I'm super paranoid about my leather seats

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.

Ramathorn15

Ramathorn15

Joined
Jan 8, 2016
Threads
49
Messages
1,361
Location
ABQ NM
I have an '06 that came with pretty good condition seats. I'm super paranoid about ruining the leather though. Its to the point that I will not let the dogs on the seats at all and I even adjusted the way I exit and enter to drivers seat to keep the door side from getting and worse.

I feel like I don't enjoy driving it and loading it up as much as should because of this. I guess it stems from not seeing a reliable source for new seat leather and that likely becoming worse as the 100's get older.

Is this totally irrational?
 
Yes. If you are not enjoying driving your 100 any more, then yes - irrational.

Face it, the leather in the 100/470s is not as nice as leather used in other machines.
Dogs and Cruisers belong together.
Keep your seats cleaned and conditioned, and then when the time comes you can replace.

There are some sources - one fellow MUD member offers them: @FloridaFJ80
 
PabloCruise said:
Yes. If you are not enjoying driving your 100 any more, then yes - irrational.

Face it, the leather in the 100/470s is not as nice as leather used in other machines.
Dogs and Cruisers belong together.
Keep your seats cleaned and conditioned, and then when the time comes you can replace.

There are some sources - one fellow MUD member offers them: @FloridaFJ80
Click to expand...

Land Cruiser Heaven
 
PabloCruise said:
Yes. If you are not enjoying driving your 100 any more, then yes - irrational.

Face it, the leather in the 100/470s is not as nice as leather used in other machines.
Dogs and Cruisers belong together.
Keep your seats cleaned and conditioned, and then when the time comes you can replace.

There are some sources - one fellow MUD member offers them: @FloridaFJ80
Click to expand...

I still enjoy it a lot, just feel like it could be better if I wasn't constantly paranoid about the leather haha.
 
Ramathorn15 said:
I still enjoy it a lot, just feel like it could be better if I wasn't constantly paranoid about the leather haha.
Click to expand...

The leather they sourced is crap. I had old Volvos that would never tear or split like ours do. BMW leather seems fairly bullet proof as well - I have seen deep gouges in their leather that would have sliced through our LC seats.

Keep your dog's nails nice and trimmed and you can feel better about your seats and your dogs! I use Dremel Micro on my pup's nails, very nice...
 
Either cover it up and still continue to clean/condition routinely or replace when its bad enough. The leather in the Land Cruiser / LX is more of a Camry leather than a Lexus leather so it shouldn't be too hard to replicate. My only issue is if the front two seats get destroyed I feel like you'd have to replace all of it to match...but thats just me being picky.
 
Maybe check out seat covers? It's a shame not to be able to enjoy the car, especially given its intended use.
 
I just used leatherique this weekend. I used the oil rejuvenator and then the cleaner and I can tell a huge difference in my 16 year old leather seats. They are much softer and feel less like cardboard. I bought the stuff off amazon for like 50 bucks and I plan to keep using it.
 
If you condition your leather on a regular basis it will extend the life of the leather a great deal. Saddle leather conditioner is good stuff from what I have read, I have used lexol with good results. Condition the seats every 2 weeks or so, as they soak in the conditioner, over time they will become more and more plush, as they do you can then move to conditioning them every month or so. Their is a difference between cleaning and conditioning, so keep that in mind. I have never had good results with a cleaner and conditioner all in one product personally. I also would not let the dog on them, they make doggie covers for seats, that have nice straps and everything to stay on the seat. I would regularly condition them, and if they need a cleaning, clean them, other than that, don't worry about it. Worse case you can buy replacement leather covers years from now from the dealer when they wear out, or buy them now and set them aside for a rainy day.
 
A lot of auto upholstery shops can actually repair scuffs & cuts in leather by applying a vinyl coating over the leather. Most new cars (for example: BMW "Dakota" leather) actually have this vinyl coating from the factory. (How to Clean and Care for Leather Upholstery | Gold Eagle) There are companies that sell kits for you to do this yourself as well (BMW REDYE PROJECT | Leatherique Restoration Products). Again, a upholstry shop should be able to do this for you as well. Clearly its better to prevent it from getting bad, but leather is not going to last forever, especially with everyday use. Also, most good upholstery shops can cut their own patterns from existing materials, its just going to cost some $.
 
anhizer said:
A lot of auto upholstery shops can actually repair scuffs & cuts in leather by applying a vinyl coating over the leather. Most new cars (for example: BMW "Dakota" leather) actually have this vinyl coating from the factory.
Click to expand...

If I could choose a replacement leather for my LC it would be BMW's Dakota leather. It doesn't feel supple but it lasts forever.
 
I don't understand the need for conditioner and all that on the type of leather in the LX. I wipe it with a damp cloth when it's dirty and all seats are 9-10 except for outboard driver seat bottom. I say use your truck and take to a good leather shop when it needs repair.
 
I throw the dog's bed on top of the drawers I made for the back:

full


He can't do much damage back there. If he was riding on the middle seats I would get some sort of a canvas-type cover, for sure.

I moved from Oregon to Albuquerque last year, bringing with me a 98 LC I bought from a neighbor in Portland specifically to build up as a desert-capable vehicle. The leather seats were in generally good condition except for a couple of cracked panels on the driver's seat, which I managed to get replaced at a reasonable cost.

I was cleaning the leather here in New Mexico with some spray-on stuff I bought in an auto parts store, and planning to go to a Leatherique treatment in the summer (apparently it works best if the temperature is really hot when you apply it). I pretty soon realized though that the very low humidity and the dust in New Mexico had started drying and cracking the leather at a shocking rate, and I was starting to see unsightly white cracks.

The answer turned out to be this:

full


$10 on Amazon, free shipping with Prime membership. It's intended specifically for hot, dry, dusty climates. People may use it in Australia but it's manufactured in, as I recall, Wisconsin.

Since I started using that stuff, no further problems and the seats look great. YMMV.
 
Desert100 said:
I throw the dog's bed on top of the drawers I made for the back:

full


He can't do much damage back there. If he was riding on the middle seats I would get some sort of a canvas-type cover, for sure.

I moved from Oregon to Albuquerque last year, bringing with me a 98 LC I bought from a neighbor in Portland specifically to build up as a desert-capable vehicle. The leather seats were in generally good condition except for a couple of cracked panels on the driver's seat, which I managed to get replaced at a reasonable cost.

I was cleaning the leather here in New Mexico with some spray-on stuff I bought in an auto parts store, and planning to go to a Leatherique treatment in the summer (apparently it works best if the temperature is really hot when you apply it). I pretty soon realized though that the very low humidity and the dust in New Mexico had started drying and cracking the leather at a shocking rate, and I was starting to see unsightly white cracks.

The answer turned out to be this:

full


$10 on Amazon, free shipping with Prime membership. It's intended specifically for hot, dry, dusty climates. People may use it in Australia but it's manufactured in, as I recall, Wisconsin.

Since I started using that stuff, no further problems and the seats look great. YMMV.
Click to expand...

I'll have to look into this. I park in the garage at home but when I'm at work, I have to park outside. I have a sun shade but I feel like the leather is rapidly declining in the 3 months I've had the cruiser.I've been using lexol and chemical guys cleaners/conditioners religiously (probably once a week at least).

The sun here in ABQ is relentless
 
It is what it is - mine is still in good shape but it won't last forever. When / if it fails, I'll figure something out - but I'm going to enjoy driving it every day regardless!
 
I just refreshed my leather using Leatherique's products.
Results: What have you done to your 100 Series this week?

I had let mine go for a while, a black lab then a chocolate lab spent a ton of time in the back seat and I rarely applied anything to the leather. I have been really impressed with Leatherique's stuff and in retrospect, I really wish I'd started using thier Rejuvinator Oil and Prestine Clean back in 2005, when I bought the truck.
 
For the sun: invest in good tint. If you don't want it dark, 3m makes awesome tint that's very effective yet very light. It's a very, very worthwhile investment if you don't have any already. UV protection is my #1 concern for interior preservation. I moved to Phoenix and got 30/20% color stable 3m tint. I can't express how impressive the heat rejection was. Night and day difference. Add in uv protection and it's a no brainer.

For the leather just use it how you want to enjoy it and repair later as needed. You can get full leather replacements or even better, suede inserts down the road.

The cruiser or LX is a workhorse that happens to moonlight as a nice, nearly luxury ride. Don't forget it's a beast of a reliable truck underneath.
 
You will own the vehicle longer than the leather will last. That was the first thing that hit me when I parked my LC in the sun. So yes, some sort of replacement is in your future. Yes, the weather in ABQ and points south will eat it up and it won't take long. My front seats show quite a bit of wear just in a few years of Texas and I garage it quite a bit.

And the LC carpet before 2005 is obsolete. I had great success replacing my back carpet with truck matting, but I have been dabbling with a total replacement of the remaining carpet with a marine product.

This whole debate would be a lot easier if good auto upholstery professionals were more readily available but that's just not the case.

My advice is thus: find a shop that does auto restoration on classic cars. Ask them for a matching leather and have them replace the leather on the front seats. This is a very easy job for a reputable shop. Next, buy the seat covers that are made of canvas. There are more options than you might realize...
 
I have been using the Lexol products and I like them but when they are done I'm gonna try the Leatherique products. Get a good sunshade and some quality window tinting and it should be fine. Oh and my dog stays in the back for sure.
 
I'm a very paranoid person as well. It has taken me years to get over it, and I still struggle.

It's kind of like being afraid of your engine wearing out as a result of driving it. It's bound to happen, and when it does rebuild or replace it!

Rust on the other hand is my arch nemesis.

As everyone above has said, treatment and seat covers for the dogs in the back seats!

:)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Back
Top Bottom