PSA: Lexol Leather Cleaner

[Larry C]

Car leather, even the semi-aniline, have a protective coating. My detailer has only used a slightly damp cloth on my cars’ leather over the last 40+ years. I’ll ask him what he uses for stains but I don’t think it’s a Lexol product.

Slightly damp is probably great advice. I would definitely like to know what he uses if/when he has to clean leather. Also, please ask if he uses the cleaner only when absolutely necessary and if he uses any kind of leather conditioner or if the product is an all-in-one. Thanks Larry.

FWIW, I just left my detailer. For routine leather cleaning, George uses a slightly damp chamois (water only). For tougher stains, her uses non-detergent soap and water. Only when absolutely necessary he uses the leather conditioner shown here.

IMG_1776.jpeg (2.86 MiB) Viewed 1964 times

[blueline]

FWIW, I just left my detailer. For routine leather cleaning, George uses a slightly damp chamois (water only). For tougher stains, her uses non-detergent soap and water. Only when absolutely necessary he uses the leather conditioner shown here.IMG_1776.jpeg

Following Tom's findings and his (almost) misadventure, I threw out all the Lexol - both the cleaner and conditioner. I had never used either in the 4-years since I purchased them, partially due to a few other negatives I have read over the last few years. Also, I knew that the leather in my current cars needed nothing. For good inside (the house) leather I have Ekornes' excellent products, but that's it.

I have also verified from my detailer what you found from yours, namely that unless there's a problem, less is more. In a timely fashion following Tom's PSA, that mantra was repeated last week by an Italian leather restoration master who has been plying his trade for over 35-years. Been in Nashville for 30 years or more but started with his family leather restoration business in Florence, Italy back in the 80's. I definitely trust his judgement too.

[996C438]

A few months ago I pulled all my seats from my 99 C4 and delivered to a local upholstery guy . He came highly recommended and has done some very high end hot rods and sports cars . He stripped my seats of the worn out leather .

He then stitched and installed black leather with plaid inserts . When I picked up the seats I asked him what to use to clean and condition the leather . He exclusively uses Lexol . It's just one data point but I trust this guy just based on his previous work and results .

Like many problems there can be more than one solution . Each of us try to seek out " the best " for our cars . And the results that work great for some may not for others . It's great to have choices.

[Larry C]

Lexol or other leather cleaners may be ok to use for difficult stains on "untreated" leather. 99% of cars produced since the late 90’s have treated leather, which in essence means clear coated. Lexol is greasy and will end up on the surface, attract dirt and that dirt will wear away at that coating. Even the semi-aniline leather that is available as an option for new Porsches has a protective coating. FWIW, we recently purchased a new leather sofa with semi-aniline coated leather. The owner and manufacturer unequivocally stated NOT to use anything to clean the leather other than vacuuming and dusting with a microfiber towel. If you have a 70’s or 80’s Porsche with untreated leather, perhaps you could try a leather cleaner for tough stains but would still test a small amount on a small surface first.

[blueline]

A few months ago I pulled all my seats from my 99 C4 and delivered to a local upholstery guy . He came highly recommended and has done some very high end hot rods and sports cars . He stripped my seats of the worn out leather .

He then stitched and installed black leather with plaid inserts . When I picked up the seats I asked him what to use to clean and condition the leather . He exclusively uses Lexol . It's just one data point but I trust this guy just based on his previous work and results .

Like many problems there can be more than one solution . Each of us try to seek out " the best " for our cars . And the results that work great for some may not for others . It's great to have choices.

That is interesting and good to know. Your data point statement certainly applies, as people's experiences can vary greatly.

Also, materials used for leather seating and how they are made has changed dramatically in the last 20-30 years so that will reflect outcomes using different products.

I read an article just yesterday from Hagerty's latest Drivers Club magazine titled "The Death of Patina" by Richard Vaughn, an automotive designer with 30+ years of OEM experience in a variety of automotive product development roles with Ford, GM & Rivian. He was discussing interiors and leather and how they are aging. (Also interesting were specific referrals to plastics which will be a challenge going forward. Their deterioration will greatly add to the value of 3D printing as old OEM plastic interior parts literally crumble away in time. But I digress!)

No digital version of the article yet so I scanned the page with the leather info and have a attached a pdf here. Not a high quality scan but one can read it okay I think and get the idea of how much leather interiors have changed over the years.

My point in all of that is that leather automotive products will vary widely depending on many factors. Corresponding care would probably also vary considerably, including products that might work better or worse depending on the leather. Makes sense to me anyway.

I highlighted a couple of areas where discussion of leather (modern vs old, etc) is discussed.

scan0005.pdf

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edit: Larry's post hit before I could finish writing mine. His post underlines the differences in leather from the early 90's and earlier as the article I scanned stated.

[Tom]

I don't know much at all about leather really. I'm sure Lexol has its place for some leathers, but there's no doubt it 'stained' my leather and left it visibly darker where used. I tried wiping it clean with water, and letting it sit several days to dry, with no luck. The Malco stuff wiped the dark splotch off the seat with ease though. Bottom line, I threw the Lexol out. Both my Porsches have the same leather (the 944 was redone in modern Porsche leather), so no way I'm using the Lexol on that, and I'm not going to risk it on the Mercedes (also redone in a modern leather).

[blueline]

I don't know much at all about leather really. I'm sure Lexol has its place for some leathers, but there's no doubt it 'stained' my leather and left it visibly darker where used. I tried wiping it clean with water, and letting it sit several days to dry, with no luck. The Malco stuff wiped the dark splotch off the seat with ease though. Bottom line, I threw the Lexol out. Both my Porsches have the same leather (the 944 was redone in modern Porsche leather), so no way I'm using the Lexol on that, and I'm not going to risk it on the Mercedes (also redone in a modern leather).

And your view will be reinforced if you saw the relevant leather comments from the 30-years of experience OEM auto designer in the Hagerty article I posted above. It also dovetailed with Larry's comments.

I only scanned one page of that piece from the just-received Drivers Club magazine that contained a couple of tangential paragraphs regarding automotive leathers.

Richard Vaughn is near the top of the OEM food chain for these kinds of things. As I mentioned - Ford, GM and now Rivian. He’s written six books about Bentley, Rolls-Royce, and Aston Martin luxury cars. He's currently the Director, Crafted Quality at Rivian. Based on what I've read about him, he knows his leather among many other things. (Wish I could link the entire article - it's pretty good.)