Leatherique Rejuvenator and Prestine Clean = Unicorn Tears

Leatherique Rejuvenator and Prestine Clean is the greatest leather conditioner and cleaner for automobiles, period. I have received many compliments on how well the leather looks and smells on my older vehicles due to Leatherique.

Leatherique leaves leather feeling supple and buttery smooth. It brings back the original smell of the leather and deep cleans all the built up dirt and grime. I am always amazed how dry, cardboard feeling leather can turned into soft and silky suppleness after one application. Be aware creases and cracks will not be removed by Leatherique, those need to be filled and dyed.

There are downsides to Leatherique:

• Suggested application is letting seats sit in Sun for 24 hours after being applied with Rejuvenator oil. This is difficult in colder months or if you don't have time to let your car sit for a day. 
• Pricing is ridiculous at ~$1 to $2 an ounce. It's great stuff, but it goes super fast and its expensive treating a large SUV. 
• Can ruin King Ranch leather. Check for compatibility. 
• Using Prestine Clean to remove the oils is a process. Requires going over several times with Prestine and wet rags to remove all the gunk and goo. 

Luckily there are workarounds. 

• Only use Prestine Clean and skip Rejuvenator oil. If your car is brand new or leather is in excellent condition, consider skipping Rejuvenator oil and using Prestine Clean for maintenance. 
• Prestine Clean is excellent by itself and can be used for door seals and rubber. It's much cheaper than Rejuvenator oil and doesn't require Summer Sun. 

There are the Pros and Cons. To me its worth it to have the soft, great smelling, and clean leather Leatherique provides. Sure, there are plenty of YouTube videos on 50/50 leather seat shots, but I am willing to bet none of them come close to the smell and softness.

For regular maintenance cleanings and conditioning I use Lexol or Leather Masters.

Toyota 4Runner 5th Gen Brakes Are Terrible

I know the 5th Gen 4Runner is around 4,800 lbs and a body-on-frame layout, but can we get better braking modulation and stopping power?

Linear braking response is foreign to the 4Runner. You begin to press the brake pedal to come to a stop and there is hardly any braking. You press past the midway point and it's full on nose-dive braking. It's incredibly annoying to drive and for passengers to experience.

Yes, nose-diving when coming to a stop is a trait known to the 5th Gen. I assume it's do to its weird suspension layout of double wishbone in the front and live-axle in the rear. 4Runner rear-ends sit a little higher in the back which makes nose diving worse.

There are lift-kits or leveling kits that reduce rake and prevent crazy nose-diving, but I chose a different method. I replaced the OEM rear brake pads with StopTech Street Performance pads. They bite a lot harder and keep the rear end from lifting too much. I noticed stopping distances are shorter, but the downside is they dust a lot and squeak when it's cold.

I believe OEM brake pads focus on low noise and dust which is why they are so poor. I haven't encountered brake fade or irregular wear during canyon or towing, just really bad performance. I have no other choice but to upgrade to big brake kits or replace the 4Runner. Braking was OK when the 4Runner was new, but after a couple of years of wear and several road trips the weakness is glaring.

I find myself braking extremely early and still crossing the intersection line. Stop and go, daily driving is pretty bad because I don't dare get up to speed. I find myself driving like an old grandma that does 10 mph below the speed limit due to laughable stopping distances. It's too bad and I don't think I will replace the 4Runner with another one. It can have the off-road performance and looks of a traditional SUV, but shouldn't have the atrocious brakes of one.