolstered" seats. Can anyone tell me if the non-clothed sections including the back of the seats and headrests are all leather or a mix of leather and vinyl? To me the leather seat sections feel no different to the vinyl on the door trims.
The upper surface of the bolsters will be leather, the outers and backs of the seats and arm rests are almost always synthetic.