Frustrated

Tel · March 31, 2017

Rayaan et al,

Issue fully resolved to shroom conditions by Auto-Trim & with this car,in slow city traffic in Sport Mode,it moves to electric for gentle speeds up to c.20 mph over a 10 mile crawl.

Chuffed!

Tel

rayaans · March 31, 2017

3 hours ago, NemesisUK said:

MBtex and Artico are Mercedes artificial leather (vinyl) coverings. MBtex (no longer offered) was virtually bomb-proof, hard as armour and fitted to all taxis. The modern equivalent is Artico, much more realistic looking and feeling but no where near as robust or long lasting as MBtex, or genuine leather come to that. Many instances of split bolsters within the first couple of years of use.

All modern automotive leathers are PU coated (sealed) and I'd be very surprised if Lexus leather is any different. Lexus models sold in the USA come with vinyl as standard, leather being a cost option.

Lexus leather is infinitely more luxurious compared with the standard option MB leather, possibly on an par with their Passion leather, I just hope it is equally robust...

Actually, modern MBtex and Artico are the same thing - they're just called different names depending on the market.

I believe they still call it MBtex in Germany.

Lexus in the US comes with Nuluxe - oddly enough, it feels the same as leather which is extremely odd. I certainly wouldn't notice the difference unless both cars were side by side confirming that they did an excellent job on it.

Steve44 · March 31, 2017

To be fair, the Merc artico and normal leather is virtually impossible to tell apart too.

The 'Tahara' pleather on the Fsport seats looks identical to the actual leather on the optional seats.

rayaans · March 31, 2017

30 minutes ago, Steve44 said:

To be fair, the Merc artico and normal leather is virtually impossible to tell apart too.

The 'Tahara' pleather on the Fsport seats looks identical to the actual leather on the optional seats.

Looks identical yes, but feels very different between tahara and leather

Im not sure - I can certainly tell the difference between rock hard artico and the £££ Nappa leather in the Mercs

NemesisUK · March 31, 2017

23 minutes ago, rayaans said:

I can certainly tell the difference between rock hard artico and the £££ Nappa leather in the Mercs

Most definitely! I've had both and it's chalk and cheese.

I also retrimmed my Leather twin C class with a naked nappa leather. Felt incredible, took an awful lot of looking after, definitely required conditioning on a regular basis..

dutchie01 · March 31, 2017

i would prefer something else than leather.... Hot in summer, cold in winter, slippery, looks good but not really 100% functional for anything other than a sofa is it?

i once rented a volvo v70 in Sweden and the cloth on the seats was like a wetsuit, really something else, looking supercool and extremely comfortable.

isn it time for more innovation?

NemesisUK · March 31, 2017

Have you tried Dinamica cloth?

http://www.dinamicamiko.com/en/#null

http://www.sageautomotiveinteriors.com/

paulrnx · April 1, 2017

17 hours ago, Tel said:

Rayaan et al,

Issue fully resolved to shroom conditions by Auto-Trim & with this car,in slow city traffic in Sport Mode,it moves to electric for gentle speeds up to c.20 mph over a 10 mile crawl.

Chuffed!

Tel

Good news!

Malc · April 1, 2017

13 hours ago, dutchie01 said:

isn it time for more innovation?

2CVs had rather more practical seating arrangements but I'm not so sure they ever came in pink

Malc

capese21 · April 2, 2017

On 31/03/2017 at 7:21 PM, dutchie01 said:

i would prefer something else than leather.... Hot in summer, cold in winter, slippery, looks good but not really 100% functional for anything other than a sofa is it?

Neither is an issue on my GS (& my previous IS300H) as it has cooled air conditioned perforated leather seats for the summer & heated for the winter.

rayaans · April 2, 2017

On 31/03/2017 at 2:32 PM, Tel said:

Rayaan et al,

Issue fully resolved to shroom conditions by Auto-Trim & with this car,in slow city traffic in Sport Mode,it moves to electric for gentle speeds up to c.20 mph over a 10 mile crawl.

Chuffed!

Tel

How did they manage to fix it?

On 31/03/2017 at 7:21 PM, dutchie01 said:

i would prefer something else than leather.... Hot in summer, cold in winter, slippery, looks good but not really 100% functional for anything other than a sofa is it?

i once rented a volvo v70 in Sweden and the cloth on the seats was like a wetsuit, really something else, looking supercool and extremely comfortable.

isn it time for more innovation?

The auto heated/cooled seats on the RX are really good for that kind of thing.

Wonder if some bright folk have decided to put alligator skin in a car yet

DanD · April 3, 2017

In terms of innovation, it is a shame that so many manufacturers - including - still insist on dashboards being covered in elephant hide looking plastic. Why oh why?

Tel · April 3, 2017

One gloved Expert,One Steam Spray/mist & one soft super adsorbent cloth & the wrinkles were removed in minutes.

He loved the colour combo and said the leather was very good quality.

As with the Front Seats,no creases to date & Lexus did good in the end.

Tel

capese21 · April 3, 2017

11 hours ago, DanD said:

dashboards being covered in elephant hide looking plastic

What manufacturer does it? I have never seen elephant hide in a car Example??

rayaans · April 3, 2017

6 hours ago, Tel said:

One gloved Expert,One Steam Spray/mist & one soft super adsorbent cloth & the wrinkles were removed in minutes.

He loved the colour combo and said the leather was very good quality.

As with the Front Seats,no creases to date & Lexus did good in the end.

Tel

Damn it, temporary fix. He's basically shrunk the leather by removing the moisture from it

Wait till it expands again.

Tel · April 4, 2017

If that is the case the firm would not have a viable Business & every leather seat would have flaws however minor.

And Steam is used because the water molecules hydrate the leather whilst heat allows surface adjustment too

It has worked & has science behind it

Lexus have replaced the frame, the foam,the leather & used an Expert to fix my issue that has not returned when sat upon, subjected to a 20 degree change in air temperature & my Clementines iso-fix baby seat.

I trust Lexus

Tel

Greenfield · April 4, 2017

I purchased a 2016 C Class Estate and had to sell it after 6 months due to the Artico seat coverings. At first glance and test drive they seemed fine apart from a lack of leather smell, however after the first few warm days they just became unbearable made worse by a lack of seat cooling as this is a rare option (I purchased as an ex demo). I would much rather have saggy Lexus leather than the really cheap and nasty Artico used by Mercedes Benz, vinyl seats in a £40K car!!

Tel · April 4, 2017

Lexus leather is not saggy in my experience but the cushioning in the 2017 seems a degree or two softer & of course has heating & coolth on the front units.

Minor creasing will appear eventually but sagging infers foam issues that are resolved by in-fil material if desired.

Tel

Steve44 · April 4, 2017

I'd agree Tel, the MY17 FSport seats seem softer than the MY14 ones I had previously, especially the outer bolsters.

NemesisUK · April 4, 2017

From the brochure for my 2016 RC, it states the seats are manufactured using 'integrated foaming' technology borrowed from motorsport technology. This is to allow a more detailed seat profile and better fit and hold than is possible using conventional upholstery methods. So the seats are going to feel (and perform?) differently from the more common form of seat construction. 6 months in and my seats are very firm and totally sag free.