LEXOL LEATHER CLEANER and LEXOL LEATHER CONDITIONER

Leather seats require a little bit of care... note that I say a little bit..after all, the title of my blog is "no sweat" car care, and I mean that! I don't like to work up a sweat!

If you've been following my blog, you know that I really like the LEXOL brand of Leather Cleaner, and their Leather Conditioner. I have used them for years (almost 35 I believe), and have also compared them to many other products on the market, sometimes even doing a side by side comparison.

Most of the other products coat the leather. Very few will first, foam out the dirt from the pores, which is important. leather is like your skin, and you cannot rub the dirt into the leather. You need to gently remove it, and Lexol Leather Cleaner does just that with its gentle but effective foaming action. It's also pH balanced to the pH of leather so it does not dry or otherwise injure the leather.

Then, I follow the cleaning with a thin coat of Lexol Leather Conditioner, while the leather is still moist from the cleaner. It is absorbed right into the leather, and it's formulation actually bonds with the leather fibers to strengthen, condition and soften them. It replaces the oils that were originally added to the leather in the tanning process, but DOES NOT make your leather feel greasy or oily or slippery.

And, this is where LEXOL beats the competition hands down! Lexol penetrates into the leather... most of the other products "dress up" the leather. They surface coat it, which does nothing to prevent cracking, drying, creasing or eliminate that stiff feeling. Most other products make the leather shiny, slippery or oily feeling. I HATE THAT! I hate stopping at a traffic light and sliding in my seat!

LEXOL simply restores the leather to its like new, original condition. When I do a side by side comparison, the difference is really startling!

Here is what another, fellow blogger has to say: from the "Learning Curve" Blog http://dnolearningcurveyt.blogspot.com/

"Could you suggest a good leather seat treatment for cleaning and keeping it soft and supple? Thanks. Ron? - Lincoln town car leather seat oem "

Could you recommend a benign leather seat treatment for cleaning and keeping it soft and supple? Thanks. Ron? The leather seats are not worn much, but are getting hard and may collapse if I don't treat them soon. Age is part of the problem as this is a 1971 Lincoln Town Car. Perhaps one of you could recommend a brand of leather treatment and cleaner.

ANS: LEXOL first use the leather cleaner then follow up with the conditioner both made by LEXOL.They have to be bought separately,unexcelled stuff on the market no doubt. cleaner- comes in a orange spay bottle. conditioner- comes in a mousy spray bottle. Can be bought at most auto parts stores. "

I used LEXOL on my 1971 Roll Royce Silver Shadow. My seats were just like his, dry, brittle, cracking. I had to apply a thin coat of Lexol Leather Conditioner each day for about a week. BUT... after a week the seats were supple again! Lexol will not repair the cracks that have already occurred, but it will re-condition and soften the leather and prevent further deterioration.

Try it! For more information check out their website: WWW.LEXOLASIA.COM

HOW TO PREVENT OR FIX A CRACKED DASHBOARD

Keeping your car looking great without sweating... that's my motto!

Your dashboard gets a tremendous amount of sun, solar heat and solar radiation. The natural tendency of the vinyl is to break down or deteriorate resulting in cracks and peeling. If you think about it, most of us park our cars in the sun... here in the tropics it's almost impossible not to. But, did you know that the interior of your car is literally baking in that heat? It can get to over 60 degrees Celsius inside. THAT's HOT!

But... don't worry.. IT CAN BE PREVENTED... and that prevention doesnt cost you more than $30!

Here's how... excerpted from a blog called: datingsite.blog...

Weather change is here and the cracked padded dashes are rolling in. With every weather change I get the phone calls. “My dash is cracked and what can be done to fix it.”

Due to the exposer to old mother nature, these materials become dried out and crack over time leaving you with a crack in your dash. Left unattended this small crack can and will get larger.

There are measures that can be taken to prevent the dash from getting cracked in the first place. Now I know your dash is already cracked and your wanting to know how to fix it, but this will prevent further cracks and keep your car cooler and looking nicer, and well…. for further reference.

One way to prevent this is to use a sunshade. This will not only protect your automotive dash from the sun but also keep your vehicle cooler keeping the plastic pieces cooler and less likely to warp and then crack.

Another way to prevent the materials from drying on your dash is to condition them with a good vinyl conditioner-protectant. Now I know I’ve always said to not put the slimy stuff on your interior pieces and parts … But if your vehicle is exposed to the sun on a constant basis, then I would recommend you use a vinyl conditioner. Now I’m not going to say that any old vinyl conditioner will work, because it won’t. Tire shine is not vinyl conditioner! This is probably one of the biggest mistakes made, and I do a lot of repair because of it. Tire shine contains solvents, which as you know from previous articles, it doesn’t mix well with the water based dyes being used on todays cars. What it does is lifts the dye from the surface, causing it to peel.

So no tire shine…What I recommend to my customers is a product made from a leather conditioning producer that I feel from some of the research I’ve done is safe and should work very well, it’s made by Lexol and it’s called Vinylex. Designed by the guys that really know their stuff when it comes to interior conditioning and protecting.

The last and final tip to keeping your automotive interior, including your dash, looking it’s best and lasting longer is window tint. Now in some states you need to be careful with the tinting laws to make sure you don’t get it too dark, plus you need to think of your safety too. I have tint on our family Tahoe and I kinda wish I would have gone a little lighter, at night it’s really hard to see, my Tahoe stays nice and cool, but it’s a pain in the butt at night. I have to roll the window down sometimes just to see. So keep it light and you will be impressed with the results, plus it looks cool.

Now on with the fix for that crack in your dash.

Depending on where the crack is and how big it is will depend on how to fix it and how expensive the repair will be. If the crack is bigger then 2″-3″ and curled up on the edges, the repair will probably not look that great. There is a limit to the size of crack that can be repaired, too big and it probably won’t hold and will look like crap. If the crack is too big, replace the dash pad, don’t try to fix it. Another thing is location, if the crack is up close to the windshield then it’s almost impossible to do a repair without removing the windshield, which can be costly. So with that said you be the judge.

The first thing I do before I start any repair is to mix my color, this insures that at least the color will be right.

Next I inspect the crack in the dash, if the edges are curled up then you will need to trim that off with a razor blade or Xacto knife. The goal here is to get the area as level as you can. Now when doing so cut at a 45 degree angle and don’t bring the ends to a point, what I mean by this is trim all the way around the crack rounding off the ends of the crack, this will insure that the crack will stop and not crack further after your repair.

Of course your next step is prepping the repair area, use your prep solution with a scotch brite pad and clean the area thoroughly. You might need to clean the entire dash depending on where and how large the crack is.
Now it’s time to determine what fix you going to use.

If the crack is smaller then an 1/2″ I usually grab the super glue and do a super glue repair. I do this by spreading the glue in the crack then sanding it smooth with a 240 grit sandpaper, texture with your water based spray grain, then dye.
But there are times when your vinyl repair compound will need to be used, after all this is vinyl. The low cure usually works best because high heat tends to warp the repair area. This is where your patience comes in when doing your repairs. Thin layers of compound work best, curing and dying between coats until the area is level and smooth. You can texture while layering your compound with your grain pads. One little trick I use to help level the repair when using a grain pad is a little rubber squeegee about 3″x5″, it’s what body shops use to squeegee the water off the painted surface when they wet sand. This little thing works great, when you use your hand to imprint your grain into your repair, your hand kinda molds around the area and doesn’t leave a level area but with the rubber squeegee it gives you a little more backing when you go to imprint. Now graining your repair can be tricky, the low cure compound doesn’t grain that well, but if all else fails make sure the repair is level, this is your best hide. If that is achieved then texture with your spray grain.

One last trick up my sleeve is the use of a great product from Urethane Supply Co. This is a two part epoxy like substance that is specifically designed for padded dashes and the name says it all, Padded Dash Filler.This stuff is the bomb, when it comes to dash repair. Mixes like Bondo and is even applied like bondo, but its flexible. It’s just what the doctor ordered when it comes to dash repair. If the crack is larger then 1″ this is the stuff to use.

Now this product will require you to trim the area and then sand around the area about 1″ to 2″ out with a heavier grit sandpaper like a 180 grit, this gives it something to bite too. Trim down into the foam a little to, so that you make like a little groove for the compound to lay in.

Mix your compound on a small piece of tile, I like using small tile pieces, they clean up easily and are easier to hold when mixing and applying. Now when you get the product they send you the red catalyst, try the blue, it seems to set up a little quicker. The blue you can get at any automotive parts shop. But the red works just as good just takes it a little longer, time is money in my business.
Apply your compound liberally over the repair area, don’t worry about getting your first coat really smooth, all you need is to get it covered, you’ll be sanding it smooth later. Let it set up for a while, depending on the weather will depend on how long this stuff takes. You can speed it up a little with a heat gun but don’t melt it just give it a little boost.

Once hardened start sanding, I usually start with a 180 grit to knock off the big chunks then progressively move my way up to a finer grit like 240 and then to 400.

One coat won’t be sufficient, I promise, this is another layer thing. Sanding between coats. Each coat you apply you will need to make smoother. Again what your trying to achieve is a smooth level repair.

After all is smooth and level, grain with a spray grain then dye.

As far as texture goes, I use two types of spray grain. One is a water based spray grain and the other is Sems Texture Coat. In fact the Sems Texture Coat almost matches the some of the Pontiac dashes to a tee. Now the Sems Texture coat is a solvent based, but I haven’t had a problem with it peeling up against the water based dyes on the dash, so kudos to Sems.

One other trick I have found with the the Sems Texture Coat is after sprayed if you let it flash out a little but not dry completely, you can take your grain pad and imprint your grain into the texture coat, pretty cool huh.

Dash repair is an art and a craft, just like all automotive interior repairs. If the steps are followed right and patience is used in your repairs you success will be good.

Hope this helps in your dash repair adventure. One thing to always keep in mind is to keep your repair as level as possible, this is your best hide.

About the author: Mike Warrenhttp://theinteriorguyllc.comThe Interior Guy, LLC., Automotive Interior RepairI’ve been in the business for a long time and know a lot of the ends and outs of repairing interiors, from leather and vinyl repair to plastic repair and dyeing of all interior trim parts including carpet and cloth. Need some advice or a tip to fix your automotive interior, I’ve put together some really helpful material with some great products I recommend and use in my repairs. Visit theinteriorguyllc.com for more articles just like this one.

Some KozaK Auto DryWash Testimonials!

SINGAPORE!!!

We've sold quite a few KozaK cloths in Singapore over the past few weeks, and have received some very nice complements. Many people are just amazed when they see how easy it is to clean and polish their car, without water, without scratching... and in just a few moments.I thought that I would share them with you.

Daniel F. MD from Singapore wrote: "I was very skeptical because I just had my car detailed, but with the first use, I was impressed. It cleaned my black BM 750i perfectly. It removed all the dirt and left my car looking freshly waxed. By not washing as frequently, it should prolong the wax job and save me money."

Michael Wu, a Consultant in Singapore wrote: "It works! I thought it would scratch, but I was amazed when the dirt wiped off my new Suzuki without a scratch! And, easy to do too! Just 5 minutes! Definitely Value for money!"

Bernard Chia, a Salesman in Singapore wrote: "My van was filthy from the rain. KozaK took all of the dirt off and most of the water spots too. No need to wash now! Thank you!"

T. Hartono, an autodealer in Jakarta wrote: "We were using MicroFibre cloths to dust our cars in our showroom, and the cars were getting fine swirly scratches. We had to buff out the cars before delivery. Now, we switched to KozaK Cloths and our showroom cars are not getting scratched any longer! We are saving a lot of money and we are giving one to every customer."

Tan S.Y. a Taxi Driver in Singapore wrote: "My Taxi costs me $5.00 each day to wash. I use KozaK now and only wash it twice a week now. I save $15-$20 per week!"

The KozaK works... and, there is a 10 day UNCONDITIONAL MONEY BACK GUARANTEE. Just try it... if you aren't happy with the results, mail it back to us with the receipt and a self addressed stamped envelope and we'll send you a full refund of your purchase price..(details on www.kozakasia.com). It couldn't be simpler!

The KozaK Auto DryWash Cloth is now available at Stamford Tyres, Autobacs, Groomwerkz, D'Best Respray (at Malayan Motors), TS Automotive and other fine retailers. Also, you can buy it online at www.kozakasia.com and pay with your credit card on our secure payment cart from PayPal.

My '57 Chevy...or why you don't raise your hand at an auction!

See the picture above? She's a beauty, no?? Well, imagine sitting in one of these beautifully restored 1957 Chevy's on a major expressway in Chicago... with no gas! That's what happened to me about 2 hours after I bought her... but I'm getting ahead of myself here. Let's start at the beginning...

I used to read Hemmings Automotive magazine, which is the "bible" for car collectors. I saw that there was to be an auction near Chicago of antique and mid-1950's - 1960's cars that weekend. We packed up a picnic lunch, and Saturday morning got into my Jeep Cherokee and headed north to Lake Bluff, Illinois. When we got to the auction site, I couldn't believe what I was seeing.



There must have been 200 cars lined up on display for a pre-auction inspection. One of them caught my eye immediately. Like the photo above, it was a cherry red and white 1957 Chevrolet 2 dr hardtop, with red and silver vinyl seats, power brakes, power windows (both of which were VERY rare in a 1957 model - supposedly they only made a few hundred of them). My childhood dream! (Well, not really... she got away, but that's a secret!)



The car looked really hot. I got behind the huge steering wheel, and them memories of my childhood came flowing back. I dreamed of driving along the highway, stopping at an A&W Root beer drive-in restaurant, grabbing a big frosty mug of root beer and a burger, teasing the waitresses, then roaring off in a cloud of dust!



Remember the old advertising jingle... "See the USA, in your Chevrolet..."??? YEAH!!!



The auction started... the cars flew by, the auctioneer droned on with his almost rapid fire, unintelligible babble of auctioneering semantics... when the Chevy came up...



The bidding was fast and furious in $100 then $500 clips... going once, going twice... silence...I don't know what got into me, but... I raised my hand... SOLD to the young man (I liked that auctioneer!!! HA HA) on the left! $13,5000 GONE!



Whew... my hands were shaking as I went to the sale booth and took out my checkbook.. a word to the wise here... NEVER GO TO AN AUCTION WITH YOUR CREDIT CARDS OR CHECKBOOK! BIG TROUBLE!!



I wrote out the check, and signed a few transfer papers, got a temporary license plate and the HOT CHERRY RED 1957 CHEVY was mine!



I should have asked if the gauges, and everything else was working, but I was too excited. I handed the Jeep keys to one of my friends, and the rest of us piled into the Chevy for the ride back to Chicago.



The gas gauge showed half a tank of gas... I should have known better! Anyway, after turning the key and the engine coming to life with a few huffs and then just a nice purrrrr, we drove off. It was quite an experience driving such a primitive car. First, the steering wheel was HUGE.. probably 15 inches or so across, maybe more. Then the steering was not power assisted.. so you really had to work to turn the wheels when you weren't moving. Also, it was very HOT inside, as the sun was baking on the rooftop of the car.



I remember opening the vents... yes, there were these little triangular "vents" or side windows you could open inwards to direct air into and onto the passengers and passenger compartment. I also remember that the gas gauge stayed on half... I was too excited to think about that until....brumpppPPPppp...putt putt putt... SILENCE! No freekin' gas!



OK... not so bad... we were on a major expressway, and just had to wait for a passing motorist to stop... fortunately one did, and one of my friends jumped into their car for a quick ride to a gas station. Shortly, he was back with a "jerry can" and 5 gallons of gas.



Things were looking up, right?? WRONG... do you remember where the gas filler cap is in a '57 Chevy?? Well, I didn't!! Neither did any of my friends. We looked everywhere... behind the license plate... every where! Couldn't find it... S!!#$%%T..



Luckily, an Illinois State Trooper pulled over, who was a car buff. Son, it's right behind the fin's chrome edge he said, and sure enough... that's where it was! (See photo).

Getting back underway, we naturally had to stop at every drive-in burger joint along the highway!! And, naturally, we had a lot of root beers and burgers!

When we got home, I parked her proudly in front of my driveway, stepped back... what a gorgeous car she was!

I drove her a lot actually... I used to love parking it in a lot, and waiting about 5 minutes.. there would be a huge crowd around her, admiring, pointing, gawking!

I used to care for her myself. I used a good grade of carnuba wax every few months, a good car wash detergent, and in between all of that, I would wipe her down before and after a drive with my KozaK Auto DryWash cloth. Waterlessly, the KozaK would take off all the road dirt and dust. It would polish the Chevy without water, and without scratching! The KozaK cloth was also great on the chrome... and this baby had a lot of it!

For the interior, I would spray it with a Lexol product called Vinylex, which would penetrate into the vinyl seats and dashboard and side panels (which were also Red and Silver) and remove the dirt, keep the vinyl protected with the built in UV Sunscreen, but never leave a greasy film or unnatural shine.

I can still see her now... gleaming in the sun, just waiting for someone to turn the key and bring her to life. I sold her a few years later... I wonder what ever happened to her???