ON LEATHER CARE
FROM cOlOuRlOck leatheR caRe
Over the next few issues we will be covering automotive leather related problems and recommending leather care solutions, using Colourlock Leather Care products.
History
The Colourlock story started in a small shed in Wellington, New Zealand, in 1993, when a Kiwi leather technician patented recipes for some leather care products. What made these products unique was the concept of ‘functional leather care’.
What was this ‘made in New Zealand’ concept?
Put simply; instead of applying oils, waxes or simple stain-proofing which have little or no positive effect on modern pigmented leathers, the real problems of cracking, shrinkage and fading through heat and light, soiling and friction damage were addressed.
One leather conditioner called ‘Fadegard’, contained UV filters and antioxidants to protect against the harsh southern hemisphere sun, Hence the name ‘Colourlock’ as in – ‘locking in the colour’, was born.
In 1995, the largest furniture manufacturer in the world, after over 2 years testing, decided they liked the Colourlock products. The rest as they say is history.
In the same year the core product company, shifted focus to central Germany to setup a factory, with Lederzentrum Gmbh and be located close to major potential customers.
Working in close collaboration with several automobile manufacturers, and using available new technologies, more products were developed. Some of these, such as ‘Leather Shield’, have now been copied by large chemical companies.
As Steve Jobs once said: “you know you are doing something right when others copy you”.
In 2003 the products were approved by Mercedes for use in production factories worldwide. In 2007 Volkswagen, after 200 hours laboratory testing and 2 years road testing (including soiling, ageing under extreme conditions, child safety and flammability) began selling the products under its own branding. Colourlock leather cleaner and Leather Shield are today the official VW leather care products world-wide.
In 2008 BMW, tested and approved the products for use on their vehicles. They are today used to clean and repair customer claims on BMW leather throughout Europe.
Colourlock for Classic Cars
So how does one look after leather? Well, the do nothing’ approach will only keep leather in good condition for those who keep their new leather in a dark room at a constant 55-65% relative humidity and between 18°C and 22°C, never sit on, touch or stretch it. Then it can keep new for 1000 years!
All leather that is used in any way or gets exposed sun and dry conditions needs attention from time to time. There are a lot of ways to care for, or conversely, damage your leather. Google is not always a friend here as it is filled with any number of so called old wives’… (better still, old-husbands’) recipes that may have helped the owner of one kind of leather but can be extremely damaging to other types.
As with most things in life, you need to have at least a rough idea of the type of leather you have. Car interiors are not saddles so leave the saddle soap in the barn.
Car seats do not normally stand in the rain and are not normally covered in heavily oiled and waxed, thick crust leather. Cars do not eat carrots either! Shoe cream is also for shoes, hand cream for hands. If you are not sure, ring or send a picture to the European Leather Care team. Asking costs a phone call and can save a lot of headaches.
The Colourlock Leather Care products are designed as problem solvers and to prevent damage.
The extensive approval testing that they have been subjected to in Germany and Scandinavia gives users confidence in, among other things their environmental impact and safety. The products are in fact analyzed and certified each year by TÜV Rheinland, the largest independent German testing Institute, in order to maintain Scandinavian and German safety requirements. Children can lick leather surfaces and allergy sufferers should have confidence when using leather and care products.
Tips to keep your car leather in good condition.
1. Avoid strong sun (garage the car). 2. Use a sun block leather
conditioner like Fadegard. 3. Avoid strong heat. 4. Avoid too much wetness…it
causes cracking and dryness. 5. Avoid too much stretching (keep
your upholstery firm!) 6. Avoid too much rubbing. 7. Clean gently. 8. Use a good leather protector to prevent wear and friction damage, like Leather Shield protector. Use these rules and your car leather will stay in good condition and give you many years of service.
After an incident such as this, there is not one of us who doesn’t pause for a moment and question the wisdom of this particular hobby. We are, if not entirely then certainly overwhelmingly, a bunch of middle-aged family men who race old cars for purely recreational purposes. We are not like the pro-drivers and thrill seekers who raced them when they were new who were prepared to take very well documented risks in the hope of getting noticed and climbing another rung of the racing ladder. None of us are expecting a call from a top Formula One team offering us a contract after our latest escapades on track. We are all competitive and want to win, but ultimately, we are out there for fun alone. Spectators will probably be dismayed that the cars are not pushed as hard as they were in period, and that the drivers are balder, greyer and almost certainly fatter than the pilots who drove them first time round. But these are fantastic cars and isn’t it better that they are out on track and being driven? And surely it is better to see the grace and beauty in action than sat static in a museum or locked in a secret garage.
Why do we take these risks? Are we incredibly brave, or just totally stupid? I think neither. The last 50 years has seen huge leaps in race car safety. Cars are no longer mobile fuel tanks, seat belt technology has improved, roll cages, safety seats, fire extinguishers, race overalls, helmets, HANS devices and circuit design have all moved on incredibly. Certainly a big move from the times for those who originally took to the track armed with the knowledge that often the best chance of surviving an impact was to be thrown clear of the wreckage.
None of this will ease the pain of the Devereux family, and the tragedy at Donington reminds us all in the starkest possible terms that even at the best run meetings at one of the safest circuits in the country, dangers remain. I hope Christian’s family can take some very small comfort from the knowledge they are in the minds of the thousands of people who make up the historic racing community. At Pau, all cars ran Christian’s number 67 on their car as well as his name as a co-driver and at the Masters event at Brands Hatch at the end of May, special stickers with the number 67 were run on all cars. A nice tribute to a friend and fellow competitor.
So should historic racing stop? People are calling for a ban on running small touring cars such as Minis against larger cars such as Mustangs. I for one hope we don’t see some stupid knee-jerk reaction. From what I have heard, this was a freak accident and competitors know and accept the risks inherent in pursuing our hobby. Hopefully Christian’s family are able to at least find some solace in the fact he was doing something he loved at the time he was so cruelly taken.
Historic motor racing is an incredible hobby loved by the many thousands who participate, but also for the many hundreds of thousands who come to watch. I for one have no intention of giving up after seeing an incident such as this. I hope the reaction of the authorities is sensible and measured. Of course a proper investigation should occur and hopefully, some lessons can be learned for us all in the name of safety.
R.I.P. Christian.