Leather (Fox Red) seat shininess (unwanted)

[swamp2]

My drivers seat gets 100x more seat time than the passenger one. In SoCal I also find myself pretty sweaty pretty often. From the useage and maybe sweat I have noticed the drivers seat is much more shiny than the passenger. I use Lexol leather cleaner and Lexol on my leather every few months. Any tips on getting the finish to match the other seat or at least closer?

[ersin]

I've tried Lexol in the past and I am not very fond of it. Now I use Leatherique. I haven't used the Leatherique on the Novillo leather yet but I am pretty sure it will make the seat look better. If you go this route be sure to read up on how to use it on their website. You use the rejuvenator oil first, then the prisine clean. It sounds backward but that is how it works.


Cheers.

[eclipsisNA]

I use Lexol shampoo and conditioner on my Fox Red seats once a month and that's the best possible way of keeping them looking matte.

[ChineseGuy]

Leather Master trio.

Clean it. Condition it. Protect it. Done

However, conditioning isn't too necessary, whereas protection is key. Water is the only conditioner leather really need.

Most brands advertise leather conditioning as protectant, but it's very different. Often, these conditioners contain oils that make it look new again, but the oil left behind will just attract more dirt to screw up the leather. Therefore, you'd want a good protectant rather than conditioning it all the time.

[TOGWT]

Originally Posted by ChineseGuy

Leather Master trio.

Clean it. Condition it. Protect it. Done

However, conditioning isn't too necessary, whereas protection is key. Water is the only conditioner leather really need.

Most brands advertise leather conditioning as protectant, but it's very different. Often, these conditioners contain oils that make it look new again, but the oil left behind will just attract more dirt to screw up the leather. Therefore, you'd want a good protectant rather than conditioning it all the time.

+1 Good information

[FruitCake]

do not use lexol, its absolute garbage. use at least leathermasters or even better yet leatherique

[eclipsisNA]

Originally Posted by FruitCake

do not use lexol, its absolute garbage. use at least leathermasters or even better yet leatherique

Where did you get that idea? Lexol is one of the better products besides Leatherique.

[swamp2]

I don't want to start a generic product debate here. I wanted someone to address the shininess issue and report specifically if a certain product countered it on Fox Red. Thanks.

[eclipsisNA]

Originally Posted by swamp2

I don't want to start a generic product debate here. I wanted someone to address the shininess issue and report specifically if a certain product countered it on Fox Red. Thanks.

Lexol produces a matte finish on Fox Red, as does Leather Masters shampoo.

[AWFRM3]

Originally Posted by swamp2

I don't want to start a generic product debate here. I wanted someone to address the shininess issue and report specifically if a certain product countered it on Fox Red. Thanks.

I use the Leather Masters trio religiously on my Fox Red and it maintains the nice matte, like-new finish.

[swamp2]

Originally Posted by AWFRM3

I use the Leather Masters trio religiously on my Fox Red and it maintains the nice matte, like-new finish.

Great. Thanks for the reply. If I may ask further:

What is your mileage?
Does your drivers seat get way more use than passenger?
How often do you use the LM?

[SUB-ZERO]

One word.... Leatherique.

SZ

[AWFRM3]

Originally Posted by swamp2

Great. Thanks for the reply. If I may ask further:

What is your mileage?
Does your drivers seat get way more use than passenger?
How often do you use the LM?

My car is an '08 with 14,000 miles. It is my daily driver. BTW, I'm 220 pounds. I estimate that my passenger seat has been sat in less than 15 times.

Proper treatment with the Leather Masters trio, PLUS CAREFUL ENTRY AND EXIT, keeps the driver's seat looking good. IMO, the entry and exit is just as important, if not more, than the treatment. I lever myself into and out of the driver's seat, supporting my weight with my left hand on the scuff plate, careful not to rub the side bolster, and rubbing the outside left edge of the seat bottom as little as possible.

I use the cleaner every 1-2 weeks, and the conditioner and protection cream every 4-6 weeks.

One caveat -- I've used the Leather Masters since the beginning, so I don't know whether it would be effective in correcting leather that is already heaily worn, as I don't have any experience with that. Leatherique seems to be often-recommended on this forum and others for re-vitalizing worn leather. Good luck.

[swamp2]

^ I am careful getting in but probably not as careful as I could be. I know about the side bolster wear from my prior E36 and E46 M3s. BTW I am over 30k miles so I guess a bit more wear and tear is normal. I ordered the LM trio and will report back on the visual improvement if any.

[Hawk Lax]

The leather is shiny because its dirty. Leather master or lexol cleaner will clean the leather and return it to a matte finish. I like leather master protect as the final layer over lexol's conditioner but nothing wrong with lexol.

[swamp2]

^ By "dirty" I assume you actually mean "sweat infused". I keep my seats pretty clean. Do these products really help with this?

[dr.jay]

Leatherique Twins!!!

[AWFRM3]

Originally Posted by Hawk Lax

The leather is shiny because its dirty. Leather master or lexol cleaner will clean the leather and return it to a matte finish. I like leather master protect as the final layer over lexol's conditiojer but nothing wrong with lexol.

+1. I was going to say this earlier - in my experience, just applying the cleaner gets rid of the shine (again, in my case minor shine because I clean every week or two) and returns it to the matte finish. It takes 5 minutes without need to bother with the conditioner and protectant every time.

Originally Posted by swamp2

^ By "dirty" I assume you actually mean "sweat infused". I keep my seats pretty clean. Do these products really help with this?

Sweat, dead skin, and, like you say, not necessarily protruding dirt but airborne dirt and dust just from normal use that settles in. As you can tell I like LM, but I believe the cleaner does a good job removing this.

[eclipsisNA]

While Lexol is good, Leather Masters is probably the best product out there. M, use these products in this order:

1. Leather Master Soft Cleaner (to clean seats, use w/ Swissvax Leather Brush)
2. Leather Master Vital Conditioner (to moisturize the skin)
3. Leather Master Protectant (to seal the skin)

http://www.detailersdomain.com/leathercare.aspx

[Hawk Lax]

I like the LM stuff also IMHO after cleaning you can skip the vital and just go to the protectant

[Alekshop]

Originally Posted by ChineseGuy

Leather Master trio.

Clean it. Condition it. Protect it. Done

However, conditioning isn't too necessary, whereas protection is key. Water is the only conditioner leather really need.

Most brands advertise leather conditioning as protectant, but it's very different. Often, these conditioners contain oils that make it look new again, but the oil left behind will just attract more dirt to screw up the leather. Therefore, you'd want a good protectant rather than conditioning it all the time.

This trio works for me the best !

I tried it on 1991 BMW with gray leather interior and was very impressed !

[swamp2]

Tried the Leather Master trio. Have to say I am very disappointed. There has been a very slight reduction in the shininess in my Fox Red seats.

The worst spots are driver seat, bottom and left bolster. The seats are kept quite clean, I think sweat is my biggest contaminant. With business clothes on even with the (weak) AC I tend to get pretty sweaty. I mean not abnormal or gross, but my shirts are often wet on the back after a longish amount of seat time. On a side note I'd love perforated leather with the in seat AC like the M5.... The only thing I didn't do exactly as per th instructions was the wait period in between the different products. When the prior product looked totally dry I moved on. There is still a really large difference between all the parts of the seats that do not get any contact and those that do. In addition the passenger and drivers seats show a large difference due to use difference. I am seriously wondering if any one who recommended this product successfully took Fox Red seats from shiny finish and restored them back to a nice matte OEM finish. I'm certainly keen on hearing more, perhaps some product or application tips.