Hi Dear Lexus Club Members!

I have recently purchased CPO RX 350 2010 recently from North Park Lexus in San Antonio and was very happy as it was the first my car of this premium level but in a while I just decided to wash my both front seats and discovered a lot of cracks and splits covered under dye done by Lexus Dealer before selling as Certified Pre-Owned.

The car had 38 k miles but only 10 month usage from brand new condition done by first owner. And leather which has 5 years/50 k miles manufacture warranty by some reason failed.

After contacting Dealership it was known to me that Lexus can cover damages with dye without saying anything to Customer thus misleading with actual interior condition. Lexus US confirmed that information and refused to fix it saying literally: The cracks are natural wear and are not warranty case so the seats can't be fixed under warranty. I still can't understand how Lexus US consider physical cracks thru the entire thickness of leathes as natural wear as they are not scratches on surface. Lexus US still can't explain what exactly warranty covers if not cracks and splits.

In my understanding it is something definately wrong with this batch of leather as it failed within 10 month of usage.

Have any one had similar expirience and how have you solved that problem?

Thank you in advance!

 

that stinks, but its a wear and tear item. hiding it like that is shady but it sounds like lexus has covered their rears on this one. I agree that the RX leather is somewhat thin on the bottom bolsters, and most used ones ive shopped show a lot of wear around 30k miles. Also, the bigger/fatter the person and how they enter/exit the car will have a huge impact on the wear. i also wonder if learther warranty is not covered by the CPO warranty, which has some limitations compared to the original factory, such as the tim pieces.

 

I too purchased a 2010 CPO RX350, just a few months ago. I was fortunate to find this car with only 3,400 miles on it. It wasn't driven very much by the older lady who leased it for three years. The leather seats are in impeccable condition. They're like brand new. Obviously, the seats were not mistreated or abused. Hence, the great condition. All leatther seats will eventually have cracks and creases show up. You can minimize this by using a high quality leather cleaner and conditioner 4 - 6 times per year. You must do this to keep your leather nice for as along as possible. Also, keep the seats protected from direct sunlight as much as possible. Another good practice is to try not to slide across the driver's seat when you enter and exit. This will be abrasive and eventually damage the seats.

There is a company called Fibrenew in various parts of the country. They do a good job of restoring leather seats. Give them a try.

 

HEY - I resemble that remark!

 

sorry to say that it is wear and tear and it does not only happen on Lexus models. I learned the hard way not to get tan or light colored leather seats because eventually cracks and creases will begin to form on the thigh area and bolsters and eventually they will become black so you have these lines showing. I always get black interior after that experience.

Leather requires a lot of care like a good cleaning and then conditioning. If you have the patience and like detailing your car, it probably isnt too late and you can begin the slow process of restoration

 

Thank you guys for replies!

As I understand I'm not alone with that kind of problem especially with light leather interior. It is really strange and upset thing for me to know that about premium brand like Lexus and to know that Lexus does basically nothing in its return to improve this situation.

One of the strange thing that lady by name Gina from Lexus Customer Care said that Lexus restrict to use any conditioners or cleaners on their leather. The only thing recommended by Lexus is to use just water and soft fabric to clean leather. Which doesn't make sense taking into consideration its leather properties and quality.

 

mine is a 2012 and has only 2000 miles and the leather looks alot worse than my 2012 e-class with 10k that sits outside rain or shine...the leather used in the RX is just way too soft and it is very obvious that the driver side is already alot more worn than the passenger side...let's just say you don't buy a lexus for the leather quality...

 

my 2010 (h) has the parchment leather and 45,000 miles. I have to say it's pretty close to showroom condition. The car is kept garaged when I arrive home. Most day's I'm in jeans (that don't transfer dye color). I also use the optional carpet mats and they are like new as well. I've used no special treatments on the interior, I just wipe it down as needed with a clean damp cloth.

That said, my kids are grown and only adults have been my passengers. My collie (now deceased) was very happy to ride in the cargo area.

 

I have to agree with Cruiter. Our 2010 with parchment leather had 40,000 miles at trade in and the leather looked like new. Not sure at what point it would have eventually maybe shown some wear. So far so good with the 2013 with parchment. Just an occasional wipe down with 5% solution woolite and warm water is all I do cleaning wise. We never use the back seats so always have a good comparison on wear. Our car is outside almost 100% of the time due to full time retirement travel. We do have nicely tinted windows due to the 25% Oklahoma tint law for all windows, and I always use a window shade even if just going to the store. We also make a habit of easy in and easy out, as we are fussy about our RX. Must say it helps to have good habits from day one with a new car. As for used RX's, obviously some previous owners were easier on the seats than others, and the price would probably be more. I know whoever ended up getting our 2010 450h AWD Matador Red Mica with parchment should be very happy.

 

I have this issue. 2010 RX350 AWD Matador Red Mica with parchment, bought new on 2/2010 and it has less than 25k miles now (Canadian made). The parchment leather shows some cracks in which I will bring to Lexus and ask for replacement. My wife is TINY (105 lbs) so Wear and Tear is not the case. I use Lexus leather cleaner and conditioner few times a year but no help. My other RX450h AWD at 35k miles with black leather has more creases but NO cracks (Japan made).

 

You are absolutely right. I posted a similar post about three months ago on the obvious cracking on my 2010 Rx with 22k miles. My brothers three year old Cadillac shows zero cracking. Lexus should do something about this but the repair would be extremely costing for something like this, and I can't see them doing anything.

 

I have a 2008 Altima with 80K miles. The black leather is in perfect condition. It's also hard as hell compared to our 2010 RX. We just got our RX with very low miles and the seats are almost perfect. While cleaning and adding a protection cream, I noticed a bit of wear on the bottom bolster (driver seat only). Minor but I can see it wearing out quicker than expected if we neglect it.


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I find that the softer and more "luxurious" the leather, the quicker is wears. It's usually thinner as well. Now that thick leather used in trucks wears fantastic, but looks chinzy. IT's a trade off

 

It's noteworthy to recognize the distinction between the perforated leather seat inserts on the bottom and back of the seats and the upper and lower non-perforated, side bolsters..Only the perforated sections are made of leather. The bottom and seat back side bolsters are not leather. They're made of vinyl. The seat bottom side bolster, partcularly on the driver's seat left side will be the first to show creases. This is unavoidable. The leather treatments won't help. Keeping them clean on a regular basis, and doing your best to not slide across them as you enter and exit the vehicle will help to minimize the wear.

 

Vinyl should be more durable than leather yet the bottom bolsters seem to be the first areas to show wear. Are you sure they are vinyl? I'm pretty sure the bolsters in my Altma are vinyl as they look the same as the seat backs, but the Lexus bolsters look and feel like leather to me.

Cleaner and protection cream would work about the same on either vinyl or leather. You're just cleaning the surface and adding a protective layer. You're not conditioning it like you would natural leather product.