Leather

[Luvmy470]

Just wondering. My LX 470 has 25,000 miles on it and the drivers side leather (tan) is showing cracks and wear on the outer edge of the driver's side bottom. My Chrysler LX didn't show that after 11 years. After paying $70,000 for a vehicle you would think the leather was better. I love the car but the quality of leather is not where it should be. I even lift myself up so I don't slide off the side to help preserve the leather. Anyone else have that too?

[donjuanmiguel]

Just wondering. My LX 470 has 25,000 miles on it and the drivers side leather (tan) is showing cracks and wear on the outer edge of the driver's side bottom. My Chrysler LX didn't show that after 11 years. After paying $70,000 for a vehicle you would think the leather was better. I love the car but the quality of leather is not where it should be. I even lift myself up so I don't slide off the side to help preserve the leather. Anyone else have that too?

I'm sure your leather is head and shoulders above the Chrysler and what you are seeing is creasing, not cracking. High quality leather interiors will show wear from the constant pressures of our behinds but will take years before they break down, much like a fine pair of leather shoes. Average leather interiors will succumb to the rigors of rear-end exposure much sooner. In our 02 Explorer, the leather is ok but no where near the quality of our LX and it is definitely cracking. We also have a TT Roadster, again much higher quality leather; it has creasing but no cracks and its constantly exposed to our hot and humid weather.

If it is worrisome, ask the dealer to check it out. Good luck!

[Rx330driver]

i had that problem in my old RX, with tan leather, which is why my new car has the black interior.

the only method to PREVENT that is to condition it like a mad man every weekend. (clean and condition) with some sort of leather specializing solution. im sure it is just creasing, but honestly, it does look hideous, and i think you will agree. all lexus cars basically have it, we all live with it. All you can do is try to hide it.

[denslexusgx470]

I do. I just don't mind it, and I clean and condition at least every 6 months, plus it's charcoal colored so it isn't that bad. Maybe the reason for it is that we do have to slip down to get out of the vehicle, unlike ur Chrysler LX which was a car, you don't slip down to get out. We just have to live with it. Enjoy the vehicle as long as it doesn't have any mechanical problems, which is what your $70,000 paid for. ;)

[Jim_Chow]

I have the creases, too. Doesn't bother me, just part of leather. I condition maybe every 3-4 months using leatherique. I also have the lexus cleaner/conditioner, but think the leatherique softens the leather better. The leather is constantly losing natural oils to evaporation (that keep it soft), hence the leathery smell in the car. The more oils it loses, the harder it gets.

I don't think the creases are from sliding off the seat. When you slide off the seat, that's only like 2 seconds each time on the edge of the cushion compared to hundreds of hours sitting in the seat. Another way to look at it is, if the leather was rigid enough not to crease, it would crack/split sooner rather than later.

[Z-Roc]

you need to condition the leather every month to have that new lookl

[teamhomless]

DONT USE THE LEXUS LEATHER CLEANER .I DID THINKING WHAT COULD BE BETTER ?RIGHT? WRONG!!AND WATCHED IN HORROR AS IT GOT WORSE BY DARKENING THE CRACKS.I USE A RAG WITH WARM WATER EVERY 2 WEEKS OR SO AND SEEMS TO BE DOIN FINE BY ME FOR THE LAST 6 MONTHS IM ACTUALLY LOOKING AT OPTIONS TO REPLACING IT ,WHICH I NEVER WOULDVE NEEDED IF I JUST USED PLAIN WATER FROM THE START.GOOD LUCK

[denslexusgx470]

DONT USE THE LEXUS LEATHER CLEANER .I DID THINKING WHAT COULD BE BETTER ?RIGHT? WRONG!!AND WATCHED IN HORROR AS IT GOT WORSE BY DARKENING THE CRACKS.I USE A RAG WITH WARM WATER EVERY 2 WEEKS OR SO AND SEEMS TO BE DOIN FINE BY ME FOR THE LAST 6 MONTHS IM ACTUALLY LOOKING AT OPTIONS TO REPLACING IT ,WHICH I NEVER WOULDVE NEEDED IF I JUST USED PLAIN WATER FROM THE START.GOOD LUCK

hmmm strange. different results. I beg to differ. I use the Lexus cleaner and it's just fine. We have cracks in our leather because of the fact that we have to climb down of the car (which squeezes the leather and makes the crack appear) and that's what causes more cracks in the LX and GX compared to an LS, GS, ES, IS, or SC.

teamhomless, friendly reminder, next time you type, could you kindly NOT use caps as people sometimes get annoyed with it making it look like you are shouting or mad at what the opinion of others are. Thanks.

[teamhomless]

yeah didnt realize the caps ,wasnt yellin except at the dealer after i applied cleaner .i got caddy cts-v and it has ottaman leather which requires a special cleaner but i got same results there as well ,so i stick to a damp rag until that lets me down.then ill yell at the rag.

[LXPearl]

I have used the Lexus cleaner with pleasing results. I always follow the cleaner with the conditioner. Generally, I routinely use the conditioner and only use the cleaner when cleaning is needed. Leather is soft and supple and I get comments from passengers about how soft the leather is.

I have natural creases but no cracks. Leather quality is outstanding, better than any other vehicle I have owned except maybe a former Landcruiser I owned.

[Pitbull]

Lexus LX470 has sealed leather. You can clean it but you can't condition it. Like trying to condition wood that has a plastic coating over it. Best cleaner is some diluted woolite and water. Just clean as needed.

[aedgington]

Lexus leather does have a polyurethane seal, but you can condition it. The edges and stitch holes all allow conditioner to seep in.

Clean with warm water.

As far as the creases go, that's normal. Just make sure to keep the creases clean! Particles (dirt, potato chips, etc) in the creases are what turn the creases into cracks/tears.

The wear that you're describing generally comes from sliding out of your seat. So if you are a "slider", it's extremely important to keep your leather clean. Otherwise, you're basically sanding your leather every time you get out.

Conditioning will make the leather more supple around the affected areas, but you should check it to see how much oil is still in the leather. Gently pushing on the affected area and comparing that with another area (unused and out of the sun) is a good way to test.

As Jim said, Leatherique is excellent. Most conditioners will work well, if applied properly.

[Pitbull]

Lexus leather does have a polyurethane seal, but you can condition it. The edges and stitch holes all allow conditioner to seep in.

Clean with warm water.

As far as the creases go, that's normal. Just make sure to keep the creases clean! Particles (dirt, potato chips, etc) in the creases are what turn the creases into cracks/tears.

The wear that you're describing generally comes from sliding out of your seat. So if you are a "slider", it's extremely important to keep your leather clean. Otherwise, you're basically sanding your leather every time you get out.

Conditioning will make the leather more supple around the affected areas, but you should check it to see how much oil is still in the leather. Gently pushing on the affected area and comparing that with another area (unused and out of the sun) is a good way to test.

As Jim said, Leatherique is excellent. Most conditioners will work well, if applied properly.

Leather is sealed as you state, so if the only place that conditioner will have any affect is stich holes and edges then you can't condition the leather (other then that area). The Lexus leather is sealed. All you can do is keep it clean and protect it with a UV protector. Any leather conditioner will just act like smearing oil on tile. I guess the conditioner might make it smell better? I use a mild cleaner like woolite with water and a UA protectant like you would use on a combination vinyl leather protector.

[aedgington]

Leather is sealed as you state, so if the only place that conditioner will have any affect is stich holes and edges then you can't condition the leather (other then that area). The Lexus leather is sealed. All you can do is keep it clean and protect it with a UV protector. Any leather conditioner will just act like smearing oil on tile. I guess the conditioner might make it smell better? I use a mild cleaner like woolite with water and a UA protectant like you would use on a combination vinyl leather protector.

On a narrow piece of leather like the bolster, which usually sees the most wear, conditioner penetration from the edges is usually sufficient. Older sealed leather will also usually absorb conditioner. That's just my experience though, I'm not really looking to get into an argument about leather care during Sunday playoffs.

[kmammas]

Just wondering. My LX 470 has 25,000 miles on it and the drivers side leather (tan) is showing cracks and wear on the outer edge of the driver's side bottom. My Chrysler LX didn't show that after 11 years. After paying $70,000 for a vehicle you would think the leather was better. I love the car but the quality of leather is not where it should be. I even lift myself up so I don't slide off the side to help preserve the leather. Anyone else have that too?

I had the same problem with my 2003 on the passenger side. I had about 35,000 miles. I think it had something to do with the fact that I have a "Coach Leather" edition. They changed the leather cover a couple of years ago, the new cover seems thicker, but I never had the same problem again. The drivers side is cracking a little, but not to bad. They replaced the cover under warranty.

[Jim_Chow]

When you use the leatherique oil, the instructions tell you that if the leather is dirty, the surface will have this tacky, sticky residue on it from it pulling the salts & dirt from the leather. I noticed it did this on the seats where people sit, but on unused ones (like 3rd row), it still had that slippery, oily texture after waiting a overnight. Seems like it did it's job, leather is very clean, softer. You then spray on the second part (along w/ warm water in a rag) to remove the muck the oil pulled out of the leather.

[suspension]

My leather is all aged and plastic feeling after 50,000 miles. It has been garage parked the whole time and the rear seats have hardly eve been used but are still in poor shape. I sat in a new LX today and the LX today (with the same leather) and it felt very soft. I don't think Lexus has the best leather, it feels nice when its new but over a while it wears easily.