UDel

I have tried to soften my leather in my GS with pretty much no luck, I have tried several products like leatherique, surflex sofner, Meguirs, Griot leather softner/rejuvinator with pretty much very little noticeable results. Many have said it is impossible to soften leather with a aggressive protectant coating like the GS aparently has. I have also noticed many people able to soften up older LS models and most likely older SC leathers with leatherique/sofner and have success in cleaning them with harsher cleaners like fast orange/lemon soft scrub when they are heavily soiled and nothing else works where using these cleaners on GS leathers easily takes the dye off. I tried the saran wrap method with the leatherique and surflex and have treated them a few times with little to no results. I just put on some leatherique and noticed no change in softness but the seats do look a little cleaner/darker. Surflex sofner is alot like leatherique except it seems like a thicker more concentrated forumula and seemed to maybe work a little better, it is also cheaper so that maybe something to consider.

Products like Leatherique and Surflex and Connelys Hide Food seem to work best with older European cars/leather like older Mercedes, Jaguar, Ferrari, BMW, Bently, Rolls Royce, leathers which are usaully untreated and much softer and I have seen where leatherique/sofner even brought cardbard hard leather back to life. On newer Japanese cars it seems to have little to no effect.

SC400TT

iTrader: (4)

Try taking the seat cover off, and applying it to the underside. I have heard that works well...

Ryan

UDel

I am not that sure what you are talking about taking the seat cover off? Seems like it entails taking the seat off and removing the leather off of the padding. Isn't the leather glued or someway adhered to the foam padding underneath or attached or stitched on the sides. I have not heard of trying to applying it on the underside or suede side of the leather and if there is a protective waxy coating applied on top that seems to be causing it to feel hard/rough/waxy and has soaked into the pores on top of the seat leather then applying on the otherside or bottom side I would not think is going to make a difference. Do you have any pictures of how or what process you use to apply conditioner to the underside of the leather?

tm510

I'm comparing the leather in my 2004 SC to my friends 2006, and of course, his leather is much softer and more supple. I wonder if anyone can substantiate that the leather being used has changed over these years, or if my leather's difference is only a result of age and sun.

I'm wondering if I can do anything to restore that soft feel to my leather to a point closer to what the 2006 (or a new one).

So, I've been reading a million threads on leather, both here and on Autopia, and have come to some conclusions. (Note, these are personal conclusion, so they're my new opinions. If your opinions differ, well that's fine. I"m not trying to start any flame wars)

a) Woolite diluted is ok, but make sure to rinse (moistened terry towel) after use. Leaving it as a top coat will attract dust and dirt. This is only a cleaning step. Avoid brushing, or harsh rubbing. A white terry towel is as rough as you want. If you have really dirty sections and pull out a brush, go easy on the leather.

b) a conditioner whos aim is to restore oils is a waste of time, as the coating on the leather will repel any such efforts. I was going to try to hand rub in some Meguiars or like in an effort to condition the leather, but with what I have read I believe this is probably a waste of time. All you can really do is try to restore moisture to your leather.

I used the Lexus cleaner and conditioner this weekend, and while my seats are now cleaner, they're not softer. I'll do the conditioner a few more times to see if it softens things over time.

A leather protectant is my final coat. Not sure what I'll use, but it sort of seals your leather, making it easier to keep clean, and provides a UV filter.

So if anyone knows if Lexus changed the leather over the recent past, I'd appreciate hearing about it.

Jerry

MDames2

iTrader: (1)

I have a 2003 SC430. The leather on my car is in pretty decent shape. However, I noticed it too was not as soft as a newer SC. I don't believe it's due to Lexus using better leather in the later model cars. It's most likely due to age. I have tried many products on my car. I've used Leatherique, Lexol, Zaino leather cleaner, and a few others. Although the Leatherique promises to soften your leather, it really doesn't. I put several applications on, left it in the sun during a hot spell for more than 48 hours. The seats do get clean, but they're not any softer.
The conditioner just cannot penetrate the protective coating on the leather. On cars that have semi-aniline leather, the conditioner will penetrate because the coating is not there. The LS and the ES350 UL have this leather. Most other Lexus models have coated leather.