Leather seat care

[shodog]

I was able to finally able to get some time clean the seats in my M. I used Lexol cleaner followed by the conditioner. I used more than half of the bottle of conditioner just on the front seats. It seems that the leather on the front seats was extremely hard. Does it ever soften up? What does everyone else use for their seats?

[Ilya]

I also use Lexol.

[Sstupid]

I bought my car with 190K on the clock. I think I've used every leather re-conditioner under the sun. While it does look much better, it has never truly softened up. I think when you get to a certain point of neglect, there is no going back. It's kind of like smoking for 30 years then quitting and expecting your lungs to go back to normal.

[Larz]

I agree. Usually, unless the leather has been properly cleaned and rejuvinated, it will not stay supple or soft. You may want to try what I use. Seems to work great for me. Can't say it's better than Lexol because I've never used Lexol.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Griots-Garage-1 ... 25&vxp=mtr

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just a side note in response to the mention of smoking in the above post: I recently did a presentation for a quit smoking center. Of course, this presumes that you had normal risks prior to smoking and you haven't done anything other than smoking to increase risks. I post it just in case there are members who think that quitting cannot make much difference to their future health.

after 20 min:
heart rate will drop closer to a normal level

after 2 hours:
blood pressure will begin to lower

after 12 hours:
carbon monoxide levels decrease to normal levels

after 24 hours:
risk of heart attack begins to decrease

after 48 hours:
nerves will begin to regrow improving taste, smell and touch

after 3 weeks:
heart rate, lung function, and circulation greatly improve

after 9 months:
cilia in the lungs clear and lung capacity greatly improves

after 1 year:
risk of heart disease and heart attack drops by 1/2 of a smoker's risk

after 5 years:
your risk of stroke is the same as any non smoker

after 10 years:
your risk of lung or other cancers is 1/2 that of a smoker

after 15 years:
you risk of heart disease, stroke, and heart attack is the same as a person who never smoked

[WillV]

I agree. Usually, unless the leather has been properly cleaned and rejuvinated, it will not stay supple or soft. You may want to try what I use. Seems to work great for me. Can't say it's better than Lexol because I've never used Lexol.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Griots-Garage-1 ... 25&vxp=mtr

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
just a side note in response to the mention of smoking in the above post: I recently did a presentation for a quit smoking center. Of course, this presumes that you had normal risks prior to smoking and you haven't done anything other than smoking to increase risks. I post it just in case there are members who think that quitting cannot make much difference to their future health.

after 20 min:
heart rate will drop closer to a normal level

after 2 hours:
blood pressure will begin to lower

after 12 hours:
carbon monoxide levels decrease to normal levels

after 24 hours:
risk of heart attack begins to decrease

after 48 hours:
nerves will begin to regrow improving taste, smell and touch

after 3 weeks:
heart rate, lung function, and circulation greatly improve

after 9 months:
cilia in the lungs clear and lung capacity greatly improves

after 1 year:
risk of heart disease and heart attack drops by 1/2 of a smoker's risk

after 5 years:
your risk of stroke is the same as any non smoker

after 10 years:
your risk of lung or other cancers is 1/2 that of a smoker

after 15 years:
you risk of heart disease, stroke, and heart attack is the same as a person who never smoked

This is all true^^ don't think that the effects cannot be reversed. Good info Larz, and thanks for the link.

[pedsemdoc]

It seems that the leather on the front seats was extremely hard. Does it ever soften up?

I use Lexol as well. But you might want to try steam cleaning your seats - it sounds crazy, but if you look at a few YouTube videos, AmmoNYC, (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Bd_IqK5ydU at about 10:33 he steam cleans the seats) you'd be amazed at the difference once the pores of the leather are opened up and alot of the deeper, ground in dirt is released. Gonna try this on my "new to me" 2009 Xterra SE seats that I just bought for my teenage son to drive. May have to do a before and after pic...

[shodog]

That steam cleaning looks interesting. This morning I realized I forgot the steering wheel, shift boot and shift knob so I used as hot as water I could stand to pre-clean, clean and condition those. The Passenger seat has absorbed a lot of the Lexol and is starting to soften up. I reapplied a thick coat of lexol to the passenger and rear seats. I'm the only one who drives this car so it's okay that the seats stay nasty and tacky for a few days.

On another note, I watched a video on Leatherique. I used this stuff on my old 540i. Hard to say how much good it did considering the leather is super stiff on BMW seats. It's pricey stuff but I might be willing to give it a try on the M45.

[chairmankaga]

Try saddle soap, for horse saddles!
Seconding the suggestion to check out the AmmoNYC YouTube channel. SO many great instructional vids.

[bakili]

I've used Leather Honey and to be honest liked the results very much. I should probably do another coat soon prior summer to keep those seats luxurious. Had given my M35 for service few months ago and got a loaner 2016 Q50. To be honest even though it was quicker, my saloon looks and feels way more luxurious than new toys. And it actually smells like real leather when you get into the car every time, not like plastic as most of current cars smells like, even at $50K+.

[jonjon20xx]

im gonna try this steam cleaning. i hope it works.