L-seat vs Ridies Review DIY Comparison (2 Viewers)

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

Joined
Sep 24, 2018
Threads
54
Messages
577
Location
Central Virginia
I just finished the passenger seat on my 2007 Lx470 and thought I'd write a review comparing Rides an Lseat since about 2 years ago I did a DIY on a 1998 LC using lseat. I decided to go with ridies this time since they are a sponsor (I think ?)and they are active on the forum furthermore I got the impression that their customer service was much superior than lseat (and it was until there was a problem). So here are my thoughts:

Customer service winner: both loose
I had no issue with lseat personally I used existing threads to find out my color, made my order and in a few weeks they arrived. I had no need to reach out to them but from what I understand there is absolutely no customer service and many many people have had issues with receiving the wrong order, orders never arriving, or ordering samples for them to never arrive. I have emailed with ridies maybe a dozen times and they typically respond within 48 hours and sometimes much less. Trouble is now that there is a problem they are denying any responsibility. Conclusion ridies is great unless there is a problem.

Fit and ease of install winner: Lseat
I had struggles with installing both seats but on the ridies the plastic runner that wraps around the underside of the seatback is simply the wrong size for my LX. This has been recently mentioned by myself and another member in another thread but there is simply no excuse for this. The leather should fit without modification and for my 07 LX the cover just plain wouldn't work without modification. The other member used his old fastener, removed the attached one from rides and stapled the original to the ridies cover. I used some self tapping sheet metal screws to attach the ridies fastener which is too small. Not a huge deal in the end but a real frustration and hurdle trying to figure it out as you are struggling through the install. I had to make many adjustments to my hog ring attachment points on the ridies seat but the bolsters on the seatback just wouldn't stretch for a nice looking clean install at least to my liking. It does not look bad but not as good as the LC did. I did steam the foam for both installs in the same way and despite the LX foam being newer and less used the LC/lseat install looked better. I can't comment to the seatback cover because on the lc there isn't one but I'm currently trying to install the one that came from ridies and the fit is poor at the lower corners. I also had to add 1 inch foam behind the seatback upper most panel, there was so much slack there without it looked terrible. I tried adding foam to the seatback bolster panels but it did not come out to my liking. Part of this comparison may be unfair to ridies. I think the shape of the LX panels may make them more susceptible to these problems. I wouldn't be surprised if the ridies LC cover fits better than the LX cover. Also the shape of the rounded portion of the seat insert on the upper is a little wonky compared to OEM on the rides cover. The seam swings out toward the bolster before curving over the top. Not that noticeable but after staring at this thing for a few days the shape is different than OEM.

Construction winner: Rides
Just a casual look inside the covers it is obvious to see that the care taken on construction of the Ridies covers is superior. The loops that the metal wires run through are excellent on the rides covers and suspect and sloppy on the lseat covers. Ridies wins over OEM easily in this department.

Leather quality: Both leave something to be desired, lseat fails less but still not great
Initial quality on the lseat leather was fine it wasn't a soft as I would have like but it was adequate. For the price at the time of 300$+shipping it was reasonable over time however it developed this shiny look and rubbery feel I thought especially on the seat bottom which sees the most friction. It held up fine I suppose. Initially I was happy unboxing the ridies covers but on install I began to see many many issues with leather inconsistency, small ?threads? sticking up in the leather, black marks in the leather, places where the stamped on grain pattern is light in some areas and heavy in other, and lastly several places where there appears to be imperfection in the leather that is not adequately hidden by the grain stamp. I reached out to rides to see if they would compensate me for these issues. They blamed me and offered no solution. If the price was less than lseat I'd be ok with these issues but at 550$ I'm not happy!

Leather feel: ridies
I always felt that the lseat had a fake feel to it intially it was a bit rough and on the seat bottom eventually kind of rubbery. The feel of the ridies leather is what I would expect nice and soft/plush.

Color match thoughts I was expecting my ridies covers to match in color a little better than they did. They still look good but they are a bit darker than I was expecting and a bit darker than the sample ( I think but am not 100% sure). Unfortunately I threw away the sample so I can't be sure of this. Ridies does say on their sample sheet that the actual leather may vary slightly in color so I can't really fault them for this. Just something to keep in mind that the color might be slightly different. From looking at photos of my LC the lseat color was also just slightly darker but less so than the ridies.

Console cover: The one sent from lseat did not fit. Some have had an upholstery shop modify the cover to fit but as it is it is way too big. Ridies sent two console covers. I'm hoping the smaller one fits.

Seatback cover: rides sends leather to recover the seatback for the lx (I don't think lseat does this but I'm not sure). This does not apply to the lc since the seatback is plastic but on the lx it is vinyl. A nice touch if it actually fit somewhat. The seatback pocket is so irregular and oversized that I gave up trying to make it fit. I really wanted to make it work because the color match to the vinyl isn't great and one of my seatback vinyl panels has a hole but the fit is so bad I gave up.

The first photo is of the LC about 2 years after install, the middle photos are of the ridies imperfections, the last photo is the LX with the new cover.

0102211550.jpg




0318211232.jpg


0318211231d.jpg


0318211231.jpg


0318211411.jpg
 
Last edited:
Thanks for the write-up...always helpful for those shopping options.
 
Seems like Lseat is the winner here just based off the bolsters from the pics. Ridies looks like the leather is overstretched toward the front of the bolster. Factor in the price and it's a no brainer.
 
:popcorn:
 
Really appreciate your post @aharlan001 - been back and forth about this but went ahead with Lseat based on your review. Hopefully I'll get the 1wk turn around reported a few months ago, and not one of those customer service nightmares others have.
 
Ridies denied all responsibility
Really appreciate your post @aharlan001 - been back and forth about this but went ahead with Lseat based on your review. Hopefully I'll get the 1wk turn around reported a few months ago, and not one of those customer service nightmares others have.
No problem, I wish I would have went with lseat. As long as you get the product it's the better option in my experience...
 
Good write up.

Ridies has two leather options, “Genuine” which is comparable to what Lseat’s leather is , and the other option is a better quality “Full grain Nappa” which did you get?

Has Ridies ever responded to your concern?
 
Good write up.

Ridies has two leather options, “Genuine” which is comparable to what Lseat’s leather is , and the other option is a better quality “Full grain Nappa” which did you get?

Has Ridies ever responded to your concern?
Rides responded saying the product was prefect when they sent it to me. They are not standing behind their product, I am stuck without recourse. I got the genuine leather.
 
Thanks for the writeup. I've been (well, not) sitting on a set of Ridies nappa for a few months. This is where I'm at. Feel and quality of leather seems really good to me, way better than the stock, obviously. Any idea what the piece in the top left of the first pic is for? My set also came with two large sheets and two center consoles. No damage or irregularities. I assume these are the white plastic pieces you and others have experienced as outright wrong? Though I haven't experienced installing them yet, I can't say I'm at all dissatisifed with Ridies nappa. Based on this and all I've also read about lseats, at this point at least, I'd do it over again. Box was drop-shipped from Pakistan.

IMG_8721 (1).jpeg


IMG_8722 (1).jpeg


IMG_8723 (1).jpeg
 
Thanks for the writeup. I've been (well, not) sitting on a set of Ridies nappa for a few months. This is where I'm at. Feel and quality of leather seems really good to me, way better than the stock, obviously. Any idea what the piece in the top left of the first pic is for? My set also came with two large sheets and two center consoles. No damage or irregularities. I assume these are the white plastic pieces you and others have experienced as outright wrong? Though I haven't experienced installing them yet, I can't say I'm at all dissatisifed with Ridies nappa. Based on this and all I've also read about lseats, at this point at least, I'd do it over again. Box was drop-shipped from Pakistan.

View attachment 2618897

View attachment 2618898

View attachment 2618899


Pakistan- starting to make sense now. They are one if the largest leather processors in the world. The labor is cheap and sewing skill can be quite good. But business integrity is hit & miss.

Rides responded saying the product was prefect when they sent it to me. They are not standing behind their product, I am stuck without recourse. I got the genuine leather.
Do you have recourse through your credit card company?
 
Pakistan- starting to make sense now. They are one if the largest leather processors in the world. The labor is cheap and sewing skill can be quite good. But business integrity is hit & miss.


Do you have recourse through your credit card company?
I tried with the credit card but was quickly denied. I'm going to call again today.

The sheets are the seatbacks, the top left bits are the seatback pockets. My ridies pockets were so bad on fit I had to stay with damaged badly matching OEM.

The plastic bits that don't fit are on the bottom of the seatback that wrap under the seatback and is supposed to attach to a bar on the back of the seat frame.
 
I tried with the credit card but was quickly denied. I'm going to call again today.

The sheets are the seatbacks, the top left bits are the seatback pockets. My ridies pockets were so bad on fit I had to stay with damaged badly matching OEM.

The plastic bits that don't fit are on the bottom of the seatback that wrap under the seatback and is supposed to attach to a bar on the back of the seat frame.
Interesting that your CC company would immediately deny- if its with in 30 days of purchase you usually have some recourse. Was it a debit card?

I was looking at their warranty & return policy, and I'd rate your issue with the plastic under seat attachment as "defective". They state right in their policy :

If you are not completely satisfied with your purchase, please follow the guidelines detailed below and we will be happy to help you. You must contact us before you return the item."
  • Returns must be initiated within 14-days after receiving the product
  • Only items in original conditions are accepted
  • Buyers are responsible for the postage fees of returns, unless we shipped you wrong item
  • Returns must not have any tears, punctures, rips, stains, etc
  • A restocking fee of 15% of the price may apply. A full refund will apply only if the product was defective in material or workmanship
If you contacted ridies' with in 14days of receipt- you should be good. You can explain to your CC company that you have attempted to resolve the issue and the merchant has declined to meet your request to remedy a defective item. If they don't open a case for you, change CC providers.
 
The plastic bits that don't fit are on the bottom of the seatback that wrap under the seatback and is supposed to attach to a bar on the back of the seat frame.

Yes, really wish they would fix this issue. It has been discussed at length before. Clearly the seller for these covers doesn't have the clout (or willingness) to have this corrected. But it needs to be done.

Ridies clasp1.jpg

Ridies clasp2.jpg
 
Customer service is a hit or miss from either of them. I think at the current prices, Lseat makes more sense than Ridies. Ridies has raised their prices by ~$200 since I purchased front and rear seat skins last year.
I'll be placing an order with Lseat this time for my 04 LC in DIM GREY.
 
Interesting that your CC company would immediately deny- if its with in 30 days of purchase you usually have some recourse. Was it a debit card?

I was looking at their warranty & return policy, and I'd rate your issue with the plastic under seat attachment as "defective". They state right in their policy :

If you are not completely satisfied with your purchase, please follow the guidelines detailed below and we will be happy to help you. You must contact us before you return the item."
  • Returns must be initiated within 14-days after receiving the product
  • Only items in original conditions are accepted
  • Buyers are responsible for the postage fees of returns, unless we shipped you wrong item
  • Returns must not have any tears, punctures, rips, stains, etc
  • A restocking fee of 15% of the price may apply. A full refund will apply only if the product was defective in material or workmanship
If you contacted ridies' with in 14days of receipt- you should be good. You can explain to your CC company that you have attempted to resolve the issue and the merchant has declined to meet your request to remedy a defective item. If they don't open a case for you, change CC providers.
They are blaming me for the defects so won't accept a return. I contacted the cc company today to resubmit the claim. The cc representative said the previous claim was put in incorrectly so we will see.
 
Wow... Great comparison write up!

I too have the Ridies Nappa Leather, front seat set... got them middle of last yr, but also haven't installed it yet. Just checked and it has the "wrong" clasp as well.
I really like the feel of the Ridies Nappa... and the wrinkled bolster they offer, similar to the LX470 style leathers.
Color on my grey Ridies leather is quite a bit lighter than my original leather... but I figured some of that could be because the original needs some cleaning.

Anyway, I was thinking of trying to install it myself, but looks like I'm going to have a professional do it instead.

Thanks for the info! and good luck w/ the CC company~
 
After requesting the sample swatches (which I will say were very nice), they called me every single day Mon-Sat for 5wks straight😐
 
They are blaming me for the defects so won't accept a return.
This type of customer service typically buries companies/resellers in the internet age, unless they are a sole source or offer a distinct product advantage. I'm not sure the vendor qualifies for either based on what I've read.
 
Thank you for posting up about your experiences. It doesn't exactly paint a flattering picture of either of them. I wish someone like Katzkin would get in the game here.
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top Bottom