[TrentOSU]

On my 11' E90 the Oyster leather looks a little dirty in some places. I purchased Lexol Cleaner and Conditioner...will this work to bring the color back to the way it should? I know it's a leather that will be harder to take care of but what do you suggest?

[miker2013]

I am about to clean my oyster leather for the first time.... mine is a 2013 but there are a couple dirty spots... I bot wg leather cleaner and conditioner.... I will elt u know how it works.... I have heard good things about lexol tho

[TrentOSU]

Originally Posted by miker2013

I am about to clean my oyster leather for the first time.... mine is a 2013 but there are a couple dirty spots... I bot wg leather cleaner and conditioner.... I will elt u know how it works.... I have heard good things about lexol tho

I am cleaning mine and some is coming off. I think the off color areas are just from getting in/out.

[Otruba_843]

Lexol is a very mild cleaner and the conditioner smells horrible! I use Swissvax leather cleaner and agitate it with the Swissvax leather brush. Immediately after agitating it, scoop up the lather that has been created with a damp microfiber towel. I follow up with leather Master Protection Cream.

[tony20009]

Well, since you have light colored seats, part of your challenge will be to keep the dirt that doesn't appear to be there from building up to the point that it does show and is, upon becoming visible, very hard to remove. To that end, two or three minutes once a week to lightly clean the seats, particularly the driver's seat, but ideally both front seats, should keep you in good stead.

Keep a spray bottle in the car along with a rag or paper towels. The spray bottle (32+ oz.) should have one teaspoon of your Lexol and the rest water, well mixed. This is what you'll use on a weekly basis or immediately if/when something spills on the seat. You want to use mostly water because water is the universal solvent and because it won't clog the leather's pores. But you need a small bit of soap because barring a flood of water, you need something that will adhere to oil and fat molecules, and water won't. As I said, start with just one teaspoon in your spray bottle and increase the amount if you feel it necessary.

The biggest challenge with leather is making sure "stuff" doesn't absorb into the leather. Oil is the most insidious of common substances that will land on your seats. It will absorb quickly into your seat and will stain them. Once the stain is there, it cannot be removed. The most common type of oil to get on car seats is the oil from the human body, which is in part what makes it so insidious because it's not especially obvious that we are depositing oil on our car seats, leaving a fine film to which grime and dirt can adhere and eventually make its way into the leather.

Personally, I don't like spending time meddling with my car, so I put these -- http://westcoastsheepskin.com/sheepskin-seat-covers/ -- on my front seats and headrests -- but I still wash the seats twice a year. I like this approach because the seats are never hot or cold when I sit on them and it just takes a minute or two to wipe a damp cloth over the seats to remove any dusty dirt that may be there. If you go this route, buy two sets of seat covers so you'll have a second one to put on when the other is at the dry cleaner's.

All the best.

PS
Try the Zaino brand instead of Lexol. The smell is awesome and it does work. If you don't want to do that, Ivory soap will work too; when you get down to it, soap is soap is soap and mixed into a lot of water as I suggested above, it won't make any difference what soap you use.

[PTek Will]

I use chemical guys leather cleaner, it's cheap and effective. For light stains, a MF towel should suffice. If the stains wont remove, then use a terry towel since they are more abrasive. If you have a PC, you can buy one of those soft brush attachments:

http://www.autogeek.net/grulsoupbr1.html

I've used this on a 200,000 mile odyssey with leather seats. The seats were caked with grease and oils. It makes the job 10x faster if not more.

[Kramzz335i]

i have the same leather in my 2011 e90 lol and i use 1Z deep plastic cleaner. Its the best for removing grime from the leather. If you have a Griots buffer, get the brush attachment for it to make the cleaning process easier and for better results. But seriously, 1Z Deep Plastic Cleaner is the best for the job

[Kramzz335i]

http://www.detailersdomain.com/Griot...Kit_p_768.html

read up on this, explains my process quite well

[miker2013]

great tips for the oyster interiors... thx for the posts

[mravery]

Hello all,

Just took delivery of a used CPO 2011 328i Convertible Mineral White/Oyster Black and the driver's seat has some yellow staining (about where your legs would be). Not that noticeable but I know it's there and it does bug me. The dealer said to bring it back and they would try to get it out so that will be my first option.

I've heard that this could be from suntan lotion.

I'll try some of the above ideas but I was also thinking about re-dying the leather (if it bugs me too much).

Anyone ever had that done, pros/cons of doing it?

Cheers
Mark