Leather Treatment

[Boiwonder]

Wanna do a leather treatment on my e28 and i'm wondering what I should buy. Heard Lexol was really good, so what do you guys think of this deal?

http://www.amazon.com/Lexol-0922-Leathe ... onditioner

[bbaxter]

Lexol is what I have been using and am happy with it. The leather usually gets very neglected. The top of the back seats can get really dried out. I don't know about the price. I usually don't look at the price. My wife does that part for me.

[rodpaine]

My vote goes to Zymol Treat, which I've been using since I bought my 528e in April 1983, along with all their other products. Not inexpensive and it does require that you apply when recommended, no skipping because you're tired, wanna do something else or what ever. Check out my home page pics. My 528e is a long term (30 years) example of what Zymol can do. Those who have actually seen it will tell you the same thing.
FWIW,
-Rod

[Boiwonder]

Already familiar with your page, and I love your tips they helped me out plenty of times. Your leather looks fantastic. I'll look into Zymol. What is a good applicator a sponge or a leather brush?

[rodpaine]

Thank you for the compliment!

I simply use a soft cotton rag, (cut up an old T-shirt) making sure the leather is warm to the touch and you work the Zymol Treat well into the leather. Let it set for 15-20 minutes then buff it lightly with an old terry cloth towel. I do this twice a year, in the spring and fall, moving the car into the sun to get the leather warm and then back into the warm garage for treatment. I do the same to all the vinyl using using Zymol Vinyl Conditioner.

My car spent over half of its life (19 years) sitting out in the sun in parking lots (NEVER WITHOUT its windshield shade!) somewhere during the days, while I worked at client facilities. The Zymol products did a great job protecting the interior and exterior, before the car became a garage queen, in 2002. But I still follow the same schedule with my Zymol applications.
-Rod

8/6/12 EDIT - I've been reminded by several here that I forgot to mention that swapping the driver and passenger front seats about every 5 years, as I show on my web site, has played a major role in helping minimize their wear and I stronghly recommend doing this with your seats... if you keep the car this long.

[unt0uchable]

Rod,
Gorgeous car! I too frequent your page for tips and tricks on regular maintenance. I'd love to try out this Zymol. Could you tell us, how much product does your typical treatment involve? I've found the 8oz bottles but that seems like such a little amount for a 5 seater. Also, is there a specific color or is just a generic lighter beige conditioner. Thanks for the tips here and on your website!

/threadjack

[bbaxter]

My vote goes to Zymol Treat, which I've been using since I bought my 528e in April 1983, along with all their other products. Not inexpensive and it does require that you apply when recommended, no skipping because you're tired, wanna do something else or what ever. Check out my home page pics. My 528e is a long term (30 years) example of what Zymol can do. Those who have actually seen it will tell you the same thing.
FWIW,
-Rod

Rod, I looked at your home page. Your car is just beautiful. You must do nothing else but work on it. I guess you have another daily driver now? I need to pick up some Zymol and try it.

[rodpaine]

Rod,
Gorgeous car! I too frequent your page for tips and tricks on regular maintenance. I'd love to try out this Zymol. Could you tell us, how much product does your typical treatment involve? I've found the 8oz bottles but that seems like such a little amount for a 5 seater. Also, is there a specific color or is just a generic lighter beige conditioner. Thanks for the tips here and on your website!/threadjack

Thanks, always nice to know my web site is helpful. When I first started using Zymol Treat I applied too much, which is typical. Now, with 30 years of application, I find the 8oz bottle lasts me about 2 to 2-1/2 years and I now know what my pearl beige leather is supposed to look like when properly applied... just a bit darker in color. Hard to describe or photograph (and I've tried), it's one of those things that comes with experience. The bottles used to be white, but are now clear showing that color, which it has always been.
-Rod

[rodpaine]

Rod, I looked at your home page. Your car is just beautiful. You must do nothing else but work on it. I guess you have another daily driver now?

Not really, because my 'baseline' is very high, it takes very little time to keep it this way, about an hour to wash, vacuum and touch-up the engine bay, once a month. It stays covered in the garage. Started using my '88 Chevy 4x4 in '02 as a DD, but its 15 MPG was breaking me, as the cost of gas kept increasing over the years I was driving it. My DD is now an '08 Honda Fit Sport 5-speed with a lifetime (29,883 miles) fuel mileage average of 39.4 MPG, for my rural driving. A great DD and fun to drive for the $16k new it cost me out the door + the few changes I've made to it.
-Rod

[Boiwonder]

More questions, should I get the Zymol conditioner and cleaner or just the conditioner?

http://www.amazon.com/Zymol-Z509-Leathe ... onditioner

http://www.amazon.com/Zymol-Z-507-Leath ... sbs_auto_3

[Mless5]

Short: http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/sh ... ostcount=5

Long: http://www.autopia.org/forum/autopia-de ... -care.html

Lexol is available off the shelf btw.