IS250Vic

Ok, so I've read that sticky titled 'All about Lexus leather' and honestly it got me nowhere, i read more arguing than gathering informative information re. leather care haha.

I figure I would just create a new thread and ask: for a 2011 IS250 with leather, is it necessary to apply the leather cleaner and conditioner on a regular basis, or is it even necessary at all?

I ask because I have been driving mine for only 300k, bought brand new, and there are light creases in the leather already on the driver and passenger side. I am not sure if this is because I didn't put any sort of product on it, or if thats just the nature of how leather seats are over time.

It's the first car I've owned with leather, so this is a bit new to me.

Thanks for all your input

JellyBean

I read the same thread and felt the same way you did. All I know is that Lexus--in the owner's manual--recommends to wipe the leather in my 2001 GS (bought in 2003) with a weak Woolite solution, and that's it. That tells me that it's coated leather (thin vinyl layer on surface) and won't absorb any conditioner or stuff made to clean and "nourish" leather. So leather care in my case consists of occasionally wiping the leather with a weak Woolite solution or plain water, and applying Formula 303 protectant. The back seat, which is rarely used, looks absolutely brand new. The fronts look great, except for some shine and stretch in the driver's seat cushion. I couldn't be happier.

EDIT: And to answer your question, with only 300 km on it (had to read twice to make sure it wasn't 300K kms), it's NOT because you didn't maintain it. It's brand new! It's probably normal. Good luck!!!

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iTrader: (17)

I don't wanna bore you... so here you go:

http://www.detailedimage.com/Ask-a-P...r-care-how-to/

Been doing this for a while. It's all you need. Never used any type of conditioner, don't see the need for it like many others.

IS250Vic

Not gonna lie... that is a lot of work lol... but thanks for the link I will definitely give it a thorough read!!

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iTrader: (17)

You try it once and you will never ever want to use any "quick" products.

I have a bunch of interior cleaners, leather cleaners that are much less messy and work quicker.

But the end result of using Leatherique is on another level completely. Best leather product in the world as far as I am concerned.

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iTrader: (17)

I know it seems like alot of work. But it's not. Once you do it, you'll realize it's a piece of cake. Just do it o na weekend or on a day where you are not gonna use the car. Like apply the oil on a Saturday morning with the car parked in the driveway in the sun. Sunday morning, wake up nice and early, get a bucket with warm water, a MF towel and the Leatherique cleaner, and you'll be done in an hour tops.

And enjoy the brand new looking and feeling interior.

Jetfire

iTrader: (3)

I myself vacuum the seats/interior every week to two weeks to get the dirt/dust out, which will wear the leather down like sandpaper. Then i give a wipedown with a damp microfiber. This will take out some of the shine from body oils.

Every couple of months I use leather masters to clean the leather thoroughly. It's worth the extra elbow grease to me.

Cking

Leather Masters. I use it to condition the leather once a month.

But inbetween I just use a damp MF cloth to wipe and vacuum in the cracks.

Armorall stuff, just leaves the leather feeling all greasy and oily imo.

jfelbab

Word of warning to anyone with lighter colored leather. If you want to avoid dye transfer problems, go buy some Leather Masters Protection Cream and use it every month or two. This is the only product I've found here in the states that consistently prevents dye transfer from occurring. Once it has occurred, it can be nearly impossible to remove.

BertL

I've successfully taken care of parchment (tan), gray, and ecru (off white) Lexus leather in my RX's and SC convertible, as well as BMW 335i convertible with black leather, doing a quick vacuum and damp microfiber wipe down each time I wash the car, and then using Zaino Z-9 Leather Cleaner and Zaino Z-10 Leather Conditioner every 2-4 months on the seats. ...a little more often with the Z-9/10 on the convertibles when the top has been down a lot, and on the driver's seats (I drive solo for the most part) compared to the others. I found BMW leather for whatever reason sucks up conditioner more than any of the several variations of leather I've had in my Lexi these past 15+ years -- it frankly was very troubling to me, and now that I've sold the BMW, one less thing for me to worry about.

Jim and other strings in the forum give advice to avoid challenges with possible dye transfer, and offer Leather Masters as a good option. I don't disagree with the recommendation, as Leather Masters is what I also used before moving to the Zaino regime a few years ago. I've had the dye transfer problem occur once back with my ecru leather SC430, and fortunately caught it early and was able to remove it with Z-9. It was definitely a result of new dark denim blue jeans that had only been washed a couple of times after purchase, and many hours in the seat on a long trip. I am also very conscious of the probable issue with body oils and such on the leather, and for years have kept a hand towel (close color match to the seat, of course ) under the seat to first put down under my legs when it's "shorts weather" to avoid any problems with bare skin against the leather.

For owners that have never cleaned their leather via some method, I think it would be very revealing to try it once with a white microfiber towel and they'll see what is removed. Even for me with my preventive measures and almost **** cleanliness ways, I know I'm removing crud each time. My leather looks great after 6-7 years in each of my Lexi, with little wear and only the unavoidable natural wrinkle lines that occur on the drivers seat edge where your rear-end rubs getting into and out of the car. I'm convinced my cleaning and conditioning regime has helped keep my seats in good shape and will continue the process with my new RX450h when it arrives in the next few weeks.

IS250Vic

I did as you suggested, and wow - I've only had my IS250 for 2 weeks, and wiping my seats with a microfiber cloth dampened with warm water seemed to have picked up dirt and other crap. I guess you never really realize how much debris and dirt are in your cloth seats.

After seeing the results from the wipe down, I have plans to wipe the seats down with a warm microfiber cloth every 2 weeks. By doing this, do I run the risk of drying out the leather or should it be ok?

jfelbab

Water is the life blog of leather, not oil like many believe. Water doesn't penetrate the leather's urethane coating but is absorbed due to the higher humidity in close proximity due to the wet leather. Moisture is absorbed via the uncoated underside you never see. Leather is very fibrous and can absorb moisture readily. If you wipe down your leather with a damp towel weekly it will get all the moisture it needs to slow aging and creasing. Water also will keep your leather supple and flexible. When the fibers absorb moisture they swell a bit which keeps them plump and reduces hardening and cracking. You can over wet leather but wiping with a damp (well wrung out) towel will not cause any damage. I mostly use white 100% cotton toweling for leather. Cotton is a fatter fiber and is very gentle, more so than microfiber. As you have discovered a white towel will show you what is being removed.

I've also worked on leather where an owner had used a magic eraser. The white towels would come up showing the dye color as the owner had removed much of the topcoat.