I have already shot 92 Grey SC400 leather (was planning on replacing soon anyway) and it took the dye out of it also. Didn't take any kind of scrubbing either (bought the non-bleach type also). So be careful with this stuff, seems that different techniques and dye types were used with different colors.

 

Dealer would repair most of the car before its sold, especially if you bought certified car. Most car came with leather defect, they thinly spray painted match with the surrounding leather. The repair is amazing .. by using Soft scrub may take that paint off and reveal the defect.

 

I was reading this thread from start to finish and was getting excited as I thought I finally found a solution to cleaning the seats to remove what I think is a level of rough waxy grime that has been sealed in and preventing the conditioners I have used from working and softening up the leather but then like most things it was too good to be true and I saw where it could ruin and did ruin someones 98+ leather. I don't understand why older leather would be safer but newer is more fragile and easier to destroy with cleaners but who knows. I think I will at least try this on a small unnoticeable area to see what happens as I am getting irritated with my dry waxy rough leather and thought this maybe the only solution instead of spending hundreds trying different brands. All the leather cleaners I have tried do not seem to do anything. I have a black interior and it even seemed like a little dye was coming off when cleaning with woolite and water. I tried fast orange and it did seem to get that shiny waxy crap off the seats but it also seemed to be taking up some dye from looking at the rag. So much for high quality leather and newer leather being improved over old, I do not like this new overly coated waxy protected leather in our cars, it does not have the qualities that makes leather so nice and is just better at protecting it from stains. Anybody else try this softscrub method lately?

 

i did the softscrub thing and it worked really really well. i will probably do it again in the next month. you have a black interior so i would suggest you keep some spare wet towels to wipe the white residue later.

 

What year and type of car did you do the softscrub on. This seemed to work fine on the older light colored Lexus LS leathers like from the early and mid 90's but harmed the 98+ cars leathers.

 

98 GS - grey leather interior.

 

still dont get why it worked for you and didnt for me. like i said i used the products recommended exactly as described and in the proper amount/mix... the tan color/dye came clean off my armrest and the side portion of my drivers seat that i tried it on..ive got no reason to make this up as i would have loved for it to work instead of being stuck with the grimy leather.

 

just tried it on my 91 LS...

result: not as good as i thought it would be (worked better in some spots than others); not surprisingly it didnt have too much effect on the drivers seat (looks only a little bit better), but the previous owner really let the seats go to hell.

after that, put meguiars leather conditioner, and i'll see how it turns out in the morning.

 

I talked to a couple people in the carcare and leathercare business about why conditioners and softners did not seem to work on my leather and they seemed to say they have seen and heard of many cases with 2nd Gen GS customers to have untreatable rough waxy shiny leather and they have pretty much determined that Lexus or possibly Lexus dealers put a horrible silicone sealant on the leather that is supposed to protect it from stains but actually ruins the leather and does not let any conditioners or softeners penetrate to the leather and it looses the oils and dries it out and eventually degrades with no real remedy. It is called silicon poisoning.

Most modern car leathers they said have a protective coat against stains but this coat allows conditioners and softeners to penetrate to nourish the leather or rejuvinate it but on the 2nd Gen GS the sealant coat will not let anything through and is bonded to the leather so the conditioners or softeners just sit on top and do not work. They said they have only seen this on some of the newer Lexus cars like the GS and it puzzled them why Lexus would do this and why the leather was untreatable and came up to this conclusion after experimenting. They also said earlier Lexus leather like in the early and mid 90's LS's did not seem to have this terrible sealant on it and it could be cleaned fairly safely with citrus based cleaners.

I wonder if Lexus did any research to know this is the worst thing you can do to leather and pretty much guarentees the leather will prematurely degrade over time and there won't be anything you can do about it. To add to the problem when you try to clean this leather with a more powerful citrus based clenser or soft scrub to try to get this coat off for some reason it will usaully take the dye right off the leather with any kind of scrubbing. The only way to remove this silicone sealant is to use a strong paint thinner like substance which will ruin your leather in the process. Seems like were stuck with this crappy leather because they wanted it to protect against stains too much and did not take into account all the other problems that would result and put something on the leather that is actually very bad for it.

 

Why not contact GST Autoleather, the company who supplied the leather and ask them?

Corporate Headquarters
20 Oak Hollow Drive
Suite 300
Southfield, MI 48033
248.436.2300

 

Went to the grocery store today and tested the Soft Scrub method...it works!

 

I have the tan interior and it seems to give me the same result as greased lightning did. I'm doing it on my passenger seat, and the results are neither better nor worse than greased lightning.

 

I have the crappiest leather ever due to previous owners spilling all kinds of crap on it and never getting new tint and everything. My leather is all hard and stained. I will post before and after pics in a new thread so people can see...

that is.. if it helps.

 

Wow amazing, if anyone missed this link make sure to visit it for the pics

 

Amazing thread.

Thanks OP