I love the smell of a Rolls or Bentley when you open the car door and was wondering which conditioner gives off the best "Leather Smell"? Like the Bentley.
I heard Zaino smells good, but no one said exactly what it smells like? example: nice smelling chemical, Bentley type leather, perfume etc
Thanks for the help

 

Hawaii,
This is one of those subjects that comes down, very much, to personal choice.
I have used, and still continue to use, Gliptone leather conditioner. It does exactly what it says on the tin and I find gives me the smell I want when I open the door.
Of course, as always, the choice is ultimately yours.

 

Emery,

I got your email about which cleaner I use on my Ivory seats and decided to share my reply with everyone on the forum. This subject - which cleaner/conditioner do you use - has been widely discussed and there are lots of opinions. Unfortunately, most of the posts don't say what color interior; it is much easier to clean darker colors than lighter ones like Ivory and Caramel.

See this thread: https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...you-use-56684/

I drive with the top down most of the time. As a result, my interior gets bombarded by tree sap and other sticky stuff floating around in the air. Not only does my leather get dirty fast, but so does everything else. The Griot's cleaner (above thread, post #3) works well on my Ivory leather as well as on the touchscreen and wood surfaces. My dash pad is still like new, but I use conditioner every time I clean it and always put the top up and use a reflective sunscreen when I park outdoors.

Hope this helps!

Stuart

 

Big fan of Connolly's Hide Food. Connolly supplied the hides for Rolls, Ferrari, Bentley, etc... until they folded, but the Hide Food is still around. It's also used on the seats of Parliament.

 

The problem is there's very little leather in a Jaguar whereas a Royce or a Bentley is fully trimmed in leather:

"How many hides does it take to trim a Bentley? The 15 cows whose hide is needed to trim one will all have been reared principally for their meat but the hide that is the by-product is the very finest, and each one will provide around 46sq ft (14sq m) of leather."

Jaguar isn't in the same league!

With leather cleaners and conditioners, I must have tried them all over the years.

As far as conditioning is concerned, Connolly and Gliptone have proved the best. However, neither give the 'leather' smell associated with RR or Bentley.

Graham

 

I'll add that if a modern/modern-ish Jag is being compared to a 50s-60s-early 70s vintage Brit cars, the leather tanning process has changed quite a bit, as has the padding......which I think was horsehair back in the day....and the aroma just isn't the same.

The older Jags (and probably many others) used Connolly "Vaumal" leather which was very pungent and blended deliciously with the faint whiffs of dampness, anti-freeze, gasoline, and burning 20/50 Castrol :-)

Cheers
DD

 

Never sniffed the innards of a Rolls nor Bentley. Never used anything on the leather besides Gliptone. Smells like leather, to me.

 

Graham,

You are mistaken; my 2009 XKR Portfolio Cvt is fully trimmed in leather as detailed below.

RR and Bentley use more leather because they are larger than an XKR, but I doubt that they have leather in more areas than in my XKR. My XKR has leather in the following areas:
1. Steering Wheel (Slate)
2. Seats, Front and Rear (Ivory w/Slate Stitching)
3. Instrument Panel and Glove Box Door (Slate)
4. Center Console (Slate)
5. Dash Cover (Slate)
6. Door Panels (Ivory and Slate)
7. Rear Side Panels (Ivory and Slate)
8. Gear Selector Lever (Slate and Alloy)
9. Floor Mats (Slate Carpet w/Ivory Leather Edge Binding)



Source: Official Jaguar Press Release 2009 Jaguar XKR Portfolio Special Edition - Top Speed

Just want to set the record straight.

Stuart

 

The Zaino conditioner does smell like... well... leather. It's just the same type of smell you'd expect from walking into a leather specialty shop. I like it.

 

Thanks for the feedback. I'm going to try some Zaino. Been reading about their waxes too. Seems like a really good product as well.

 

I'm going to look into these Gliptone and Ziano products.

When I got my 07 XK about a year ago, the dealer had used some sort of imitation leather smell product that was just awful. It had a cloying sweet perfume smell, only somewhat like leather. It gave me a headache in addition to being a embarrassment. Hell, maybe it was perfume. Let's hope this dealer wasn't using either of these products.

Anyway, after a year it has dissipated. Thanks be to Allah.

 

I've been using Zaino stuff for about 10 years. It's been good to me.

 

Zaino Z - 9 Leather Cleaner Spray Soft - Car Care Europe

is it the one you guys are talking about?

 

Z-10 Leather in a Bottle: Zaino Store

Z10 is what I've been using.

 

I think leatherique also smells like cow hide.

Like jimbov8 says it's really subjective as to which leather condiitioner is best. If you go on the detailers forum you'll get all different answers from Connolly Hide, Leatherique, 4Star, Pinnacle, Wolfgang, Chemical Guys, Poor Boys...etc.etc.etc. I've used Zaino (leather conditioner and wax products) way back in the late 90s when I had my C5 Corvette and it was decent stuff. Didn't like the smell of their leather conditioner but I've heard they've change the smell since I've last used it. I am now using Pinnacle and Blackfire leather conditioners. Just remember to find conditioners with UV protection especiatlly if your have a Vert or if your car stays outside. Most leather conditioners do come with UV protection though.

 

I asked this quesiton in other threads but have not had an answer. Does the Connelly's leather cleaner and conditioner affect the light colored threads? I have a charcoal interior with light colored stiching.

 

thanks Rahtok,

i used the connoly for more than 10 years, no it does not alter any color its neutral, it soften the leather, i heard its good not to apply too often compare to others...the leather may not be as firm if it is applied too many times, but its a real good product.

 

I don't know if the new Connolly's Leather Hide Food is the same as the old stuff. Didn't they get bought by another company or something?

 

I have been using it for 4 years and really like it. It can seperate easily, so I mix it with one wand of an electric beater right in the can before using.

My favorite leather creme to date.

 

SO I went to Coventry West and bought some Connolly Hide food leather treatment. I used it yesterday on my seats, door panels, and dash.

I learned quickly not to apply it directly to the perforated portions of the seats. Difficult getting it out/off.

Has a very strong strange smell in the container. I was somewhat leery to use it, but tried it on the front of the passenger seat and went from there.

I applied very sparingly. You really have to work the stuff and rub to get an even looking application. Gives the leather a satin appearance. Not much smell going on which put me at ease somewhat.

This morning when I got in the car I was hoping to get a good leather smell - no smell. When I use Zaino the interior smells intoxicating...very good leather smell.

So, I think I will stay with Zaino. I guess I will use the Connolly from time to time to moisten the leather just to use it up.

If you guys that have used it a long time put it on a particular way or in certain amounts please let us know.