Leather seats and Lexol

[Ed]

Here's a note I sent to Lexol via their website:

Hi,

I have 2 questions about using Lexol Cleaner and Conditioner on my 6-month old BMW 740 with tan (sand) interior.

I haven't cleaned the seats since I bought the car, and the lower back of the drivers seat has black on it, which I assume is from my belt. The leather is also "tight" there on the lower back, on the seat bottom, and around the edges of the seat where my legs are -- unlike how the seats were when I bought the car new.

1. I tried cleaning some of the black off with the cleaner, but it didn't come off completely. I think the towel I was using might have been absorbing too much of the cleaner because I wasn't getting enough lather. I just read your website and will try a wash cloth. Do you have any other
suggestions to remove the black?

2. Since I applied the leather conditioner a couple of days ago, it seems to be working really well to soften the leather and make it look like new. I'm planning to apply more leather conditioner about every 2 days to try to
restore the seat to the way it looked when it was new. I'm looking for the best advice to maintain the leather's new look and feel for a very long time. Is it bad for the leather seats to apply this much conditioner in a relatively short period of time? Or is it okay to continue to apply the conditioner every 2 days until I can get the seats looking like new?

Thanks for your help!

-- Ed


Here's their response, which I got in about 24 hours:

(1) Whilte it s not suitable for extensive use on leather, carefully try 409 cleaner on the areas that have picked up the black dye from your belt.

(2) While repeated use of Lexol Conditioner over a short time won't hurt the leather, you will soon reach a point of diminishing returns. Further application will produce an accumulation of tanning oils that will make the lether feel damp and clammy.

I don't know what is responsible for the "tight" leather on the front seat. I suggest you bring it up to the people at the BMW Dealership.

Don Jenkins
Technical Consultant

--

The "tight" leather I was talking about was my incorrect description: I was referring to leather that was dry.

I'm not going to use 409 on my seats. :-) Anyone have any other suggestions? I'm going to try a microfiber cloth instead of the towel I was using. I have some 303 on its way that I can try too.

Beau and I were going to try Leatherique, but it requires practically baking the car in the sun and it's not too hot in SF today. All I've read about leather, it's amazing how much it's like skin. I bet steaming the leather in the sun, or creating a "steam room" effect as Leatherique says on their site, opens up the pores of the leather so that the oils can penetrate and moisturize it. Very interesting.

I'm learning that unlike other types of interiors, it really seems that leather needs to be taken care of as much as the exterior of the car. When you wash your car, wash the leather. If you don't, the leather will dry out. You just can't neglect leather and expect it to stay in good shape like cloth seats do over time.

-- Ed

[RH]

Well, first I'd recommend a new belt. ;-)

Second, I think I'd follow their advice and take it back to BMW and see what they say. I was amazed when I went back and re-read that your car is only 6 months old. The way you wrote about those seats I was assuming 6 YEARS! A car in that class surely cant have such crappy seats that they require many days of Lexol treatment to get back to "normal" after only 6 months, right!??!?!

[Brad4rdHay]

BMW seats are clear-coated so multiple aplications of Lexol is not recomended. -Brad H

[Ed]

Thanks for your reply, Brad. What happens to the seats when you apply multiple applications of Lexol to clear-coated seats? Also, do you have any suggestions for cleaning them?

Thanks for your reply, RH. I guess I'm not too surprised by the amount of work involved, especially if I want to keep the seats looking like new. But I will ask BMW about it. I haven't even cleaned or wiped the seats in 6 months! Carcareonline.com recommends conditioning 3 to 4 times a year.

This is what BMW says in their manual and on the website:

Leather
The natural leather in your BMW is among the highest grades, and is specially processed to uphold its character for years to come. Periodic use of BMW Leather Care will heighten its durability and appearance further. When combined with vacuuming and dusting, the BMW leather cleaner will help reduce the effects of normal use. For more thorough treatment, we suggest cleaning the leather with BMW Leather Care twice a year to remove dirt and grease that accumulate with everyday driving.

Here's a couple of BMW leather related threads:

<http://www.bimmer.org/5series/messages/archive/msgsy2000w01/35490.html>

<http://www.bimmer.org/5series/messages/archive/msgsy2000w25/59448.html>

You know, maybe it's just me, but the bottom of my seat was starting to look more like a saddle and less like the rear seats that are rarely touched. Could the fact that I'm 6'5", 240lbs, warm-blooded, and recently came back from a 10-day, 2300-mile trip driving to the Grand Canyon have anything to do with it? :-)

I'll check with BMW too.

Thanks!

-- Ed

[Brad4rdHay]

I'm almost posative that all BMW seats now a days are clear-coated. I remember the moerator of this forum, DavidB, saying that the leather's been coated since late 1987 in all beamers with the exception of a few special edition 5 and 7 series whch had buffalo hides as an option. So, to clean coated leather, use a not to harsh cleaner that you would use on the vinyl. I use Griots garage interior cleaner. This stuff is fabulous, i can use it on all surfaces, cleans very well, and you dont have to worry about the leather being clear-caoted or not because its safe for pure leather. To protect you need a good vinyl protectant. The protectant of choice is 303 becdause it contains no silicon oils (i beleive) so it wont leave the seats slipery or too shiny....and you can use it on regular leather as well. -Brad H

[Brad4rdHay]

if you keep aplying lexol (more than twice a year), it will wear down the clear-coat. -Brad H

[RH]

Originally posted by Brad4rdHay
if you keep aplying lexol (more than twice a year), it will wear down the clear-coat. -Brad H

...leaving you with seats that you would treat like uncoated leather. What's the problem? No one has answered this question.