Vegtable oil & leather

Since getting my first VX 2 months ago, I have cleaned it extensivly (altho it was already in like new condition). I delayed touching the leather seats because I knew what I wanted to do, but was hesitant. Years ago, an old timer told me his secret for preserving leather. He didn't volunteer it, I had to pry it out of him (I don't know why). His name was "wild" Bill McCain of Erie Pa. and his nickname was "Cowboy". Anyway, he was an outdoorsman and his tip was this..."vegtable oil'. He said rubbing it into the leather was important but even moreso, use a small brush and work it into the seams. Over the years I've used the vegtable oil with nothing less than great results...supple leather and long life. He said something about tannick acids (maybe that vegtable oil had none? If you want to expound on that, feel free). Anyway, this VX is the nicest car I've ever had and I was reluctant to use the oil on the leather, fearing that maybe I would screw it up. But, after mulling it over for 2 months...I did it 2 days ago. If you do it, wipe it on with a small cloth (I didn't use the tooth brush on the seams) and then remove excess. it looked pretty glossy for the first day, but then soaked in and now looks great. I also did the steering wheel and no, the car does not smell like a salad. You may want to try a small area first or maybe a baseball mitt. It works for me.

Good ole home remedies are great. So, how often are you supposed to do this treatment? Does the oil come off on your clothes? Does dust stick to the seats?

I have heard of using vegetable oil and also olive oil. Probably will even work, too. If you are just dying to try it, use VERY small amounts and be sure to remove the excess a minute or so later.

Either way, I suspect that you will find your seats will become dirty even quicker after trying it. Both oils tend to hold dust and dirt pretty well. Not to mention the failure and breakdown of such oils when subjected to high temperatures (such as being left in the summer sun with the windows closed.)


If you're not just dying to try it....I've a better idea which might even be cheaper.

Get yourself a tin of saddle soap and a tin of mink oil. Both can be found at most any well stocked grocery for probably something like $3 each. Usually, they are shelved with the shoe polishes.

Use the saddle soap to clean....and the mink oil to preserve....as per the label directions, of course.

Hate to say it....these two will out do just about any commercial leather cleaner/conditioner you're ever likely to see. And, they are dirt cheap. I have used them for years on auto leather, leather home furniture, leather coats, and even leather wristwatch bands.


.....sT

speaking of leather .........
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I use Lexol. I've used it for years with good results.
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Someone recently informed me that Zaino has some decent leather care products.

Meguiar's makes a pretty good foam leather cleaner I like. I don't like anything for the seats in the form of wipes and I've tried several. Lexol is pretty decent - I don't use it for the seats but I do use one of their products for the interior vinyl/rubber/plastic (but not exterior). I've heard the saddle soap thing a time or two before but had forgotten about it until now, so I'll probably try that next. Thanks for bringing it up!

By the way, I actually used a clay bar on my headlights and rubber trim around the doors/windows. The headlights went kinda so-so, but it made a big difference on the trim elements. They looked alright anyway, but they look perfect now. You just have to be careful or clay can get into little crevices and be hard to remove. I think that especially if your VX does a lot of sunbathing, combining the Meguiar's tire gel (I use it on a lot more than just cladding, but not the tires LOL) with an occasional claying might give you a fighting chance at keeping the trim nice. On most cars it seems to degrade rather quickly, and regular washing will not stop it. In fact, if you don't get it dried off well after washing, I think it makes matters worse.

I actually like the Meguire's Gold Class leather conditioning wipes, for conditioning mind you. In fact, I really like most of the Meguire's Gold Class product range.

Oh, and I put some new Turtle Wax tire detailer (comes in a box with the liquid and a foamy sponge) on the cladding and tires... BEAUTIFUL! How long it will last I have no idea, but it seems to go on somewhat thick.

I should clarify and state that I agree about the Gold Class line and I'm not saying all wipes are crap. I used those same Meguiar's leather wipes before finding the foam. I just don't like wipes for application, and I've gotten my hands on a few pretty useless tubes of dash wipes in particular (made little difference or made it look worse, and leaving lint all over). Any way, for the seats I find that the foam just goes on easier and gives a more even look with less effort, dries faster and the leather is not as slick and maybe a bit more supple (some products actually seem to make the leather get tighter/dry out).

Anybody tried the new Turtle Wax wax? I hear that new NXT stuff isn't anything special. I think Zaino is the way I'd like to go, but it's a lot more involved.

You may want to test out some Collinite #845 as well. I have some, as well as others on this board. It really seems to work great... it ALSO seems to get shinier the more coats go on.

Check out this thread, which also has link to another thread about Collinite as well.

Anyway, just an alternative.

Here is a link to the leather care products I use.
http://www.leatherique.com
They work great and are easy to use. Although pricy the quanity you get lasts thru a lot of treatments.