Thread: Query re leather on Discovery 4

Originally Posted by scarry

Fronts of seats are the only leather part,usually including the steering wheel and sometimes top of the gearshift lever.

I use autoglym cleaner and balm as well,seems fine.

What is strange is in handbooks of different brands of vehicles it often says wash with warm water,nothing about conditioning the leather.

Synthetic leather is now used in some vehicles,with the claim it needs less maintenance,last longer,and is more durable.

And doesnt upset Vegans


I use Bowdens to look after mine... The seat faces are the only real leather (unless you ticked the big $$$ boxes at delivery) and the rest is vinyl

Thanks to all for the replies: for reference, just be aware that the Bowden's own is specifically for PU leathers, so is not the best for your seats..(and warns accordingly on the bottle). I'm using a shoe/handbag leather cream in the first instance, which is working a treat...

A lot of misunderstanding in this thread, let me correct the record for you. The Discovery 3, 4 and most modern vehicles have Polyurethane (PU) coated leather, and need appropriate water based products to clean and protect them.

99.99% of modern automotive leather (modern being post 1980s) has a polyurethane coating applied over the leather hide. This greatly helps in the longevity, look, and durability of the leather. Uncoated leather is quite rare, whether that's aniline or not is another debate, but for an example, it's found as a $50000+ option in a new Bentley, not something you'd find on a 'regular' car.
There is a lot of confusion thanks to companies like Toyota calling things Pleather or PU Leather. These are normally a Vinyl base (not leather hide) and have a polyurethane top coat applied for the benefits mentioned above.

Now for actually caring for your leather.
A large majority of "leather" cleaning products are actually detrimental to the leather with long term use. Alcohol or soap based cleaners will harm the PU Coating with regular, long term use. Balms that contains things like neatsfoot, lanolin, silicone or waxes will only serve to block up the pores in the PU coating and prevent the leather underneath from being able to "breathe". Things like silicone found in the cheaper leather protectants also have the added bonus of damaging the PU coating itself with long term use.

Allow me to put "breathe" into context here. Leather hide will naturally want to absorb and release moisture, depending on the temperature. By blocking the PU coating up with the aformentioned ingredients, you are preventing the leather from being able to absorb moisture, which makes it a lot less pliable (and hard). This is what causes those cracks you see over time, where the leather has dried and is not as pliable and flexible when you sit on it, instead of bending it cracks and creases.

The only safe type of leather cleaners and conditions are those that don't block the PU coating, usually water based ones.

This article gives a great outline of the different cleaners you might encounter and why they are not ideal for PU coated materials.
Cleaning, conditioning and protecting modern leather

Hope this helps!

A lot of misunderstanding in this thread, let me correct the record for you. The Discovery 3, 4 and most modern vehicles have Polyurethane (PU) coated leather, and need appropriate water based products to clean and protect them.

99.99% of modern automotive leather (modern being post 1980s) has a polyurethane coating applied over the leather hide.

Hmm. I thank you for the contribution, but can you validate this? I've tried to research, and it appears that the general meaning of 'PU leather' is not 'PU coated real leather', but an artificial leather substitute. A couple of links stress that this is actually a selling point for vegan/animal lovers. The link you provide is advertising from Bowden's. It may well be correct, but I would love to be completely clear on what type of seat covering I have - not as a snob thing, but in order to use the most appropriate cleaner/conditioner. I've emailed Landrover, will report back what they say, if anything...

(FWIW, I tend to Tombie's view - I think, based on looking long and hard and rubbing various products in, that the seat squabs (bit you sit on) and possibly the centre of the back, are real. The rest seems plasticy and suspiciously uniform - probably a plastic 'faux leather'. Bowden's products feel wrong and have little effect on the real bits, while a lanolin based leather balm seems to work very well and has reduced creases...)

Originally Posted by Jpdv

Hmm. I thank you for the contribution, but can you validate this? I've tried to research, and it appears that the general meaning of 'PU leather' is not 'PU coated real leather', but an artificial leather substitute. A couple of links stress that this is actually a selling point for vegan/animal lovers. The link you provide is advertising from Bowden's. It may well be correct, but I would love to be completely clear on what type of seat covering I have - not as a snob thing, but in order to use the most appropriate cleaner/conditioner. I've emailed Landrover, will report back what they say, if anything...

PU Leather is a completely different thing from PU coated leather. You can usually tell the different in person by pressing your finger into the seat and then dragging it any direction. Normal leather will leave an impression for a moment, and crease around your finger as you move it. Vinyl (or PU Leather) will usually stay taught around your finger, not leaving an indent once you have moved away, and not creasing.

I'm certain that the leather in the D3/D4/RRS is PU coated leather, but even if it was just PU leather, you will still want to use a cleaner safe and suitable for PU, which means avoiding the types of products that I have mentioned above.

Would be interested to hear what Land Rover have to say, but I've just found this passage in the D3 owners manual.

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Originally Posted by Jpdv

(FWIW, I tend to Tombie's view - I think, based on looking long and hard and rubbing various products in, that the seat squabs (bit you sit on) and possibly the centre of the back, are real. The rest seems plasticy and suspiciously uniform - probably a plastic 'faux leather'. Bowden's products feel wrong and have little effect on the real bits, while a lanolin based leather balm seems to work very well and has reduced creases...)

I've used the Bowden's leather care range extensively for the past 5 years of ownership (now up to 240,000KM) and the seats still look near new. From the factory, leather is not shiny, greasy, or slippery. A lot of people will apply a product that makes it look or feel this way, but in my personal opinion it feels like a cheap car dealership has slathered grease all over the seats, or a very sweaty individual has been sitting in the car.

As Land Rover themselves have mentioned, a lot of products might look good in the short term, but long term damage is where the issue is with a product like the one you have been using.

I'd agree, that only the seat faces are actually leather, the rest seems to be stretched vinyl.

Yup, its all interesting, but I'd actually disagree with you - that LR 'care' section implies to me that its real leather that needs to be cared for accordingly... I'll report back - I'm now frustrated, and want the 'ground truth' from Land Rover.

Originally Posted by Jpdv

Yup, its all interesting, but I'd actually disagree with you - that LR 'care' section implies to me that its real leather that needs to be cared for accordingly... I'll report back - I'm now frustrated, and want the 'ground truth' from Land Rover.

Agree or disagree, it's polyurethane coated leather. Whether you call that real leather or not is up to you, but it's what you'll find in 99.99% of modern vehicles.

If you really wanted to test the theory, allow a drop of water to dwell on the surface of the leather for 30 seconds and then wipe it away. Uncoated leather will be left with a wet stain. PU coated leather will not.

Good luck.