SeattleGS400

iTrader: (1)

Most cars you buy these days, the seating surfaces are leather while the rest of the seating materials are made of vinyl to save a few bucks. I thought this applied to the GS as well--the sides of the seats (non-sitting surface), the underside of the rear central headrest, and the door panels.

To make a long story short, I believe the whole car utilizes 100% leather for all of the surfaces. This is just from inspection of the rear seats. I took out the rear seat today (top and bottom cushions) to figure out why I was getting some occasional "knocking" from the rear of the car (I think it's the bottom "hook lock" clip that holds the rear seat bottom cushion down is damaged and causes it). As the seat cushions were out of the car (just 6 easy bolts to remove, and popping the 3 seat belt plastic hooks up on 1 end from the rear w/ a small screwdriver), I thought I'd clean and polish the leather seats real good.

As expected the seating surfaces (where you'd have your back and rear end at when sitting down) is 100% leather. I was about to apply some vinyl protectant onto the top panel of the rear top seat cushion (where the headrests insert), and all of the material is 100% leather--even the sides of the rear seat cushion (where 1/2 of it is hidden by the side trim of the door frame), and even the front and sides of the bottom cushion is 100% leather as well (for a non-sitting surface). Even the underside of the middle rear seat headrest (where it's not even visually exposed), and the screw cover material (where the L and R rear seat headrests insert) is 100% leather. I think they used a couple of different grades for the seats--better for the sitting surfaces and a lower grade for the non-sitting surfaces.

From checking the rear seats, I have no doubt that the rest of the car's seating material is 100% leather with no vinyl used in construction of the seats whatsover (the side panels included). Now that's somethign that exceeded my expectations!

bluelex

mayb u got a one of a kind, but i'm pretty sure the sides of our seats r vinyl,

SeattleGS400

iTrader: (1)

Take a look at the seats if you get a chance--look at where they wrap and end. If you check the ends, you'll see that they have the leather furry edges to them, much like mocassin shoe leather feels. I checked every panel to see if this was the case, and all the panels showed the leather fur on the ends. I don't think I'm being overzealous in stating it, but I honestly believe it's all leather 100%. Just feel the seats, the sides, and see how they will take it when you fold them, and see how it crinkles. . .

bluelex

i'm going by what a shop who does interiors said 2 me when i asking some questions, he went in and felt everything up and was stateing 2 me what was leather and what was viynl....i think he said the rear and sides weren't leather but viynl and that the sides of the headrest were also vinyl, and the sides of the armrest aswell....i remember spaeking 2 someone who told me only the sports design came with the option 4 all leather all around, doe someone know the facts here< i don't..

SeattleGS400

iTrader: (1)

BlueLex:

Interesting info. I think what those interior restorers say about vinyl usage is true in general for most car leather interiors, but I honestly think our Lexus cars are different.

Check something for me Pull out your rear center headrest, flip it upside down and you'll see a couple of panels (including one that's about 6"x6" square on the underside part that does not get visually exposed at all during normal usage, and it's not a part of the surface where your head and neck would rest). Check that panel and tell me if it's leather or not. What surprised me was that if there was 1 panel that I would use vinyl that underside panel of the headreast (that I mentioned above) would be it, but you'll see the furry edges on it. . . that's what made me really think that Lexus uses 100% leather all around. . .

bluelex

well i'm confused 2 say the least, hopefully someone can chime in that knows 100% what we really have, plus its 12am down here, no way i'm going in the car now 2 check the headrests

drwaldo69

I just looked at my rear center headrest and it is leather. The head rest is held together with velcro underneath but is leather. The question is what type for the non seating surfaces? It definitely feels different than the bottom cushion seat for instance. Probably a thinner, less expensive leather but it is leather none the less.

LexFather

Leather is wherever the body touches. Otherwise it is vinyl. Crazy thing is our vinyl is better than most leather out there. Lexus leather is quality leather and has gotten better over the years.

SeattleGS400

iTrader: (1)

The non-seating surfaces for the leather seems to me to be a lower grade (i.e. tougher) leather (at least on the rear seat cusions), hence why it feels different (and why we'd think it was vinyl, like we've probably seen in most other cars--or it could be that we just don't sit on it so it takes a different feel to it). . . Without a Lexus engineer telling us precisely, it's hard to tell what grades of leather is used, but it's good to know that Lexus cared about the quality of their cars used 100% leather on all of the seating surfaces (top, sides, fronts, and sitting surfaces).

SeattleGS400

iTrader: (1)

Take out your whole rear bottom seat cushion (just pull it upwards from the front, and it just comes right out) and inspect it if you don' t believe me Normally, the non-seating surfaces get the vinyl treatment, so let's check what normally would be vinyl on a rear bottom seat cushion design (the sides and the front bottom).

The very L and R vertical side (non-seating surfaces) of the bottom seat cushion, it looks like vinyl doesn't it? Also at the vertical front central of the bottom rear seat cushion, there's about 3-5 small pieces that hold together (you won't ever feel it sitting down)--they look like vinyl. Anyways, follow those pieces to the underside and at the ends, you'll see that they indeed are made of leather as well. . . Check it out.

rominl

iTrader: (4)

the sides are vynl, i have confirmed on that already. actually nowadays the vinyl quality is so good it's actually very close to real leather. but they are not real leather

SeattleGS400

iTrader: (1)

I'm getting some new rear seat bottom clips and they're coming in on Monday, and I'll pull out my rear seat cushion again and will take a picture of the vertical sides and the material for you. How did you confirm it--did you cut it or did you replace it?

SeattleGS400

iTrader: (1)

Until I pull my rear seat cushion, something to ponder. . . I checked the OEM replacement costs for the LEXUS SEAT COVERS, mind you, it's just the leather seat covers and not the cushions, and here's what I've got from the parts database from Hoy Fox Lexus Toyota http://www.toyotaandlexusparts.com/ ):

Rear seat bottom cushion cover: $1,306.79
Rear seat upper cushion cover: $1,465.74

Rear center headrest cover: $397.58
Rear outer headrest cover: $499.69

Front seat bottom cushion cover: $1,007.47 (per cushion cover)
Front seat upper cushion cover: $1,284.10 (per cushion cover)

Front seat headrest cover: $536.17

Add up all of the OEM replacement leather covers (and the appropriate quanities), and you're looking a bit shy of $10,000. Of course, you wouldn't go this route if you needed replacement (probably go aftermarket), but it makes you wonder what kind of leather Lexus is using and in what quanitity. . .

Anyways, for that sum of money, you would think that they used leather in every seating panel and not skimp by using some vinyl parts (as evidenced by the rear center headrest underside leather piece that is held by velcro, and also the L and R upper seat cushion bolt covers (by where the L and R headrest insert--even that cover is leather, which it doesn't need to be at all).

But through all this, keep in mind that I just want to get the info correct, so no harm done. I was just surprised to find how much leather the car had when I had both rear seat cushions pulled out of the car and got a chance to closely inspect it. Of course, something we both agree on, Lexus aren't cheaply made. . .

rominl

iTrader: (4)

i talked to leatherseats.com, they have done it and probably knowledgeable on that

SeattleGS400

iTrader: (1)

Of course, firsthand info is better than secondhand info. I'll be back with some close inspection pics on Monday or Tuesday of next week. . .