F-Typers;

A recent thread posted by MWS asked about an issue he/she was seeing regarding stitching on the leather seats. The reply postings included suggestions about leather care. Rather than steal that thread, I'd like to query the group as to how YOU care for the leather - products, frequencies, caveats, pros, cons, etc.

For myself, Lexol served me well for 20+ years for my Merc roadster. My only real complaint was that no matter how light the coating and/or brisk the drying process, the leather always seems a bit 'oily' for a couple of days.

I understand that the industry has moved away from actual leather dye towards a surface paint/coating. I'm curious as to whether Lexol will still serve. I haven't used it on the seats of my F-Type, as seems like it will just slide off without penetrating the coating.

When asked, the dealership that sold me the car claimed that the ONLY thing that I should actually do was to, monthly, take a warm, damp towel and gently wipe the surface of the leather to remove accumulated dirt. Somehow, that didn't seem to me to be quite enough. And MWS's thread replies have reminded me of that concern.

If it helps, my MY21 P380 Coupe has heated and cooled performance seats in Oyster, and I don't allow anyone inside wearing denim.

I'd appreciate any thoughts or suggestions - esp. for long-time owners who're very happy with their leather status. I've reviewed threads on other forums, but perhaps it's time for an update. And, I'm not sure how, or if, those older posts apply to the seats in my F-Type. Thanks in advance.

 

Yeah most car leathers these days have a polyurethane coating, which it often needs to stop sweat and grime from going in to the pores. Volvo used to use a lovely analine leather which breathed nicely, but i think Jag has opted for the physical holes punched in the leather to make it breathe rather than it breathing through the hair follicles (which are now covered up).

Regardless, I have found that a decent cleaning solution does help. If you sweat on the seat, then the salt will abrade the coating and end up damaging it, similar with dirt. I use a leather cleaning solution that is suited to analine leather, just in case. I put it on pretty wet and let it sit, I figure it loosens up the crud in the grain. Then I wipe it off and hit it with a leather cream, also suitable for analine. I appreciate that I am probably wiping it all off, but I've had the car 6 years now, I do this once or twice a year and the leather looks great, anyway even if it isnt soaking in I figure that it is softening it up with the rubbing. The real thing is to make sure that if you sweat in the seat, clean it up, because that is where the damage comes from.

 

You're in luck, if you live in the US.
Lotions with waxes to waterproof the leather may be a difficulty using, since we now have those perforation holes in the leather. I've always felt hesitant about the perforated leather idea, and I'd be tempted to do a light vacuuming with very soft bristle vacuum brush attachment every weekend to catch imaginary grit and smelly particles that will accumulate in those holes.

But to my point, Gliptone is one of the few brands that still make true "soaps" for cleaning leather. It does NOT attempt to waterproof the surface (you'll need to go back to a reliable wax or oil-type cleaner for that). Gliptone is a simple liquid soap, out of the bottle like honey, can be diluted on your sponge to make a thick syrup lather or thin suds-n-water lather as you prefer, and put it on exactly the way Bruce does his.
But being a soap, its lather doesn't clog or accumulate in holes, it saturates your leather with the small amount of water that the dealerships always seem to recommend. Simple soap mean no oils to soften the leather---my leather is Taurus, kind of a tough firm surface, and the Gliptone does not "soften" leather for you---it just leaves the leather exactly the firmness it started iwth when you bought it--no relaxing, no stretching. And I've even had Gliptone draw day-old pen ink out of my Oyster leather before it had a chance to dye the color.
Simple soap without conditioners means no chemical smell, just the scent of fresh-bathed leather. A very welcomed smell after six years of driving in the same chair, LOL! My seat does not smell of ME.

For some reason owners in the UK and Europe report they can't find this Gliptone product. I know it's USA made, but it seems a shame it's not handled overseas. .

PS though, Gliptone doesn't waterproof, so you ought to make an effort once or twice a year to replace the waterproofing wax that was originally in your leather when you bought it. Leather Masters is the company that provides the "Jaguar" branded cleaners you see at the dealership's counter. They make a Conditioning Cream that you can tell is just a mild liquid wax, and I like to rub that back on the seats twice a year

 

I have been using chemical guys leather cleaner on our 2017 XJL oyster seats heated and ventilated. No oily film and it actually smells the clostest to leather than any other product I’ve found. They have a leather conditioner as well as a quick detailer.

 

Yes, you can use LEXOL on modern leather. But for my F-Type I prefer AutoGlym Leather Balm, it is more creamy, contains no silicones (very important), and like Lexol it releases dirt from the leather surface (I am speaking of the leather conditioners, NOT the leather cleaners). When the conditioner has penetrated (and yes, it does penetrate the coating, despite what some claim, providing products with silicones have not been previously used), the surface will feel sticky. That stickiness is DIRT. A bit more conditioner as a lubricant on a microfibre cloth will remove frightening amounts of dirt. The process is especially satisfying if a light coloured cloth has been used!

”conditioners which includes waxes”? Why would anyone put wax on leather?

 

I use a hot soapy squeezed out cloth to clean my cars leather seating then autoglym balm care twice per year keeps the leather in good condition

 

Many thanks for all who replied. With these and other recent posts, I feel a lot more comfortable about the care and feeding of my new baby.

FWIW, as my windshield glass never seems to come quite clean, I've ordered a 'Started Glass Care Kit" from Griot's Garage, as well as some glass cleaning clay. I haven't used these products or technique before, but it seems worth a trial. If anybody's interested, I post my thoughts about results.

As an aside, there's a local car club that's gone national, called Avants (www.avants.com) that includes a free 'Garage Car Car Kit' from Griot's (another local) as part of it's initial membership, as well as negotiated member discounts at Griot's and other local and national service and support organizations. Other club benefits include exclusive member autocross and track days at local tracks (e.g. Ridge Motorsports Park in Shelton WA). So far, they have partner locations in Seattle, Portland, Denver, and So. Cal. I'm not necessarily trying to shill for this club, but I'm just saying that I've found that there are some pretty-good car-enthusiast groups in the US in addition to Jaguar clubs, SCCA, and Cars & Coffee.

Thanks again for your comments!!

 

I have been using Auto Glym as well from a recommendation from another forum member. I was using prior Zaino for conditioning and cleaning. I "think" I still prefer the Zaino over Auto Glym. I apply ever couple months but I am OCD.

 

Haha!, It sounds like the EIger is ready to go down the bonkers-wild road nearly all of us have gone, eager to buy and try a multitude of gadgets and laboratory formulas.
Go easy and slow, EIger, because before you know it, you've spent a tone of loose money on redundant (and occasionally substandard) products that make your family want to kick you out of the house.
Griot's makes SOME really good products, but so do some less-famous makers from England, France, and... Ohio, LOL.
Take you time, watch you wallet, and minimize the disappointment until you've gradually found a collection of scrubs and juices you love.

 

NewLester,

Y'know, I think you're spot on regarding the caveats of amassing car care products, I can't disagree. But you were off target about my intents. I ain't young anymore, and I've gone through plenty of 'stuff' over the past decades.

I created this thread looking for updates to my stock and techniques. As I said, I've been happy with Lexol, but the instructions I got from the Jaguar dealer threw me a curve. And recent posts to the forum made me think that maybe, just maybe, car care technology has improved over the past twenty years. After all, all-aluminum is new to me, as well as the leather coating on my F_type seats. It doesn't hurt to ask, and this forum is a great resource.

Plus, and this is a BIG plus, I'm pretty **** about having clean windshields, and everything I've tried so far is flat out useless.

I mentioned the Griots/Avants connection as I think it's a pretty good deal... for starters. Still, the best thing about the Griot's website is the videos they provide on actual usage of their products. Granted, the presentation is slanted, but just having videos available helped to answer a lot of questions.

In the end, I decided that neither the Starter Griot's package nor the Avants membership were right for me. I've ordered some Auto Glym 'cuz it sounds like it's worth a trial. I've ordered only 5 products from Griot's, and they're focused on glass cleaning and 'polishing', which is apparently a new-to-me surface care step between washing and waxing. Maybe... Microfiber Plush towels might replace my trusty chamois.