Anyone used Clyde's Leather Restoration or similar? Wondering about color matches and/or Toyota leather color IDs

tonydyvr · Feb 19, 2026

My YouTube algorithm has started bumping ads for these guys (I'm not trying to shill for them): https://clydesleathercompany.com/

I have a white 2002 LX470 with beigy-tan seats and dark-brown accent pieces, and I have been thinking lately that they could do with a bit of TLC. I was wondering if anyone on here has used this product (or something similar) with good results, and if so, what color codes/names they have used to get a good match.

I can't find info on Lexus-specific factory leather "color codes" or anything like that, and Clyde's has no cross-reference to Lexus leather colors.

**EDIT:** A bit more Googling and it turns out the interior color code is printed on the VIN sticker inside the driver door; mine is "LF40", I have seen some on here with LA40, LA10, and others.

I will be trying "Seat Doctors LLC" products after seeing this post from /u/super77:

Thread 'Leather Upholstery DIY restoration results'

Jun 21, 2025

Before

After:

I used a kit from Seat Doctors. They sell color matched dye, filler, and clear coat. Took a little trial-and-error but I think I got about 75% of the visual upgrade of new leather, for about 5% the cost. Here’s a little of the process:

The center armrest was in the worst shape, so I stated there since I could handle it more easily than a seat. Start:

Filler. It took about 3 skim coats to build up the surface, I used a silicone spatula to level it and a 400 grit sanding sponge to...

They have a Lexus-specific section on their website and I purchased "Ivory (1996-2002)" dye for the seats/center console, and "Oak (trim)(1996-2001)" dye for the dark brown trim bits and steering wheel. Per their recommendations, I also got some Matte Top Coat for high wear areas one the wheel and center console. $72 for the whole package.

I will try and post some before/after pictures; from doing more research I will not be using crack filler (even though my seats are starting to show some cracks) since the consensus seems to be that the filler is not flexible with the leather and flakes/cracks after a few months, so I will just try the dye pigments and see how it goes.

rmspider16 · Feb 20, 2026

Just know the seat doctors stuff only looked good for about 3 days. It immediately started peeling up. I did a ton of prep work, sanding, crack filling, and used 5 plus layers. I ended up just replacing the bottom seat and will eventually change out all the leather. If i had to do it again, i would skip it and just clean the hell out of the seats and try and save up for replacement leather. Or maybe just start with driver seat bottom, etc and until you get it done.

Other note: If you only plan to replace the seat bottom (eventually) i would not use it on anything but places you will eventually replace. Since it starts to peel, it looks bad on even the areas that weren't in the worst shape to begin with (seat back). Now i have to look at peeling seat back spots that were otherwise in decent shape. Just FYI.

tonydyvr · Feb 20, 2026

/u/rmspider16, thanks for the input - I noticed in your post that you used crack filler; I get a sense that the filler is not good for a long-term solution, just for something to make it look nice if you're trying to sell it.

I'm hopeful that doing the pigment-only treatment will soak into the leather and hopefully not give the cracking/peeling that you mention. I guess time will tell!

rmspider16 · Feb 21, 2026

The regret i have is i put that stuff all over the passenger front seat, where i didn't apply any crack filler. It was in decent shape and i assumed this would only make it better. Now its peeling in all the creases, even though no crack filler was used on that seat bottom. So it actually looks far worse now than it did before i applied it. I would have ONLY applied it to areas where i would eventually replace the leather for a very short term improvement. Now im debating on replacing all the seat leather, more because of the peeling of this dye then original damage. Hopefully you'll get a better result. This is more for anyone in the future reading this. Beware!

Gartenmeister · Feb 23, 2026

I tried the Seat Doctors stuff recently in my LX. The crack filler was crap. 20 years ago I used something similar on some BMW seats and and it made a nice repair, blended a patch to fix a hole actually. Not the SD stuff. It cracked, partially peeled, chipped and sanded poorly so I ended up causing more damage. I wouldn't recommend it.

The dye is a bit better. I bought it with the intent to do all my seats but I don't like how it covers the patina. Wish it was more transparent or something. I did a partial application and it cleaned up some ugly spots. The driver seat bottom has it on the outboard section and the forward section, but not the center or the inboard. Passenger has it all the way around the bottom but not the center. The kidney bolster has it on the inner piece but not the outer so you can see the contrast. Last photo shows the end of the application up on top of the seat back.