Drivers seat wear

[Sparklehedgehog]

Hi

Is it normal for the drivers seat side wing to wear on the leather? It’s done 57k miles and I assume it’s standard wear but wondered if anybody else has anything to add to this? Shame as it’s gorgeous leather. 

[DanD]

This has been mentioned in other threads and seems to be consistent with all models within the range. I had the same issue on the two RXs I previously owned and my current NX already shows signs of wear, albeit minor.

I believe this is partly due to the shape of the seat as you cannot help but squash the bolster as you get in and out (but is that not the case in all cars!), but the main reason is the soft leather used by Lexus. I have to say, I'd rather have this soft leather than the harsh plastic feeling leather you typically find in German competitors.

[Mr Vlad]

Most car seat bolsters show signs of wear. How to stop it is by regular cleaning and conditioning. 

Another way to help reduce the wear is to adjust your seat back before you get out. When you get back in adjust back to where you have it. My car does it automatically and also the steering wheel goes in. This makes it much easier to get in and out and lessens the chance of wear on the bolster.

Since your car shows signs now of wear I suggest you buy a good quality car seat leather cleaner and conditioner. I use Autoglym but it has to be for a car as car leather is different to house sofa leather.

[rayaans]

14 hours ago, Sparklehedgehog said:

Hi

Is it normal for the drivers seat side wing to wear on the leather? It’s done 57k miles and I assume it’s standard wear but wondered if anybody else has anything to add to this? Shame as it’s gorgeous leather. 

Take a picture and post it up to see if its normal or not.

Obviously a seat bolster is going to wear as its the part that everyone brushes against when getting in and out constantly. Made worse by wearing studded jackets etc

[parkman]

Interesting thread. I notice that the drivers side door side bolster is showing creases after 35,000 miles, which I hadn't expected. The car is 2013. But then I had a 2004 Merc E220 cdi with grey leather, 80,000 miles on the clock, and the drivers side door bolster pad was quite well worn as was the back support door side bolster. I did treat it for quite a number of years with Autoglym leather treatment but I think that this is just something that happens with leather seats.

I have seen it on Jaguar XJ's as well, I have had three of them, and on a Mitsubishi 4x4. I own two classic Mercs, an 83 500s and a 91 124 260E, both with cloth upholstery and in fairness the door side bolsters are more or less unmarked. One car has 55,000 on the clock and the other has 120,000 on the clock.

Parkman.

[bernieeccles]

I have noticed when browsing the Lexus Approved Used site (IS 300H models) that quite a few have drivers side seat bolsters that have for want of a better word, collapsed. I did wonder if this was because the previous drivers were a bit corpulent.

Maybe a good car trimmer could do something about it !

[rayaans]

3 hours ago, parkman said:

Interesting thread. I notice that the drivers side door side bolster is showing creases after 35,000 miles, which I hadn't expected. The car is 2013. But then I had a 2004 Merc E220 cdi with grey leather, 80,000 miles on the clock, and the drivers side door bolster pad was quite well worn as was the back support door side bolster. I did treat it for quite a number of years with Autoglym leather treatment but I think that this is just something that happens with leather seats.

I have seen it on Jaguar XJ's as well, I have had three of them, and on a Mitsubishi 4x4. I own two classic Mercs, an 83 500s and a 91 124 260E, both with cloth upholstery and in fairness the door side bolsters are more or less unmarked. One car has 55,000 on the clock and the other has 120,000 on the clock.

Parkman.

Creases are normal. They occur even if sitting in the seat.

Id only class excessive wear as torn, ripped or completely collapsed.

[bernieeccles]

A good example of a collapsed bolster here.

[rayaans]

42 minutes ago, bernieeccles said:

A good example of a collapsed bolster here.

Yes that wouldn't be normal. I can pretty much assure you that this vehicle was owned by an elderly person who sat on the bolster whilst getting in and then moved across.

Needs refoaming. Nothing else would work 

[ColinBarber]

I found that the F Sport premium leather seats in my IS300h were almost impossible to get out of without putting your leg over the bolster, but even doing that every day my 2013 model didn't show any signs collapsing or leather wear.

[Mr Vlad]

That bolster should never have collapsed like that. The foam used doesn't collapse. I've misread this thread but now understand. Your picture shows to me that the foam beneath the leather  (which looks fine) has split/degraded. I'd take your car to a car upholsterer to get their opinion. How that damage has occurrd is by total misuse. No elderly person could do that.

My Dad (bless his soul) drove from new a 1987 metro until 2010 and his drivers seat which had larger than average bolsters (the car was top of the range) had no damage to the bolsters and in his latter years struggled to get in and out of his car.

I think the foam has come away from where it''s fixed to and dropped somehow. Get upholstery advice..

[bernieeccles]

Mr Vlad, just to clear things up, the picture is just an example of an extreme collapse of the bolster. In my search for a car, I have seen quite a few lesser examples of this and when the right car pops up, a worn bolster would be a negotiating point. I have no doubt a good car trimmer could sort it out with ease.

[Rabbers]

Long experience of both from new tells me that the outer bolsters of  F-Sport seats are far less prone to creasing than those of the standard 

design because of (a) the additional lengthwise stitching/panelling, which makes the area more rigid and therefore more resistant to downward   

pressure upon your exiting and entering the car, and (b) the use of "integrated foam", which makes the entire seating surface only slightly firmer 

but certainly a lot more supportive.   Some might argue that better seating is reason enough to prefer an F-Sport version to others.

 

[rayaans]

3 hours ago, Mr Vlad said:

That bolster should never have collapsed like that. The foam used doesn't collapse. I've misread this thread but now understand. Your picture shows to me that the foam beneath the leather  (which looks fine) has split/degraded. I'd take your car to a car upholsterer to get their opinion. How that damage has occurrd is by total misuse. No elderly person could do that.

My Dad (bless his soul) drove from new a 1987 metro until 2010 and his drivers seat which had larger than average bolsters (the car was top of the range) had no damage to the bolsters and in his latter years struggled to get in and out of his car.

I think the foam has come away from where it''s fixed to and dropped somehow. Get upholstery advice..

Over time foam will compress but it dopends on usage. If someone is sitting on the bolster when getting in and out, then it is more likely to compress and not go back into shape

[Mr Vlad]

Yes Rayaans that''s correct. However I can't see an owner whose rear end is larger than average tolerating sitting in a luxury car and being totally uncomfortable because the seat is too narrow for them. 

That kind of damage in only 57k miles to me is totally unacceptable and I'd for one take the car back to lexus and complain. 

The seat in my truck is as new and the foam within is as new. My truck has done over 500k miles.

Like I've stated. That car needs to be taken to an upholsterer to be examined then the car with report taken to lexus. 

Something most definitely not right with that seat.

[rayaans]

16 minutes ago, Mr Vlad said:

Yes Rayaans that''s correct. However I can't see an owner whose rear end is larger than average tolerating sitting in a luxury car and being totally uncomfortable because the seat is too narrow for them. 

That kind of damage in only 57k miles to me is totally unacceptable and I'd for one take the car back to lexus and complain. 

The seat in my truck is as new and the foam within is as new. My truck has done over 500k miles.

Like I've stated. That car needs to be taken to an upholsterer to be examined then the car with report taken to lexus. 

Something most definitely not right with that seat.

Im not so sure - its not been subject to normal wear and tear 

Someone has been sitting on the bolster and then rotating around it from what it looks liked

If sitting in the seat properly, there's be very minimal wear to the lower bolster as it doesn't take any weight. 

[wharfhouse]

If you look through the Lexus Used cars then virtually all shots of non-F-Sport drivers seats (at least when cars are a year old or more) show the same effect to some degree - when I bought my 300h Executive this this was something I had noticed browsing the cars - some were much worse than others - and I checked that mine did not have this problem (it was 2 years old with 40K miles on it). Whether or not Lexus had done something to it before it went on sale or the first owner didn't do whatever causes this issue I have no idea. Another year on and the bolster is still pretty much OK though I have noticed some creasing appearing from time to time and I am careful now to not sit on the bolster getting in and out - but it's not easy to avoid it altogether. Every so often I pull and smooth out bolster leather and to date it's looking OK though with just a light wrinkle starting to appear.

[rayaans]

Just to update - 

the picture showed above which were supposed to be a collapsed bolster is not actually a collapsed bolster at all

This is the same car

From this angle, the bolster looks intact - just a bit of leather stretch which is normal if used harshly

Ive gone through the Lexus website and the bolsters seem fine - completely normal wear and tear but the leather has stretched in some of them which makes it appear like the foam has compressed.

[Mr Vlad]

Good shout out Rayaans and supported by a good informative photo. I think my seat looks much like that but I'll have a proper look tomorrow. 

[ikeja]

These creases in the drivers seat appeared after only 5000 miles. The seat cover was replaced by Lexus under warranty but I am concerned it will reoccur. Anyone else had this?

[rayaans]

44 minutes ago, ikeja said:

These creases in the drivers seat appeared after only 5000 miles. The seat cover was replaced by Lexus under warranty but I am concerned it will reoccur. Anyone else had this?

You're very lucky they replaced that

Normal leather will crease and does crease - there's no rules as to how long it should take to crease. For some it takes years, others can take a few weeks. 

Lexus leather does tend to crease easier because its soft - other heavily modified leathers, for example BMW Dakota leather will not crease at all because its more akin to rhino skin than actual leather!

[Steve44]

These are photos of the drivers seat of my 2014 F Sport the day it went back to the lease company after 3 yrs and 70k odd miles. I was impressed about how well it had held up. Other than some creasing in the side bolster, and slightly shiny and discoloured it looked great.

The thick stiff band around the base really protects the bolster on the Fsport models. 

Lexus have changed the leather (pleather?) material on the outer edges of the facelifts I’m sure. It is softer and already is marking up worse on my new one.

[parkman]

That definitely looks better than the softer leather. My 2013 IS 300h is showing somewhat more wear than the red leather in your F-Sport.

Parkman.

[rayaans]

14 minutes ago, parkman said:

That definitely looks better than the softer leather. My 2013 IS 300h is showing somewhat more wear than the red leather in your F-Sport.

Parkman.

The F-Sport leather is the same leather as used in other trim levels so there's no difference in softness.

Worth remembering that an intensive clean will make creases appear drastically reduced.

[Mr Vlad]

Mmmmm those f sport seats look good and symmetric. 

My premium seats are not symmetrical. The bolster that is nearest the door has a wider panel which allows it to deform comfortably when getting in and out of the car. My car is a 64 plate with 24k miles. I suppose time will tell if wear appears.