I have a 01 E 320 with ash leather. What should i use to care for the leather, wood trim, and dash? Any info would greatly be appreciated.

 

The following is gleaned from a BMW Roundel article called "Back to Nature", based on the assumption that organic care is best for the organically-derived materials in your car. It's about a decade old, and is featured in my BMW Enthusiasts Companion, available for $17.95 at bookstores. I have summarized the essence of the article.

Leather: Wash with water and tallow soap. Use a conditioner with natural collagens to restore moisture and a sunblock to prevent deterioration. MAKE SURE THE LEATHER IS WARM WHEN THE CONDITIONER IS APPLIED. A good way to do this is to apply the conditioner on a sunny day and use the 'greenhouse effect' to soak it into the leather.

Vinyl and Plastic: Use tallow soap to wash vinyl, plastic, and wood trim. Use peanut oil to clean. Dry with a cotton towel. Don't use petrochemicals (Armor-All, etc.) on vinyl, as they absorb the natural moisture and accelerate deterioration. Use products based on natural oils. DO NOT use oils on plastic, since they won't be absorbed but will collect dust.

Wood trim: For high-gloss trim (like on newer cars), treat it like the exterior--deep clean with citric acid and protect with Carnauba wax.

Windows: Glass cleaner without ammonia or vinegar.

Carpet: Clean mats with high-pressure water and dry with a water vacuum.

Take all of the above however seriously you want. If want to read in more detail, you may consider picking up the book. Granted, it refers to BMW's, but the above techniques can apply to any owner who wants to keep his or her car in excellent shape.

Products I use personally on my '86 BMW 528e:

Lexol, for vinyl and leather
Armor-All (not healthy for car, but it's quick and looks decent).
Regular soap and water to wash interior

Hope this helps.

 

I never use Armor-All, personally, but as long as you continue to use it regularly you should be OK. The plastic becomes "addicted" to the solvents in it and will rapidly dry out and crack if you go too long between applications.

Cheers, BT

 

Wow, that's interesting to know. I would have imagined that using it often would be more damaging. But I see you have a good point.

I'll rush out and apply it right now!

 

Check out the Klasse Vinyl, Leather, Rubber, Plastic Cleaner/Proctectant. I just applied this stuff to my dash, doors, and other plastics. It is an awesome product. I'm no longer going to use Armor-All anymore.

First off, Klasse is a clear liquid that cleans and conditions and evaporates leaving the surface nice and smooth and not oily. There's no messy greasy oily residue that Armor leaves behind. I was impressed with Klasse on my A/C controls and the head unit. You don't have to worry about how Armor All dripping all over the place and sliding into crevices. You don't get your hands all greasy when you touch surfaces that you've just wiped down with Klasse. Just a nice smooth conditioned surface that is UV protected.

I use the Klasse to clean/condition the leather, but I feel the leather needs a little extra conditioning so I apply the Mercedes Leather Care on it afterwards.

I agree with trench that cars can become addicted to ArmorAll because the cracking occurred on one of my other cars.

 

darkLCD, where do you get Klasse? I've heard a lot about it, and I'll start using it if I can find it. Do you think it'll be harmful to my plastic/vinyl if I quit using Armor-All and use Klasse regularly instead?

 

Yeah, I don't really see a problem with you switching over to the Klasse Vinyl, Leather, Rubber, Plastic Cleaner & Proctectant. The Klasse is a cleaner and protectant so it'll take off your old ArmorAll and condition your interior in the process. I found the (Klasse Viny, Leather, Rubber, Plastic Cleaner/Proctectant) in the Parts Dept at my MB dealership. I'll post a pic of it so you can see what it looks like (red bottle with black cap).

In addition if your in the Parts Dept, I highly recommend the Klasse All-In-One and the Klasse Sealant Glaze if you're in the market for a good wax. The Klasse AIO is an acrylic wax that lasts 6 months or longer and won't burn off like carnuba waxes. The Klasse SG is like it says, an extra layer of protection and shine. I use both the Klasse AIO and SG once a year on my cars. In the meantime, if I feel the urge to wax after a wash, I just apply Zymol or any carnuba wax on top of it. The carnuba wax will come off in a short amount of time anyways, but the Klasse beneath will keep on protecting the car. It's sort of like waxing your cars twice. You gotta wax the car first with the Klasse AIO. Then when you're through, you wax it again with Klasse SG. Others on the board have applied multiple layers of Klasse SG to get their cars shimmering like a mirror. It's up to you how many layers you want to apply. I get tired just washing and then waxing my car once...twice is pushing it...and waxing it three times in one day is just out of the question.

 

The Klasse All In One is red bottle with white cap and the Klasse Sealant Glaze is the silver bottle with black cap.

 

hehehe....I love my new digital camera

 

Thanks for the pictures; now I know exactly what to look for. I'll try to get the wax too--what you explained sounds like a great idea.

I drive an older BMW, but I guess I'll just go over to the M-B dealership anyway if the Klasse isn't sold anywhere else. Hopefully they won't chase me out of there!

 

You're welcome! Nah, I doubt they'll chase you out of there. Maybe you should take a look at the showroom while you're there.

 

"Lexol, for vinyl and leather"??

Craig:

Do you use Lexol leather condioner for leather

and Vinylex - a Lexol product - for vinyl?

Or do you use Lexol leather condioner for both leather and vinyl??

tnx
Karl

 

karl k, I used to use the leather conditioner on both, but then I decided that not only was it a waste, but it probably wasn't doing any good for the vinyl. I have been meaning to order the Lexol Vinylex treatment for a while, but haven't yet. Right now I just use Armor-All for that.

darkLCD, I'll certainly have no problem browsing through the showroom! I love going to car dealerships for that purpose (but haven't in a while).

 

Craig:
Then I assume that your vinyl dash and other parts are highly reflective on your 1986 BMW 528e.

 

Do you mean they're highly reflective because of the conditioner? The upper dash especially has a coarse grain and is made of rather cheap-feeling hard plastic. The lower dash is also hard but has a finer grain.

The Armor-All does make it a bit shiny, but I feel that that's better than being dulled by a lot of dust.

I have yet to use either Vinylex or Klasse, but I intend to try the latter soon. If I have trouble obtaining it, I'll order Vinylex (my local hardware store stopped selling Lexol products).

 

Craig:

Auto Discount, Auto Zone and Pep Boys carry Vinylex here in S. Fl.

I have not used it myself, but know that it is highly recommended, - keeping the vinyl dashboard matte and providing UV protection, -- preventing the plastics from getting brittle and dry.

 

OK, thanks. There's a Pep Boys about 30 min. from my house. I will try there. (We don't seem to have all those cool auto-related stores up here in central Maryland.)

 

Craig, if you have a problem finding either Lexol or Vinylex post again and I'll find a mail order source for you. I'm pretty sure some of the detailing mail order companies will carry both. Given the fact that they probably sell the stuff in volume it is bound to be fresher than what you would get at a local store.

 

OK, thanks a lot for the offer! As of yet, I haven't had a chance to try Pep Boys--busy trying to fix the backlight for my onboard computer, since one of the bulbs burned out. Replacing it is not as easy as it sounds.

I'll let you know later whether or not I found the Lexol.

 

Craig;

Here is a full list of retail dealers, -- including ACE hardware stores!

http://www.lexol.com/dealers.html

 

Guys, what about the Meguiars interior cleaners like the gold class leather cleaner and natural shine vinyl and rubber protectant? How are these products?

 

karl k, thanks. I will buy the Lexol as soon as I can, because I plan to do a very thorough exterior/interior cleaning of my car within the next few weeks. Right now I am running very low on cash (college student), and my mechanic notified me that I need new tires now. I also have to pay insurance, plus a recent speeding ticket, so I'm trying to save, quite literally, every penny.

I also saw Lexol products being sold at Northwest BMW in Owings Mill, MD, where I recently went to pick up a new backlight to cure the aforementioned onboard computer problem.

Blue Benz, I have not ever used Meguiars Gold Class leather conditioner, but most recently used their 'One-Step' leather cream-like product. It made the leather fairly supple and smells good. Generally I think Meguiars has a good reputation as a just-below-first-class product. While on the topic of leather conditioners, I think I should advise everyone to stay away from the Blue Magic products--their leather conditioner made my 16 year-old leather seats creaky and plasticky (this has not happened when I have used Lexol).

 

then another great option is Zaino products for exterior and interior

go to www.zainobros.com

The leather cleaner and conditioner is great - can use it on the other interior plastic/vinyl, too. Has UV protection in it.

For the exterior and a smooth, mirror like shine, better than Meguiars, follow their directions -- a PITA the first time, but then it's easy