bmx

I am going to install a car seat (Britax Marathon) on back seats of my new 2011 RX350. However I am worried that such installation will eventually cause dents or scratches on the surface of leather seats. How did you guys protect your leather seats if you have to install a car seat in your car? Any suggestion is appreciated.

k9shelly1

Babies "R" Us, Wal Mart, Target, etc. sell a seat protector made specifically for car seats. I have used those in all my cars for the last five years and they have worked as promised.

The only thing of note is that my oldest son is now in a booster seat. This sits a little higher than the protector. I just placed a small black towel over the top of it make up the difference.

data2009

http://www.amazon.com/Prince-Lionhea.../dp/B000083GHY

Go with the Lionheart! I have 2 for 2 years. Seats only have small dimples on them, which even out after 2 days of leather conditioning.

afpj

+1 on Lionheart. 7 yrs and still going, through 2 RX's, with the same Lionheart pad.

bmx

Very helpful information.
It seems that a seat protector is a way to go.
Some reviews mentioned that it might cause discoloration to your seat if the car is exposed to high temperatures. Did you ever observe the discoloration issue by using a seat protector such as the one made by Lionheart?

k9shelly1

There you go. The lionheart is the one I've got. Like I said though, some toddler seats will sit just a little above where it can protect. Nothing a small towel can't take care of.

pasi

http://www.autoanything.com/seat-cov...0A3224525.aspx

Covers much more. Easy to put on/off. I've liked a lot.

k9shelly1

Actually pasi, the toddler seat hits the headrest so that cover would still face the same issue. I do like that it obviously protects a lot more but $40 vs. $$340 is a big difference.

pasi

Absolutely. But it is still a choice. Spilled drinks, snacks, candies and all the other things are much easier to clean. It's machine washable. Pricy, true.

afpj

No discoloration issues. Have parchment interior, 115 + ambient temps in summer.

bmx

ok. decided to go ahead for the Lionheart two stage seatsaver.
The one suggested by papi is nice but...

DCDude1776

Thank you for posting this! I was looking for a seat protector that would protect against dimpling from my son's car seat. This particular one has the best reviews of all the ones I've found.

I found them for sale at Buy Buy Baby near Washington, DC. Buy Buy Baby will let you use Bed, Bath & Beyond 20% off coupons, so I was able to pick it up for ~$20 locally. Beats waiting for the mailman!

Thanks again!

djkidkris

+1 for Lionheart!

I like the thickness of the pad. I have a Britax Marathon as well and it sits higher than most car seats. I had to remove the headrest since I didn't place the seat in the middle. With that being said I highly recommend getting a kick mat to place behind the front seats. There is nothin more fun to a toddler than to kick the seat in front of them or rest thier feet up there!

http://www.amazon.com/SafeFit-Kick-M...9977151&sr=8-1

BCRCornet

-1 for the Prince Lionheart Two-stage Seatsaver.

I had one, but had to find another brand/design for use with a Sunshine Kids Radian car seat - the Prince Lionheart was too wide and too rigid - so wide that the bottom pad covered up the seat belt buckles, and so rigid that trying to get at the buried seat belt buckles was difficult and painful (broken fingernails, cuts and scrapes, etc.)

I replaced it with a Sunshine Kids Grip-It Seat Protector, which seems to protect the leather seat upholstery, and avoids the problems encountered with the Prince Lionheart product.