Richard / E320

on your leather seats if you wanted to clean them? I would like to clean them but want to use a product that does not make them greasy or change the color and texture of the leather in any way. Leather color is Java, 9,600 miles on my 2001 E320.

Thank you.

illest

http://www.leatherique.com/

Soap and water work fine too.

Bucs23

How dirty can your seats be with only 9,600 miles on them? What have been doing on those seats?

siopaolover

Richard / E320

Since it looks like you have java interior, you probably know that the seats gets a little dirty just getting in and out of it. It is almost 13 years old, regardless of the mileage, and leather being leather, at some point it needs to be cleaned, treated and protected.

Richard / E320

What kind of soap is okay to use... dish soap? And does that further strip anything off the leather as treated from the factory?

vinceC

I use Lexol cleaner followed by their conditioner.

raymond g-

LOL, i dont drive my e320 that much. bought it used in 2003 with 49,000 mi.
exactly 10 yrs later, the odo just turned 64,000 which makes it an average
of 1,500 @ yr. I'm usually 2 wheeling it or driving the truck. I hate to see
my car wet and dirty.

Richard drives his car, what....800 @ yr ? (hi, richard, 'sup?)

oh, ps....I started with Lexol, then one year, when I had a tax refund, drank
the kool-aid and bought the leatherique. it has been okay but not the night/
day difference. my seats don't have solid panel leather but perforated so
if i apply too much magic goop, it just goes into the holes and into the substrate.
i have to use sparingly.

illest

I had the same experience with leatherique. Most of the time I just use lexol or something similar because like ray I dont drive the car enough to get it that dirty.

LVGBENZ1356

I use leather protectant and conditioner.its a merq something brand

giuseppesalvato

use baby wipes, cleans anything

-B-

baby wipes is probably the best advice aside from soap and water. This leather is known as top coated, you can't "condition" it from the top side (though trace amounts can get in perforated sections) Anything you do to condition it will only trap dirt and alter the look.

I'm new here, but leather restoration is what I do.



Vinyl too...but leather is my specialty




not selling anything, just free advice when I can. Baby wipes are safe, if you are brave and aren't afraid to soap and water I recommend you try Woolite and water mix...low Ph level. Work quickly when getting seats wet as MB leather can be finicky and color start to loosen up fairly fast.

Try Magic Erasers too....or saddle soap.

Leatherique is ok if your handy. But don't be fooled into thinking it will revive anything but color....cardboard hard leather doesn't bounce back as advertised. Their dye is fine but it's more of a latex style water base where a urethane type is best.

I avoid Lexol like the plauge....sticky dirt trapper. Might as well use Armor All. Overpriced marketing in the vain of Bose and Zymol.

patrick_y

Cool. Where are you located?

illest

@-B- if you dont mind sharing how did you fix the nicks in the second picture. one of my door cards looks like that.

-B-

Located in northern DE.

The vinyl repair shown is done with a vinyl repair compound that requires a lot of heat followed by a graining mat...it's unfortunately something left for professionals due to technique and materials used. Even still, a lot of the "pros" aren't very good. The local dealer would probably use someone, asking the used car dept is a start. If you find someone request a look at what they do. Do not use anyone using SEM in a can and be sure to avoid those that would use super glue gel.

FlatlineEF9

What would you recommend as far as a conditioner goes? I want to try the magic eraser and see how that goes. I love the matte look in your pics above...what conditioner can I use that will keep it matte and not all shiny?

-B-

Use no conditioner, it only sits on top and allows for dirt to be trapped and engrained. To get the OEM matte look you need to clean and strip all previous products from the surface....this is what leatheriques cleaning process does but it can be achieved with soap and water.

People are conditioned to do things because of marketing. Truthfully the only way to treat top coated leather (whats in our cars) is to remove the cover and condition the underside which will take in oils such as Connely Hide Food (which got it's reputation for being used by RR dealers, but a conditioning from the RR dealer involed removing the cover)

This leather is not a baseball glove or horse saddle, regardless of what you've been told it can not be treated from the top side.

The other argument is "I've been using Lexol since new and my seats are supple". Every car is different and used in a different manner. Kept in garages or not, Kept in humid conditions or desert dryness. Those are the factors that matter. Conditioning seats makes them harder to clean thoroghly and makes them shiny.

After a good cleaning you should only need a mild soap cleaning to keep them looking clean with an OEM matte type luster. BUt remember that oils from skin and the rubbing/buffing from movement will make them look a slight bit shinier than brand new.

It can sound disappointing to hear you are touching paint, not leather. But it's still the best feeling, most comfortable textile you can use for car seats...especially when perforated. And that leather smell is the oils used in the tanning process escaping...which is a nice luxurious smell I tend to enjoy.