My LSEAT leather seat experience and install directions (1 Viewer)

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Well, I cheated :doh:

Had my upholstery guy in Orlando do the honors

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I realize this is a LSEAT thread but it seems to be most detailed leather seat thread for the 80s. I have the Mosley / Roadwire leather kit but I think these are mostly the same.

Has anyone figured out how to remove the frame for the mesh pocket from the seat back insert? The Mosley kit included a new piece of leather to cover this but the plastic nuts don't move and may not even be threaded nuts. FWIW, the factory seems to have the leather glued to a foam backing. The Roadwire leather is a bit thinner. I'll post some after pictures when I figure this out.

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The only way I found was to pry the little metal retainers off and I ended up breaking the frame in the process. I just recovered the back with the new leather and left the pockets off. I never used them anyway. I believe new frames can be found from Toyota if you really really want them.
 
The only way I found was to pry the little metal retainers off and I ended up breaking the frame in the process. I just recovered the back with the new leather and left the pockets off. I never used them anyway. I believe new frames can be found from Toyota if you really really want them.

Thanks. Did you have to use glue? or were staples enough?
 
The only way I found was to pry the little metal retainers off and I ended up breaking the frame in the process. I just recovered the back with the new leather and left the pockets off. I never used them anyway. I believe new frames can be found from Toyota if you really really want them.

This
 
Thanks. Did you have to use glue? or were staples enough?
I just used my desk stapler, it worked great. Just open it up and press it against the board, like you would if you were stapling something to the wall, don’t staple it like a stack of papers or the staples will punch through.
 
Has anyone had trouble with the bolts on the side of the seat bottom? On my passenger's seat, the bolt is connected to a threaded piece of metal that pivots up and down. It's spring loaded. I had to use a screw driver to slightly move it down a bit so I could fit the socket on the bolt. On my driver's seat the bolt head is not even lined up with the hole at all. I can't really get a grip on it to move it. It seems like it may be seized.

I couldn't get the camera to focus on the bolt but you can see that the hole in the frame is empty/clear. The bolt is actually all the way up and not accessible.



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I really can't tell from the pictures, but, you have to lower the seat all the way down before removing power, or you will not be able to get to those bolts.

See post #91..
 
I really can't tell from the pictures, but, you have to lower the seat all the way down before removing power, or you will not be able to get to those bolts.

See post #91..

Thanks, that's the problem. I've been searching all night and somehow I didn't find that post in this thread. My power seats have always been broken so I didn't understand they go up and down.

I put a battery on the vertical motor and it works. The wire on my alligator clips was too thin and started to melt. I'll take it out to the truck tomorrow and plug it in.
 
I bought replacement clips for the seat back nets from McMaster-Carr, part number 96415A128. I have 92 of the things left around here somewhere...


I realize this is a LSEAT thread but it seems to be most detailed leather seat thread for the 80s. I have the Mosley / Roadwire leather kit but I think these are mostly the same.

Has anyone figured out how to remove the frame for the mesh pocket from the seat back insert? The Mosley kit included a new piece of leather to cover this but the plastic nuts don't move and may not even be threaded nuts. FWIW, the factory seems to have the leather glued to a foam backing. The Roadwire leather is a bit thinner. I'll post some after pictures when I figure this out.

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As a few others have sprinkled into this thread, don't expect any longevity with the lseat leather. I'm at 4 years and about 20k miles on mine, and now have several wear/tear areas in the driver seat bottom. This with semi-regular care and treatment of the leather.
All the "just installed" pics are great but just know that you will be doing the work again soon....
 
Dang, this is a bummer.
I need to recover my seats and was close to pulling the trigger on the lseat covers.

Seems the only way to get long lasting recovers is to take it to an upholstery shop?
 
I believe i am on year 4 or 5 and mine is still holding up. I daily mine so it does get a lot of use. Wish i would have bought new foam though. At least it seems like you aren't going to get OEM quality with lseat and some batches might be better than others. I will say that i still prefer cloth seats and if you are going to take it to an upholstery shop why not look at getting cloth and living the dream?!
 
Here is my 1year anniversary after I stalling my L-seat covers in my 1995 Fzj80. Really disappointed that these are deteriorating so fast, and more so because they are peeling in very low traffic areas. I noticed this starting to peel during the install, just really didn’t think they would go bad so quick. It was so much work getting them all on, so it’s really a bummer they have such a short life. It’s seams the top seat leather on all the seats is really durable, but the cheap vinyl or faux leather they use on n the back and bottom sides seams very weak. Could be just a bad batch, but I would recommend against purchasing from them unless they change it up and use the same top leathers all around. Here are some pics of the disappointment after one year:
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yea, that's not leather. bummer. i have the same issue w/ a BMW that has the regular seats vs the upgraded Sport or Comfort seats which spec full leather everywhere.
 
Yea that looks like poor/cheap materials usage @Aloha Jen. I haven't had any luck with any warranty or reduced replacement costs with them in my case. I wonder if they have cheapened their materials in the last year or two?

Since I noted my issues in a previous post, here's one picture. It's in one of the typical wear areas, with three spots where the leather has worn and torn.

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, but not something I'd expect after 20k of saddle time.
 
Hello all,

I know there are a few other threads out there on leather seat replacement, including in the FAQ - Thank you very much to everyone that contributed! I wanted a clean slate for posting my experience with the LSEAT product and my installation. It's also fresh in my head from doing it, and I wanted to post some directions while it's still available in my memory ;)

Other threads I found which helped me do mine:
Installation of replacement leather
Seat Heater Installation

The LX450 I purchased last year was in really good shape with a solid rust free frame, straight body, clean interior and UNMODIFIED in every way. But it was high mileage and had areas that showed their typical wear. One of which were the front seats.

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When I bought it, I was aware seat leather was available for purchase online, and ordered the LX450 covers in "Bisque", LSEAT S0014, with Bisque stitching, not long after the truck was in my posession. It was the closest match to the factory colour I could find from LSEAT. I chose LSEAT because of a combination of positive reviews (mostly on here) and the price.

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Jambo from Kenya! I just went through this. This article was really helpful, thanks! I also found this article: How-to: Replace front seat leather on LX470-PIC HEAVY - ClubLexus - Lexus Forum Discussion - https://www.clublexus.com/forums/lx-1st-and-2nd-gen-1996-2007/825023-how-to-replace-front-seat-leather-on-lx470-pic-heavy.html
 

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