T. King

Well, not a really bright blue or anything. I used Lexol leather cleaner (diluted 1:1) on a damp sponge to clean the onyx interior surfaces (all of them) and leatherette seats. I followed up w/ a damp wipe of Lexol Vinylex UV protectant. The results look quite nice, however, I've noticed that in *very* strong direct sunlight, some of the panel surfaces (notably along the top edges of the doors) appear a slight navy-blue color. Keep in mind this is very subtle as my wife doesn't even notice (or hasn't said anything other than "Wow...thank you!'----it's her car). Another thing is the center control panel(HVAC, stereo, switches) is "graphite-metallic flake" black. Now, I'm assuming that Lexol wouln't put out a product that bleaches or turns interior materials another color, but has anyone w/ onyx int. noticed similar findings?

My take is that the protectant deepens and "clears" the top surface of the materials, allowing the "true" colors to come through, much like a nice coat of wax does for the clearcoat paint.

I know that the color black is like BBQ sauce---every one is different, and it depends on the base dye etc. I've seen blue-based, red-based and yellow-based blacks before. I'm assuming that's what's going on.

Ted
98.5 1.8T
97 GLX

RickS

Certain pieces in my interior appear that way also, I don't thunk it is a defect.

chrisd

leather cleaner??

BenC

nt

AndyD

I think it's normal. However...

Some caution is advised when cleaning leather or leatherette. If you read the instructions of most leather cleaners, you'll see a recommendation to try the cleaner first on a hidden section of leather. This is because even the gentlest of leather cleaners can cause discoloration. It all depends on the way the hides are dyed. I can't remember the specific terminology, but most leathers are surface dyed while some are dyed all the way through the hide. In addition, depending on who's doing the tanning, different chemical processes are used. I wouldn't be all that surprised if one swipe of lexol cleaner over really cheap leather produced a light colored stripe on the surface.

The Audi leatherette looks to be surface dyed to me. Repeated uses of strong cleaner could fade the dyes. I'm not saying it will, or that this is what you're seeing. And if the dyes faded consistently, it might actually look better over time, much the way really good leather ages with time if carefully maintained. I would just be very careful with whatever cleaner I'm using. I would also regularly treat the upholstery with Vinylex or Meguires (or any good non-glossy protectant), especially in a dry climate.

Andy

T. King

I doubt if it's doing any more harm than using something cheaper. I've used just car wash soap on other cars's interiors. Basically, I think anything that won't strip oils out of the material is passable. I believe Lexol's leather cleaner is specifically designed to be gentle (pH balanced) on hides and not strip natural oils. Vinyl, likewise, has essential oils which need to be maintained (that's why Armor All is so bad for vinyl....it accelerates out-gassing of these oils).

I think Lexol's leather cleaner is actually pretty good at cleaning most plastic/vinyl interior surfaces and makes them look silky afterwards. You got another recommendation?

Ted