sandy14

My new RX has to live outside in this harsh Texas sun. To top that off its black inside and out so its even hotter than normal.
Any suggestions on keeping the simi-aniline leather in the best shape possible?

ZAM

Tint all of your windows, buy a front windshield sunshade, and use leather conditioner. I tinted my RC with 5% and 30% on the front (special exception) and the heat does not bother me, but that car is parked in a garage. My GS is parked out and I have not had any problems with my leather (front windshield is not tinted on the GS), but I keep the leather conditioned and the sun from entering inside the car.

jfelbab

Temps in a car parked in the Texas summertime sun can reach 160° even with the windows open. Put a thermometer on your dash one day and see how hot it gets. This heat can quickly dry out leather. A regular wipe down with a wrung out towel would help replenish this lost moisture.

If it were me, I'd look for covered parking, even if I had to pay for it, or use a car cover.

sdiver68

Hmmmm this seems contradictory to some of your other posts. FWIW I've been a Lexol user for years on Infiniti, BMW, Porsche, and Audi leather and get huge compliments at resale about how nice my leather has been maintained. Started using Lexol after finding it was the product of choice for multiple very high end concours and restoration guys I know.

Anyway, so in this post you say high heat dries out leather but a damp towel can be used to restore moisture. In other posts you insist Lexus and other modern car "painted leathers" will not benefit from conditioners because the paint/top coat/sealant acts as a moisture barrier.

So how does high heat dry out leather past a moisture proof barrier? And then how does a moist towel get moisture past this barrier yet well proven leather conditioners do not? Can't have it both ways with a sealant, either moisture can pass both ways or it cannot pass at all.

jfelbab

There is a lot of misunderstanding about how coated leather performs in an automobile. You need to understand how coated leather gives and takes its moisture. It is through a process similar to transpiration. IOW, the water wipe down results in elevating the humidity around the leather which is then absorbed at the molecular level, mostly through the back side of the leather. The coating on the leather, by design, prevents liquids from directly reaching the leather underneath it. As the water evaporates it raises the surrounding humidity level which is then re-absorbed back into the leather. This is the reason a wrung out towel tossed under a dried out car seat can soften and plump the leather so effectively.

Leather is a very fibrous and absorbent material. Think of a leather chamois, Most of us have had one. When the chamois dries out it gets hard and is prone to cracking. When it is rehydrated it become soft and the leather fibers plump back up. While you cannot wet your cars leather to that extent you can see how leather reacts to moisture. Dry leather is hard and brittle while properly hydrated leather is soft and supple.

Imagine for a moment that you spray paint one side of that chamois. When the paint dries, you can splash water on it and it will not be directly absorbed by the leather. Yet if you were to wet the unpainted side of the leather it would again become soft. If you put that dry, hard painted chamois in a plastic bag with a wet towel, the chamois would absorb the moisture via transpiration and become soft again.

Hope that helps.

NateJG

I appreciate the courteous and thoughtful post, Jim.