wmr71

iTrader: (2)

Hello all,

I wanted to share my situation with other forum members in an attempt to learn if there have been any other forum members with similar leather issues in their 3rd Gen GS

Brief history....I bought my car in Oct 2010 as a CPO car when it had only 28k miles on it. At that time I also purchased an extended Lexus warranty that would cover the car for an additional 4 yrs or 125k miles. At about 50k miles I noticed some slight discoloration in the passenger seat. At that time I cleaned them really well along with a good conditioning per recommendations that I had learned on this forum. It didn't really help much but I continued to monitor the issue.

At around 75-80k miles I set an appointment with the local Lexus rep that came to Hennessy Lexus in Atlanta to meet me. He takes a look at the seats and looks at me and says...yeah, something definitely got on your leather. Recommends having them re-dyed and then walks away. At that point I really wanted to give him a piece of my mind but I didn't.

I am a sales professional and approx 80% of the time I am the only person in my car. In fact I have a 14 month old daughter and she has been in my car only twice since she was born.

As you can see in the pics it almost seems as if there is something on the inside of the seat that is leaking out. It is also all over the seat and not just in one location. Here are pics to show the discoloration:

sorry for all the pics but feel free to share your comments

XxGoKoUxX

that is truly a first, have you tried using leather cleaner on it?

I just started using this griot's leather cleaner, and it works amazingly.

TRD_Power

Weird... Try taking a little Dawn/water mixture to it, then treat with a leather coating of some sort (Leather Masters is my favorite. I wouldn't recommend googling that in the office). Looks like something got on there for sure. And before anybody flips and says Dawn will destroy your seats, it won't... I used it on paint that got on my seat, and it worked like a charm. Just do one small spot with a Q-tip, and be sure to rinse/dab with a clean, damp microfiber cloth really well. Also, don't scrub too hard, or it will take the dye out a bit. Use a small squirt of Dawn and a generous amount of water, then just up the amount of Dawn bit by bit if it doesn't help the first time around...

Also, check out the Autopia Detailcity forum if this doesn't help. Those guys know their stuff. Best of luck, and keep us posted.

wmr71

iTrader: (2)

i have tried everything from woolite to dawn to einzett to leather masters to blah blah blah blah....and it won't come out. it has grown over time and its gotten worse which is unexplainable.

it almost seems as if the natural dye of the leather is bleeding through

hanuman

You sure it was not in knee deep water. Lol I know not funny. Its very odd.

TRD_Power

Hmm... Re-dying might be the only option here. Dawn is usually as extreme as you can go with leather. Give the Autopia forums a shot, they might be more helpful. If it's getting worse, the only other thing I can think of is some type of mold/mildew, but that's unlikely. Perhaps oil or grease got in there somehow? That would spread and get worse over time, but Dawn should have had a slight impact. Hmm...

Majek

It looks like some sort of spill or leak at some time that soaked the cushion sponge under the leather skin via the perforations. It's going to grow as long as the interior cushion is not cleaned.

Take apart the seat from the back. I've done it to replace the seat clips and it's very easy. There is a tutorial on here somewhere. Once the back plastic of the seat is off, you'll see the back cushion and the wimpy fan inside to assess damage. You might even be able to see the bottom cushion under the seat without taking anything apart.

ThomasGS4

iTrader: (19)

I distinctively remember seeing a 2006 GS430 with this color interior with a similar stain while I was still searching for a 3GS. I can't tell you exactly what it is, but this is not a "first."

ibidu1

iTrader: (1)

Buy some SEM color leather dye spray in your matching color, youll also need a red scuff pad and Sem soap. You can buy these at your local paint supply shop.

Recline the seat back, put some soap on the scuff pad and sand down the stain. If the stain goes away then great, if not the stain is permanent. Youll want to scuff all the stained area and about an inch past it. Wipe the seat really good, and using painters tape tape up where the side stitches meet, do not tape around the stained area because it will show a line.

Next grab the can and shake it, and spray a sample on the cardboard. Then finely spray the seat using light coats, dusting the the spray so it blends with the seat. Do not let anyone sit on the seat for 24 hours, and hopefully that will work out for you. This is what upholstery shops usually do