All about Lexus leather
02-22-07, 05:29 PM
#76
Lexus Fanatic
I have talked to a couple detailing/carcare people about softening up and conditioning 2nd Lexus GS leather and they seemed to agree that there is nothing you can really do for that leather because of this awful protective top coat that has been applied to the leather by Lexus that does not allow anything to penetrate it. The stuff you put on it just sits on the top and evaporates. They said with this protective coating that conditioning it or trying to soften it is about as effective as taking a shower with a raincoat on. Your not going to get cleaner no matter what you do with that raincoat on and your leather is not going to get properly conditioned or softer no matter what you put on it. Even though most leather has some kind of protective coating but the stuff that Lexus used for the 2nd gen GS will not allow anything to penetrate where others seems to allow stuff to penetrate and work
The guy at carcareonlin seemed to say this was very common with the 2nd GS and maybe other late 90s designs and has not really experienced it with other brands of cars or earlier Lexus models and they have found no way to soften the leather and don't understand why Lexus would put this on leather as it is terrible for it because there is no way to nourish it or soften it once it gets hard and waxy. He said just about all leather gets hard or dried out but most can be brought back to almost like new except for your GS leather because nothing is able to penetrate that plastic coating and said there was not much of a point in purchasing any leather products for the car. The worst thing is that the citrus cleaners used to try to break this stuff down or get some off ends up taking up the dye with it. He seemed to know exactly what I was experiencing before I told him. What a dissapointment, I think I will give it one more shot with a thorough cleaning and conditioning with Leatherique and Surflex soffener and if there is no difference I am giving up and just living with the crappy leather in the car.
The guy at carcareonlin seemed to say this was very common with the 2nd GS and maybe other late 90s designs and has not really experienced it with other brands of cars or earlier Lexus models and they have found no way to soften the leather and don't understand why Lexus would put this on leather as it is terrible for it because there is no way to nourish it or soften it once it gets hard and waxy. He said just about all leather gets hard or dried out but most can be brought back to almost like new except for your GS leather because nothing is able to penetrate that plastic coating and said there was not much of a point in purchasing any leather products for the car. The worst thing is that the citrus cleaners used to try to break this stuff down or get some off ends up taking up the dye with it. He seemed to know exactly what I was experiencing before I told him. What a dissapointment, I think I will give it one more shot with a thorough cleaning and conditioning with Leatherique and Surflex soffener and if there is no difference I am giving up and just living with the crappy leather in the car.
03-09-07, 11:38 AM
#77
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Originally Posted by gsCrazy
what do you guys think about using a mr. clean magic eraser to clean the leather? that was suggested on one of those leather care posts...
I tried it on some pen marks on a leather door panel. It reduced the ink mark, but it also altered the finish slightly in those areas. I wouldn't use it again.
what do you guys think about using a mr. clean magic eraser to clean the leather? that was suggested on one of those leather care posts...
I tried it on some pen marks on a leather door panel. It reduced the ink mark, but it also altered the finish slightly in those areas. I wouldn't use it again.
03-09-07, 05:10 PM
#78
Lexus Fanatic
I tried it on my black leather interior and could see it was taking the dye off when looking at the sponge so I stopped. The seats did not look discolored so it may have just been taking off some old powdered dye that would have came off anyway but who knows. I would be careful on the 2nd GS seats because they seem very fragile when cleaning with anything stronger then a regular weak leather cleaner. I tried fast orange, soft scrub without bleach on an Acura too which worked great and did not harm the leather and I noticed no dye come off on the rags but when trying this on the GS I noticed alot of dye coming off on the rag so I stopped. Even when using a brush and woolite and water I noticed some dye coming off the rag with the GS leather. Whatever Lexus used or had someone use or possibly what dealers used on these seats was not good at all for the leather and will not allow any kind of conditioning-softening to penetrate and work so the leather will degrade over time without any remedy aside from completely stripping the protectant off with a strong harsh paint thinner like substance. A couple people in the carcare business have said they had alot of trouble with Lexus GS leather and said it appears to have some kind of silicon poisoning that clogs the leather pores and pretty much ruins the leather and there is no remedy for it. This was supposidly to protect it from stains but is really the worse thing for it. It does seem that older Lexus models like the LS400s have leather that is able to be conditioned and nourished and can handle stronger cleaners if they are really dirty
03-16-07, 04:59 AM
#79
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I have a 97 es300 the leather seats seem to be getting hard or stiff..I put a heavy coat of conditioner on them ... what is the best way to make them soft again ./thank you
04-04-07, 02:23 PM
#81
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They also have some stains on the seats.......I was told toothpaste with a soft toothbrush would take up the spots ....any feed back ? thanks
06-12-07, 12:55 AM
#83
I have talked to a couple detailing/carcare people about softening up and conditioning 2nd Lexus GS leather and they seemed to agree that there is nothing you can really do for that leather because of this awful protective top coat that has been applied to the leather by Lexus that does not allow anything to penetrate it. The stuff you put on it just sits on the top and evaporates. They said with this protective coating that conditioning it or trying to soften it is about as effective as taking a shower with a raincoat on. Your not going to get cleaner no matter what you do with that raincoat on and your leather is not going to get properly conditioned or softer no matter what you put on it. Even though most leather has some kind of protective coating but the stuff that Lexus used for the 2nd gen GS will not allow anything to penetrate where others seems to allow stuff to penetrate and work
The guy at carcareonlin seemed to say this was very common with the 2nd GS and maybe other late 90s designs and has not really experienced it with other brands of cars or earlier Lexus models and they have found no way to soften the leather and don't understand why Lexus would put this on leather as it is terrible for it because there is no way to nourish it or soften it once it gets hard and waxy. He said just about all leather gets hard or dried out but most can be brought back to almost like new except for your GS leather because nothing is able to penetrate that plastic coating and said there was not much of a point in purchasing any leather products for the car. The worst thing is that the citrus cleaners used to try to break this stuff down or get some off ends up taking up the dye with it. He seemed to know exactly what I was experiencing before I told him. What a dissapointment, I think I will give it one more shot with a thorough cleaning and conditioning with Leatherique and Surflex soffener and if there is no difference I am giving up and just living with the crappy leather in the car.
The guy at carcareonlin seemed to say this was very common with the 2nd GS and maybe other late 90s designs and has not really experienced it with other brands of cars or earlier Lexus models and they have found no way to soften the leather and don't understand why Lexus would put this on leather as it is terrible for it because there is no way to nourish it or soften it once it gets hard and waxy. He said just about all leather gets hard or dried out but most can be brought back to almost like new except for your GS leather because nothing is able to penetrate that plastic coating and said there was not much of a point in purchasing any leather products for the car. The worst thing is that the citrus cleaners used to try to break this stuff down or get some off ends up taking up the dye with it. He seemed to know exactly what I was experiencing before I told him. What a dissapointment, I think I will give it one more shot with a thorough cleaning and conditioning with Leatherique and Surflex soffener and if there is no difference I am giving up and just living with the crappy leather in the car.
06-12-07, 04:08 AM
#84
Lexus Champion
I have a 2004 LX470, is this also true with the LX? Nothing will help, you can only clean it and cover it with a UV protector???
I have talked to a couple detailing/carcare people about softening up and conditioning 2nd Lexus GS leather and they seemed to agree that there is nothing you can really do for that leather because of this awful protective top coat that has been applied to the leather by Lexus that does not allow anything to penetrate it. The stuff you put on it just sits on the top and evaporates. They said with this protective coating that conditioning it or trying to soften it is about as effective as taking a shower with a raincoat on. Your not going to get cleaner no matter what you do with that raincoat on and your leather is not going to get properly conditioned or softer no matter what you put on it. Even though most leather has some kind of protective coating but the stuff that Lexus used for the 2nd gen GS will not allow anything to penetrate where others seems to allow stuff to penetrate and work
The guy at carcareonlin seemed to say this was very common with the 2nd GS and maybe other late 90s designs and has not really experienced it with other brands of cars or earlier Lexus models and they have found no way to soften the leather and don't understand why Lexus would put this on leather as it is terrible for it because there is no way to nourish it or soften it once it gets hard and waxy. He said just about all leather gets hard or dried out but most can be brought back to almost like new except for your GS leather because nothing is able to penetrate that plastic coating and said there was not much of a point in purchasing any leather products for the car. The worst thing is that the citrus cleaners used to try to break this stuff down or get some off ends up taking up the dye with it. He seemed to know exactly what I was experiencing before I told him. What a dissapointment, I think I will give it one more shot with a thorough cleaning and conditioning with Leatherique and Surflex soffener and if there is no difference I am giving up and just living with the crappy leather in the car.
The guy at carcareonlin seemed to say this was very common with the 2nd GS and maybe other late 90s designs and has not really experienced it with other brands of cars or earlier Lexus models and they have found no way to soften the leather and don't understand why Lexus would put this on leather as it is terrible for it because there is no way to nourish it or soften it once it gets hard and waxy. He said just about all leather gets hard or dried out but most can be brought back to almost like new except for your GS leather because nothing is able to penetrate that plastic coating and said there was not much of a point in purchasing any leather products for the car. The worst thing is that the citrus cleaners used to try to break this stuff down or get some off ends up taking up the dye with it. He seemed to know exactly what I was experiencing before I told him. What a dissapointment, I think I will give it one more shot with a thorough cleaning and conditioning with Leatherique and Surflex soffener and if there is no difference I am giving up and just living with the crappy leather in the car.
07-06-07, 09:39 AM
#85
What's the verdict on the Lemon Scrub? Is that safe to use for cleaning? Looks like it definitely cleans teh leather and then dulls it. Then use the conditioner and UV protection. I am afraid to use it on my RX330. I have used it on my 2nd Gen TL.
07-24-07, 07:59 AM
#87
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Pinnacle
I just found a new bottle of Pinnacle Leather Cleaner&Conditioner that we bought for our BMW and never used. Would it be OK on our new GS350 seats or should I just order the Lexus products?
08-07-07, 11:25 AM
#88
After five years of periodic top down driving, the light tan leather in my SC430 really had a lot of built up road grime and marks due to hauling packages. I tried Lexol and it did work, but very slowly and a lot of physical effort. Then I tried the Zaino leather cleaner. Wow! With just a tiny amount of the cleaner and three or four strokes of a microfiber cloth, years of grime just disappeared. It was far more effective at removing road grime from the leather and took hardly any effort. In less than half an hour I had the entire interior cleaned. Had I tried to do the same degree of cleaning with Lexol, I'd estimate at least a few days of arduous scrubbing to get the same level of cleaning.
The Zaino leather in a bottle conditioner does indeed look great, but the oft stated as desirable scent was simply overpowering. Even after a few days with the car's top down, the strong almost chlorine, scent was still present. After about a week and a half, my SC430 is now habitable without extra ventilation. I love how the stuff looks on the leather and vinyl, but the strong scent really dissuades me from using too often.
All in all, huge thumbs up for the Zaino leather cleaner. It took of things that Lexol barely touched and did it less physical effort. The leather in a bottle conditioner I give good marks for appearance, but very negative marks for the strong chemical scent.
The Zaino leather in a bottle conditioner does indeed look great, but the oft stated as desirable scent was simply overpowering. Even after a few days with the car's top down, the strong almost chlorine, scent was still present. After about a week and a half, my SC430 is now habitable without extra ventilation. I love how the stuff looks on the leather and vinyl, but the strong scent really dissuades me from using too often.
All in all, huge thumbs up for the Zaino leather cleaner. It took of things that Lexol barely touched and did it less physical effort. The leather in a bottle conditioner I give good marks for appearance, but very negative marks for the strong chemical scent.
08-08-07, 05:53 AM
#89
Advanced
Harsh cleaner...
Although you saved time on the leather cleaning, you have to consider whether this is good for the leather.
If it worked as well as you say, I have to assume it also may have stripped some other essential nutrients from the leather.
You may want to look to other less harsh cleaners.
Just my opinion.
Thanks
If it worked as well as you say, I have to assume it also may have stripped some other essential nutrients from the leather.
You may want to look to other less harsh cleaners.
Just my opinion.
Thanks
