bob2200

The driver-side seat in my 2002 RX300 has worn through the finish in two small spots. I have been treating it with Lexol since new and it only has 70,000 miles on it. I can attach photos if that will help.

Any recommendations on whether or not to try a professional leather refinishing/redying place, try a DIY kit, or bite the bullet and try to get new leather installed?

I plan to keep the car a long while. My Mercedes-Benz imitation leather seats lasted for 23 years and still were in good shape when the engine died.

I suspect that junk yard seats won't be that far behind in their wear profile. Will professional refinishing/redying hold up?

Chris@GlimmerGlass

iTrader: (3)

Since you're considering replacing at this point, I'd say to give a DIY kit a shot and see if its satisfactory for you. If so, then you just saved yourself a bunch of money, ... if not, you can always replace Someone just posted up a thread on their own leather crack filler project using leatherique.

ArmyofOne

Heres a good link, im sure if you PM the OP, he will provide you a How-to.



https://www.clublexus.com/forums/aut...e-project.html

bob2200

Thanks ArmyofOne. I just found another thread by the same person with even more detail, doing a search on "leatherique". I didn't realize that new "Lexus-class" leather auto seats had such a limited wear life.

ArmyofOne

Its because Lexus is one of the few automakers to still use 100% real leather in their cars. It wears MUCH faster, especially if you wear jeans. LOL. But I have seen the seats in a lexus last 15 years if the owner maintains them properly from the start and doesnt let them dry out, and gets window tint (I HIGHLY reccomend to protect leather), then they should last for years to come. My suspiscion is that the OP of that thread will find that his repair will last a couple of years, at most.

There is another option, if you have a car you can drive for awhile: www.leatherseats.com can reupholster your seats in OEM leather of the same quality, but for a price (a drivers side seat for a 1996 LS400 runs about $500).

bob2200

"Sorry, we don’t have a leather interior application for your vehicle.". I don't think they like doing cars with side airbags

cduluk

if you can get a small airbrush and compressor, try magic mender (or you can brush on). I've used it to cover some of the small blemishes on my 03 rx300 and it's held up, almost 2 years now.

If you have the ivory interior in the rx300 99-03 the color is ivory375 at magic mender. Dark taupe is the color of the upper dash and steering wheel leather.

The stuff is a PERFECT, and i really do mean PERFECT match. Great for small areas.

tuan92129

Any aftermarket finish you put on the seat will have an even shorter lifespan.
Just buy a spare leather seat cover, and use the current seats until they wear all the way down.

bob2200

I think it may not be that simple on newer models The side airbags are one of the complications. It doesn't appear to be like the good-old-days, when you just slipped one seatcover off and slipped another one on. If I'm wrong about this, please let me know.

tuan92129

If it were my car, i'd stick on sheep skin seat covers right off the dealer lot just to keep it looking new That defeats the purpose of getting leather in the first place...

cduluk

any after-market seat cover will not only affect your side airbag functionality but will also screw you if/when you get into an accident with your insurance.

Magic mender and leatherique are two of the best diy leather repair products out there as they mimic the factory dyes. They are incredibly strong and DO last over time for smaller touch-up jobs. I myself have used magic mender and it has held up perfectly.

You'd be stupid to do a full/after-market replacement on a 7 year old vehicle when a $25 kit from magic mender will do the job.