Hype1147

Hi guys,

Long time stalker here, just signed up. Recent 2013 GS350 owner with black leather. Unfortunately, I do not think she has been properly taken care of in all the seasons around here. I follow JFELBAB's routine in regards to the interior. Recently cleaned with LM strong mix and applied the protection cream for the first time last night. There's definitely a noticeable difference in softness after the first go around. I'm also planning on doing weekly wipedowns with a wrung out towel or the Meguiars QID. I've tried to rehydrate by leaving some of the damp towels in the car for a couple of hours, however the leather still feels a bit stiff with some creases.

I guess what I'm wondering is, if there are any alternative products/methods to use in the meantime before another go around with the LM protection besides the QID (search I know, I have) to expedite this process? Or is it just a labor of love trying to get that original softness back.

Thank you

Coleroad

Steam cleaning the leather. It cleans it throughly opens the pores. The Steam pluse the pores being open when you use your hydrating protection is the best option.

Hype1147

Updated with pictures of the creases and the prune-y type texture of the leather.

jfelbab

The leather in the pics looks like it is in good condition. I'd continue to follow the procedure you are using. Damp cloth wipe down weekly and a thorough cleaning and coating every 2-4 months depending on your environment.

Keeping the leather hydrated will help keep it soft and supple and resist creasing. This may even restore some softness over time but leather is made soft in the tanning process and you cannot make it softer than it was originally.

Creases are unavoidable. Yet if you keep your leather soft and plump via proper hydration, these creases will be minimized and should not turn into cracks.

VTsuckah

iTrader: (1)

Lexus leather nowadays has essentially a clear coat protecting the leather. You will not be "hydrating" the leather at all considering the product will not penetrate the clear coat.

Simply keep the surface clean in the future as you are doing now.

jfelbab

Nearly all modern automotive leather is coated. The purpose of this coating is to help prevent stains and provide better wear and appearance characteristics. Hydration of this leather is accomplished via a process called transpiration. Basically, wiping down the leather with a wrung out towel raises the relative humidity around the leather and this is absorbed by the leather at the molecular level. This occurs through the minuscule pores in the coating, through perforations and through the back side of the leather. This is the reason a damp towel tossed under the seat for a couple hours can be so effective at re-hydrating and softening hardened dried out leather.

This process is, of course, not effective or needed with faux leather like NuLuxe. MBTex, etc. Yet even these engineered leather products benefit from a fluorocarbon coating to help resist dye transfer and staining.

The most significant thing you can do to prevent wear is to keep it clean. Otherwise the dirt will abrade the leather coating as you slide in and out of the vehicle.

Automotive leather lives in a fairly harsh environment. Temperatures can range from -40° F to 150° F and relative humidity from 0 to 100%. Leather shrinks when it dries out and it swells and plumps up when re-hydrated. Reducing these cycles will help to reduce creasing.

Hype1147

Jfel,

Do you think there's any room to incorporate LM vital once or twice, there's still some very hard spots.

Thanks.

jfelbab

It's been my experience that leather conditioners don't work on coated leather. If you try it, post your impressions.

IME, most conditioners often leave a thin film on the leather that feels either slippery or grabby. The feel of the surface (the hand) is often altered and some prefer this change but I like the original dry, silky feel which won't hold onto dirt and dust.

Yet another issue is that there is no industry standard definition of what a leather conditioner is or what it does. To a leather professional, the term conditioning means rehydrating the leather. Some leather conditioners contain oils, some have silicones, some contain aloe, and a number of things none of which are able to penetrate the coating on protected leather.

The topcoat, by design, is virtually impervious to liquid. If you put a drop of water on coated leather you will notice that it will just sit there. Water molecules are smaller than oils or silicones and if water doesn't penetrate, neither will the larger molecules of the oils or silicones. Coated leather by design does not accept liquids readily.

Some of the conditioner products are high in water content and perform some softening through the transpiration process as mentioned previously. Leather does not give up it's tanning oils as it ages, it gives up H2O through evaporation. Replenishing the H20 swells and plumps the leather fibers and results in softer leather, to a point.

I'd suggest continuing the weekly wipe-downs and see if that doesn't correct the hard spots over a few weeks. It is also possible that this is as soft as that piece of leather will get. There is no way to push oils or silicones into the leather through the topcoat.