Has anyone successfully been using 303 on their TL's leather surfaces? Since there is a "plastic-like" coating on the leather I'm curious. Twice a year I use Lexol conditioner (brown bottle - not the cleaner) on all the leather, and Meguiars All-Surface wipes for the entire interior. The Meguiars tube says it's OK for vinyl, plastic, leather, everything. I don't prefer it (Meguiars) because it gives too much shine and 303 comes out with a look I prefer. Thanks.

 

yes...303 works great on the TL's leather. i searched on here a few weeks back to research what to use...found that many people love 303 for interior and most of the exterior trim. it is slightly shiny for a day or so and then finishes to a nice matte.

 

Doesn't 303 list it's uses on the back of the bottle?

 

Yes, 303 works for leather. This magic little product works for everything( leather, plastic trim, rubber, tires, etc). Probably not the best at anything but its a jack of all trades and makes cleaning very easy (one bottle).

 

from the manufacturer's website:

303 Aerospace Protectant keeps UV-sensitive materials “like new” year after year. Use on Rubber: Tires, neoprene, latex, door and trunk seals, weather-stripping, EPDM rubber roofs, CV boots, waders, wet suits. Vinyl: Convertible tops (and the clear vinyl windows), isinglass, marine seating, tonneau covers, car bras, covers, spa covers, pool covers. Inflatable boats: Hypalon, PVC and urethane blends. Gelcoat fiberglass: Boats, RV’s, snowmobiles, jet ski’s. Plastics/acrylics/polycarbonates: Lexan® and acrylic panels/windows/windshields/covers. Carbon-fiber/resin composites: Fishing rods, “nude” bike frames. Finished leather: Upholstery, motorcycle leather, trim, tack, fine apparel. Pool & Patio: Plastic furniture (not fabric), pool inflatables, slides, covers. Sailcloth: Dacron® and monofilm.

 

http://www.303products.com/tech/inde...Product_ID=323

Edit: Paradigm beat me to it.

 

Wow, just about everything except fabric.

 

I switched from Zaino leather in a bottle to 303 and I've never been happier. 7 year old TL and the leather still looks brand new.

 

Where is the best place to get 303? Do any retail or auto stores carry it?

 

Zellers.

 

Bought mine at a boating supply store.

 

I dont think they have Zellers in the US fdl.

 

i bought mine at a local Ace Hardware store.

 

I just wanted to clarify thats its great for coated leather which is what the TL has. I used 303 with great results on my TL-S.

For uncoated leather which is what my BMW has, stick with a leather cleaner/conditioner.

The easiest way to check if its coated is to place a drop of water on the leather. If it holds its bead for awhile, its coated, but if its absorbed fairly quickly, its uncoated.

 

Try this link for a location:

http://www.wheretobuy303.com/locator/us-index.php

 

http://www.prestostore.com/cgi-bin/s...etail&ct=64761

$14.99

 

Stupid question but do you guys use 303 to both clean and protect? Or do you something else to clean first and then finish up with 303 for the shine and protection?? My dash is kind of dusty and I want to make sure I am not "embedding" the dust into it if I only use 303.

 

For the dash, you can clean it with a MF moistened with water, let dry and then apply 303. Or you can use a 5:1 solution of woolite/water with a MF towel, rinse with water moistened MF towel, let dry and apply protectant.

 

am i wasting money using distilled water on the interior?

dont want to discolor the black and my tap water is nasty highest levels of everything and they use soo much bleach to kill bacteria that my clothes get faded after a couple of washings. not kidding. seen worse water in florida tho

i have used the woolite on leather only. do i have to rinse with water?

 

I rinse with a MF towel moistened with water to remove any residuals. Based on the info you've provided, I would continue using distilled water vs tap if I were in your shoes.

 

hello all. iam new to the site as well as to a new tl. i do love it. however everytime i sit in my ride i see two scratches/fading on the passenger dash as well as some foot scratches to the sides on the black floor plastic area (hard to describe where) and where the seatbelt seems to hit.
anyways, after reading the forums,,,,,iam hearing a lot of different products that will do the trick. can i get these scratches out of the black plastic? iam hearing a lot about 303? does it leave a matte finish? dont want shiny.

any suggestions or advice would be appreciated. looking forward to any response.

 

Hi sistim and welcome to the W&W forum. 303 is a fantastic protectant, not to mention a very popular one here. As far as scratches go, 303 will not get them out but may possibly minimize or hide that unsightly look. I don't know of a product that will remove scractches. Hopefully, one of the other guys will have an answer for that. What I would suggest is to moisten a MF towel with water, clean and dry the areas in question. Apply the protectant, let dry and then buff the area to remove any residuals. Overall, I believe you'll be very satisfied with the results of 303.

 

thanks for getting back to me. i tried exactly what you said and yes it did hide the unsighty scratches. they were not scratches actually \ they were more less marks from the dealer i guess. i just got my tl about 2 weeks ago. and i am finally getting to washing and protecting my ride. after finding this forum (which is great) i learned a lot about the 303 product. i hear many great things from it. before, i never heard of it....i hate the armor all look=shiny. i want a matte finish and i think this does the job well. there are so many other products that say do the same thing. but i want the best. 303 seems as if. my next question is how to protect the seats. thats my next adventure. would a leather cleaner or protector (which one?) do or should 303 work with this as well? if so, why put anything else on the car? i have read all about cleaning and protecting the paint in this forum,, there are sooo many different washes , towels, waxes, protectants (interior/wheels) etc. its not even funny. but i want the best. any additional items or products you or others found that works better than the usal products please let me know...looking forward to your responses.......thank you for helping me out.

 

If you really want to go crazy, check out:

www.autopia.org

it's a detailing forum.

Dave

 

no kidding...i've spent hours on autopia's forum reading all i can. there are a ton of experts there. great stuff!!

 

You are absolutely correct about the number of products available and it is overwhelming as well as intimidationg. As far as which is "best", that comes down to a personal choice. What may seem to be best for you may not be for someone else. If you find a product that produces the result you're trying to achieve, then by all means, use it. I would suggest looking at some of the following threads to get an idea of what the folks here use.
https://acurazine.com/forums/wash-wax-23/whats-your-arsenal-343438/
https://acurazine.com/forums/wash-wax-23/wax-recommendations-313144/
https://acurazine.com/forums/wash-wax-23/black-car-336870/
https://acurazine.com/forums/wash-wax-23/wet-look-330640/
https://acurazine.com/forums/wash-wax-23/spray-wax-316575/
https://acurazine.com/forums/wash-wax-23/zaino-best-334016/

Other forums that has a wealth of valuable info is Detail City and Meguiars Online.