Me too.

I strongly recommend you recondition the leather with Leatherique®


It is an organic witch's brew with eye of newt and frog spit or something, but it really does work. You can tell, because you can feel its effects on your hands, it plumps up your own skin cells. And that's the thing with leather. Any petroleum or silicone based substance is not going to actually help the dermatology of your dead cow draped all inside your Lexus.


First you apply with your hands and fingers, the Rejuvenator Oil that penetrates the dye and the leather itself. Close the car up and park it in the sun. This sauce will find the pores and it "sweats out" the dirt.


Then you immerse a fresh terrycloth hand towel with the Prestine Clean, and wipe down all the treated leather. This juice cuts through the oils and picks up the filth that you just can't believe came out of what you thought was perfectly clean looking leather. Now my $3,995.00 Winter Beater is complete except for one intermittant door lock solenoid. The "LiCelsior" CD changer works splendidly (thank-you), and the car is a joy to drive.
Colin

Colin

 

can you post closer pics for leather seats i wana see how it is?
I use Meguiars Gold Class Rich Leather Cleaner/Conditioner. I wana compare the results with mine.

 

damn that interior looks MINT! im gonna do mine in the spring/summer so i can lay it out in the sun to bake. i had the leatherique since last spring but was too lazy lol.

good to hear the cd changer worked, how about the rearview? also im gonna attempt to tackle the door locks thurs or friday.

 

How would you compare this to Zaino leather conditioner?

 

leatherique works on a completely different process. it's one of the threads with the highest views in the detailing forum.

 

Will this even work on the crappy leather in a 90 LS400?

 

It depends on what you mean by "crappy"... It won't magically make worn leather look new again but it can add flexibility back to dry leather. As well as pull all kinds of embedded dirt out of it. The product actually has animal protein in it so its made from the same stuff as the leather itself. For really bad leather, multiple treatments are recommended. I've used it twice on my old LS and it definitely makes a difference. Leaving the car in the hot sun with the stuff on the seats for a day or two is very helpful.

 

my car's leather is in **** shape and I blame Toyota for using thin leather. Mercedes seats are armor-thick and last FOR EVER without tearing.

 

Anyone used Hide Food leather conditioner and can report on how it compares to Leatherique?

 

I blame my cousin. He split my two front seats before I even had a chance to Leatherique them.

 

Too bad the electrical systems on a Mercedes can be compared to a Chinese made knockoff anything.

 

With horribly dried-out leather, like on my '62 Lincoln Continental, they recommend that you sand the dye right off the skin, then treat. That is what I did. It drank the rejuvenator oil like it was evaporating off the surface. The hard dried leather smoothed out like brand new soft supple skin. Then they have a latex type filler for the cracks that you build up like bondo then sand again with 1000 grit. Wash with the Prestine Clean and you can either spray or brush on new dye. I had brand new looking seats, and for fun, I mixed some of my Mercedes brown dye in with the remaining ivory and had a lightly contrasting piping.
Colin

 

Is it just my vehicle or do all the early LS400's have "vinyl like" leather seats..not soft and supple like the new versions of the LS400 (i assume) or jaguar/mercedes etc.

 

Don't get too sorry about not having the new "softer" leather.

My '78 Mercedes has leather thick as shoes, and it is perfect still. The Lincoln had softer leather that cracked and dried out.

My BMW had heavy leather only on the outboard bolsters as does the early Lexus. I find the leather in the Lexus is barely thick enough to withstand the service life I intend for it.
Colin

 

Good job Might want to give this a try too