Leather Colours

[Pookyal]

I've just bought a 2009 IS 250 with what I believe are called 'Oakham' beige leather seats with the trim code 'LA00'.

Unfortunately, the driver's seat has some wear to the bolster, which I would like to repair with leather dye as I have done successfully on other cars.

However, none of the companies that supply such products seem to recognize this colour and therefore need a sample piece of leather from my car to mix the correct match.

I'd rather not have to do this, not least because there don't seem to be any excess bits of leather to cut from beneath the seats or elsewhere.

 

Does anyone know whether 'Oakham' also goes by different names in different models or years or countries? It would seem that all the leather colours go by different names in America, for example.

The company I am dealing with have a match for 'Cotswold' beige and I know there are other seemingly similar colours that go by names such as 'Ecru', 'Alabaster', 'Rutland' and 'Ivory'.

If there is any overlap with these it would be useful to know.

Thanks.

 

[normski2]

You can view past brochures on the lexus.co.uk site.

Go into Owners then Overview then Past Lexus Brochures. 

Searching the 2009 listing showed the LA00 interior leather is called IVORY.

Hope that helps

Oakham, as I remember applied to the is200/300 up until 2005

[jackcramerr]

It is Ivory. Not beige at all.

Not impressed with lexus leather finish. Never seen such wear on any other car.

Let us know how you get on. What paint you use and how you repaired it. How you paint matched.

[rayaans]

LA00 seems to be the 1st gen IS colour referred to as "Tan" in the states

I believe the 2nd gen IS beige interior colour was called "cashmere beige" in the US

Bare in mind that Lexus use some of the softest leather going in the car industry right now. The downside ofc is increased wear

[Pookyal]

Thanks very much for the help guys, should make things a bit easier. I'll see if they've got an 'Ivory' in stock. I assume 'Ivory' is something different from 'Rutland Ivory' which is another Lexus colour I've seen listed on a leather dye site?

I'm intending to use 'Gliptone Liquid Leather' which I've used before and really like. You just dab it on the worn area with a wet sponge. Takes a little patience and it doesn't seem like it's going to work but the results are usually great. Of course, this method is only any good on fairly small areas of wear. Previously did some cream leather in a Jag which worked brilliantly. Did a dark grey Porsche interior more recently which I never quite got a perfect match with. It's the only dark leather I've attempted and I suspect any slight difference in shade is more noticeable than with a lighter colour.

I really like the Lexus leather in my car because it is so soft. So many modern car leathers feel thick and hard. The leather in the 90s Jag I had was like that and not very pleasant to the touch. Having said that, my IS 250 seats probably have more wear than you would expect given the age and mileage of the car. Everything else is in pretty much as new condition, but the seats definitely need some work.

[peachy]

My cars a 2010 with only 24k on the clock and the seats are already wearing pretty bad especially the drivers side. Dread to think what they will look like in 2 or 3 years time. The leathers far to soft in my opinion, extremely comfortable yes but its a shame as the engines and gearbox last an eternity in the 250. The interior unfortunately dosnt.

[Linas.P]

That is why I always suggest buying used Lexus with black interior. Not only black hides some wear and is easier to clean, but as well it seems to wear much better. My black interior still looks pretty fresh after 160k, whereas my previous IS250AWD had grey interior and at 20k miles it was showing some noticeable wear.

I know how nice is cream leather in new car, but definitely to be avoided in used Lexus. Partially because the colour is easier to mess up and because Lexus uses nice soft leather - that is definitely true, have tried owned both BMW and MB and their seats feels like wrapped in textured cardboard rather than lether.

[jackcramerr]

MB with Nappa leather is far better Lexus leather can not come close. Obv price makes up for it.

[jackcramerr]

Pookyal

Let us know how you color match and what your formula is. It was pain for me to color match. 

[steveledzep]

My IS250C is of the same vintage as yours Frank.  The driver's seat bolster on mine is showing wear too, with dark surface cracks.  I've searched for something to rejuvenate the colour, but been unsuccessful. Let me know if you find something please.

 

I have used Gliptone Liquid Leather products for many years.  It keeps the leather supple and smelling nice, but doesn't do anything for the colour.

[NemesisUK]

You need to look at Liquid Leather's Scuff Master products. They can match any automotive colour. 

https://www.liquidleather.com/22-scuffmaster-dyes

 

[peachy]

My car has the dark gray leather seats but looking at the 2010 lexus brochure only light gray is listed. Would my colour have been fitted as an optional extra by any chance?

[Pookyal]

Black leather shows its age and dirt differently by becoming shiny, which I don't like either. This is generally thought to be caused by clothes rubbing on the leather and polishing it to a shine, but is in fact caused by an accumulation of grease and dirt. The grease largely coming from oils on human skin. The only way to return it to the more attractive matt finish the leather had when new is by giving it a good clean.

It is dirt that does most damage to car leather by abrading the surface every time someone sits in the seat. Without being cleaned the dirt will eventually cause cracks to form in the leather which if left long enough will split. The best way the look after car leather is simply to clean it when it becomes dirty. Because car leather is coated in plastic, and therefore unable to absorb any products used on it, conditioners and the like serve little or no purpose. The best car leather conditioners are able to soften the polyurethane top coat and temporarily make the leather feel slightly better but serve no purpose beyond that. The big disadvantage of using conditioners is that they leave a greasy film on the leather which allows dirt to adhere more easily.

I use Autoglym leather and vinyl clearer on my seats with a softish nail brush to agitate the dirt. I then wipe off with a cloth. It's a fairly easy process, particularly if done regularly. That's all you need to do to keep your seats looking good indefinitely.

[J Henderson]

10 hours ago, peachy said:

My car has the dark gray leather seats but looking at the 2010 lexus brochure only light gray is listed. Would my colour have been fitted as an optional extra by any chance?

Dark Grey was one of the choices available in 2010 according to the brochure I have (dated Oct 2010).

[peachy]

Thanks kodiak sky. 👍 it's a different brochure to the one I viewed online.

[rayaans]

On 2/8/2017 at 8:22 AM, peachy said:

My cars a 2010 with only 24k on the clock and the seats are already wearing pretty bad especially the drivers side. Dread to think what they will look like in 2 or 3 years time. The leathers far to soft in my opinion, extremely comfortable yes but its a shame as the engines and gearbox last an eternity in the 250. The interior unfortunately dosnt.

A 2010 with 24k on the clock is going to show much more wear than a 2010 with 160k on the clock. The low mileage suggests to me that someone has been going for short trips and therefore been getting in and out of the car more often than someone who drives alot. Getting in and out is what causes bolster wear, not being seated for an extended period of time. On a side note, it is nearly 7 years old now so will show some wear.

An example I like to use is the Super Sport seats covered in Nappa leather in Audi's. Frankly ridiculous how they wear - 2-3 years and they're shot.

21 hours ago, steveledzep said:

My IS250C is of the same vintage as yours Frank.  The driver's seat bolster on mine is showing wear too, with dark surface cracks.  I've searched for something to rejuvenate the colour, but been unsuccessful. Let me know if you find something please.

 

I have used Gliptone Liquid Leather products for many years.  It keeps the leather supple and smelling nice, but doesn't do anything for the colour.

Are the cracks actually cracks in the leather? i.e. has it split apart?

If not, its likely that the grain/fold has just got dirt entrapped in it. 

Im not a fan of the gliptone leather cleaner - it has no cleaning performance whatsoever. The conditioner on the other hand is great. Products like the Gliptone leather cleaner and Autoglym leather cleaner are very poor compared to others on the market like Dr leather and Dodo Juice

[peachy]

Yes rayaans the previous and only other owner averaged 4k a year in the car.

How do you rate those leather wipes sold in supermarkets such as Lord Sheraton  and Mr sheen leather wipes.

[steveledzep]

43 minutes ago, rayaans said:

Are the cracks actually cracks in the leather? i.e. has it split apart?

No, they're surface cracks.  Still feels very supple, but the cracks look very dark compared to the light colour of the leather.  Testimony to the first owner I guess, 33k in 6 years.

[jackcramerr]

Failing to understand this logic...

Black leather does not wear out and just shines which is dirt. White leather color wears out...

 

So black leather has better paint? ...

 

[Pookyal]

 

29 minutes ago, jackcramerr said:

Failing to understand this logic...

Black leather does not wear out and just shines which is dirt. White leather color wears out...

 

So black leather has better paint? ...

 

Black and cream leather wear the same but the wear shows in different, and in my opinion, equally unattractive ways. The cream leather will be as shiny as the black but the lighter colour means it is not obvious. Similarly, the black leather will have dirt ingrained cracks but the dark colour disguises this.

[Pookyal]

1 hour ago, rayaans said:

A 2010 with 24k on the clock is going to show much more wear than a 2010 with 160k on the clock. The low mileage suggests to me that someone has been going for short trips and therefore been getting in and out of the car more often than someone who drives alot. Getting in and out is what causes bolster wear, not being seated for an extended period of time. On a side note, it is nearly 7 years old now so will show some wear.

An example I like to use is the Super Sport seats covered in Nappa leather in Audi's. Frankly ridiculous how they wear - 2-3 years and they're shot.

Are the cracks actually cracks in the leather? i.e. has it split apart?

If not, its likely that the grain/fold has just got dirt entrapped in it. 

Im not a fan of the gliptone leather cleaner - it has no cleaning performance whatsoever. The conditioner on the other hand is great. Products like the Gliptone leather cleaner and Autoglym leather cleaner are very poor compared to others on the market like Dr leather and Dodo Juice

Interested to try Dr. Leather and Dodo juice, can you expand on the advantages of these, haven't heard of them before. I've never considered the specific cleaner that important, assuming it doesn't actually damage the leather. The dirt always seems come off fairly easily anyway. To be honest because of the coatings put on car leather I always think of it as cleaning plastic rather than leather. Is that sacrilege? 

[NemesisUK]

Reading my owner's handbook and the advice for cleaning the interior leather is ...

"Remove dirt and dust using a vacuum cleaner.
● Wipe off any excess dirt and dust with a soft cloth dampened with diluted
detergent.
Use a diluted water solution of approximately 5% neutral wool detergent.
● Wring out any excess water from the cloth and thoroughly wipe off all remaining
traces of detergent.
● Wipe the surface with a dry, soft cloth to remove any remaining moisture.
Allow the leather to dry in a shaded and ventilated area."

No mention of conditioners, something I believe is completely pointless on these modern coated leathers.

I have in the past used Dr Leather wipes on previous cars and they are very convenient but basically just paper wipes impregnated with a version of the detergent mentioned in the handbook, plus fragrance.  

When I had my MB retrimmed using naked (i.e. uncoated) nappa leather I used the Gliptone cleaner and conditioner to very good effect but the seats needed cleaning weekly and conditioning monthly to keep them looking good! 

Lexus gave me a leather maintenance kit containing cleaner and conditioner and some sort of surface treatment. I've not used them yet, not sure if I ever will TBH. Currently using an"easy-on, easy-off" seat cover on my Clove leather if I'm in scruffs or work clothes.

[Shahpor]

I have had to deal with dirty cream leather in mine recently.  I posted some pictures here:

Generally, I found Dodo Juice to be an excellent leather cleaner.

[rayaans]

On 09/02/2017 at 10:06 PM, Pookyal said:

Interested to try Dr. Leather and Dodo juice, can you expand on the advantages of these, haven't heard of them before. I've never considered the specific cleaner that important, assuming it doesn't actually damage the leather. The dirt always seems come off fairly easily anyway. To be honest because of the coatings put on car leather I always think of it as cleaning plastic rather than leather. Is that sacrilege? 

They clean better without damaging the top coating etc. 

The coating itself has a grain to it and some cleaners just aren't strong enough to get the dirt out of these grains. 

[steveledzep]

Have ordered some Dodo Juice.  Hope it makes the dirt in my leather extinct !  I'll let you know.