Buff, Burnish, Smooth, & Shine

["JONATHAN R LICHTENSTEIN" <jlich001@xxxxxxx>]

Hello All,

I once again find myself in need of advice in the area of car-care, and I
immediately thought of the IML. I mean, what a resource to have at your
fingertips! I'll warn you, this is a big posting. Ok, the first thing I
need some info on is leather products. Now I know many of you are going to
say, "So look it up in the database, you lazy so and so!" Well, I did and
came off more confused than when I went in. I don't want a volume on the
history of the products, nor do I want to know which one smells the best.
Let me tell you what I've been doing, and maybe you can advise me on how I
should proceed. I currently apply saddle-soap to my leather. This keeps it
clean, and seals the leather against water and debris. However, it doesn't
keep it as supple as it should be and it's a real trial to apply it. Yes,
my leather is still pliable and continues to have that "new" look so sought
after, but I have this awful fear of it cracking under stress. The driver's
seat is the only one to have ever seen regular use. In other words, I'm
afraid to let people sit on the leather! NO it's not sunburnt. NO it's not
dry-rotted. NO it's not paper-thin. NO it's not a cheap re-upholstery job.
It's simply the fact that it only LOOKS "new." It doesn't FEEL "new"
anymore. So can I get some kind of consensus on maybe half-a-dozen
different products I might try, and which are somewhat easier to apply than
the saddle soap? Also, it would help if the product is fairly accessible.
Thank you. I realize I can't expect to fully resurrect the leather, but I
think it at least could be loosened up a bit. The other item on my list is
car wax. Yet again, I can hear the doleful cries from less forgiving list
members asking me to stop pestering them with such simple questions, and
let the list get back to the challenging posts. Well, too bad. I am using a
silicone clear-coat protectant right now. It's great stuff, but I haven't
got much of it. I don't have a buffer, so this is going on by hand. Can you
recommend a few products that won't break my back if I try to apply them?
It takes me an hour and a half to wax my car with the stuff I'm using now,
and a double coat of it lasts about two months. Like I said, it's good
stuff. So what do you think? Please send all your advice to the e-mail
address listed below. If your e-mail comes back for any reason, just try
again. It'll go through eventually. Thanks everyone for your attention on
this, and my car thanks you in advance (my mother thanks you, my father
thanks you, my sister thanks you,...). Oh, and would whoever is in charge
of new postings for the Movie/TV section contact me please? It seems Mike
Trettin's not doing it anymore. Thanks again.

Sincerely,

Jonathan R. Lichtenstein

jlich001@xxxxxxx

Imperial: America's Most Carefully Built Car