John007

Ok, guys I stumped onto a little problem after the repaint. its been about 2 days now after i repainted. Its starting to chalk feel to it. So, my question is what kind of condition do you guys use on it after this? Because my lexus dealership doesnt sell lexus condition and cleaner. The only one that he offer is a brand called "leather" Which f*** my leather by striping the coloring from it. So what kind of condition do you recommend after this is done?

TooCoolSC

I'm wondering if the pictures on this thread are comparing exactly the same product. It doesn't look like the same results to me.

SC430 337 said his seats had a chalky feel to them and they kind of look that way in the pics. But the pic of Norman 52's seat looks smoother and there is a little sheen to the leather.

My car had the seats redone before I bought my car and they look pretty much like Norman's pic. Mine definitely do not have a chalky feel to them, nor do they have a chalky appearance.

sc430_337

My seats do not have a chalky feel, not sure where that came from.

Norman and I did use 2 differant products, both made by SEM. I used Classic Coat which is designed for leather, more flexible and has greater adhesion, but I was using it in a Lincoln which has a color match and differant "type" of leather. The leather is grained (fake, lol) much more than the SC and the reason for the variance in pics. The Color Coat Norman used is for designed for vinyl and is a little more harsh due to the acetone for blending the color (SEM does not recommend it for leather, but its use on leather is pretty common from what I was told). I have black interior in my SC so I didnt look to see how close of a color they make in Classic Coat to ecru, nor do I need to redo the interior of my SC at this time.

I used lexol leather protectant, not because my seats where chalky, but because I was told by someone that has experience refinishing interiors that the chemicals are harsh and overall its recommended to condition a couple times over the first few weeks to prevent them from drying out.

norman52

My Seats don't have a chalky look or feel at all. Prep work is important too.My intstaller wiped the entire seat down twice with alcohol twice before spraying. That removed any excess oil,Lexol, Armor All, or what have you that was on the seats.

TooCoolSC

Oops, sorry sc430_337, I thought you were the one that said that but it was actually John007. I mistakenly attributed your pics to his statement.

But I do think it's odd that this is supposed to be the same product, yet one has a sheen to it, while the other has a more dull appearance. And John007 said his actually felt chalky. Maybe it's just the difference in the leather itself.

sc430_337

Well Norman and I did use to differant products, and I'm not sure which John007 used. Mine has a slight sheen, but I believe Norman used a flash versus mine pics which were taken in natural light

ZGone

This sounds great. I just ordered 2 cans.

Thanks for the info.

TooCoolSC

I just used the SEM 15003 Phantom White on my Ecru interior and was very pleased with the results.

I bought a can just for minor touch ups and it did exactly what I wanted. I didn't even spray the entire seat.....just some weak areas in the leather. The color match was exact and you can't tell any difference between the sprayed areas and not sprayed.

This stuff is going to save me lots of money. It's only $10 a can and you don't have to be a professional to use it.

The only thing I had to be careful about was that the can dripped occasionally as I sprayed. But I just wiped the drip immediately with a paper towel and it was fine.

It dried almost immediately. After about 30 minutes, I wiped the area I had sprayed with a damp towel to clean up the spray dust/residue. It was all very easy.

intdiamond

iTrader: (2)

Anyone know if they make this product to match the saddle interior, too? What is the color called? Thanks.

1NEAT_SC

Hey Norman, do you think if I just did the armrest (center consel) that it would match ok? Some wear is showing, but this just might be a quick fix.
Thanks for all the information you guys. Nobody said they have cream color on the back of their pants yet..(-:

lar

TooCoolSC

I know you addressed this to Norman, but I'll chime in with my opinion, and the answer is definitely yes (assuming you have the Ecru interior). It would be great for the console.

Before I bought my car, both seats, the center console, and the left (driver's) armrest had been sprayed and it all looked great. My center console armrest is still looking good, so I didn't it spray it the other day, but I did spray some areas on the driver's armrest and it looks great. You'd never be able to tell unless you closely inspect the grain of the leather. The color is a perfect match.

Assuming the rest of the area you're spraying is in good condition, you can literally just spray it on the trouble spots without having to spray the entire area. It's amazing stuff, and it dries within seconds.

I know they make lots of different colors of this, so I imagine they all work equally well. I assume they also make the saddle color, since that's one of the most popular/common interior colors.

1NEAT_SC

Hey TooCool, sounds like you're very pleased with the Phantom White color coat. That's good to hear. I just ordered a couple cans from Amazon as well. I don't think I'm ready to do the seats just yet. I appreciate your imput and hats off to Norman out West.

Does anyone know if leather conditioner (or cleaner for that matter) effects it in anyway? I generally use the Zaino.

Thanks to all,

lar

TooCoolSC

If I needed to have both seats and a lot of the interior done, I would probably pay someone to do it, just because I would think they could do a better job than me since it would be their business. But for light touch ups here and there, it's great to have a can and just do it yourself.

I've wondered the same thing. I never discussed the REASON I had to spray some areas of my interior last week. As I said, the interior had been sprayed prior to me buying the car and it looked very good.

But I took my car in to the Lexus dealership last week to get what was supposed to be an exterior detailing only. But when I got the car back, I could tell they had done an interior detailing as well.

The fabric on the lower speakers of both doors was noticeably cleaner, my floor mats were wet, and my seats felt sticky when I got in. When I was driving home, I noticed a scratch in the leather of the passenger seat, and some discoloration that I knew wasn't there before. I have no idea what they used to clean the leather, but it looked like whatever they used took off some of the spray paint that had been used on the seats.

So it appears that at least some leather cleaners/conditioners adversely affect the paint. Whether Zaino is among those, I don't know. I'd be interested in hearing from others about products which DON'T seem to affect the paint.

Solman

After taking my SC430 to the dealer last week, I noticed when I got it home I had dirt/grease on the drivers door (handle where you would pull the door closed) and on the carpet. The carpet cleaned up right away with tuff stuff. I used Zaino leather cleaner on the door and much to my amazement wiped some color off. The spot is about 1/8 x 1" and is quite noticeable (especially to me). I did call the dealer to complain on friday and have not heard back yet. Ironically, I just cleaned the leather the day before I took it in. I feel responsible in that I used the cleaner, but also feel that there should not of been anything to clean up. It was in for a new stereo and speaker, so they were working inside. While it is an 02, it only has 28K miles and is always garaged-I get a lot of comments that it looks brand new. I didn't take it back right away because the dealer is a 45 minute drive and didn't notice until I got home. Now i question my use of Zaino leather products. Your opinions please.

TooCoolSC

Solman, are you saying the area that lost color had been painted and the paint came off, or are you saying it wasn't painted and the leather itself lost some color?