430SLOwner,

Have you used leatherhidestore? What do you think about their Market Street auto leather?

 

Read a note on a forum by someone who was satisfied. You may wish to consider asking a sample be sent. It charges $5.50 for a sample pack. But, maybe it will send you a single one for free if you inquire...?
https://www.leatherhidestore.com/mar...mple-pack.html

 

Interesting, I didn't know there was difference between the UL leather and the other packages' leather. Does anyone know what the difference is? warminwisc speculated about a urethane coating that could be the reason why.

 

black = charcoal
gray = ash
tan = cashmere
saddle and ecru only for Custom and Ultra trim = $1400 add
semi-ani
line black only for Custom and Ultra trim= $2100 add

 

The UL leather is semi-aniline, which means dyed through, whereas the regular leather is coated with dye on top.

The UL leather will wear much better. Imagine a thick full grain leather belt, vs. a department store belt that peels.

Both have the coating, but the UL leather's coating is thinner and allows moreso for leather conditioners to work.

 

My 06 ML is “regular” leather with 175k miles. It looks like new. I guess it depends on how you care for it.

 

my 04 UL leather feels very stiff and not plush like on previous Lexus cars I have owned. My SC400 had really soft leather. Same with my GS450h and GS430.

 

Depends how the car was ordered or built ...

 

what changed is leather turned into pleather fake leather to lower costs of building

 

@430SLOwner , great post from 2020 above.

Most cars under $300k are not real leather anymore. Sport driving enthusiasts like synthetics better for grip. For most commoners like me, genuine leather requires too much upkeep so they adapted leather-like feels that really last. My 04 ML Cashmere feels and looks good. Look at many Germans from 80's and 90's, very hard to find an interior that isn't cracking everywhere. The only stated care from my owners manual is a wipe down with a 10% Woolite solution. That tells you it is synthetic, or a blend. I emailed Lexus for more details, and they responded only that they could not comment beyond the guidance in the owner's manual. I still do about 3x/year with Lexol cleaner and conditioner, and it does soften, but may not be necessary.
How you treat it and clothing are huge! All these stupid pants, shorts, and jeans with 'blingy' details on the butt, metal snaps and whatnot, will destroy the leather. If you constantly get in sweaty with shorts on and never wipe down your interior....get ready for deterioration.
Believe me, most of us are blessed by synthetics. Most people don't want to perform the care that genuine leather needs.

As a side, sort of 'you get what you pay for', the quality of the leather in my 07 RX is definitely lower than my 04 LS.

 

"All these stupid pants, shorts, and jeans with 'blingy' details on the butt, metal snaps and whatnot, will destroy the leather." 100%! I have a 2005 Ultra, Ecru, and passenger seat had serious slice of damage. Found pro upholsterer to repair for $300, new non-leather (vinyl) perforated seat insert that felt and looked just like the leather. The car looked incredible, as the whole seat got re-stained/dyed. However, the color was not quite 100% match to the true Ecru. A bit yellower/less gray, and probably not due just to fading. Only noticeable if you really try to see it. Still, it got me thinking of doing my driver's seat too, to reduce visible lines near the where the knees rest in the front. It can really make the seats look great. The passenger seat 3 years later still looks nearly like a new seat.

Anyway, my son uses the car to drive to high school this year, and he takes neighbors too. Now there is a small leather slice in passenger seat and the back seat as well -- ugh!. Just like a 1cm cut, The seats are not the most resilient to jeans, etc. The leather on my old 2001 LeSabre lasted better. But damage can be replaced. It's a matter of whether every anything is worth it on a 20 year old car. For me, a tiny cut is acceptable, but if it grows to a gash, I will likely pony up, and this time I'd get the drivers seat redyed as well. But not until my son is not transporting people daily who may re-damage it.

The ultra leather is nice, but whether age made it more fragile or not, I cannot say. To me, the front seat has never been the most supportive: slightly too soft overall, and that is the bigger issue, only on very long trips. The LS460 bolsters used to seem horribly worn after just few years, but my LS430 is not bad for 20 years/165k miles.

FYI my son and neighbors also have instructions not to use my CD changer, or at least to change or rotate the discs: too easy to jam the mechanism -- then I spend hours praying the bad discs can be ejected after fiddling over and over and waiting. So far so good, the discs eventually came out and removed the jammed message, but I have had some heart attack hours thinking my cd changer was permanently stuck. Since my XM radio has not worked for some years (bad antenna?) I do value the CD changer and still have enough CDs from years ago to occasionally vary up the music.

I must be a little crazy driving this car but i is still my favorite in sheer ride. Neither my 2016 Cadillac XTS or my 2021 Lincoln Nautilus rides as smoothly with such a silent engine. They are luxury-like, as I say, but the Lexus is just luxury, even though not nearly as new. I cannot explain it in words, and I am on all 3 forums and don't want to rain on Cadillac-lovers' parades, but the LS43 is the only one I never want to get rid of, and it is the most expensive of the 3 to maintain/repair. I've already been thinking of detailing it beyond normal as a 20th birthday present. It is not too rational to spend 3-4 grand to prettify the car, as the exterior is nice but not flawless. But I am tempted. Nothing else rides like this car that I have tried... and with a great stereo, headlights, and visibility. Maybe an S-class or Genesis G90?

 

I share the same sentiment. After owning both my 07 LS 460 and 05 LS 430, both cars have been amazing to own and drive, but for whatever reason the LS 430 just feels better “put together” overall, and it absorbs bumps and road imperfections better than the 460.

It’s like the 430 has this feeling like it’s carved out of a solid piece of stone. It feels so solid, tight and extremely smooth to drive.

Not saying that 460 doesn’t feel solid, it does, but IMO, the 430 has a more rigid body structure as it absorbs NVH better in some cases than the 460 L model that I own, even with air suspension.

I don’t think any other modern/newish vehicle that I’ve driven has an engine that comes close to the absolute smoothness and quietness of the 430 engine.

Newer luxury cars that have been made in the last couple of years that are all tiny 4 cylinder pocket rocket turbo-charged engines can never be as smooth as our 430’s. It’s technically impossible.

its also pretty amazing how nice the 430 drives with a simple suspension setup. I believe it’s a combination of great engineering, and top notch build quality.

Kinda like how a 1970’s Cadillac or Lincoln was designed and built, 5,000lb + tanks on wheels. They just floated down the highway in absolute silence n pure comfort with vibration free motoring as one barely felt any road impacts from potholes or railroad crossings all with a basic simplistic front SLA, and a rear 4 link suspension setup.

You don’t need any fancy crazy sophisticated suspension design for a car to ride super smooth. I should know because after owning 70’s Caddies and Lincoln’s over the years, nothing modern today even our wonderful 430’s ride nearly as smooth and comfortable like the big luxury cruisers of 70’s, but it comes close.

I too will never ever sell my 05 LS 430. It’s too nice of a car to let go of, plus they are getting harder and harder to find these days in nice shape for a reasonable price.

 

I have the 18" wheels, of course, but supposedly the 17s are softer. I grew up in a GM household i 70s and 80s. They were smoothest at the time. Park Avenue, etc. But constantly in the shop, And taking a curve on the highway in a 90's DeVille had the wheels squealing out! My 2001 Lesabre was far better in handling and held 6 people in a pinch. A very good car, that handles OK actually, but the ride was already firmed. Anyway, I got my parents into Lexus in 1990, telling them that the LS was supposed to be like nothing else. They bought the LS for $35,000 if I recall, and they have owned a Lexus ever since. 2009 ES350 is their latest. They never ever went back to GM, even though I did for the LeSabre with no regrets (except it really had some issues after 15years. whereas my 20 year old LS430 is still,amazing). GM cars are better controlled today (handling) at the price of losing a really, really good ride that those 80s large sedans had. I still think the Lexus generally dwarfs them, Stereo, powertrain, etc. And the ride if better for not being quite so cossetting. The whole expeience with the powertrain is just sublime. I like riding all my other cars, buy they do not make he HAPPY. Driving my LS430 does, just the experience. But you are right, my 2021 Lincoln has a turbo 2.0. I got it to have an SUV that s quiet and spacious, 3 years CPO at half the origial MSRP. It is fine for hauling things, and I did not need the offered V6. But it feels like a good Ford. Much nicer than a Ford Edge, and I love phone-as-a-key (no separate key) and lane centering is great for huge trips on the highway. But my 2005 LS430 has adaptive cruise and is simply granite and smooth. I have rented Volvos and other cars, nothing else feels this way. As I said, maybe a G90 would.