i have some assorted oem rubber seals that are in great shape
except a few of them have some stains left over
after cleaning from being dirty for a while.
i cleaned them up with soap and water and the stains
are still there.
before i go a little more aggressive with some chemical
that would possibly ruin them
half the repo stuff i've seen looks like garbage
so i sort of want to try to save this stuff
and make it look nice.
i was wondering if anyone here has had any success with something like this?

Try some tire bleach. And if all else fails, you can use some lacquer thinner. But be very careful with it. Then use some water soluble silicone for some shine and protection.

I will second the tire bleach suggestion

WD40 works pretty good on door end seals and weatherstripping and won't hurt it.

It looks like dirt, I bet it's rust imbedded in the rubber. I'd try Evapo-Rust -- it works really well on removing rust from metal and I've tried it on rubber and it works good on that. I wouldn't leave it for hours and hours though. Try it for an hour and see how it does. If it needs more you can just leave it in longer. It's a great rust remover.

You can always try Meguiars #39 HD Vinyl cleaner followed up by #40 Rubber and Vinyl cleaner / conditoner. I've had amazing results using it on rubber and vinyl products getting them back to original condition.

Have heard the "gel" hand cleaner (without grit) works.

Used lacquer thinner/ totally Awesome on window weather strip for rust & paint on them. Takes a while be patient.

Oh let me be a little more clear- I used the TA full strength on the stains/paint then what it didn't get I used the lacquer thinner. It all came off but I didn't mix the two. Just had to keep at it -takes time- be patient.

I media blasted my rubber windshield washer foot pump and it look like new rubber. It was completely stained and crusty from dirt but now it looks like a new part.

I'll second the Evaporust. I used the PPG product, metal prep, on a rag and wiped some door end seals I had. After some gentle scrubbing the rubber looked like new. A quick rinse and some protectant and parts look like new.