Leather Seat Conditioner

[Victor]

I discovered a new way to really get super results from Lexol. I just purchased a 2002 LX470 about 5 weeks ago and previously had a 1995 Toyota Landcruiser. I had been using the Lexol cleaner and conditioner on the Landcruiser for years and always had decent results. After reading some of the posts on this bulletin board I got a few new ideas. The concept that intrigued me the most was ACF's post on July the 4th that said that he applies the conditioner by hand instead of a wet towel. The seats in the my Lexus weren't bad but I thought it would be interesting to give them a good cleaning and conditioning just to see what the results were. Many of the posts here talk about applying the conditioner in hot weather and letting it sit for long periods of time. I live in the Seattle area and it's September now and not that warm outside. So I took the hand application method and considered heat. Using my bare hands, I rubbed the conditioner vigorously to the point where the friction between my hand and the leather began to get warm. The results were immediate and amazing. In just a few seconds, I could see what seemed like good leather turn into great leather. I just couldn't believe the quick transformation right before my eyes. I really felt like I was on to something here. The seats looked like they came right off the showroom floor in seconds with a nice matte finish that was glove soft to the touch. I finished up with a clean dry towel but there really wasn't much residual as most of the conditioner seemed to soak right in with immediated results. I've had the sticky seat problem in the past by not wiping the excess conditioner off. The heat caused by friction really seemed to open up the pores of the leather and soak in right away. I highly recommend trying this. You won't be dissappointed.

Good Luck

Victor

[TOGWT]

~One man’s opinion / observations~

B) Covered Leather (Urethane, Vinyl):

Since late ‘80s early ‘90s 80% of vehicle manufacturers have used covered leather for their interior upholstery. Its made from natural hides, but uniquely treated with a light pigmented urethane resin coating or a vinyl covering to make it more viable for automotive seating. It retains the softness of natural top-grain leather but resists fading in direct sunlight, leathers worst enemy

Spills wipe off with a moistened cloth, the urethane resin or the vinyl covering require oils to stop it from drying out (just like a paint system's clear coat) the leather also requires replacement of natural oils. Clean, condition and apply a UVR protection as in items 1, 2 & 3 on page 2.

Identifying characteristics- uniform colour and grain patterns; will not scratch easily; water drops will not change colour.

Recommended products

Urethane Coated Leather- use Zanio Leather in a Bottle Z10,Groit's Leather Care or lz einszett® Leather Care "Lederpflege"

Vinyl or MB-Tex Covered leather- use Groit's Leather Rejuvenator or Leatherique Prestine Clean

~Hope this helps~

Knowledge unshared is experience wasted

justadumbarchitect / so I question everything/ Jon

[ArmyofOne]

hmmm, i did not know that, is that why it feels more like vinyl than my grandmothers LS400?

[SW03ES]

Its just lower quality than whats found in the LS400. The LS400 used coated leather until 2001 also. Coated leather feels just like normal leather really.

[acf]

I discovered a new way to really get super results from Lexol. I just purchased a 2002 LX470 about 5 weeks ago and previously had a 1995 Toyota Landcruiser.

I just bought a 97 LC a few months ago. How did you like yours? Why did you sell it?

[Victor]

Hi ACF,

I loved my Landcruiser. It never failed me and it felt like it had years of service ahead of it. I was just ready to move up to something newer and a little different. For my lifestyle, the Landcruiser type vehicle was perfect, but the luxury of the LX470 along with the utility of the LC was a perfect match for me. My LC had almost 160,000 miles on it and it was still a strong runner. I used it as a trade-in on my LX470, but could have easily sold it for $12-13K in Summer and probably a bit more in Winter. The high miles can scare people who are not in the know. I believe that if serviced properly, you can easily get over 300,000 miles out of it. Enjoy your 97. They're still the best rigs out there as far as I'm concerned.

Regards,

Victor ;)

[acf]

Good to hear, Victor!

I feel the exact same way. The only knock on the last gen (95-97) of the 80 was the failed head gasket issue that seem to plague more than it should. Keeping my fingers crossed on that on but otherwise am loving every mile. B)

[rl9905]

Hey, I went to the dealership a couple days ago to get my RX Serviced, I noticed that they where selling "Lexus Leather Cleaner" & "Lexus Leather Conditioner". Has anyone tried these 2 products? Is it good compared to Lexol? I've never used lexol nor the Lexus Leather Cleaner and the Conditioner. I've been using Meguire's Gold Class Rich Leather Wipes. It's really not that good.

-thanx

[SW03ES]

The Lexus products are simplu Zymol consumer products rebadged. Lexol is better IMHO.

[Leroy]

I can't believe I've read 6 pages of posts to find the last one asking the question I was going to post. Was at dealer today and asked about Lexol and they told me to try their own products, so I have a bottle of Lexus cleaner and conditioner. Will be able to tell you in couple of days my results, even if I don't know how Lexol works.

Will be trying on ES300, LX470 and the Honda Odyssey!

Thanks

[SW03ES]

The Lexus products (Zymol) are good, but not as good as Lexol. I think the issue is that the conditioner is creme based and doesn't soak in as well.