hi all figured i would post a thread about interior products that work great with safe cleaning. i have an 02 with the grey interior, all of you with the beige your lucky i wish i had. funny when i got the car the grey was not making me happy but love the car so much it doesnt matter i am used to it. anyway, the light colors get dirty quick especially with sweat in the summer months. i have been using pinnacle waxes and paintwork cleansing stuff for 7 years and think the souveragn wax they make is the best. i have also used there leather conditioner and its great. i wanted to post this because yesterday i bought the pinnacle kit yesterday with new buffing applicators and the process is as important with materials as the product so here you go
vacuum and clean interior

use the pinnacle leather and vinyl cleaner not the combo product with conditioner and put on micro fiber applicator, take your time dont press hard but give a nice cleaning.. this product is great and is ph balanced. let sit for five minutes and wipe with another cleaning cloth.

with the round applicator that you would use for wax but a new one put some leather conditioner from pinnacle on the applicator and go over each area you cleaned. this product is one of the best i have ever seen you can feel the way its nutrients are enriching the leather. after five minutes buff with another microfiber towel softly.. your leather will remain beautiful and clean for a long time. as one last note i heard and dont know if its true to have the leather warm so pores open not scorching hot but yesterday i did it during the day in shade but the leather was warm from the sun.. i say this because i was going do this in garage cool and the guy told me to do it warm not hot...

safe driving to all.. as fyi for darker color cars try the pinnacle souveragn wax and crystal mist spray and i guarentee you you will respond to me to thank me, besides looking amazing it is easy to use and does not streak like other products.

 

The 04 LS430 leathers have a polyurethane finish. Cleaner/conditioners shouldn't be allow to penetrate that finish. The owners manual states, "Wipe it off lightly using a soft cloth (e.g. gauze) dampened with 5% solution of neutral detergent for wool." You then wipe it clean with a damp water cloth and dry it You don't want to use any harsh cleaners that might tend to remove the polyurethane finish.

 

jay, guess the tradeoff is if the leather is not conditioned it will crack and be alot worse than the coating, just tryed to provide some helpful information i had a late 99 ls that cracked like crazy and dont want to go thru the same repair of the leather with filler and then you cant use the heated seats.
cheers

 

Pinnacle's products are very mild, they won't hurt the coating on the leather.

 

This is interesting still learning on CL. I have let my leather sit coated in Lexol for an hour or so really didn't soften or condition jack. The PE finish must be pretty tough stuff. The tops of the back seat are really dry and brittle from the sun prolly the PE is burned off.

 

wamrm in thats why i posted the post, i have used alot of products and i am real particular with stuff with my car. i laugh because of the debates about michelin tires or mobil 1 extended performance oil that i try to share with people to give some good ideas for the real enthusiast. there is always a rebuttal or debate, but i have found there are companies and products that do stand out. as the other post mentioned pinnacles product have a great working/work with relationship menaning they have great results with being easy to work with. the leather products cleaner and the conditioner are great but they wont fix ruined leather. i had a 98 ls400 and the leather was cracked and it was hard to manage it, thats why i am trying to be proactive with my new ls430 so that i dont deal with the cracking down the road.. if the leather is not conditioned with oils and conditioner in the product or others products the leather over time will crack. safe driving to all

 

Wish there was a good way to restore the hard leather to a softer condition...
I've even tried Neat's feet oil on it and still can't get it to soften up...

 

Leatherique! Will make even the stiffest old leather buttery soft...

www.leatherique.com

 

This is actually not true...the polyurethane coating does not require leather conditioner, the conditioner never soaks into the leather.