Worn leather seats.

royoftherovers · November 11, 2016

8 minutes ago, Eire Lexus said:

If you have a button on your trouser back pocket this can cause excessive wear on seat. Stupid I know and seats should be more durable, the the button can rub hard on entry and exit.

From one perspective a most unfortunate choice of latter words Billy, but I am sure that we all understand what you mean! ;) ;).).).) LOL

Regards

John

C Mclean · November 11, 2016

2 hours ago, Dealkent said:

After buying my IS 300 h , I did I wonder about the NX . Had not looked at them before , went Tom showroom with intention of buying an IS . Are you pleased with it ? How does it compare ? Fuel consumption? .

Pretty pleased with the NX, obviously plenty of room inside and no transmission tunnel. I'm getting about 10mpg less than the IS, but that's to be expected due to the heavier weight. Still 38-40 on urban roads isn't too bad. Lexus seems to have cut back on a couple of things which were standard on the IS luxury, like headlamp washers and flappy paddles, but at least you do get a spare wheel even though it's a space saver. I reckon I'll keep this one for a couple of years when have another look at an i3, a hoot to drive with its manic acceleration and only a couple of pounds to fill the Battery.

royoftherovers · November 11, 2016

Not to put too much of a damper on your dreams Colin, but that manic acceleration you refer to increases the G Forces in your body significantly.So much so that Tesla now has a model which will acieve 6o mph in less than 3 seconds and causes mere mortals to black out.Have a safe journey !!

Regards

John

rayaans · November 11, 2016

The thing is though, every Lexus in the UK is fitted with the same type of leather unless otherwise stated. Therefore the leather in my RX is the same as my IS (TBH it feels exactly the same, just a different colour) and there's no issue with wear on both. My car is mainly driven in town as well and because of the step up, no choice but to rub my backside on the bolster. Put 42k on it and its not a problem.

However, I have to say, my wife has longer fingernails than me (im a chronic nailbiter) and she's put some marks on the seat near the seatbelt area near the headrest.

Eire Lexus · November 11, 2016

Edited just for you John, should be more careful with my wording😄

dutchie01 · November 12, 2016

On 10-11-2016 at 9:47 PM, rayaans said:

On 5-4-2016 at 9:40 PM, rayaans said:

Thats normal wear and tear - Theyre doing you a huge favour just by changing it. You are essentially rubbing excessively on the seat bolster when getting in and out.

Leather does stretch and also, the bolster will be getting this kind of wear. My wife has 11k on her IS, it gets used day in and day out for regular very short trips and its also the F-Sport so has bigger bolsters. Very little wear - almost brand new apart from creasing which is normal

Lexus use very soft leather and as a result you get this - you wont get this problem with cheap Dakota BMW leather as its so tough but you definitely will with their Merino leather which is higher quality.

i was told Lexus does want the soft feel of genuine leather and the wear and tear over time comes with it. a bit like classic jags. the bmw i owned had dakota leather and this i was told by a bmw dealer that this had a plastic layer on top of the leather in order to make sure it looks like new in 10 years time.

i hated this leather and often wondered why they would produce leather seats that feel like plastic. i very much prefer the Lexus leather seats and yes over time it stretches, looses color and somehow sits in like my favorite sofa. works for me

rayaans · November 12, 2016

59 minutes ago, dutchie01 said:

Yes the dakota leather is heavily processed. The Lexus leather does have a plastic coating but it's very thin in comparison and therefore you get that feel from it

Dealkent · November 26, 2016

On 11/11/2016 at 5:18 PM, rayaans said:

The thing is though, every Lexus in the UK is fitted with the same type of leather unless otherwise stated. Therefore the leather in my RX is the same as my IS (TBH it feels exactly the same, just a different colour) and there's no issue with wear on both. My car is mainly driven in town as well and because of the step up, no choice but to rub my backside on the bolster. Put 42k on it and its not a problem.

However, I have to say, my wife has longer fingernails than me (im a chronic nailbiter) and she's put some marks on the seat near the seatbelt area near the headrest.

I'm sorry , have to disagree regarding leather being the same in all Uk models . The other day I was in Lexus showroom having car checked out and extending the warranty for end of next year to 2020 . I felt the leather in all models and they were different .the GS and RX had harder ,thicker leather than the IS and NX which felt softer but thinner . Here lies the problem I think . It's not strong or durable enough to stand up to ordinary wear & tear . Before it ism3 years old I am going to try am doing get front seat replaced , if they can do it in Wolverhampton 4 times I'm sure they can do mine once !!

capese21 · November 26, 2016

19 minutes ago, Dealkent said:

I felt the leather in all models and they were different .the GS and RX had harder ,thicker leather than the IS and NX which felt softer but thinner

The leather in my GS300H feels exactly the same as in my previous IS300H. No noticeable wear on either at 30k miles.

rayaans · November 26, 2016

49 minutes ago, Dealkent said:

I'm sorry , have to disagree regarding leather being the same in all Uk models . The other day I was in Lexus showroom having car checked out and extending the warranty for end of next year to 2020 . I felt the leather in all models and they were different .the GS and RX had harder ,thicker leather than the IS and NX which felt softer but thinner . Here lies the problem I think . It's not strong or durable enough to stand up to ordinary wear & tear . Before it ism3 years old I am going to try am doing get front seat replaced , if they can do it in Wolverhampton 4 times I'm sure they can do mine once !!

It is exactly the same grade leather unless otherwise stated. I believe some of the RX's and GS models come with semi-aniline leather but the rest of them are the same grade and I believe Lexus showroom had this printed on "fact cards" in their showroom as well

The leather in my RX and IS feel the same.

I also have no abnormal wear on the seats in both cars and bear in mind the RX is 4.5 years old with 42k miles on it being used everyday. The IS gets worse wear in my opinion as it only covers roughly 3-5k miles a year and is mainly used for school runs and shopping but even then, the seats are in near perfect condition.

More often than not its down to the individual and how they get in and get out of the car - I know plenty of people who don't sit on the seat and then move their legs but instead drag themselves across it, obviously this would lead to worse wear.

Its also nothing you wont find on other cars with high grade leather. Check out Audi with their nappa leather and BMW merino leather - PITA to maintain.

Dealkent · November 26, 2016

Then there has to be a batch of cream leather seats which are faulty , of poor quality . I had the car with 13000 miles and already there was tiny cracks in leather and a big scuff seemed to appear from no where . Just had another close look at passenger seat and noticed more tiny cracks . It's the back of the seat which is a problem , the base seems ok , and yet that gets more wear & tear in my opinion . Funny some people say no problem after 30k miles and there is an example on here where the seats have been changed Four times in just couple of years !!

rayaans · November 26, 2016

1 hour ago, Dealkent said:

Then there has to be a batch of cream leather seats which are faulty , of poor quality . I had the car with 13000 miles and already there was tiny cracks in leather and a big scuff seemed to appear from no where . Just had another close look at passenger seat and noticed more tiny cracks . It's the back of the seat which is a problem , the base seems ok , and yet that gets more wear & tear in my opinion . Funny some people say no problem after 30k miles and there is an example on here where the seats have been changed Four times in just couple of years !!

Scuffs will come from clothing and studs no doubt.

So which one from the below is your seat like?

The brown leather is completely normal and its actually just the grain of the leather and creases are formed by sitting on seats. The cream leather had been dried to the point of cracking - can happen if using harsh chemicals on the leather.

The seats in the IS are looking like this after 3 years -

Also I realise this might be offensive to some but are we talking about average height, build and weight here? Because Im 6ft, 90kg and Ive not had issues with these seats

No point complaining about leather seat wear if the above are on the high side of normal, itd be like complaining about osteoarthritis of the knees in the overweight!

PaulWhitt20 · November 26, 2016

Does anyone use leather creams to keep the leather supple?

tayaste · November 26, 2016

I use the gliptone leather cleaner and conditioner kit. Brilliant stuff.

Whatever you do, don't use the Connolly hide care cream, .. ask me how I know

NemesisUK · November 26, 2016

2 hours ago, PaulWhitt20 said:

Does anyone use leather creams to keep the leather supple?

No point as all automotive leathers are PU coated and the conditioner cannot penetrate the surface.

You can do the water test, thoroughly clean the leather and place a drop of clean water on the flat surface of the leather. If it is absorbed, conditioning will work. If it simply sits on the surface, no point

NemesisUK · November 26, 2016

29 minutes ago, tayaste said:

I use the gliptone leather cleaner and conditioner kit. Brilliant stuff.

Whatever you do, don't use the Connolly hide care cream, .. ask me how I know

Gliptone cleans well and the conditioner imparts a new leather smell, not sure it actually does any conditioning though...

rayaans · November 26, 2016

1 hour ago, NemesisUK said:

No point as all automotive leathers are PU coated and the conditioner cannot penetrate the surface.

You can do the water test, thoroughly clean the leather and place a drop of clean water on the flat surface of the leather. If it is absorbed, conditioning will work. If it simply sits on the surface, no point

That's a whole controversial topic actually. Although the conditioner won't reach the leather itself its been argued that it keeps the coating on top supple which is actually what you need to prevent cracks

steveledzep · November 27, 2016

2 hours ago, NemesisUK said:

Gliptone cleans well and the conditioner imparts a new leather smell, not sure it actually does any conditioning though...

My thoughts too.

The bolsters on my driver seat are showing a lot of wear despite only 43k miles (lots of short journeys).

Anyone know of a "conditioner" to slow down the wear ? Bit like a hair conditioner....fewer cracks and more shiny !

olliesgrandad · November 27, 2016

Have you tried Autoglym leather conditioner.?

I used to use hide food going back a while and a trimmer at Morgan advised me to use nothing else. That advice was for new leather he had fitted to my Morris Minor,but I used it on my Audi A4 and my Mercedes 300ce also.

rayaans · November 27, 2016

13 hours ago, steveledzep said:

My thoughts too.

The bolsters on my driver seat are showing a lot of wear despite only 43k miles (lots of short journeys).

Anyone know of a "conditioner" to slow down the wear ? Bit like a hair conditioner....fewer cracks and more shiny !

I do like the Gliptone conditioner - dont rate their cleaner that highly apart from if you do it extremely regularly i.e. every month or so.

I wonder if something like this would help?

http://www.leatherrepaircompany.com/shop/matt-lacquer-leather-finish/

NemesisUK · November 27, 2016

1 hour ago, rayaans said:

I do like the Gliptone conditioner - dont rate their cleaner that highly apart from if you do it extremely regularly i.e. every month or so.

I wonder if something like this would help?

http://www.leatherrepaircompany.com/shop/matt-lacquer-leather-finish/

|Agree, regarding Gliptone cleaner. I had a full nappa retrim in my Mercedes and had to use the cleaner every week to maintain the finish, which wasn't PU coated. Not something I would have done again, too much upkeep....

Rabbers · November 27, 2016

I have used a lot of leather cleaners and conditioners in my time, including some mentioned in this thread. The last brand of

cleaner in a long line has been Dr Leather Wipes, which are supposed to clean the surface (which they do admirably, especially

in the case of denim stains) without affecting the coating (which is a claim I am less sure about). But, then again, I wonder if

a mild soapy solution applied with a bit of cotton-wool or a make-up remover pad does not yield exactly the same result but

without the same nice new-leather smell that Dr Leather advertises along with others of its competitors. Personally I no

longer proceed beyond the cleaning stage simply because creams, conditioners, foods etc., ultimately fail to deliver on their

claims, at least demonstrably, and in the longer term they all inevitably leave some degree of undesirable sheen that was not

present when the seats were new. This, I think, has less to do with unwelcome chemical additives (of which the worst is

silicone, which is to be avoided like the plague) than with the cumulative effects of even the gentlest rubbing when the

products are repeatedly applied.

I have never seen a non-F Sport IS300h without length-wise creases in the outer bolsters, though I daresay there must be

some snake-hipped owners out there who do not have the problem. The lengthening and deepening of the creases can be

delayed somewhat by upwards massaging with the thumbs which has the effect of restoring some plumpness to the

flattened foam, but to undertake this operation on a regular basis is clearly to risk neurosis.

NemesisUK · November 27, 2016

Lexus simply state to use a mild detergent (as for woollens) and a damp cloth to clean the leather.

DanD · November 28, 2016

Could it be that the cream leather is more fragile than the black or red / dark rose one? - I would assume that the same quality leather is used, but could it be that the colouring process makes the cream one even softer?

Also, do you use the easy entry/exit? - If you don't you will have less space to get in and out and therefore put more pressure on the side of the seat when getting in/exiting...