NateJG

https://www.toyota.com.cy/service-an...rior-care.json

Leather cleaner and conditioner


Formulated to help maintain the luxurious look and feel of your Toyota leather interior.

• Contains natural soaps for gentle but effective cleaning.
• Reconditions the leather to help reduce dryness and cracking.
• Removes ingrained dirt and grime.
• Enriched with lanoline.

gregjhonda

The leather is all plastic coated in almost every car made now so you are really treating the plastic. Therefore any good vinyl cleaner will work on the Lexus 'leather" surfaces.

Radio88

Thank you much everybody for the added suggestions I received a "Perma-Plate" kit from my dealer when I bought the RX, and in it is a bottle of leather/vinyl protectant. I applied two coats of the stuff and it certainly deepened the blackness a bit which is nice, because I assume, it is "feeding" the leather I don't know. I am after the protection part anyway.
I don't use the other stuff in the kit-I am leery about the Perma-Plate brand. I will probably buy that Toyota one in Nate's post for the future.

Buzzer777

I have owned 2 "Leather/Vinyl" interior cars in the past few years and use whatever is on my car Cleaner cart..this month it was ZEP leather cleaner (was on sale!)

MDames2

iTrader: (1)

The leather in your RX does not require leather cleaner or conditioner. The leather is coated for protection. Leather conditioners do not penetrate that coating. To keep your leather in good condition, gently clean it a few times per month with water or a very mild cleaner. Keep it protected from the sun, and be careful how you slide in and out of the car. The side seat bolster can get a lot of wear if you slide over it every time you get in and out of the car.

tomtom74

I use Mothers VLR VinylLeatherRubber Care.

Buzzer777

Been using I use Groits Garage 3 in one leather cleaner/conditioner. Seems to work better for me and smells GREAT (like a riding saddle) too!I On the Dash top, I use 303 with excellent results.

Buzzer777

Been using I use Griots Garage 3 in one leather cleaner/conditioner (https://www.griotsgarage.com/product/leather+care.do). Seems to work better for me and smells GREAT (like a riding saddle) too!
On the Dash top, I use 303 with excellent results.

jfelbab

It is ok to use leather care products on both leather and vinyl but it is not good to use some vinyl care products on real leather. Using oily leather conditioners on either faux or coated leather is a waste of time. Use a water-based fluorocarbon protectant instead.

Recommended Treatment:
For real (coated) leather or faux (synthetic engineered) leather I recommend using a gentle leather cleaner followed by a water-based fluorocarbon protectant to prevent dye transfer issues.

With the "leather" option, your seat contact areas are real (coated) leather. On Lexus RX350 models, this typically includes armrests and steering wheel trim. Seat backside and the lower seating panels (non-contact) areas are faux leather.

A while back, Toyota got exposed for advertising real leather interior on some vehicles and were found to have been using faux leather in parts of their vehicles so they had to change their marketing.
Automotive faux leather is attractive. It does not need the constant attention to proper hydration to maintain it's softness. The interior of a car is pretty hostile. Temperatures can range from -20 degrees or lower to highs of over 160 degrees. The faux material meeds to remain flexible through the wide temperature range and not get hard or brittle as the plasticizers dry out. I will be watching to see how products like NuLuxe and MBTex hold up as they age.

You might find these videos of interest.

HOW REAL LEATHER IS MADE:

HOW FAUX LEATHER IS MADE:

Radio88

I appreciate the input since my last post, and Jim, many thanks for that last post. Highly informative!