After having my dash leather restretched and made beautiful again, I decided to heed other's advice and use Lexol Leather Conditioner on the dash, seats, door panels, etc. I have now tried it 3 times (about once a week). The first time, I was underwhelmed with the result, dull and uneven coverage, but I figured that maybe the leather was quite "thirsty" and would take several applications to soak in. Now after three generous applications, I can tell you that it's simply junk! Dries streaky, blotchy, horrible looking, and I won't use this product again. It is the worst leather care product I have ever used in 46 years of washing and detailing my own cars. Period!

I would like to hear what other leather conditioners others have used that they think are good other than Lexol.

Anyone want a barely used bottle of Lexol, it certainly won't ever touch my leather again.

 

I recommend the Griot's Garage Leather Care Spray (Item #11040), a combination mild cleaner and conditioner. See: http://www.griotsgarage. com Amazon sells it for $10.99. See: and read the customer reviews. It is a thin milky liquid that I spray on a microfiber cloth to wipe my Ivory perforated seats, slate dashboard, and the rest of the leather interior. It absorbs into the leather, dries clear, isn't sticky, and doesn't change the color. I've also used Lexol leather conditioner, which is a thicker solution, and doesn't absorb as well as the Griot's product and can be a little sticky unless you wipe off the excess.

I clean/condition my interior monthly, so it never gets very dirty. The mild cleaner in the Griot's product is just right for my needs and all my leather is like new. If your leather is really dirty you may need a stronger cleaner or make multiple applications.

The Griot's product has a light aroma. It is very similar in viscosity to the OEM bottle of leather care that came in the trunk of my car.

Stuart

 

I find Lexol conditioner to be overly greasy and only use their cleaner from time to time. I prefer Blue Magic conditioner and cleaner works flawlessly and smells like new leather. It kept my Super V8 seats like new for 95k miles, literally soft supple leather and crease/wear free.

This is the driver's seat after 95K+ miles and the passenger seat.

 

I still use Lexol, but I take more of the attitude of it's not supposed to necessarily make it "look good", but feed it and make it last longer!

 

It's important after using the lexol and letting it penetrate to rub it out with a soft cotton towel to take off the excess and get an even appearance. I had the same opinion until I followed up with the soft towel.

 

I did follow it up with a microfibre towel to buff it out and make it more even, didn't help. I still think it's junk, and not nearly as good as any other conditioner I've ever used.

 

The microfiber towel did not work for me either, that's why I used the thick fluffy soft cotton towel.

 

The Lexol Leather conditioner needs to dry after being applied, then buffed out with a soft towel. My leather looks shiny and smooth. It is very soft. In fact, I literally slide into the seat after buffing it out.

When applying, I use a good amount of product that has soaked into a soft microfiber towel, then apply. I make sure that plenty of product has soaked into the towel. Love the Lexol.

 

Heh heh, Lexol is my current favorite and I've tried several brands over the years. I have none of the problems you've mentioned. I find it leave a very uniform appearance...no streaks or blotches at all. I suspect it's a difference in the newer leather versus older leather? I dunno.


I have to tell my favorite leather conditioner story. Short, and 100% true.


For many years now a pal of mine has teased me about my 'boutique' brand leather conditioners. Leatherique. Lexol. Griots. Gliptone. Anhydrous lanolin. Etc etc. He claims that equally good results can be had by using ordinary, off-the-shelf, nothin' fancy $7.95 Mequiers leather conditioner. That's all he uses.

I have to admit he's right. The leather on his (now) 12 year old car is as supple and crease free as a person could possibly hope for. Virtually pristine. I don't know what's in the stuff...probably all the potions that we're told are horrible and should *never* be used.....but it's very hard to argue with success.

Cheers
DD

 

I'm not a believer in the "all in one" concept. It follows the "Jack of all trades" mentality, which is seldom a win when you are set on trying for the best care possible.
Look into Leather Master Products. A three part process (cleaner, conditioner and protectant) is labor intense, but the results put a smile on your face.

BOL
Vince

 

I'm an Autoglym fan. Used it on tired XJSs and an immaculate XKR as well as non Jag vehicles.
Like the cleaning, feeding and smell!

 

It's best to wipe down the seats with a well rung towel before applying Lexol and the Lexol wipes are much better than Lexol by itself. I had been using Connolly's Hide Food, but found it very had to apply and has a strong spirit smell.

 

I grew up with Lexol for saddles and tack, so it's always been my default. Tried some others over the years, Gliptone included (good lord that awful smell), and always come back to Lexol.

I put it on with bare hands, work it into the leather and towel up any excess with a cotton rag. Leather is soft and has a sort of semigloss sheen, but never any streaking or problems like you are having.

It will separate and I have had to shake the bottle after keeping it in a hot garage.

But hey, if you find one you like, that's the one to use!

 

Put on my cheapo Blue Diamond Leather Care Gel, this morning, went on smoothly and evenly, wiped off excess and a little bit of buffing, and the dash is now beautiful. One slightly used bottle of Lexol available to anyone who wants it.

 

There are two types of automotive leather, sealed (polyurethane coated) and unsealed (a.k.a. "aniline"). Before the mid-1980s, all automotive leather was unsealed and very porous and so we cleaned and nourished our leather seats with Connolly Hide Food to keep them supple. But after 1985, most leather manufacturers began to coat the top surface of their leather with a protective layer of polyurethane ("PU") to enhance durability. Think of that PU coating as like today's base coat/clear coat paint finish.

That PU coating reduced the porosity of the leather. "Old school" conditioners containing lanolin and other thick ingredients that worked great on unsealed leather sat on the surface of PU coated leather and left it smooth and shiny, but didn't sufficiently penetrate that coating and get absorbed into the leather. For this reason, all leather cleaners on the US market today are lanolin-free, except for Zymol. See: Household Products Database - Health and Safety Information on Household Products

IMHO, the most effective leather conditioners today for use on PU coated leather are those that can penetrate that coating. Take your pick of the conditioners that are thin liquids. Thick cream conditioners might make your leather look shiny and smell good, but they won't really condition the leather since they can't penetrate the PU coating as well as the thin viscosity conditioners.

How do you know if your leather is aniline or PU coated? Do the water drop test. See the last link, below.

I thought it best to not reproduce all supporting documentation here in order to save space and, instead, give you the links as follows:

US Dept. of Health and Human Services, Household Products Database, Automotive Products, Leather Detailing: Household Products Database - Health and Safety Information on Household Products Note that you can search this database by Ingredients (lanolin), manufacturers (Lexol, Meguiar's, etc.), Product Names, Category, Health Effects, etc.

Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS). The above HPD has links to manufacturers' MSDS. You can find if a product contains any hazardous ingredients. Just type in the manufacturer's name, such as Lexol in the Quick Search field and go from there: Error Message Or you can go to the manufacturer's website for their MSDS. Here's Lexol's: http://www.lexol.com/msds/Lexol%20Le...ner%20MSDS.pdf

Lastly, here's an excellent website from Down Under that has all the gory details about automotive leather: CORRECT CAR LEATHER CARE, SHOW SOME LOVE! | BOWDEN'S OWN

I trust you will find this to be informative and helpful.

Stuart

 

Ted - I use Gliptone cleaner and Gliptone conditioner for basic cleaning and conditioning and then use Lexol wipes between monthly monthly cleaning and conditioning. This combination seems to work well for me.

 

You used it incorrectly. You drowned everything. Nuff said. Great product that I've used for 25 years and NEVER had any leather breakdown or crack. It does not shine your leather. The cheap stuff does that.

Excess water will kill you also BTW.

 

Very Informative post! Well Done. It's not surprising that the last link (Correct Car Leather Care) has it's own sponsor (Bowden). Although your post does not mention the type of leather in our XKs, I'll make the assumption that we do not have the protective layer(PU coating) on our interiors. Am I correct?

 

I like to use a new clean soft sponge that I moisten first with water when applying the lexol conditioner. This gives it a more evenly distributed finish. I tried the lexol pad initially but found it to be too abrasive (especially on the dash) and will not use it again.

 

Typically in the past, when I want to spend a little extra time, I apply whatever conditioner to the dash boards of my cars with a 3" foam paint brush as opposed to a rag. It leaves no streaks and applies very smoothly and evenly. It's also easy to slide the tapered edge into creases such as above the glove box, etc., a great little 49 cent investment.