i got a 99 ES300 a couple months ago bone stock (I mean bone stock, no CD player, not even Leather, but hey, my parents bought it for me for my first car at age 16, so i cant really complain , this car was babied and is in practically perfect condition), and I was wondering what the possibilities of getting leather put in were. I was thinkin of callin up Lexus and seeing if they would do it and how much they would charge for it.

Either way, I was just wondering if any one here has had leather put in afterwards, and if so, what they thought of the aftermarket leather job, and around how much was it? (I know that each job will vary depending on the quality of the leather/job and with each place as well, but any numbers would be great)

Any and all comments appreciated.

 

To have a leather interior in your ES you're looking at about $700 for leather seat covers that go over your existing seats, plus installation. If you're looking to have the original seats reupholstered than you're looking at about $1200 w/installation. This price is the minimum for real leather seating surfaces and the price can get much higher for better quality leather.

 

Definately a *very* costly affair.

Honestly I'd get a dealer to do it, or atleast supply the leather. The quality of leather Lexus uses is awsome.

No point in skimping for leather that's more like a vinyl knock-off on a car with such looks as ours Might aswell just sell that and buy a Camry with leather then.

 

Another option is an interior swap with a salvage car.

Check eBay or salvage yards for a set of seats. The 1st Gen (92-96) pop up a lot, I picked up a set of Coach Edition seats in good condition for a '96, for $152. Then, you can swap out the actual seats rather than the upholstery. The 2nd gen seats are newer, have nicer leather, and more power goodies (memory, lumbar), so they'll be more expensive to find. Also, if you want to look stock, you'll want the door panels with the "leather" (I think it's actually a matching vinyl) to replace the panels with the matching velour.

 

thanks for all the info.

I just got myself a job, so I'll look further into this as soon as funds allow it, but at least now I have a basic idea of my options. thanks.

 

what?? The 99 ES3 didnt come with standard leather and a CD player???

 

I was confused at first too, but i love my car as it is, so I guess I can't really complain

 

i think even now... leather on an ES is an option. fabric is standard. i'll check the website.

***edit***
just got back from the lexus website and leather is on one of the "packages" and if you click "standard features" it says nothing about leather.

 

strange, I know that the 97 ES3 came standard with leathers. I thought that was one of the advantages to getting a Lexus over a Toyota.

 

I was looking through the 2003 ES brochure and it states on page 13 "All the interior seating surfaces in the ES 300 were trimmed with our available flagship quality leather".

Then, if you look at the back, under options, the Premium Package comes with leather-trimmed seating surfaces and interior.

In very small print, it states that heated seats are an option, it then states in even smaller print that the leather seats are required to have the heated seats.

I have yet to see a 2002 or greater lex without heated seats. Here is where they get us in New England. They know toasty buns are a must in the winter, so all the cars come with seat heaters, thus allowing them to ship only leather seated cars to the dealerships here.

It must be one of those "standard options". Kinda like the leather trimmed steering wheel. I didn;t ask for it, but they all came with it, and they all came with a charge of $330 in the option column for steering wheel.

I'm not complaining, I am simply marveling at the intricacies of business laws and marketing strategies.

steviej

 

Yup I have pictures of a 2000 ES300 with fabric interior, no cd player and NO MOONROOF!

I sware it makes it really look like a camry

 

Keeps the base price down. That's why ES300 sales took a beating between 99-01 courtesy of the value packed Acura TL which had the leather, CD, and even Xenons standard for MUCH less than the ES.

 

Not to mention the extra HP that the TL enjoys (especially the Type-S variant). The fit and finish isn't quite is good as the Lexus, and the wood is fake, but my friend's happy that he has xenon lights, Bose sound, and 260HP under the hood for about the price of a stripped-down Lexus.