Mothers VLR, any experiences or Tips?

[Don M]

I just picked up some Mothers VLR (vinyl, leather, rubber) cleaner-protectant as a follow up product to Meguiar's Gold Class Aloe Leather/Vinyl Cleaner to remove any residue left from cleaning some leather seats and add a bit of protection ... I gave up on getting 303 AP on time for Saturday.

Has anyone used the VLR before and what can you tell me about it? I have never used this or any other Mother's product-besides the California Gold Carnauba Paste wax w/o cleaners.

[Gearhead]

I don't have any experience with the Mother's vlr, but how did you like the megs aloe leather cleaner?

[whavens]

I have used the Mother's, and while I like it as a cleaner, it has a pretty strong chemical smell. The Griot's Garage Interior Cleaner isn't nearly as strong and a pretty good cleaner as well. I will probably give the cleaner to my daughter, when I had her smell it when I did her SUV she said it smelled clean to her.

[Don M]

I don't have any experience with the Mother's vlr, but how did you like the megs aloe leather cleaner?

I did a few test spots on my wife's '03 Explorer (which I think was a good idea before tackling a Porsche that costs more than my house )

To say the Explorer is well used is an understatement, I don't like detailing SUVs and hers is even worse because it has that demon trim everywhere that attracts wax and never lets go, so I don't do it often (ever). The car is a light brown with a tan-ish interior (plastic vinyl and rubber). First I tried it on the driver's inside door armrest/handle which was nearly black in places. I spritzed a little of the Megs leather/vinyl cleaner on the top of the armrest and watched as some of it ran down the sides, almost instantly causing clean streaks. Since it was so bad I decided a little bit of agitation with a soft toothbrush and a mild scrubber pad was in order. So after a few minutes of agitation with the toothbrush I wiped the slurry (the cleaner foams up a bit when scrubbed) away with a dry mf towel, I know I should have used a wet/damp cloth, but this was only a test spot.

When I wiped, the towel turned black and the armrest was tan again - even in the textured creases etc. So I moved to another area and tried again, this time with the scrubber pad on the center console. A spritz or two, a minute or so of scrubbing and ... Oh hell, now I have to do the entire interior. She's not going to let me get away with just clean one armrest and half of the center console.

As a cleaner I have to rate this a 10, because just spraying it on and letting it drip down a nasty rubber armrest and a console lid caused clean spots with no agitation at all. I'm guessing that on anything less than a surface totally covered in grunge, this is going to be a 'spray on, wipe off' product.

I WILL be buying this again. I might even try it on the ext trim that has 10 year old wax still embedded in it.

[conman1395]

It's okay, on some surfaces it seemed like it made it too squeaky for me.

I really like Mother's leather cleaner a lot, I have not used their conditioner however, but I would've used those before I considered VLR.

I usually use D101, Cockpit Premium, QID, Leatherique System,or Mother's leather cleaner. The only conditioner I use is twice a year when doing the Leatherique system.

[CDot]

I just picked up some Mothers VLR (vinyl, leather, rubber) cleaner-protectant as a follow up product...

Has anyone used the VLR before and what can you tell me about it?

Hey Don,

I own both Mothers VLR and Mothers Leather Cleaner + Conditioner. I did a comparison personally--just didn't get the review up. VLR cleans decently well, although not as well as the pure cleaner. And yes it does have a chemical smell but nothing that's going to ruin the experience of the detail. If the leather is pretty dirty, use a leather/vinyl brush. The bottle says avoid contact with plastics, but I haven't personally had an issue with overspray--over on the Mothers forums they said it's cool as long as you buff immediately. I also personally like terry cloth towels to clean leather as opposed to microfiber cloth.

VLR is a great all-in-one. As with many products, it's your technique that can make (or break) the results. If you are super worried, their leather wash/conditioner combo is available in Wal-Mart: Mothers Leather Wash Foaming Cleaner, leather cleaner for cars & Mothers Leather Cream Moisture-Rich Conditioner.

[Don M]

While doing a few test spots on my wife's Explorer, I discovered that Mother's VLR and a toothbrush or scrub pad will remove dried wax from textured plastic trim ... just a fun fact.

[Bunky]

I know the OP has seen the review but I had posted one a while back.

Mothers VLR Review