Spot Free Rinse, Idea!

L

Langley Interior Car Kare

New member
The seats are in good shape cleanliness wise.......I had always used(for the past 3 mths) Meguiars all in one cleaner/conditioner....so I switched to Lexol for the cleaning and I got some Pinnacle for conditioning.....went out tonite.....cleaned it up nice with the Lexol first...to be safe......then when I was applying the conditioner it went on so smooth and nice.....I let it sit for a min or two...then buffed off with a mf towel.......the question is....some of the areas...where the seats are "creased" still feel hard......so...

am I not putting enough conditoner on or is it just that I need repeated applications to see the best effects...



ps...I used a foam applicator to apply the Pinnacle
 
im going to try to put this link in here.cross your fingers.....





<a href=http://albums.photopoint.com/j/AlbumIndex?u=1786629&a=13832689>See my photos of Recreation at PhotoPoint





see how tight the creased areas look....
 
Lexol suggests that you leave the product on the seat to "soak in", preferably on a hot day to open pores. I condition once every two weeks or so. I normally spray down all the leather seats then let it sit in the sun or overnight for hours, then I reapply and rub it in. The leather soaks it up pretty good so I keep the seats moisturized pretty frequently. Once they start to crack and get hard, it's impossible to bring it back to original specs. I've yet to see the leather get "full" of product, lot's of it gets rubbed off or gets dispersed into the atmosphere. (Well, at least hard BMW leather, the softer Jap leather is probably better.) I alternate between Lexol and 303, Lexol moisturizes and 303 protects.
 
Thx ZV....let me just be clear....I use the Lexol to clean...but I use the Pinnacle to condition.......as for the leaving it on overnite...that sounds great.....I thought I read somewhere...that after a few minutes....2-3...that the leather actually stops absorbing the conditioner.....so theres no point in leaving it on that long.....



also...I use the 303 for the dash..vinly..rubber..and everything else for protection...but I didnt know it was also good for leather...thx



ps....do you ever have that problem...when you leave it on overnite...where the evaporating conditioner gets your windows all miky ....or do you just leave the windows cracked open a little.........
 
bottle do you use, the brown (conditioner) or the orange (cleaner)
to clean? As far as 2-3 minutes, that's not nearly enough time to absorb product. Even Lexol recommends 20-30 mins.
See link: http://www.lexol.com/docs.html

I got my technique from a leather site, forgot which one though but they suggest leaving conditioner on overnight and in the heat of the day. They say leather has pores (like the cow I suppose?)
and expand and contract with heat, thus absorbing more product when heated. Also check this link: http://www.properautocare.com/propleatcar.html

Alternating between nourishing moisturizing (Lexol) and UV protection (303) is a good way to go. I don't really get much clouding leaving conditioner on all night, I actually get more clouding from applying protectant to the dash, but I suppose cracking a window would help off-gassing. If I find that leather site I will let you know, it really is the definitive leather site. That site also suggested using distilled water and a mild soap to clean leather, as they say most cleaners are just that, soap and water.
They sell cleaner, so for them to suggest just using soap and water adds some validity to their suggestion. Good luck.
 
what u sa makes sense...its so weird..i know i read that 2-3 minute thing somewhere...i apprecita all the info...i think your right about the distilled water and the ingredients of the cleanres...thx buddy.....
 
I used Pinnacle Leather conditioner yesterday and just left it on. In about 20 minutes I came back and the seats were dry! I buffed them a bit with a towel but there was no product on the towel afterwards. I have been doing this about every 4 weeks.



H
 
I have used Eagle 1 leather stuff, Lexol, Turtle Wax, Meguires, etc etc. I find for conditioning not one is better than the other. I always apply with my hands to work it down into all the seams and tight spots and ensure even coverage.



Buffing is a must when done and also using a UV protectant like 303.



You have to take care of them seats else they will crack and/or lose their color.
 
Has anyone tried adding some dishwasher rinse aid to their rinse bucket? As long as it doesn't strip the protection or harm the paint I don't see why this couldn't work.

From wikipedia:

Rinse aid (sometimes called rinse agent) contains surfactants that uses Marangoni stress to prevent droplet formation, so that it drains from the surfaces in thin sheets, rather than forming droplets.

The benefits of using it are that it prevents "spotting" on glassware (caused by droplets of water drying and leaving behind dissolved limescale minerals), and can also improve drying performance as there is less water remaining to be dried.
Click to expand...

Would this be worth a try or should I go back to the think tank? :partaaay2:
 
How about just pouring a few gallons of distilled water over the car? I use distilled with ONR. No spots!



:White Horse:
 
It would be an interesting experiment. May I suggest Cascade Crystal Clear Rinse Agent? Cascade has a non-ionic rinse aid and is designed to prevent etching from hard water. Thus it may help prevent damage from hard water and the sheeting action may make it easier to rinse/dry the car.

I think the 8-oz bottle is designed to wash 80 loads with several gallons of rinse water, so the biggest problem you may have is figuring out how much to use. I suspect not very much.
 
This does sound like something that could work. But I don't understand how it'd work in the rinse bucket. I mean, you rinse your mit out in the rinse bucket, picking up that spot free rinse water, and then go back to the soap water. So, wouldn't you have 3 buckets? The soap bucket, the reg rinse bucket and then when you're done you get a new mit and wipe the car down with the spot free rinse water? Unless I'm not thinking right
 
the solution i found for water spots was to purchase a water de-ionizer from griots garage. i even found my suds lasted through the entire wash process.
 
You could also add ONR to the wash water. It acts as a water softener. There are just so many uses for this stuff.
 
Marangoni stress (more correctly 'effect') - a chemical added to produce 'water sheeting'
 
I haven't gotten a chance to try this out yet, but I think it would work best with a pressure washer. Just inject a little rinse aid when you're rinsing the car then you wouldn't have to dry as much. Hopefully the snow starts to melt next month and I can wash the car out side!
 
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