Ok this will sound daft, but...

[barryb]

Hi All,

I know this will sound silly but do owners of the RC have any particular way they enter and exit the vehicle? 

I have problems with my legs due to a long term health condition, yeah I should have probably got an SUV, but they don't really appeal to me, and love the RC's looks and when this one became available I thought, hell I am going to get one while I still can get in and out no matter how daft I may look doing so!!

There was no plans to sell my IS but I am a sucker for the RC lol

Barry

[wendle]

I had the same problem with the RC-F, I find the door sill very high, and with the large seat side bolsters it was slightly hard to get out even with the seat adjusted as high as it would go without my head hitting the head lining. i had my number 3 seat button set for the seat to go back as far as it would go, i found that helped a bit.

Funny enough even though the LC is a slightly lower car i find it easer to get out than the RC-F, the door sill is much lower and the side seat bolsters are not so big.

 

[barryb]

2 hours ago, wendle said:

I had the same problem with the RC-F, I find the door sill very high, and with the large seat side bolsters it was slightly hard to get out even with the seat adjusted as high as it would go without my head hitting the head lining. i had my number 3 seat button set for the seat to go back as far as it would go, i found that helped a bit.

Funny enough even though the LC is a slightly lower car i find it easer to get out than the RC-F, the door sill is much lower and the side seat bolsters are not so big.

 

You trying to upsell me to an LC @wendle 😄 it wouldn't take much, only snag is my bank balance lol

[Linas.P]

I don't think it is so much of an issue with how low car is, didn't find it particularly lower than IS, but I often cannot open the doors all the way or at least as wide as IS. Obviously, getting into car with doors wide open is easier than squeezing through the small gap.

Not sure if it helps, but I found that it is much easier to get in when you move steering wheel away and the seat back - in my case that is more due to very narrow parking spaces where I have to squeeze through narrow gap, but may be useful to you as well. So my suggestion would be have 2 memory options - 1 is having seat far back and low and steering wheel all the way to the front and up and 2 the actual comfortable driving position. Yes it is workaround and you will need to wait for both to move into right place, but better than nothing.

[barryb]

@Linas.P Thanks that is a great idea, great minds, this idea popped in my head at lunch time when I was out for my walk!

I didn't however think about the steering wheel though or putting the seat lower however.

Barry

[royoftherovers]

35 minutes ago, Linas.P said:

I don't think it is so much of an issue with how low car is, didn't find it particularly lower than IS, but I often cannot open the doors all the way or at least as wide as IS. Obviously, getting into car with doors wide open is easier than squeezing through the small gap.

Not sure if it helps, but I found that it is much easier to get in when you move steering wheel away and the seat back - in my case that is more due to very narrow parking spaces where I have to squeeze through narrow gap, but may be useful to you as well. So my suggestion would be have 2 memory options - 1 is having seat far back and low and steering wheel all the way to the front and up and 2 the actual comfortable driving position. Yes it is workaround and you will need to wait for both to move into right place, but better than nothing.

A very sensible suggestion Linas.

[PRT68]

I have an RC Luxury without the memory seats. I'm 66, fortunately without health problems, and it's OK getting out after trips up to an hour long. 2 hours plus, and I then tend to get out by placing my right hand on the cill and then 'spinning' out . Sometimes it's elegant, sometimes it resembles falling out!

Main thing that bugs me on my version, is that the mirrors can only be folded in before turning the car off. Meaning you can't look rearwards before opening the door. Great care is then required. 

[barryb]

@PRT68 that is a good idea will give that a try, I may end up with a combo of all ideas!

Thing is the car is a joy to sit in, I find it more relaxing to drive than my previous IS200t, but then again I do prefer a more languid driving style lol.

I am lucky I have the option for the mirrors to fold when I lock the car.

Barry

[Rabbers]

The RC is certainly not a car that lends itself to an elegant fluidity of motion on the part of those getting in or out, though alternative memory settings are

a considerable help on the driver's side.   When within earshot of third parties I have trained myself to stifle an embarrassing grunt from the effort it takes

to lever myself out, but my main complaint regards the unavoidable need to swivel my rump on the seat through approximately 90° when swinging my legs

in or, especially, out of the door.   At the risk of sounding neurotic, I have to admit that I am afraid of thereby forcibly over-polishing the seat leather with the

long-term risk of giving it an unnatural shine, not to mention creasing the outer bolster - though the latter possibility is fortunately much reduced in the case

of the F-Sport seat design by virtue of the parallel stitching.

 

 

 

 

 

[Linas.P]

18 hours ago, Rabbers said:

F-Sport seat design by virtue of the parallel stitching.

Not really the case as it just rips at the stitching, my seat bolster was destroyed at just 50k miles - in comparison IS250 had 200k miles and leather still looked great. Dealership tried fixing it but did poor job  - now I am looking for proper leather specialist to do it properly.

The most annoying thing is that they had car for repairs and it required £4200 repair to electric motors (warranty job). I was hoping they just going to fit new seat, but no - they went and changed every motor on the seat and kept the tired top section of the leather 😁

[Rabbers]

21 minutes ago, Linas.P said:

Not really the case as it just rips at the stitching, my seat bolster was destroyed at just 50k miles....

I'm not sure if we are talking about the same seat design, but after 71000km in my first RC F-Sport my bolster remained in pristine condition, and, fingers  crossed,

its counterpart in my present second RC F-Sport shows no signs of deterioration after 23000km.  This I attribute primarily to the stitching of the bolsters, which has

the effect of flattening the contours and making them less prone to creasing and friction than is the case, in my experience, with plumper unstitched surfaces.  Of

course, I would not presume to analyse the differences in punishment inflicted on seats by the individual rear quarters of individual drivers.

 

 

[Linas.P]

I am sure it is the same design I have on my seat. I guess the difference was that you were taking care when getting in and out not to overly scrub on bolster, wheres previous owner of my car did not care for it at all. By 50k the bolster was just one big hole and sticking clearly acted as a focus point for wear. So in a sense you right - it preventing it from creasing, but made it to stay proud and as result ended up getting ripped. 

19 hours ago, Rabbers said:

At the risk of sounding neurotic, I have to admit that I am afraid of thereby forcibly over-polishing the seat leather with the

long-term risk of giving it an unnatural shine, not to mention creasing the outer bolster

 

[barryb]

@PRT68 mate the sill technique is great lol, I started using it quite a lot now combined with seat memory function! Thanks for that idea, I would have never though to have used the sill lol!

[royoftherovers]

25 minutes ago, barryb said:

@PRT68 mate the sill technique is great lol, I started using it quite a lot now combined with seat memory function! Thanks for that idea, I would have never though to have used the sill lol!

This any good Barry ?

https://www.wish.com/product/5de6027e91ce9ce4a66bbb35?hide_login_modal=true&from_ad=goog_shopping&_display_country_code=GB&_force_currency_code=GBP&pid=googleadwords_int&c={campaignId}&ad_cid=5de6027e91ce9ce4a66bbb35&ad_cc=GB&ad_curr=GBP&ad_price=6.00&campaign_id=6493229882&exclude_install=true&gclid=CjwKCAiA57D_BRAZEiwAZcfCxYPbRYj-C6KQPi8pJoXmxw446UoFispirGGJJJhdh6G1eKkASZBXfRoCEV8QAvD_BwE&share=web

[barryb]

Wow thanks Roy @royoftherovers! I will look in to that that looks like a great idea too. 

[royoftherovers]

3 minutes ago, barryb said:

Wow thanks Roy @royoftherovers! I will look in to that that looks like a great idea too. 

Do let us know how you get on Barry as others may benefit.

[barryb]

Will do John, just ordered it 😄

realised your name is John not Roy, apologies!

[royoftherovers]

5 minutes ago, barryb said:

Will do John, just ordered it 😄

realised your name is John not Roy, apologies!

My Christian name is John, my Forum name is Roy and my wife calls me "you".

Anything pleasant will do Barry.

Where are you in Fife as we used to go up to Leuchars 3/4 times each year?

[barryb]

Hi John,

I am in Kirkcaldy, so about 30-40 minutes to Edinburgh, I went for a job down Cheshire way many years ago with Barclay's Bank, drove my Miitsi FTO GPX (manual) down there and the alternator belt went awol lol. Good thing I felt something was up and took out an AA subscription before heading south!

I guess you is definitely on the acceptable side lol!

 

 

[royoftherovers]

16 minutes ago, barryb said:

Hi John,

I am in Kirkcaldy, so about 30-40 minutes to Edinburgh, I went for a job down Cheshire way many years ago with Barclay's Bank, drove my Miitsi FTO GPX (manual) down there and the alternator belt went awol lol. Good thing I felt something was up and took out an AA subscription before heading south!

I guess you is definitely on the acceptable side lol!

 

 

Kirkaldy, Glenrothes, Cupar was our preferred route to Leuchars and St Andrews. Fond memories even though the twerp of a Procurator Fiscal gave me my only ticket for moving too swiftly out of Glenrothes towards Cupar in my GS.

We called in at Falklands on one occasion and what a pleasant little place that was Barry.

[BillNick]

On 12/9/2020 at 12:05 PM, Linas.P said:

Not really the case as it just rips at the stitching, my seat bolster was destroyed at just 50k miles - in comparison IS250 had 200k miles and leather still looked great. Dealership tried fixing it but did poor job  - now I am looking for proper leather specialist to do it properly.

The most annoying thing is that they had car for repairs and it required £4200 repair to electric motors (warranty job). I was hoping they just going to fit new seat, but no - they went and changed every motor on the seat and kept the tired top section of the leather 😁

I have 2015 RCF with 25k on the clock and the leading edge on the drivers bolster is worn down to white from the factory black finish 😞

Will be looking for specialist to repair and treat.....

[wendle]

9 minutes ago, BillNick said:

I have 2015 RCF with 25k on the clock and the leading edge on the drivers bolster is worn down to white from the factory black finish 😞

Will be looking for specialist to repair and treat.....

The leather can be re sprayed back to black, I had a 450h a few years back with cream interior which i had done. ,  i am not sure what part of Kent you live in but i have the number of the guy that did mine, he did a good job, although this was a few years back so not sure if he is still around, if you would like his number PM me.

 

[Rabbers]

Being easier to correctly match than other colours, black offers the best chance of small areas of surface wear being restored so as to be visible 

only on close inspection, making the services of a professional unnecessary.  As long as the discoloured surfaces have not been so roughened

by wear as to present a different texture to the surrounding leather, they can simply be re-dyed using a brush in multiple light applications before

finishing with a sealant once the required depth of colour is achieved.  If the discolourations are confined to a self-contained section of the seat,

e.g. a bolster, it will probably be useful to go over the entire surface of the section with one or two final applications of dye by way of further

blending in the restorations.  Cleaning and degreasing with a solvent before the first application of dye are essential, all the more so when the

discolourations are shiny or are known to have been treated with wax or any silicone-based products that are likely to have created a barrier to

absorption of the dye.  

When I last had black leather seats a few years ago the brand of dye and sealant I used was Colourlock, preceded by a generic solvent.  The

result was good but I daresay any reputable brand of leather care products would do just as well.  I once attempted the same work on a creased

and discoloured section of beige leather in an IS250, but although the colour code of the dye was supposedly correct, the resulting match was  

disappointing because the leather of the entire seat had faded to lighter shade in respect of OEM.

[Linas.P]

3 hours ago, Rabbers said:

but although the colour code of the dye was supposedly correct

I thought in leather repair kit you generally get like dozen of different colours which could be mixed to achieve exact match? I would not trust if somebody says they have exact matching pre-mixed colour when it comes to any painting, I mean even painting literally a white wall, paint colour almost never matches. When it comes to more complex colours it almost always has to be matched on the spot.

[Rabbers]

I didn’t use a kit whereby you need to adjust the tone of the dye, though I probably should have.   I bought - unwisely as it turned out - a pre-mixed dye that was claimed, indeed guaranteed, to match the Lexus colour I was wanting to restore, this being identified by a code.  The claim was undoubtedly true insofar as the product would have provided a perfect match on new leather (for the restoration of which there would hardly be much demand). There are several suppliers of these premixed dyes. I bought mine, simply labelled Classic Dyes, from the online catalogue of Sewells Lexus of Dallas, Tx.