I got Lexol to use on my leather, but then I read that our seats are clear coated and leather conditioner just wears out the coating.

What is the correct answer as to how best to maintain the leather in our cars?

 

Believe me know and hear me later.....



Link: http://www.303products.com/protectant.htm

 

NSXNEXT, do you use that for the dash as well?


-amit

 

Aerospace 303 is what I use on my dash. I use Lexol on the leather and thought I was fine.

NSXNEXT, how does it leave the leather?

 

I use Lexol Leather cleaner to clean up the dirt and oils from our skin and clothes then 303 the interior including the dash. Comes out very nice. 303 has a matte finish not shiny at all. I gave a sample to a co-worker and he calls it a healthy look. I agree with him. 303 lasts a long time and it seems to repel the dust that collects on the dash. Excellent stuff.

 

For leather, Zaino Leather in the Bottle is great.
http://www.zainobros.com

Also Hide Food is supposed to be very good, available at the Jaguar dealers.

 

my dad uses Armor All for the leather and dash...is it gd?

at least the leather won't crack...

 

For those that dont have the time to shop online for the product...s...are there any decent products that you up at the local 'Pep Boys'?

 

Definitely use the 303 on the dash, has a very high SPF (45?). Leaves a nice matte finish not the "I just spread Crisco on my dash" look of armour all


Where did you read about the clear coating on our seats?

 

I read it in one of these fora - actually I think NSXNEXT posted about it. Now that I think about it, maybe I should take that info with a grain of thought - I think he also uses a leaf blower to dry his car.

 

Yup take it with a grain of salt. In fact don't use 303. It'll just make my car look that much better.

As for the leaf blower, please go and ask any professional detailer what the best way to dry the car is. Their response will be, "The method that provides the least amount of abrasion to the clear coat." Well there aren't many other ways that I can think of to dry your car without touching it. Any reason you think the drive-through car washes use it? "Least Resistance"

 

The leather sections of our seat do have a clear-coat top which makes leather conditioners not very effective. You should treat them with products that are meant for that type of surface, like 303, use it everywhere on the interior!

 

Finally....thanks copland007

 

hehe.. No prob

Oh and the source of that info came from my dealer. A while back I had to have my entire back seat replaced and I got talking to them about how the seat was made/what parts are really leather and what to use on them. The service dept did sell Lexol but they admitted it probably wasn't neccessary especially since they had a clear-coat on them.

Just my .02 cents on the subject.

 

It's one of those things where I don't think Lexol will hurt the seats, but it will probably wear the clear coat away eventually.

Funny, Lexol has a vinyl product, Vinylex, but if you ask them if you can put it on clearcoated seats, they scream NO!!!

Very happy with the look of 303 on my seats. Everyone going to the NJ Meets on 3/24 and at Park Ave in May can see in person.

 

Another vote on the clear coat of our interior. If you want to confirm it yourself, put some cleaner (Fantatastic, 409) on a cloth and rub it on an inconspicous (sp?) spot. If color rubs off, it is not color coated. If there is no color, it is clear coated.

 

So is there something else we should use to actually clean our seats with before using the 303 protectant? Just curious...or will the 303 actually clean as well.

Thanks!

 

Oh relax, I'm just increasing my post count

Think about it though:

1) Your car is supposed to be clean. But to get it clean, you have to wash it with a sponge or run it through a touchless wash and take the remaining dirt off with a cleaner.

2) Suppose there is remaining dirt on the car after your careful washing. Which is better for your car?
a) Softly pat dry with MF towel. Remaining dirt will come up with towel or stay on surface.
b) Blow dry with leaf blower with an exhaust velocity of 100-200 mph (depending on power).
In case (b), the remaining dirt (and any dust in the air) gets blown across your paint at high speed.

I've been using a water blade and MF towel and have had no microscratches at all from them (and this is just washing through touchless wash, not using sponge to get all dirt off). The only scratches on my car are in the front where road dirt hits it. It's really easy to find scratches since the car is new; the paint on the sides and back have zero microscratches.

I might try the 303 though, I prefer the satin to gloss look.

 

If my seats/dash have a large buildup of dirt/crap i'll use a little vacuum to suck up the big chunks, then I grab a damp miracle towel and wipe down the surfaces to clean them. And for the dash I use a dry miracle towel to get rid of dust, etc...

 

1) Your car is supposed to be clean. But to get it clean, you have to wash it with a sponge or run it through a touchless wash and take the remaining dirt off with a cleaner.

A sponge If you say so. I prefer the Viking 100% cotton mitt. Sponges are notorious for picking up little bits of dirt and embedding them in the sponge, only to be dragged across the paint.

2) Suppose there is remaining dirt on the car after your careful washing. Which is better for your car?
a) Softly pat dry with MF towel. Remaining dirt will come up with towel or stay on surface.
b) Blow dry with leaf blower with an exhaust velocity of 100-200 mph (depending on power).
In case (b), the remaining dirt (and any dust in the air) gets blown across your paint at high speed.

Well first off, if you truly WASH your car, there is no dirt left over. And if it is there, I'd much rather blow it off the car, then rub it into the paint with a microfiber towel.

I've been using a water blade and MF towel and have had no microscratches at all from them (and this is just washing through touchless wash, not using sponge to get all dirt off). The only scratches on my car are in the front where road dirt hits it. It's really easy to find scratches since the car is new; the paint on the sides and back have zero microscratches.

I was talking mainly about the hood and roof. It's very difficult to see scratches in the paint on the side panels. The light needs to be coming from the side. Next time your at a mall at night, take a close look at your paint from multiple angles, parked under one the lights. You probably change your views. Oh and you also have a 2002. Give it time son.

I am talking about microscratching, which most people will never see. I can only notice them at night, if I park under one of the mall parking lot lights, or at certain angles in my garage with all the fluoros on.

 

What is a miracle towel and where do I get one?

 

http://properautocare.com/miracletowel.html

It is a really really good micro-fiber towel, if not the best. Oh I think they changed its name to Magic Towel because of some other towel on the market, hehe.. Anyways, it really makes a difference even from the microfiber towels I had been using from autozone. A little pricy, but worth it! I would suggest getting at least two of them.

Here's some more links with info about magic towel/303 and other good products:

http://properautocare.com/detailingtips.html

http://www.gotopia.net/ProductTests/Miracle%20Towel.htm

http://autopia-carport.com

 

1) Your car is supposed to be clean. But to get it clean, you have to wash it with a sponge or run it through a touchless wash and take the remaining dirt off with a cleaner.

A sponge If you say so. I prefer the Viking 100% cotton mitt. Sponges are notorious for picking up little bits of dirt and embedding them in the sponge, only to be dragged across the paint.

I have not manually washed my car yet. Running through the touchless gets the dirt off (can't see any when polishing, surface feels smooth to touch through baggie).

2) Suppose there is remaining dirt on the car after your careful washing. Which is better for your car?
a) Softly pat dry with MF towel. Remaining dirt will come up with towel or stay on surface.
b) Blow dry with leaf blower with an exhaust velocity of 100-200 mph (depending on power).
In case (b), the remaining dirt (and any dust in the air) gets blown across your paint at high speed.

Well first off, if you truly WASH your car, there is no dirt left over.
My point exactly.
And if it is there, I'd much rather blow it off the car, then rub it into the paint with a microfiber towel.
Which exerts more force on the paint - dirt blowing across the surface at 100mph to 200 mph, or dirt being dragged across the paint with a lightly applied MF towel? I'll leave the physics calculations for those of you still in school, but I do remember that kinetic energy goes up as the square of the velocity.

I've been using a water blade and MF towel and have had no microscratches at all from them (and this is just washing through touchless wash, not using sponge to get all dirt off). The only scratches on my car are in the front where road dirt hits it. It's really easy to find scratches since the car is new; the paint on the sides and back have zero microscratches.

I was talking mainly about the hood and roof. It's very difficult to see scratches in the paint on the side panels. The light needs to be coming from the side. Next time your at a mall at night, take a close look at your paint from multiple angles, parked under one the lights. You probably change your views. Oh and you also have a 2002. Give it time son.

I am talking about microscratching, which most people will never see. I can only notice them at night, if I park under one of the mall parking lot lights, or at certain angles in my garage with all the fluoros on.

Funny you should say this, I was just admiring my car in Wal-Mart the other night (as were many other people ). No scratches except from road dirt - no scratches at all on trunk or sides. None visible on roof, but can't look at that from all angles because of height so can't say for sure. I can buy the sides being different since they are vertical, but I think the trunk and hood would show similar scratching if they were due to car care. Also, I dry and wax (Blackfire actually) the car in my garage with 5*60watt halogens, 4 * 40 watt fluorescents, plus 2 * 500 watt halogens on a stand which I move from side to side of the car. So I am pretty sure I can see any scratches on the sides as well. :p

And finally, any scratches would be on your previous layers of polymer or wax, not in the clearcoat itself.

BTW, I hope you use ear protection when drying your car.

 

Glad to see we have an expert here Greymage. D@mn and I thought my 10 years in the detailing industry was good for something.

Best of luck for your car. I think this post has reached it's limit.

 

This is a good article from properautocare that pretty much sums it up for 303 on finished leather:

*****************************************

What does 303 do for leather?

303 Aerospace Protectant works on Finished Leather. "Finished Leather" is dyed the desired color and finished so it does not readily absorb water or other liquids. Auto upholstery and furniture are almost always finished leather. Absorbent leathers include deerskin, suede and chamois. If a drop of rain soaks in and makes a dark spot, it's absorbent leather and 303 Protectant is NOT for absorbent leather!

303 Aerospace Protectant softens hardening leather and leaves a natural, lustrous, repellent, non-oily finish. Similar to vinyl, finished leather is degraded by sweat, body oils, suntan and other oils & lotions. (Two extreme examples of this are tack (horse leathers) and exercise equipment. Before there was vinyl, the leather on exercise equipment was quickly destroyed by sweat and body oils. Now, sweat and body oils cause the vinyl to prematurely fail.)

303's super-repellent finish is crucial when it comes to finished leather. Besides protecting against sweat, body oils and lotions, 303'd leather is almost impervious to water & oil based staining agents. The major benefit is UV screening. 303 is the most powerful UV screening formulation is very effective on the dyes used in finished leather.

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Greymage
[B]1) Your car is supposed to be clean. But to get it clean, you have to wash it with a sponge or run it through a touchless wash and take the remaining dirt off with a cleaner.

<b>Touchless....as in rinsing your car off with soap and water? Yeah, that really gets it clean...how can you possibly think that your method actually cleans the car.....and, to top it off, you take if home and grind in the leftover dirt with polishing towels? You may not see the scratches now, but you will way before I ever will.....</b>


I have not manually washed my car yet. Running through the touchless gets the dirt off (can't see any when polishing, surface feels smooth to touch through baggie).

Well first off, if you truly WASH your car, <b> which you arent unless you are manually washing your car</b> there is no dirt left over.
[QUOTE]

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by daryl.com
[B][QUOTE]Originally posted by Greymage
1) Your car is supposed to be clean. But to get it clean, you have to wash it with a sponge or run it through a touchless wash and take the remaining dirt off with a cleaner.

<b>Touchless....as in rinsing your car off with soap and water? Yeah, that really gets it clean...how can you possibly think that your method actually cleans the car.....and, to top it off, you take if home and grind in the leftover dirt with polishing towels? You may not see the scratches now, but you will way before I ever will.....</b>


I have not manually washed my car yet. Running through the touchless gets the dirt off (can't see any when polishing, surface feels smooth to touch through baggie).

Well first off, if you truly WASH your car, <b> which you arent unless you are manually washing your car</b> there is no dirt left over.
Your skepticism is well warranted. Back when I used to wax my old Maxima, if I tried to just run it through the carwash rather than washing it manually I would see a ton of dirt on my polishing cloth. But I am not seeing that now. Maybe it's because I wash every week, maybe it's because the weather has been good, maybe it's the dirt just coming off the Blackfire easily in the wash (most likely reason), but I swear there is no perceptible dirt on 95% of the car (there is some on the bottom edges). I even did the baggie test and ran some clay over parts of the car once because I didn't believe the touchless could do such a good job, I was expecting to have to do a manual wash afterwards.

 

Geez, don't have a cow. I'm just telling you what I'm seeing. It may very well be that if I lived in NY/NJ my experience would be different. Back when I lived in NC and drove up to NY for Xmas my car always came back disgusting. The roads and pollution in NY/NJ are a lot worse than here in Texas.

 

Good to know though, I have used Lexol on the seats once or twice, I switch to using 303 on everything.

The leaf blower is a great idea, I use my air compressor, especially to get the water out of seals and the frickin door seams that drip water for days after you wash it if you don't blow it out.

 

What's the next best thing to 303. I could not find 303 in any of the stores here.

Thanks,

-Tom

 

Open the yellow pages and look under marine stores. West Marine is a national chain and they sell it. You won't find it in an auto parts store.

 

You can also get a 3 pack of microfiber towels from your local Target that have 2 normal ones and 1 super fine one for glass. I've bought the expensive ones online and sorry, they are the same thing.

As for this Lexol/303 business, you guys are right about the 303 being better for the clearcoat... check out the autopia detailing forums for more info...

I don't buy that Lexol conditioner will "break down" the clear coat though. The clear coat is there to keep foreign materials out of the leather. I used Lexol (still use the Vinylex on the dash), but have recently just switched to using damp miracle towels for the leather.

 

So... now people think 303 is better for leathers not Lexol?! I thought some time ago Lexol is still the number one choice for our leather seats.

Well... I just bought a bottle of Lexol conditioner and only used 3 times. What am I going to do? Is Lexol really going to hurt our seats' clear coat?

 

Listen i had my car for about 5 weeks and i committed a "boo boo." I got my car washed and let them use leather conditioner and ot looked ans melled like crap so i went to another place and was able to get it mostly off, but how can i get the seats smeeling nice again and undoing whatever possible damage i did to the seats... PLEASE HELP !!!!

Ernie

 

what about the Hide Food

 

Lexol conditioner does NOT "hurt" the clearcoat. It actually does nothing because the clearcoat keeps foreign materials, including the conditioner, out of the leather. From what I've read, clearcoated leather doesn't really need conditioning until the clearcoat "wears off" or whatever 10 years down the road. 303 is more of a protectant than a conditioner... so if you want another layer of protectant in addition to the clearcoat then get the 303.

Personally I use a damp miracle tower and a little bit of lexol cleaner if I need it.