At BMWBLOG we not only test new and used BMWs, we own and daily drive them. One BMW in our fleet is a 2007 X3 3.0si and it’s been my family go-to vehicle for when we have a huge snow storm or need to haul the family and gear to the soccer field.
Over the 7 years of ownership, the Montego Blue Metallic with beige leather X3 has held up well but lately the leather looked awful. The years of daily use was making it look really dirty, so we decided to try Griots Garage new Leather 3-in-1 to see if we could make it look better.
Griots Leather 3-in-1 says it will clean, condition and protect leather in one step, so it sounded like it’d be perfect for our well used beige leather.
I grabbed an applicator pad and clean Costco micro-fiber detailing cloth. Working in sections, I decided to clean just half the seat cushion to see what kind of improvement I could get.
As you can see from the photos, the results were astounding. Our dirty, dingy smudged looking beige leather went back to looking like it was nearly new apart from some nicks we’d put in it in years of use. There was no residue left and subjectively the leather felt softer.
As the leather hadn’t been cleaned or conditioned for 7 years, I had a lot of work to do in the front and back seats and armrests. I was able to get it all cleaned with one detailing cloth which picked up the dirt rather well but was toast when done. In all I spent about 2 hours doing the entire interior of our X3 but this included time for photos.
The only thing people might not like about Griots 3-in-1 Leather is that it does leave a strong smell in the cabin for about two weeks, so we suggest leaving the windows down to let it air out when you can and it will go away faster.
All in all, I was extremely pleased with the product and a neglected interior like our will take about one third of the 16 oz bottle. Griots says this new product will also help protect against UV damage.
The price is $12.99 and available at Griots on line or in select auto parts stores.
