Replacement front seats
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Driver School Candidate
Joined: Dec 2015
Posts: 46
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From: CA
Replacement front seats
My friend's 2011 RX 350 has a heavily worn front driver's seat. They are beige colored leather, with seat heaters/coolers. She would like to refinish or replace them, but not change the style in any way (that is - no fancy after-market sports seats!). In my mind, there are three options:
1) Find a leather upholstery company that will make custom replacements
2) Find a 'totaled' similar model in a 'salvage yard' (or whatever you call places that take written-off cars and break out the remaining useful parts) and get the seats from them.
3) Pay Lexus an arm and a leg for new replacements.
I'm assuming Option 3 is going to be cost-prohibitive. Option 1 is something she's pursuing already. Is Option 2 a viable thought? Does the 2011 model have in-seat Air Bag components that would make this impractical / unsafe?
Thanks!
1) Find a leather upholstery company that will make custom replacements
2) Find a 'totaled' similar model in a 'salvage yard' (or whatever you call places that take written-off cars and break out the remaining useful parts) and get the seats from them.
3) Pay Lexus an arm and a leg for new replacements.
I'm assuming Option 3 is going to be cost-prohibitive. Option 1 is something she's pursuing already. Is Option 2 a viable thought? Does the 2011 model have in-seat Air Bag components that would make this impractical / unsafe?
Thanks!
Thread Starter
Driver School Candidate
Joined: Dec 2015
Posts: 46
Likes: 1
From: CA
Follow on question ... my 2013 RX350 has seat-mounted airbags. Does the 2011 have these?
I found some custom leather seat 'skins' on ebay - https://www.ebay.com/itm/Driver-Pass...ox!94518!US!-1 .... do you guys think these would be worth getting?
I found some custom leather seat 'skins' on ebay - https://www.ebay.com/itm/Driver-Pass...ox!94518!US!-1 .... do you guys think these would be worth getting?
Instructor
Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 834
Likes: 81
From: Nukewastedump
Yes all 3rd gen rx have torso side airbags mounted on the front seat backs. I’d personally vote for option 1 to minimize cost and questions regarding condition of the airbags on a salvage vehicle. Over the counter seat skins are nice if you are satisfied that the foam support in the seats are good, but if the seat is as bad as you say chances are the foam support should be replaced or otherwise reconditioned along with the leather cover by the shop.
I replaced the worn front seats on my GF's RX with those replacement leathers from that same eBay company. The color match was spot on and it took me a few hours to install. Her seats were grey though.
Driver
Joined: Jun 2018
Posts: 199
Likes: 20
From: California
What makes the most sense to me is finding a good interior shop and having them repair the seat and cover. They can make it look like new.
If you find a used cover in a junkyard, chances are it will be in the same condition or will soon become the same condition. If you look at any used parchment interior RX350 or Highlander from this period, they all look like crap. So I wouldn't feel too great about buying a replacement cover from Lexus either, only to have it fall apart as well.
You could buy a new cover from an aftermarket company, but you would want to do both seats unless the cover is exact same style as original. And even then, they wouldn't match the back. I guess that depends on how close they are in appearance to the original and how much that would bug you.
If you find a used cover in a junkyard, chances are it will be in the same condition or will soon become the same condition. If you look at any used parchment interior RX350 or Highlander from this period, they all look like crap. So I wouldn't feel too great about buying a replacement cover from Lexus either, only to have it fall apart as well.
You could buy a new cover from an aftermarket company, but you would want to do both seats unless the cover is exact same style as original. And even then, they wouldn't match the back. I guess that depends on how close they are in appearance to the original and how much that would bug you.
Racer
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 1,988
Likes: 601
From: NC
^^ What he said. The local auto interior / convertible top shop I have been dealing with for more than 30 years can do astonishing repairs for reasonable prices, often resulting in a better-than-factory look and feel. Same owner and many of the same craftsmen for decades. Find a shop like that in your area.
Thread Starter
Driver School Candidate
Joined: Dec 2015
Posts: 46
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From: CA
So these repair guys can fix what I would call 'crease marks'? I've seen the same wear marks on many cars so I'm assuming this is pretty common problem. I had assumed that would be very hard to fix but apparently not.
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No experience with this myself but given the condition of our factory leather seats on our 15 there's no way I'd replace it with Lexus leather. Though I think the worst parts aren't even leather to begin with.
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Driver
Joined: Jun 2018
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From: California
Did you do just the seat bottoms, or did you do the backs as well? Her seatbacks are not that bad, but I would have thought that would eliminate any issue of matching. But if you do the backs, then you get into the whole airbag issue which I imagine is not pretty - I assume the leather cover has to be constructed to 'break' appropriately at the seam when the airbag 'explodes'. I suppose they know what they are doing ...
So these repair guys can fix what I would call 'crease marks'? I've seen the same wear marks on many cars so I'm assuming this is pretty common problem. I had assumed that would be very hard to fix but apparently not.
So these repair guys can fix what I would call 'crease marks'? I've seen the same wear marks on many cars so I'm assuming this is pretty common problem. I had assumed that would be very hard to fix but apparently not.
It's hard to make a recommendation without seeing the seat, but crease marks can often times look worse than they really are when they are filled with dirt. Sometimes they just need a good cleaning and they'll look much better, and wear better too. Just another idea.
CL Community Team
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 7,179
Likes: 1,721
From: VA
The creases are cracks in the polyurethane coating over the leather after they get filled with dirt. A weekly (realistically monthly) cleaning with a damp sponge & soft toothbrush and warm water will go long way to preserving seat appearance. I actually used Formula 409 a couple times when I had let them go and it worked pretty well cleaning out the cracks. Just be carefull you do not scrub so hard you take off the color.
Pit Crew
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 103
Likes: 9
From: Texas
Something seemed not right with..all these Lexus seats with apparent cracks in the leather, so I checked my wife's SC430 and there were a couple cracks in the leather so, I did some very close inspection and was surprised to find they weren't cracks at all but were actually tiny shrinkage waves presumably because the oils in the leather evaporated over time causing the leather to shrink and in doing so created tiny waves in the surface of the leather. Keep in mind the leather that shows the most tendancy to appear as cracked has a very thin coating of urethane on the outer wear surface.
Not willing to leave it alone, I thought if the waves look like cracks there must be dirt and such in the trough of the shrink caused wave and if I were to be able to wash it out, then the unsightliness would go away. My close inspection of the uretane surface coating showed it to be very much intact and it was doing a very good job of protecting the actual leather it was bonded to. Being that tough, I figured it would easily withstand the rigors of being washed. So, I tried several different cleaners/soaps without success then I tried OXY CLEAN and it worked great. With some light effort it washed the trough of the shrink waves clear of the body oils and such and it made the leather look almost like new. I was very pleased.
I think what is actually happening is the oils in the new leather seats evaporate over time causing the leather to shrink and the shrinking process causes the outermost urethane surface to develop very small wrinkles very much like the way your skin develops wrinkles when it needs moisturizing. This would be pronounsed in very dry climates such as in desert areas. And, it would be most pronounced in perforated leather because the perforations allow air to pass back and forth so easily carrying away the oils and moistues of the leather ...again exacerbated by very low humidity air. Loosing those oils caused the leather to shrink and that shrinkage causes the tough outer layer of urethane to wrinkle and become a place to collect dirt and look awful. The problem is....that very thin urethane coating is very good at preventing body oils and sweat from entering the leather, but it also makes it very difficult to replace those oils lost by evaporation in the leather by surface applications of leather moisturisers. The problem is the urethane prevents the oils from being absorbed. Applying moisturisers should work on perforated leather though. I have a good leather restorer so I am going to try to freshen up the actual leather by liberal applacation along sewn seams and see if that will work to replace lost oils in the leather.and cause it to swell just enough to make the wrinkles be stretched tight and mostly disappear and give the leather a near new appearance.
I just read that OxiClean is not endorced for Leather. Avoid use on LEATHER
Not willing to leave it alone, I thought if the waves look like cracks there must be dirt and such in the trough of the shrink caused wave and if I were to be able to wash it out, then the unsightliness would go away. My close inspection of the uretane surface coating showed it to be very much intact and it was doing a very good job of protecting the actual leather it was bonded to. Being that tough, I figured it would easily withstand the rigors of being washed. So, I tried several different cleaners/soaps without success then I tried OXY CLEAN and it worked great. With some light effort it washed the trough of the shrink waves clear of the body oils and such and it made the leather look almost like new. I was very pleased.
I think what is actually happening is the oils in the new leather seats evaporate over time causing the leather to shrink and the shrinking process causes the outermost urethane surface to develop very small wrinkles very much like the way your skin develops wrinkles when it needs moisturizing. This would be pronounsed in very dry climates such as in desert areas. And, it would be most pronounced in perforated leather because the perforations allow air to pass back and forth so easily carrying away the oils and moistues of the leather ...again exacerbated by very low humidity air. Loosing those oils caused the leather to shrink and that shrinkage causes the tough outer layer of urethane to wrinkle and become a place to collect dirt and look awful. The problem is....that very thin urethane coating is very good at preventing body oils and sweat from entering the leather, but it also makes it very difficult to replace those oils lost by evaporation in the leather by surface applications of leather moisturisers. The problem is the urethane prevents the oils from being absorbed. Applying moisturisers should work on perforated leather though. I have a good leather restorer so I am going to try to freshen up the actual leather by liberal applacation along sewn seams and see if that will work to replace lost oils in the leather.and cause it to swell just enough to make the wrinkles be stretched tight and mostly disappear and give the leather a near new appearance.
I just read that OxiClean is not endorced for Leather. Avoid use on LEATHER
Last edited by thombiz; Jul 21, 2022 at 08:21 AM. Reason: A product I used is not endorced for leather
CL Community Team
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 7,179
Likes: 1,721
From: VA
There is a sticky thread about Lexus Leather in the detailing forum that you will find interesting
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/aut...s-leather.html
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/aut...s-leather.html
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