Please Help - Leatherique Created A Mess...

W201 sweden · July 16, 2007

I really need some help here... :unsure:

A few weeks ago I decided to finally give the interior in my -95 LS some TLC. I already had 1 litre of Leatherique Rejuvinator oil and 1 litre Pristine cleaner. I followed the instructions from their homepage, step by step.

The soaking was easy, the "baking" also, but the trouble begun. Nothing much really happened during the baking, compared to some testimonials I have read on the MB forums. (The car was parked outside in direct summer sunlight, windows rolled up.) But, the interior was rather clean to start with, and I figured the treated leather in the Lexus was less prone to both accumulating and "sweating out" dirt.

I continued by cleaning and removing the rejuvinator oil, using the pristine cleaner, but it seems REALLY hard to get the sticky, smeary oil away. And to make things worse, my seats are now slightly streaked with darker areas - dirt? They are also still slightly sticky from the products, and the car smells from Leatherique, not leather, inside... :cries:

Additional cleaning with the pristine cleaner seem to have no effect on stickyness or smell.

There is no delaer to ask, since the product are not sold here, I had to buy them in Germany.

What is the solution here - another brand, additional work, something else?

I contacted my local Lexus dealer, but they do no detailing themselves, and they also carry no products for it! :chairshot:

Any help is GREATLY appreciated.

/Alexander from Sweden

LexusLooker · July 27, 2007

Hi Alexander,

I have used Leatherique on MBs with good results and my LS a few times with mixed results. It does a good job of rehydrating the seats, but my drivers seat sometimes feels sticky after treatment because it's naturally the dirtiest. The remaining seats, which are almost never used, look great and feel incredibly soft and buttery without feeling treated or gunky. My guess is that you still have a lot of gunk built up from years of use and from other product buildup - those are the dark streaks. I was going to suggest another application of Prestine Clean (why it's not called Pristine Clean, I don't know) and see if that cleans up the remaining gunk, but you've already done that. One of my best results came when I misread the instructions and did the final wipedown with a damp cloth. You might try a warm damp cloth, or try cleaning the leather with something gentle - Ivory soap or something. The guys here might have some ideas for a cleaner. Then think about doing another Rejuvenator / Prestine cycle to get the rest of the gunk out.

Let us know how it turns out!

TOGWT · July 28, 2007

Hi Alexander,
I have used Leatherique on MBs with good results and my LS a few times with mixed results. It does a good job of rehydrating the seats, but my drivers seat sometimes feels sticky after treatment because it's naturally the dirtiest. The remaining seats, which are almost never used, look great and feel incredibly soft and buttery without feeling treated or gunky. My guess is that you still have a lot of gunk built up from years of use and from other product buildup - those are the dark streaks. I was going to suggest another application of Prestine Clean (why it's not called Pristine Clean, I don't know) and see if that cleans up the remaining gunk, but you've already done that. One of my best results came when I misread the instructions and did the final wipedown with a damp cloth. You might try a warm damp cloth, or try cleaning the leather with something gentle - Ivory soap or something. The guys here might have some ideas for a cleaner. Then think about doing another Rejuvenator / Prestine cycle to get the rest of the gunk out.

Let us know how it turns out!

Clean the surfaces with a 6:1 solution of Woolite (or equivalent product i.e. a very gentle liquid soap used for baby clothes ashing) repeat until the dirt has been removed. Follow with a very light application of Prestine / Rejuvenator.

¬Hope this helps¬

Note: for really neglegted / dirty surfaces use Leatherequi's Prepping Agent

W201 sweden · August 15, 2007

Thanks for the help guys!

Sorry for not coming back earlier, but I have not been here in a long time, actually.

The "stickyness" has reduced noticably since then, and now only the streaks (which are in no way severe) remain. I will try the recommended gentle soap treatment.

By the way, the official Lexus dealers in Sweden do not carry the genuine Lexus detailing products! :censored: I guess I will order the whole bucket kit from Sewells... :rolleyes: