My car has Dakota leather, which I like quite a bit. Feels good and holds up well.
My findings on this and others:
Leatherique works well as a once in a while treatment, or to shoot life back into neglected leather. Higher quality leather responds better and would benefit more from regular use. With Dakota leather or lower, as long as it is kept clean and protected, Leatherique is not really necessary. It may help bring life back to neglected Dakota leather. It will do absolutely nothing for Sensatec.
I like Zaino Z10 'leather in a bottle' for periodic Dakota treatment, and regular maintenance on higher grade leather. Leaves a nice, new looking matte finish and feel with no greasy or slick feeling, and smells great too. Will provide a similar feel after use on Sensatec, but there's no real benefit to it.
For regular maintenance on Dakota, and all protective care related to Sensatec, Aerospace 303 is great. Leaves a very nice feel and appearance after application, and keeps surfaces well protected.
For all of the above types, any PH neutral leather cleaner used before applying the above is fine. Really comes down to personal preference.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ShocknAwe
FWIW Im not sure the standard leather in most BMWs is actually leather, I had my front 1er sport seats redone in an italian imported whole grain similar to Napa available to my local upholsterer and, omg.
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For the 1, 2, 3, and 4 Series, Sensatec (i.e. plastic synthetic leather, also known as 'pleather', or Leatherette) is standard. It is tough and will hold up very well with only regular cleaning followed up with protectant application (Aerospace 303). On these cars, Dakota leather is optional. Standard for the 5 Series. Dakota is real leather, but it is highly processed and often painted. The grain is artificial and is embossed by a machine during processing. It's also durable, but has a better appearance and feel than Sensatec with only slightly more upkeep required.
Then we get to Nappa leather, which is available on the 5 & 7. Merino leather is also optional on some higher end models. This is obviously real, natural grain leather and should be treated as such.