I bought a 2012 M37x equipped w/ the Deluxe Touring package a few weeks ago, and even though the seats are primarily in really good condition, the driver's seat does have a few creases in it (especially on that "hump" to the left that you basically have to put all your weight on when stepping out of the car). With that being said, does anyone know of any good leather preservatives, cleaners, etc. that I could apply to the seats to prevent them from degrading further (or at least slow the rate of it)?

Lexol is usually highly touted in the detailing world from what I remember. I use it on my motorcycle jacket, have used it on my cars (although I admittedly am not as meticulous with detailing as I am with maintenance).

Thanks! In general, is there any type of product I should definitely NOT use on my seats?

ARMOR ALL! Don't use it on ANYTHING. It's greasy and hideous looking.

It is a generally accepted practice in the detailing world to use leather products on vinyl; but never use vinyl products on leather.

I've used lexol and it works well, both the cleaner and the conditioner. I've also used Meguire's leather wipes for the small clean up. Smells great lol.

I agree the lexol...used it on my old q45.my 5,000 leather couches .and now my m37s

So it sounds like Lexol is the best choice here. Between using their 3-in-1 cleaner/conditioner and buying/using both products separately, is there an advantage to doing the latter? Is the all in one product just as good?

NoTalentLoser wrote:So it sounds like Lexol is the best choice here. Between using their 3-in-1 cleaner/conditioner and buying/using both products separately, is there an advantage to doing the latter? Is the all in one product just as good?

Separate cleaner and conditioner will always be better then a 1-step product for your first and/or full leather treatments in my opinion. Cleaning the dirt off the leather before putting the conditioner on just makes sense.

The 1-step products can be used to spot clean spills or remove color transfer on light color. 1-step products are also good for preventive maintenance wipe downs between full clean and condition treatments.

I used Lexol exclusively for years. Over time though I got tired of the Lexol smell. Its not bad smell by any means. It loved that it made me feel like my leather was clean and luxurious when its odor was present. But over the years I just got tired of it. i switched to Zymol for a few years and was happy. Clean scent while using it and only clean seats when done. Now, with my M56, I am using Mothers Leather Wash and Leather Cream. GREAT smell while working with it and no odor when done. My results have been good.

Writing this post and thinking about the Lexol smell has made me a little nostalgic. I might have to sniff a bottle of it next time I am at the store.

^^ lol. I'll have to try the Mothers stuff. I'm going to pamper this car more than I did the M35, which is hard to do lol. After I hit 100kmi on the M35, I started to neglect it lol. That may have been, also, because I got a sport bike lol.

Debonair wrote:

NoTalentLoser wrote:So it sounds like Lexol is the best choice here. Between using their 3-in-1 cleaner/conditioner and buying/using both products separately, is there an advantage to doing the latter? Is the all in one product just as good?

Separate cleaner and conditioner will always be better then a 1-step product for your first and/or full leather treatments in my opinion. Cleaning the dirt off the leather before putting the conditioner on just makes sense.

The 1-step products can be used to spot clean spills or remove color transfer on light color. 1-step products are also good for preventive maintenance wipe downs between full clean and condition treatments.

I used Lexol exclusively for years. Over time though I got tired of the Lexol smell. Its not bad smell by any means. It loved that it made me feel like my leather was clean and luxurious when its odor was present. But over the years I just got tired of it. i switched to Zymol for a few years and was happy. Clean scent while using it and only clean seats when done. Now, with my M56, I am using Mothers Leather Wash and Leather Cream. GREAT smell while working with it and no odor when done. My results have been good.

Writing this post and thinking about the Lexol smell has made me a little nostalgic. I might have to sniff a bottle of it next time I am at the store.

Thanks for the in-depth product comparison! Based on your experiences with using all three products over the years (Lexol, Zymol, Mothers), is one of them actually more effective at keeping the leather soft and in "new-ish" condition? It sounds like one particular advantage that is shared by both Zymol and Mothers over Lexol is the fact that while both Zymol and Mothers smell nice during the time when you're applying them, the smell dissipates after you're done. I like this feature, as I'm not fond of the idea of using a leather cleaning/conditioning product even just once and having the car basically smell like that product for the rest of the years I own the car. But in terms of effectiveness, between Zymol and Mothers, is one of these products better than the other (in your opinion)?

NoTalentLoser wrote:Thanks for the in-depth product comparison! Based on your experiences with using all three products over the years (Lexol, Zymol, Mothers), is one of them actually more effective at keeping the leather soft and in "new-ish" condition? It sounds like one particular advantage that is shared by both Zymol and Mothers over Lexol is the fact that while both Zymol and Mothers smell nice during the time when you're applying them, the smell dissipates after you're done. I like this feature, as I'm not fond of the idea of using a leather cleaning/conditioning product even just once and having the car basically smell like that product for the rest of the years I own the car. But in terms of effectiveness, between Zymol and Mothers, is one of these products better than the other (in your opinion)?

If you get the opportunity I suggest you take a whiff of the Lexol conditioner. Not a bad product or smell and it feels super rich going on. The smell does not last forever. I used it VERY regularly (I over-maintained) in my 95 Thunderbird and my 2000 dodge Durango (three rows of leather plus door panels) so the smell was a constant for me.

I used Zymol exclusively in my Lexus from the day bought it and the next 7 years and was happy with it. The cleaner was a little weak for the initial cleaning of its then 5 year old light gray leather interior so I first used a degreaser hand soap, a trick only for the brave that works wonders but can strip some coatings. After that the Zymol was great in the Lexus. I also used it and was happy with the results in my black leather WRX which i bought new (clean seats) and in a used Olds Intrigue with ivory leather (which had super clean seats).

The Mothers is very new to me and I have only used it on the front buckets of the M so far. The cleaner seems stronger then the Zymol and comes in a foamer rather then spray. I used a horse hair brush with foaming clear to lather the seats up before wiping clean and the doing the cream (conditioner) application. It definitly lifted som hidden dirt from the black seats and helped relax some of the wrinkles I am happy with it up to this point but I think it is too early to make a real comparison. I believe the M has the softest leather of the cars I have owned to this point so the results may be jaded by this fact.

I am also planning to use the Mothers in my new Forester which has somewhat stiffer leather, as soon as I get a chance. Lots of leather cleaning and conditioning in my life time.

Lexol is definitely excellent, although I am sure there are others.

Z

Many know I am a huge Griot's Garage fan. (in my pics you will find a pic of my car trolley filled with his stuff).
The first time I do my leather, I steam clean. That removes all the dirt and stains that build up over use and leave the leather softened and smooth. It also unclogs the perforations that get filled with dirt and leg lotion from Fetucini, LOL. Then I apply Griot's Leather Rejuvenator and leave it on overnight.
The next day, I hand buff to remove any remaining product. It isn't lanolin based, it will NOT clog the perforated seats, isn't greasy, does not leave the seats slippery and is not messy to use. After that, I touch up about once monthly with Griot's Leather spray. Again, no lanolin, no clogged perforations, and a great leather aroma. Even the head rests feel like pillows when you mash your head into them.
Prior to Griot's I swore by Lexol and it is also an excellent product. I happen to like Griot's best though.

I'll second the Griot recommendation. I've used Lexol for about 15 years and switched last year to the Griot products. If you get their leather cleaner (I think they call it "Interior Cleaner") and the green micro fiber cleaning pads you'll get the best clean I've seen with a leather cleaner. It even removes the "blue jean" stains you can sometimes get on really light colored leather. I'm lucky enough to live only about 25 miles from their HQ store in Tacoma and it has become one of my favorite Saturday trips. They'll teach you how to best use their products and they have their own car museum and car shows in the parking lots most weekends. Amazon sometimes has sales on their products.

I'll have to give their stuff a try. Does it work on any kind of leather? Meaning, can I use it on my motorcycle jacket? Or is it limited to automotive applications?

I noticed a whole Griot's section last time I was at Pep Boys. I might have to give their stuff a try too.

IlyaKol wrote:I'll have to give their stuff a try. Does it work on any kind of leather? Meaning, can I use it on my motorcycle jacket? Or is it limited to automotive applications?

The leather products work for all applications but I still say it's best to test on an inconspicuous spot first.