westopill

I own a 2000 ES300 and the seats aren't in the greatest shape. I've tried some conditioners and cleaners and some have improved the leather but it still isn't completely restored. Does anyone know of any conditioners or products that really work well and will restore it to "like new" condition?

Pics are here

Thanks!

01LEXPL

iTrader: (10)

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/es3...atherique.html

westopill

Thanks for the link! Gave me a better idea of solutions!!

jayclapp

I think you need to be careful using harsh cleaners such as leatherique on leather. For some time, Lexus has been applying a polyurethane finish to their LS models. As such, this finish seals the leather and they only recommend a light soap cleaning. Conditioner does nothing, as it can't penetrate the polyurethane finish. If you use a harsh cleaner you may take the finish off. A conditioner will only make the leather smell better for a short time.

I had a 92 SC400 (it did not have a polyurethane finish) and I regularly used Lexol cleaner and conditioner. After 15 year or so, the leather was starting to age and I decided to use leathernique. I put the cleaner on and left it in the hot sun and overnight. The result was that it did indeed clean the leather, but did nothing to actual cracks that were starting. Instead it resulted in penetrating those areas and in a matter of a few months the cracks became large tears and looked horrible. It actually accelerated the destruction of my seats.

I suggest you find out what type of leather finish is on the seats before you start any restortation. Call Lexus and ask them if you can't find the answer.

PFB

The poster above is absolutely right. Follow the cleaning direction given in the Owner's manual. NO Chemicals of any kind. The more you rub the leather with leather cleaners, the more damage you will cause.

Using the occasional Leather conditioner, (Without a cleaner) is ok, and would be beneficial in both preserving the leather, as well as minimizing the friction damage to the leather caused when you slide in and out of the seat.

If you don't want to create more wear, than get some appropriate seat covers, with a soft under padding. Just make sure that you get ones that are compatible with side air bags, or just install them on the bottom cushion part.

That's what I did. Found nice plain, cloths ones at Walmart. Black ones, which is the color of my leather seats. They fit well and actually look and feel fantastic. Every few months I take them off to put some conditioner on the seats. I wash them in my washing machine.

If you decide to buy seat covers, don't ever get the vinyl ones. They're horrible, you slide all over, they smell bad, and look cheap.

LeX2K

Leatherique contains no harsh cleaners or chemicals.

Hayk

iTrader: (1)

Leatherique can do wonders, but you have to be realistic - it's only a cleaner. It will not remove cracks or restore heavily damaged leather. All it does is soften the leather and remove any oils/dirt from the surface.

You may need some professional help to get the cracks sealed and painted to get the seats looking like new.

p.s.: Using Leatherique on the steering wheel actually made it worse for me. It felt sticky, even after I wiped it down multiple times. I think the coating broke down and exposed some sort of adhesive. I ended up using a leather WheelSkin, as it drove me nuts.