Cleaning & Conditioner for Leather Seats

[LukerDooker]

Great thanks!

 

[IAmTodd]

Your seats are dyed, they're coated. I like Lexol and Leatherique.

 

[plumbago]

Watch out for "sun screen", in the Summer, wearing shorts. If it gets off your legs onto the leather coatings they use on the seats it will start to disolve the coatings and does not take long to ruin the look of the seats.....even the Lexol won't stop it......best regards Plum

 

[clayjo]

Your seats are dyed, they're coated. I like Lexol and Leatherique.

Which Leatherique do you use for brand new seats?

Pristine clean? That's a cleaner, right? Not, a protectant?

 

[TheLaw]

Is the Lexol safe to use on the door material as well? Any suggestions for the dash and such? Thank you.

 

[IAmTodd]

Which Leatherique do you use for brand new seats?

Pristine clean? That's a cleaner, right? Not, a protectant?

Here are the instructions for it:
http://www.leatherique.com/do_it_your_self_instruction/rejuvinator_pc_directions.html

You need both the rejuvinator and the pristine clean.

Is the Lexol safe to use on the door material as well? Any suggestions for the dash and such? Thank you.

I wouldn't bother with the lexol on an of the door panels. It's designed to work on leather and leather only. Any type of vinyl or plastic will not absorb it and it will make a big sticky mess. I use Meguiar's Natural Shine Protectant for the rest of the interior.

 

[LukerDooker]

I also saw Meguiar's leather items; cleaner, conditioner, protectant, and wipes.
The wipes look so convenient...
Ingredients are full of warnings...

Yes due to summer/sunscreen and having blk leather im interested in a protectant, but the Meguiar's labels all say 'irritant' and eye care etc etc, they all seem too harsh for leather.
It seems like one cannot apply the Lexol (more natural, no toxicity warnings) then apply a protectant like Meguiar's, (has toxicity warnings) unless the protectant is a compatible chemical.

I knew this would happen, cloth seating is terrible, but some nice pleather would be fine with me...

 

[steve04KU]

I use the conditioner every time I wash the car. I have yet to use the cleaner though.

 

[IAmTodd]

I also saw Meguiar's leather items; cleaner, conditioner, protectant, and wipes.
The wipes look so convenient...
Ingredients are full of warnings...

Yes due to summer/sunscreen and having blk leather im interested in a protectant, but the Meguiar's labels all say 'irritant' and eye care etc etc, they all seem too harsh for leather.
It seems like one cannot apply the Lexol (more natural, no toxicity warnings) then apply a protectant like Meguiar's, (has toxicity warnings) unless the protectant is a compatible chemical.

I knew this would happen, cloth seating is terrible, but some nice pleather would be fine with me...

Just use the Lexol conditioner. You need to keep the seats from drying out. That's really all the 'protectant' you need. And I'm betting your have more pleather than what you think...

 

[LukerDooker]

lol ayeah if im not actually sitting on it its not leather....

 

[peterk9]

I just returned from the dealer after getting an oil change and the random wipe TSB done, again. On a display shelf the had a product for leather conditioning. It was called King Ranch and is from the Saddle Shop in Kingsville, Texas. No ingredients were listed in the bottle.

Peter

 

[IAmTodd]

lol ayeah if im not actually sitting on it its not leather....

Most of the middle seats aren't and the third row has zero leather.

 

[Toddgfd]

Here are the instructions for it:
http://www.leatherique.com/do_it_your_self_instruction/rejuvinator_pc_directions.html

You need both the rejuvinator and the pristine clean.

Thanks for that link. Very instructive. Question though: has anyone used this technique with the perforated seats? I mean, "pour 4 oz into your hand and massage into the seats" sounds like a lot of product will be pushed into the seat innards.

 

[IAmTodd]

I normally just pour a little bit in my hand. 4oz seems a little bit much. 4ml seems more appropriate. Especially when it comes in a 16oz bottle

It did a great job at cleaning my junk yard seats:

 

[Toddgfd]

Those seats look brand new!

 

[LukerDooker]

NICE!
Searching Lexol in Amazon, found many products with reviews, gives hints at what people are doing/applying and if it works and doesnt discolor or harm anything.
Also - many products are available, including Lexol wipes in a box.

 

[clayjo]

since my seats are brands new, I'm going to go with AMMO conditioning mousse.

guy has lots of videos on youtube and the website. He's a serious professional detailer.

ammonyc.com

not affiliated in any way, just enjoyed his videos and saw that he had a product line. Also got the tire mud dressing....water based protectant for tires and al the plastic/rubber moldings and trim on the EX.

 

[LukerDooker]

Just used Lexol Cleaner and Conditioner=very nice

I bought a kit from Amazon for $15 of Lexol PHCleaner, Conditioner, and Vinylex wipes.

They work really well, no funky smells, and can see results right away.
The cleaner & conditioner have no residue or smell, except when first applying conditioner, its a slight leathery smell.

You need to practice a bit with the conditioner, it takes a while to be able to wipe the seats and buff after it seeps in, with a cotton towel, and not leave streaks or areas unconditioned.
Follow the directions exactly using any of the products and it will come out great.
The conditioner needs to be buffed in after it dries a bit, its better not to leave it until it dries too much.

Even if it does dry uneven, you can recondition and buff/fill in untreated
areas that show up as lighter, and the areas that you missed or were too wet and now look darker next to treated areas that look lighter.

The wipes make this so easy as there is not too much on them, but enough for 1 to 2 seats per wipe.
Touch up to even out the overall appearance of the seats takes 15 minutes per row with wipes and a buff cloth.

I got the perfect cotton towels in Walmart, a 6 pack for $3, blue label, cotton "Finishing Towels", no microfiber, & no coarse cotton shop towels on the interior.
Finishing towels are like double sided white cotton tshits. Perfect for buffing Lexol on the seats and wiping down vinyl/plastic parts.

Very easy to rinse the cleaner with when damp, very smooth & easy to buff the seats with, felt perfect against this mostly thin leather, otherwise a courser towel may suck up conditioner and leave the surface uneven, maybe even scour it on the soft perforated areas.

The seat leather (black in my case) did darken a bit, but its a healthy nourished darkening, the seats now look like they are better off than before and can handle the creasing, which has just started on the drivers seat.

-Dont forget the headrests - treat these with conditioner ASAP, otherwise oil from passenger hair/head will darken the leather right off the bat and it will be tough to clean gently.

I wouldnt use 4oz in an Ex, thats way too much in your hand at one time, this leather cant soak that up. No need for that on these seats.

The seats feel the same after as they did before, no strange texture or roughness, still as smooth & slippery, (not really very slippery to begin with but nice.)

I'm not sure what is on the doors and the top of the arm console, the stitching and soft surface make me question if its vinyl or pleather or leather.

When done put the containers of wipes in zip lock bags and seal them good or they will dry out.

 

[LukerDooker]

Name the materials used for interior doors & the arm rest

What is the material on the doors & the arm rest console, especially the stitched area's?
The base of the gear shift and possibly the shifter is leather.


"Lexol Vinylex Protectant, 1/2 L. Vinylex gently cleans, conditions, protects and renews vinyl, rubber and plastic without leaving an excessively greasy look or feel. DH-60 Ultraviolet Sunscreen, one of the strongest on the market, protects against fading, cracking or drying caused by age, environmental pollution and the suns ultraviolet rays.
Apply with a Lexol Applicator Sponge or soft, 100% cotton cloth, allow to penetrate the vinyl for 10-15 minutes and then buff off the excess with another soft, 100% cotton cloth. Leaves a satin finish without greasiness and does not contain raw silicone oil. The lowest sheen product we have found. "

 

[peterk9]

What is the material on the doors & the arm rest console, especially the stitched area's?
The base of the gear shift and possibly the shifter is leather.


"Lexol Vinylex Protectant, 1/2 L. Vinylex gently cleans, conditions, protects and renews vinyl, rubber and plastic without leaving an excessively greasy look or feel. DH-60 Ultraviolet Sunscreen, one of the strongest on the market, protects against fading, cracking or drying caused by age, environmental pollution and the suns ultraviolet rays.
Apply with a Lexol Applicator Sponge or soft, 100% cotton cloth, allow to penetrate the vinyl for 10-15 minutes and then buff off the excess with another soft, 100% cotton cloth. Leaves a satin finish without greasiness and does not contain raw silicone oil. The lowest sheen product we have found. "

DH-60 Ultraviolet Sunscreen, one of the strongest on the market, protects against fading, cracking or drying caused by age. Gee, I wonder if I should be using this instead of my regular sunscreen.

BTW, I've had several vehicles with leather or semi leather seats and I have never used anything on them and they didn't seem any the worse for wear.

Peter