stupidrobothead

Hi all,
I am getting ready to pull my TT out of storage and am wondering which is the best condiitoner/cleaner to use?

dave

RKA

The lexol cleaner is good for well maintained leather. For leather that's been a bit abused...leatherique (rejuvenator oil) will probably do a better job of cleaning it, but it's messy stuff (the cleaner is actually oily in nature). I have alcantara in my car, and I'm not certain there is anyway to work with the leatherique without getting it on the alcantara. Applying the leatherique is more tedious as well...apply, scrub it in, wrap in plastic and let the car sit in the sun, then come back and buff out the slimy residue.

As far as conditioning, I'm not a fan of the Lexol. It seems to make the leather more slippery, but I'm not sure it does much for conditioning the leather.

A note on leatherique...they don't have a classic cleaner and conditioner as other product lines do. The rejuvenator oil is used to clean and condition the leather...unfortunately, it also leaves a mess on the leather surface, that must them be followed with their "cleaner". It's an odd way of doing things, but it seems to work okay...except for the messy oil.

If your leather is in good condition, I'm not sure what leather cleaner I would recommend. I haven't found one that I really like yet. I've tried lexol, zaino, and leatherique. Of the three, I think I like the zaino the best, but I'm not overly impressed by any of them.

Dave M

Some may see it as an advert for Lexol, but there is some good info presented in the article.<ul><li><a href="http://www.properautocare.com/leclcoex.html">Linky</a></li></ul>

petertt

I've tried all the conditioners you mentioned and now I use Griot's leather product. It is not oily and smells like leather. Try it.

I agree with you on the Alcantra..I wouldn't get anything near it.

RKA

Maybe just a small sponge pad soaked in conditioner? I'm uber-tired of buying detailing supplies for the sake of trying them. I've got so much crap piling up that it's disgusting.

Seattle Scott

Do what I do...use the crap on family / friend's cars...it's always better than their stuff. ;-)

RKA

besides, I'd still have stuff leftever!

phred

Now I plan to work the concept of "fatliquoring" into all my conversations.

Amazing how complicated it is to turn cowhide into leather. Apparently if you ever visit a place like Morocco where they are making leather outdoors with old-school techniques, the smell will stay with you forever.

George Burdell

It is more tedious to use the oil, but you only have to do that 2x a year. The pristine clean is the once a month cleaner/conditioner.

using the pristine clean is no different than lexol except there is only one step to clean and condition.
1. Spray on, let sit for 20-30 minutes.
2. wipe off
3. spray some more on and use a soft brush to get any grit out of seams, creases, etc.
4. Wipe remaining pristine clean off
5. wipe down with warm water
6. buff dry

This will NEVER feel oily afterwards. It will smell and feel like new leather.

RKA

And I forgot to comment on the smell...smells like some kind of animal byproduct...nasty! Yes, I know what leather is...but leather doesn't smell like a dead cow after it's been tanned.