How to care for leather

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Old Dec 27, 2000 | 09:25 AM
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Question How to care for leather

I just purchased a 2001 Laguna Green TL. Does anyone know how to care for the leather? What's the best way to keep it new/like new condition?

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Old Dec 27, 2000 | 09:26 AM
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Lexol! Cleaner and conditioner.
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Old Dec 27, 2000 | 09:34 AM
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Here's a word of advice, garage it.

My TL was always parked in an open parking lot to the sun, with no tint. But I did Meguiars/Lexol/Armor All clean and condition every month or so.

My mother who has only cleaned and conditioned her leather once, after a year and a half (our TL's are just about the same age) But being garaged, her leather is twice or three times better than mine. Still very soft, and that new squishy feeling.

So moral of the story is, that no matter how often you clean and condition, a garage or a limo tint is the best thing you can do for you car's interior, hands down. I've learned that the hard way with my car.

------------------
Kenny
TL
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Old Dec 27, 2000 | 12:03 PM
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Lexol.
Ed

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Acura-TL.com - Forum Moderator

'99 TL Satin Silver/Ebony, Non/Nav, Comptech lowered, Comptech Air Filter Element, Inspire Tails, AEM Brake Pads all around, Comptech Axle Back Exhaust, "Guy Smiley" doll on the dash as my Co-driver...

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Old Dec 27, 2000 | 12:56 PM
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Lexol. Whatever you do though, don't ever use Armour All

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Old Dec 27, 2000 | 03:42 PM
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God Dammit, how come nobody posted this earlier. I just used a bit of armour all on my leather, just a bit. I gotta go out and buy Lexol. BTW, what's the price of it?



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Old Dec 27, 2000 | 04:43 PM
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C'mon, God's name in vain?

I use Meguiar's Gold Class leather cleaner/condition (2-in-1 ).

Gonna start another thread for you Armour All haters.

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Old Dec 27, 2000 | 05:03 PM
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I second that "Lexol cleaner and conditioner". But don't sit in the car when you are done till a few hours.
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Old Dec 29, 2000 | 11:36 PM
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I also use Lexol products.

Two tips:

The sun hits the top of the back seats the worst. Keep reapplying treatment to those surfaces (try not to get the seatbelts).

You can swap the driver's and passenger's headrests to make the insides face outside once in a while.

------------------
2000 3.2 TL, Paper maps.
Comptech axle-back exhaust.
225/55ZR-16 RE730s on OEM alloys.
205/55QR-16 Alpins on steel wheels w/covers (winter).

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Old Dec 29, 2000 | 11:43 PM
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Lexol costs alot less that replacing leather in the car, thats for sure. Tint really does help. I always have tinted windows which has helped protect the leather in all my cars. In addition to that , clean and condition!

As for Armour All, there are products with that BRAND that are meant for leather, but I would not use the classic ArmourAll product on leather. Just my opinion.

------------------
1999 Satin Silver TL
Dunlop SP9000 215-45/17-mounted on CL-S 17" Rims
H&R Springs-Axiss MetalMasterPads-Crossdrilled Rotors
-Inspire Tailights-20/30/40 tint

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- Mingster Aeroscreen, Smokin Front mesh Grill, Clear Sidemarkers
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Old Dec 30, 2000 | 02:35 AM
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I condition my seats about once a month and my front seats are no where near as soft as my rear ones......i am so pissed off and i can't do jack $H1T about it.

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1999 Navi/Satin Silver/Ebony/Comptech Sport Suspension/Comptech Axle-back Exhaust/Factory Underbody Kit/Wings West Flush mount spoiler/Weapon-R Intake/Super-White Highs/Polarg Turn Signals/Burlwood Shift Knob/Black Chrome Emblem Kit/Custom Grille/Inspire Tail Lights, more to come...
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Old Dec 31, 2000 | 12:47 AM
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HOW TO CLEAN WITH LEXOL.

http://www.lexol.com/docs.htm

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2000 TL Naples Gold

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Old Dec 31, 2000 | 01:39 AM
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O... I put armor all twice...
hmm... why lexol? why not armor all?
Tell me plz.
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Old Dec 31, 2000 | 05:25 AM
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can you lexol in cold weather? will the stuff absorb? i've had my car for 4 months now i think it's time to condition... what do you guys think? (about the it being time to condition AND weather) and i live in houston, it averages 50's right now during the day. thanks for any help

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2001 Acura CL-S black/black
35% neutral smoke tint, cleared out headlights with polarg m-14 turn signals and piaa 19169's, piaa 19169's in roadlamps, door lights, map lights, trunk light, and license plate light, minimax hyperwhite dome light..... comptech headers, springs, sway bars, filter now installed.
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Old Dec 31, 2000 | 09:10 AM
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Smile

Originally posted by big-V:
can you lexol in cold weather? will the stuff absorb? i've had my car for 4 months now i think it's time to condition... what do you guys think? (about the it being time to condition AND weather) and i live in houston, it averages 50's right now during the day. thanks for any help

I did it a few weeks ago. It's about 40°F in my garage. It works OK.



------------------
2000 3.2 TL, Paper maps.
Comptech axle-back exhaust.
225/55ZR-16 RE730s on OEM alloys.
205/55QR-16 Alpins on steel wheels w/covers (winter).

Pictures
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Old Jan 1, 2001 | 08:18 PM
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Red face

Originally posted by SAZABI:
O... I put armor all twice...
hmm... why lexol? why not armor all?
Tell me plz.
Lexol is ph balance
use a leather cleaner & conditioner not a combo that says vinyl/leather, you can use a leather conditioner on vinyl but not a vinyl product on leather. I got some Imperial Leather cleaner & conditioner its better then Lexol but is harder to find & a few $$ more.Its been to cold out to fool with my leather.The guys with garages are lucky.

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Old Jul 26, 2004 | 09:34 AM
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is it ok to use a leather conditioner on the dash and side doors? or would a product like 303 be better suited for that?
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Old Jul 26, 2004 | 11:16 AM
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I use Eagle One leather care. You can buy it at Cdn Tire. Works great. My leather still looks new.
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Old Jul 26, 2004 | 01:37 PM
  #19  
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Originally Posted by padway
is it ok to use a leather conditioner on the dash and side doors? or would a product like 303 be better suited for that?
Use 303 or VinalX on the dash. The leather conditioner won't do anything for the vinal.
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Old Jul 26, 2004 | 01:49 PM
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So the dash is made of vinyl then. I recently bought a bottle of Meg's leather cond/cleaner and for whatever reason I began questioning the material the dash was made of. It looked like some sort of leather but that didn't make sense to me. Thus I became confused as to what product to use on the dash.

What about the material on the doors?
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Old Jul 26, 2004 | 02:13 PM
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Zaino Leather in the Bottle.

Also Hide Food is good.
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Old Jul 26, 2004 | 02:52 PM
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This thread is four (4) years old, guys..... some damn n00b did it again.... hahahahahahha

btw... lexol is the shit, but I bought the wipes and I have to take it back and buy the spray liquid shit...

Where can you buy 303 and vinylex???
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Old Jul 26, 2004 | 03:08 PM
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I use mothers leather cleaner and conditioner. Its awesome, squeeky 2 days in but then, the conditioner settles in. Great product.
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Old Jul 26, 2004 | 03:32 PM
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4 years old guys and this thread belongs in the wax and wash subsection.... MODS, do your thang...
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Old Jul 26, 2004 | 03:50 PM
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I'm not sure if I'm allowed to post this, if not - mods please delete.

I have a few new lexol cleaners and conditioners for sale if anyone's interested.

I have multiple sizes : 200ml, 1/2 liter, 3 liter and wipes.

email

danny214 [at] gmail [dot] com

for pricing information.

Thanks.
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Old Jul 26, 2004 | 03:51 PM
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For the dash, the meguiars gold class protectant wipes work extremely well.

I have those for sale too ^-^
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Old Jul 26, 2004 | 03:51 PM
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Originally Posted by bigbluecanuck
I use mothers leather cleaner and conditioner. Its awesome, squeeky 2 days in but then, the conditioner settles in. Great product.
I use mother's too, it cleans and conditions real good.
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Old Jul 26, 2004 | 05:18 PM
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Originally Posted by enyceexdanny
I'm not sure if I'm allowed to post this, if not - mods please delete.

I have a few new lexol cleaners and conditioners for sale if anyone's interested.

I have multiple sizes : 200ml, 1/2 liter, 3 liter and wipes.

email

danny214 [at] gmail [dot] com

for pricing information.

Thanks.
Take it to the MarketPlace (For Sale) section.
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Old Jul 26, 2004 | 05:19 PM
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Originally Posted by indoMFP
This thread is four (4) years old, guys..... some damn n00b did it again.... hahahahahahha

btw... lexol is the shit, but I bought the wipes and I have to take it back and buy the spray liquid shit...

Where can you buy 303 and vinylex???
yeah... I used the "search" button instead of posting a new topic. Was that so bad? I felt it was related enough to what I had asked.
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Old Jul 26, 2004 | 05:36 PM
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Originally Posted by enyceexdanny
I'm not sure if I'm allowed to post this, if not - mods please delete.

I have a few new lexol cleaners and conditioners for sale if anyone's interested.

I have multiple sizes : 200ml, 1/2 liter, 3 liter and wipes.

email

danny214 [at] gmail [dot] com

for pricing information.

Thanks.
You must quickly post the price to not be in violation of that rule, however, you still are not in the correct forum. I'm not a moderator though.
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Old Jul 27, 2004 | 12:15 AM
  #31  
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can a mod please delete my previous posts on this thread?.

Thanks.
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Old Jul 27, 2004 | 12:33 AM
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Originally Posted by padway
yeah... I used the "search" button instead of posting a new topic. Was that so bad? I felt it was related enough to what I had asked.
nothing wrong with it... I am just being an ass and pointing out n00bie mistakes... but I like that better than creating new threads, but the mods disagree with me...
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Old Aug 19, 2004 | 08:12 PM
  #33  
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Originally Posted by SAZABI
O... I put armor all twice...
hmm... why lexol? why not armor all?
Tell me plz.
I'm no chemist so I'll quote other wanna be's. I know that I have repeatedly heard and read that the Armor all family of products ruins the "plasticity" of materials over time. Here is one explanation
Originally Posted by sterophile
[url=http://www.stereophile.com/finetunes/452/index1.html]sterophile.com[\url]
"The hydro-carbon molecule of 'plastic' polymers can be thought of as resembling the spinal column: The carbon is the spine and the hydrogens are the ribs. The molecule is flexible much like the spine. It is an 'open' molecule in that not all charge balances are satisfied. Thus, there is a tendency for other molecules to bond or for the hydrogens to 'fold back' onto the carbon. UV light (radiation) and oxygen are the principal contributors. Anyway, Armor All tends to bond between the hydrogens, thereby reducing the 'space' for flexing. So long as it retains some 'liquidity,' it serves as a sort of lubrication. However, once it dries, the remaining material serves to reduce elasticity and flexibility.
I personally have watched as my rubber, vinyl and plastic get grungier with each cleaning. I used to use armor all at home. I then worked as a detailer and we used professional products. Magic dressing is really awesome for dash and tires. However, leather is not vinyl. I have no proof that Armorall dries or hurts leather. However, it stands to reason that applying silicon to an organic material is probably not going to help it. Leather treatments like Lexol are designed to get the dirt out and replace some of the oils. This is exactly what you want. The most important thing, believe it or not, is vacuuming the crud out from the seams. If you let dirt accumulate, every time you sit, you grind that dry, abrasive dirt into the leather. As you shift your ass cheeks, your essentially taking a brillow pad to the cushion. So just keep it clean.

I used to use a jacket conditioner on my accord. It was incredible. I wish I'd have written down the brand. It left the leather hard to hold on to. Slippery like fresh sanded wood is slippery. After a few days, it would be back to normal but very soft and very clean. I'll see if I can figure out what it was.

In the mean time, here is a good resource. how to care for leather seats
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Old Aug 19, 2004 | 09:00 PM
  #34  
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zymol leather conditioner works very well. -shawn
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Old Aug 19, 2004 | 11:17 PM
  #35  
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where can you buy the lexol and how much is it THANX
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Old Aug 20, 2004 | 07:58 AM
  #36  
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Lexol is about $10 for each of the large spray bottles and can find it at any good car wash.
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Old Jan 28, 2005 | 12:58 PM
  #37  
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Thumbs up Eagle One

I personally use the Eagle One products and have been very satisfied. I have been using Eagle One for almost ten years so I do have a track record with their products.
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Old Jan 28, 2005 | 01:07 PM
  #38  
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I've used Lexol on all my cars in the past...you can't go wrong.
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