best leather options for LX450 steering wheel, center console and seats? (1 Viewer)

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i need to do my horn plunger and want to do the steering wheel leather at the same time. this wheel has radio controls <edit: telephone controls> on the left side in addition to the cruise control on the right.
anyway the center console and passenger seat (i covered it to try to buy some time) are knackered.
what's the best kit for this if i am going to have the local upholstery shop to put it all on? i'm thinking i will do the wheel now and put the leather on a shelf until i have time to tackle the rest.
THANKS

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Steering wheel and shift lever can be recovered for about $300 and $150 respectively at CraftCustom in Texas. The leather that best fits the LX450 is the Napa grain leather from some of the other suppliers out there. I'm still looking for a good source for the LX specific pattern. It's close to the LC's, but slightly different.
 
Steering wheel and shift lever can be recovered for about $300 and $150 respectively at CraftCustom in Texas. The leather that best fits the LX450 is the Napa grain leather from some of the other suppliers out there. I'm still looking for a good source for the LX specific pattern. It's close to the LC's, but slightly different.
thanks a lot WC. i was hoping to get the lowdown here. i'd really like to do it right and i might want to "stage it" for practical reasons or just cash outlay reasons.
i forgot about the shift lever.
also i didn't quite follow you on the leather. i'm a little bit familiar with shoe leather.
you are saying i can get all of it recovered at Craft Custom?
and that the "NAPA Grain" leather is the best match?
but you are looking for a better match for the LX specifically?
 
thanks a lot WC. i was hoping to get the lowdown here. i'd really like to do it right and i might want to "stage it" for practical reasons or just cash outlay reasons.
i forgot about the shift lever.
also i didn't quite follow you on the leather. i'm a little bit familiar with shoe leather.
you are saying i can get all of it recovered at Craft Custom?
and that the "NAPA Grain" leather is the best match?
but you are looking for a better match for the LX specifically?
Sorry, I wasn't very clear. Craft Custom will do the wheel and shift lever. They are, by far, the best option that I've found. It's not cheap at $300 for the wheel and $150 for the lever, but they are very well respected. You simply ship yours off to them and they will fix it and send it back.

Regarding the leather for the seats. The best grain pattern that matches the OEM Lexus is Napa grain leather. It's softer and has an almost smooth finish on it. The best place for covers appears to be Cruiser Heaven, but unfortunately they don't have Napa grain leather. The only place that I've seen that carries Napa only has patterns for the LC's, not the LX's. There isn't MUCH difference, but it's slightly "gathered" on the middle panels.
 
Sorry, I wasn't very clear. Craft Custom will do the wheel and shift lever. They are, by far, the best option that I've found. It's not cheap at $300 for the wheel and $150 for the lever, but they are very well respected. You simply ship yours off to them and they will fix it and send it back.

Regarding the leather for the seats. The best grain pattern that matches the OEM Lexus is Napa grain leather. It's softer and has an almost smooth finish on it. The best place for covers appears to be Cruiser Heaven, but unfortunately they don't have Napa grain leather. The only place that I've seen that carries Napa only has patterns for the LC's, not the LX's. There isn't MUCH difference, but it's slightly "gathered" on the middle panels.
hi WC
thanks a lot for the work and the intel on this. it is not as straightforward as i would imagine.
so it seems like there are three issues? first is who does the work, second is the leather and third is the pattern?
and the PATTERN issue is /only/ an issue for the seats? or is it also an issue for the door panels? either way it would be nice to see this documented with pictures i think...
anyway what i really want to focus on is the correct leather and who to have do it.
i have a guy local i would trust to do my steeeing wheel and the center console and the shifter.
you are saying Cruiser Heaven does not have the NAPA Grain leather for the LX? is that right? then who is carrying the NAPA grain? Craft Custom?
if so do you know if they would sell me a steering wrap and a center console and a shift knob? or they only do the whole job? i mean if they have ehe NAPA grain i will ask them if they will sell only the patterns to me.
actually i am meeting a guy who is coming in to town that is selling me his takeoff LX steering wheel and i can photograph his steering wheel that is done by custom craft and post it. i guess from what you are saying - well that i should find out if his wheel is wrapped with the NAPA leather or not.
 
hi WC
thanks a lot for the work and the intel on this. it is not as straightforward as i would imagine.
so it seems like there are three issues? first is who does the work, second is the leather and third is the pattern?
and the PATTERN issue is /only/ an issue for the seats? or is it also an issue for the door panels? either way it would be nice to see this documented with pictures i think...
anyway what i really want to focus on is the correct leather and who to have do it.
i have a guy local i would trust to do my steeeing wheel and the center console and the shifter.
you are saying Cruiser Heaven does not have the NAPA Grain leather for the LX? is that right? then who is carrying the NAPA grain? Craft Custom?
if so do you know if they would sell me a steering wrap and a center console and a shift knob? or they only do the whole job? i mean if they have ehe NAPA grain i will ask them if they will sell only the patterns to me.
actually i am meeting a guy who is coming in to town that is selling me his takeoff LX steering wheel and i can photograph his steering wheel that is done by custom craft and post it. i guess from what you are saying - well that i should find out if his wheel is wrapped with the NAPA leather or not.
CraftCustom does the wheel and shifter only. They are turnkey service, they don't supply just the leather. The leather for the wheel and shifter are not specifically Napa leather... but I don't know what it's called.

The Napa leather is only relevant for the seats, arm rests, and door cards and as far as I can tell, Cruiser Heaven does not stock it so you'd have to use their "Full grain" or equivalent. The difference is that the Napa has a smooth texture white others are sort of "pebbled".
 
CraftCustom does the wheel and shifter only. They are turnkey service, they don't supply just the leather. The leather for the wheel and shifter are not specifically Napa leather... but I don't know what it's called.

The Napa leather is only relevant for the seats, arm rests, and door cards and as far as I can tell, Cruiser Heaven does not stock it so you'd have to use their "Full grain" or equivalent. The difference is that the Napa has a smooth texture white others are sort of "pebbled".
i see. so door cards and the window control inserts and the seats and headrests are one kind of leather and the steering wheel and shifter knob leather are a different kind of leather i guess? like the ounce weight and even the color must be different?
i met up with the guy that did his LX steering wheel with Craft Custom. not totally sure if they did his shifter knob or not.
his seats came with the vehicle already recovered. they have a bit of a stipple pattern to them and basically look bomb proof. i like them a lot more than what i have seen from Cruiser Heaven to be honest.
somehow that leather looks to buttery to me but maybe this is part of the difference you were pointing out with the LX? anyway the leather in his seats i would take in a heartbeat.
here are some pics for comparison. it would be nice to put all this visually in one place.

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The shifter knob and transfer case knob are new replacements from the factory. I have both old ones at the house if you’d like those, too. Nice meeting you, Jon.
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old vs new for comparison.
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The shifter knob and transfer case knob are new replacements from the factory. I have both old ones at the house if you’d like those, too. Nice meeting you, Jon.View attachment 2748191

old vs new for comparison.View attachment 2748190
same here george. thanks for this.
i will follow up. thanks also a ton for the help with the steering wheel.
i may have to track down the prior owner of your rig and also find out who did your seats. lol.
 
The shifter knob and transfer case knob are new replacements from the factory. I have both old ones at the house if you’d like those, too. Nice meeting you, Jon.View attachment 2748191

old vs new for comparison.

Do you have LED's in your Climate Control cluster? The lights seem so bright.
 
Wheelskins has been working nicely for my steering wheel.

Took it off and stitched it in my living room over the course of (2) days. I preferred this as I wrapped the new wheelskin over the OEM which made the steering wheel thicker, which I like.

Had all my seats and center console re upholstered with new foam from someone local to me, out here in the west coast.

It matches the factory door cards damn near perfect.

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Wheelskins has been working nicely for my steering wheel.

Took it off and stitched it in my living room over the course of (2) days. I preferred this as I wrapped the new wheelskin over the OEM which made the steering wheel thicker, which I like.

Had all my seats and center console re upholstered with new foam from someone local to me, out here in the west coast.

It matches the factory door cards damn near perfect.

View attachment 2748201
View attachment 2748202
nice. thanks for that.
FWIW here is a guy on here trying to match the the wheelskin to his LX.
 
Do you have LED's in your Climate Control cluster? The lights seem so bright.
Not that I put in. Probably just the camera. I swapped LEDs into my instrument cluster and they work half the time. It’s a pain but I want to swap them back to new factory bulbs.
 

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