Leather seats - Protection?

[Martinjmpr]

I've never owned a vehicle with leather seats but there's a good chance my next vehicle will have them.
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I get the impression that leather is more durable and also more resistant to spills, etc, if only because it's less permeable than cloth. Is that right? Is it easier to clean?
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What, if anything, do those of you with leather seats do to protect them from stains, tears, cracking, excess wear, etc?
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Do any of you cover your leather seats and if so, with what?
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Thanks in advance! :ylsmoke:

 

[PetitFrereArmada]

I have always preferred leather seats. They look better, way easier to clean than cloth and very slim chance of getting stained compared to cloth.

I clean mine with the leather cleaning stuffs from auto part stores. Cleaning them with this like every month helps a lot prolong its life. I never cover mine.

 

[jeep-N-montero]

I love the leather heated seats in the Monty, I used to care more about getting into our other vehicles without leather if I had dirt or stuff on my clothes than I do with the leather, it cleans so easily.

 

[98WhiteT4R]

Ive almost always had leather...but never owned the vehicle long enough to crack. That was until I bought my 3rd ten 4Runner and then I got to see what leather looks like after 17 years:sombrero:. I looked at all the options...wet okele covers, regular "cheap" covers and reupholstery. For the price of the wet okele's I could basically get new leather and foam (for my vehicle) and I didn't want to drop that kind of coin at the time so I went with CoverKing covers which weren't the cheapest but weren't to most expensive and Ive been happy with them. For the price they are perfectly adequate

 

[Martinjmpr]

Ive almost always had leather...but never owned the vehicle long enough to crack. That was until I bought my 3rd ten 4Runner and then I got to see what leather looks like after 17 years:sombrero:. I looked at all the options...wet okele covers, regular "cheap" covers and reupholstery. For the price of the wet okele's I could basically get new leather and foam (for my vehicle) and I didn't want to drop that kind of coin at the time so I went with CoverKing covers which weren't the cheapest but weren't to most expensive and Ive been happy with them. For the price they are perfectly adequate

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So you covered your cracked leather seats with cloth? How did that look?
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I did a quick Google search a couple of months ago on the cost to re-do leather seats, I want to say the cost was around $300/seat. Not cheap but not terrible, either, especially if they replaced any worn out padding while they were in there.
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I had cordura nylon covers (Marathon) for my 4runner seats, they look great and are waterproof but I don't like the way they feel so I think I'm going to go with leather next time around.

 

[ZMagic97]

Living in AZ weather here wears fast and cracks within a few years. I personally avoid it. When I did have it, I made sure to keep it moist. Clean and condition it regularly and you should be fine.

 

[98WhiteT4R]

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So you covered your cracked leather seats with cloth? How did that look?
.
I did a quick Google search a couple of months ago on the cost to re-do leather seats, I want to say the cost was around $300/seat. Not cheap but not terrible, either, especially if they replaced any worn out padding while they were in there.
.
I had cordura nylon covers (Marathon) for my 4runner seats, they look great and are waterproof but I don't like the way they feel so I think I'm going to go with leather next time around.

I purchased the canvas set, and they are almost the same color as the leather was (when new). I think they look for $150 but leather is in the budget I feel it is the way to go

 

[Stroverlander]

I protected my leather seats by selling them and installing vinyl Corbeau Baja XRS.

 

[Concours14]

Years ago I worked for a custom car company who used Connelly leather for there seats which at the time was used in Rolls Royce, Bently, Ferrari and Jag/Land Rover. One of the owners was the USA rep for Connelly leather and said they use Murphys Soap deluted with 50% water to clean and preserve the leather. I have been using it ever since and the leather in all my vehicles look brand new even after some of them being in the CA desert sun for over 10 yrs/100k miles.

 

[comptiger5000]

I make a point to clean and condition my leather every couple of months. That, and avoiding getting more dirt on it than necessary (such as sitting on a towel if you're muddy) goes a long way to keeping it nice for a long time.

 

[Maxcustody]

I have leather in my jeep. I love the leather and clean and condition regularly. However, I am pretty much a freak about taking care of all the stuff I own. I plan on keeping the jeep for a long time and due to this, I have put covers on the front seats only, really just to protect them and preserve them......... It is only my wife and I, daughter is grown. Rarely do I have anyone in the back and did not feel it was cost effective to cover the rear seats. Covers really are like anything else, you get what you pay for. I purchased TrekArmor seat covers and love them. Outstanding quality and come with two pouches that attach to the rear or even the side if you want. They were easy to install and look outstanding, no bunching, extra fabric hanging etc.

https://www.trekarmor.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=TAJKSC0710FP

 

[AllAmericanInfidel]

Our Land Rover had leather heated seats. I treated them once a week, when I detailed the rig (OCD I know). We didn't have an issue with cracking for a long time. Eventually they will crack, but it took years. They were easy to clean up, if you could clean them up in a hurry. Kids can still cause permanent stains on leather. The wife's current vehicle also has leather. The last 3 Jeeps I have had have all had cloth seats. I personally prefer the cloth seats. Easy to treat for water resistance, easy to clean, and I do not sweat in them as much as I do the leather seats on long trips. With that said, there is nothing quite as nice as sitting in a quality, supple leather seat!

 

[ExplorerTom]

Tinted windows and a windshield sunshade! I have Covercraft sunshades in both of my leather vehicles.

I've been using a product called "einszett leather care". No real comment on it.