Brightonlady

I am pretty unsatisfied in the quality of the leather. It shows color fade or wear on the seat sides especially the drivers side that is used most, getting in/out. Also the seats have lots of creases that look like cracks in the leather. I am not a large person so I think the seats shouldn't be showing wear from getting in and out of them, My husband thinks the whole quality of the TL is the pitts from fit and finish to leather quality ect, He's had lots of nice cars and the leather would look brand new years later, like in some of his BMW's, I am pretty dissapointed that my leather dosen't look as great as some of his previous cars have after a couple years.

jungy4

How old is your car?

TheChamp531

iTrader: (3)

How much were those BMW's compared to your Acura? Yes, the Acura has poor quality leather, but if you take care of them, condition, and clean them you should have NO problems at all. Get some 303 and apply it and it should look semi-new.

732

I have a 05 with the ebony insides. Using the lexol twins and 303, everything looks pretty good. About one Sunday a month I take the time to wipe down everything with 303 seats and all. I am lazy about lexol but have done it twice the last 63K and it looks pretty good, most people assume it is a newer car then the 4 or 5 years it is.

d-townhakuzo

Lol I have an 04 Ebony with 81.5k and the leather is BARELY cracking and no creases. I am surprised it is this good.

wahshi

iTrader: (4)

I have that same issue Brightonlady. It looks like the guy that had it before me didn't really take care of the leather, mostly on the drivers side. Can the 303 and lexol be found at the local auto store or does it have to be ordered? Would it help with damaged seats like ours?

Will Y.

The '05 that I got new has its seats in very good condition. The ebony/black seat leather and vinyl are in as-new condition, except for minor wear on the driver's seat-- 2 slight creases on left thigh bolster and slight wear/2-3 minor cracks towards the edge of the seat.

I wipe the seats about once every 4-6 months and most recently treated the seats by wiping with 303 Aerospace during the summer. 303 Aerospace is easiest to find in boating and marine shops, like West's Marine, while some auto stores also carry it.

Mr.President

no car is perfect..... that said, I actually don't mind the creases, I clean the seats EVERY WEEK, along with the rest of the car..... it all depends on the driver's use and the cleaning....

csmeance

acura use some very soft leather, and as well the design of the seat doesn't help much in preventing wrinkles. The leather in the TL is cracking/wrinkling is pretty premature for a car of this caliber.

I have about 85K on my TL and I've been conditioning and taking care of the seats since I've had it. I did slack off a few times and that caused a bit more accelerated wear, however the seats in my car don't look as bad as some of the other seats pictured here.

As far as what your husband says about the fit and finish, he is partially right and wrong. Compared to a BMW (in general), the TL's fit and finish isn't as good. It rattles and the leather has premature wear. However the rattles can be fixed with a little bit of foam/felt and the leather just needs a bit more TLC. But where the TL trumps BMW is service, my TL probably goes in for servicing once every 3 months, my 760Li, which is nearly 4.5 times the price of the TL goes in for servicing at a minimum once a month.

flash2021

hey. I use 303 aerospace protectorant (as mentioned in previous posts) as well on the leather and dash...works pretty well...if you want to see if it is for you, you can request a 303 Products sample pack for $6 S&H

http://www.303products.com/shop303/i...lay&page_id=34

(no I don't work for them, just enjoy their products, and found the deal a few months back...)

Bender

My 05 has slight discoloring where my calves touch the seat but I live where it's hot. I can't seem to scrub it out though(used the diluted woolite). I'm about 205 and there is a very small hairline crack starting in the driver seat right panel/cheek area. I'm not to worried though. These seats are very easily ruined as time ha told. I really have not abused them at all. Back seats are mint and passenger is ok.

Brightonlady

pretty gently used and drove, I have seen really old cars with the leather in better shape:rippedofflol sorry about emote, I thought it was cute.

berzerker

the crappy leather is the only complaint I really have about the car. Yeah, it's not BMW quality, I know. But my neighbor has a 2 year older 530 with nicer leather, of course my car was 32k and his 45k so it's a moot point. Even so, Acura/Honda should still be able to source leather that doesn't wrinkle/crack like this stuff does. I've cleaned and conditioned it almost religiously and still have issues, I've used all the usual suspects - 303, meguiars, lexol, et al. with poor results.

I also think that some people here who say they don't have problems aren't the same size/weight as those of us who do have problems. I'm 6'3 220ish and my buddy, the only person besides my wife (5'2 110) to sit in the car, is 5'10 230ish. Both seats have wrinkles and he only sits in the car a couple times a week, obviously passenger seat not as drastic as drive, but still very noticeable.

Best thing I've found to make the cardboard feeling leather back to natural leather is leatherique. It doesn't remove all the cracks/wrinkles but helps the leather feel better to the touch. You have to do the long drawn out process a couple of times - apply by hand and really work in the conditioner, then let it heat up in the sun (put garbage bags over seats to maxmize greenhouse effect) then clean it off with pristine clean product. http://leatherique.com/products.html

dwb993

iTrader: (13)

Product review:
Clean with Woolite solution (1 part Woolite to 10 parts water).
Protect with 303Aerospace (http://www.303products.com)--also good for dash.
Recondition (if necessary) with Leatherique (http://leatherique.com/products.html).

Rick_TL-S

Seats are fine all except the side of my driver's. Been considering on asking Acura just what it would cost to re-touch up everything, but figured it's livable as long as it's taken care of every so often.

platinum1

Just be gentle with the leather. Yes, it's of lower quality, but you also paid a lot less in total and higher quality in something else.

Izzy-Type-S

iTrader: (1)

I have an 08 NBP Type-S and the leather is a little softer than the 05 TL I had so it is showing more creases & cracks than I would like. There's another discussion about Leather Care on here that I had started, people had some good opinions. I ended up getting Zaino cleaner & leather protector to help but have not had the time to do it.

skippyTL

Unfortunately, our seats are leather that is faced with vinyl - not simply dyed leather. Leather products have little effect on 'em, since the product can't penetrate....

Izzy-Type-S

iTrader: (1)

Here's a thread with some leather care product recommendations...
https://acurazine.com/forums/wash-wax-23/care-leather-seats-752756/

JTS97Z28

iTrader: (4)

The best way to properly clean leather seats is not buy caking on layers of protectant junk. The best way to clean the seats is by using a Mr Clean magic sponge which will remove an unbelievable amount of dirt (try it and you will see), then I apply a nice coat of Zaino leather care. My 07 Type S seats with 36,000 miles look new. I also use the magic sponge on the entire interior. Keep the fresh new smell and leather clean. You should see how much dirt it will take off your steering wheel to. It will make you wanna throw up.
You guys that have destroyed seats either dont take care of them, or are overweight and drag jeans all over your side bolsters. Being over weight is the number 1 killer to car seats ;-) Sorry hope that didnt come off as being mean lol Just stating a fact.

Here is my interior to prove that it looks the same as the day it rolled off the showroom floor!!

Izzy-Type-S

iTrader: (1)

JTS97Z28: please give more details on the Magic sponge. I bought the Zaino cleaner and leather care but have not used either yet. I know the leather needs a good cleaning without any strong chemicals and I want to make sure I do it right. Props to your leather interior pics!

pimpin-tl

^^ x2. Except I use Zaino cleaner and conditioner. Works fine for me. Also folks, remember, BMW seats are hard as heck so they won't wrinkle, or look bad as fast. Acura seats are very soft so they have more of a tendency to show more. The leather in the Acura is leaps and bounds above my G35's that started to crack badly by 15k miles and the dealer refused to replace them.

Bender

Stupid fat athletes.

csmeance

Wow, a whole lot of mis-information in the post!!!!

The magic eraser is BAD for you seats. It's an abrasive cleaner that will rub off the coating that helps keeps the oils and dye inside the leather! Yes it'll get it clean because it's like polishing your paint, you get rid of the top layer!

Also a person doesn't have to be overweight to "destroy their leather." The bolsters contort slightly to your body when you sit, and leather will naturally wrinkle with constant bending. Just look at your face in the mirror or you sneakers, the skin bends constantly and wrinkles form.

You photo really doesn't show us anything, it's an overexposed photo showing us that your seats are really white. Take better up close photos and we can see the end result.

csmeance

The part in bold is really the key factor. The leather in my 760 is much harder than in my TL or MDX. It doesn't bend as easily as the leather honda uses. As you can see, with proper care and treatment it'll look good, but still have wrinkles naturally. You can see some by the front edges of the seat (not knocking on your seats or anything, yours look much better than mine)

Babnik

I have an 04 with the ebony interior and the front seats have some creases in them but definitely no cracks or color fade. The back seat looks like new.

I have never used any products on it or done anything to condition it, other than wiping it down with a damp cloth a few times a year.

Maybe hot temperatures (florida, etc) make the leather wear prematurely?

JTS97Z28

iTrader: (4)

I have been using the magic eraser for years on several different cars of mine from C6 Corvette to my 10 year old Honda Accord EX. It works absolutely great!!!
As far as the picture not showing anything well what does it matter, the seats literally look brand new and it has over 35,000 miles. I can take a closeup and its going to look just as perfect.


Here is the interior of my 07 base TL (which I ended up selling for my Type S) which also had tough to keep clean light colored seats. I used the magic eraser many many times on that interior. yes the picture is bright and over exposed but you can still tell they are like new condition.

pimpin-tl

^^ That's not a base. That's a TL w/Navi. One without Navi is considered a base. But yes your interior looks great.

JTS97Z28

iTrader: (4)

Oh, well I was mainly referring to it not being a Type S which I guess would be obvious considering the interior color :-)

baws6o4

i got the leather in my driver and passenger seat warrentied LOL, cus it was showing signs of cracks and tears. car only had 45K's

millarduck

This talk about BMW, the leather is an option, not standard, the standard is a synthetic leatherette. I had the upgrade Dakota Leather in my 2003 530I, it was wearing out in 3 years. My '08 TL leather is holding up much better. I also like the perforated leather in my TL, it is cooler in the summer, and I have the ebony interior.

nut854

How timely. I just dropped off my '08 TL for service tonight to replace the passenger seat for premature leather wear.

After about 6 months of ownership, I noticed that one panel of leather on the passenger seat looked like an elephant had been sitting in it. My buddy who got a Lexus the same time kept making fun of me for buying such a "cheap car" with crappy leather. I had even been using a high-quality leather protectant which seemed to work OK.

So anyway, I brought it in to the dealership and the guy immediately agreed that it should be covered under warranty. I have an '10 SHAWD TL loaner and boy is it fun.

Here's a pic of the seat from a couple months ago.






If this is a year and a half after ownership, I can't wait to see what the leather will look like in 5 years... Hopefully I just got a bad panel or my seat came from a bad cow.

Bender

Oh man he doesn't know what he is talking about! I used the magic eraser and now my friggin' seats are GONE!

ggesq

iTrader: (1)

I've had my driver's seat bottom replaced under warranty (05 TL) 3 different times due to issues relating to creasing and discoloration. One of the very few gripes I have with the TL but for 32k brand new when I bought it, I'm not too worried about it.

tg900

My 05 seats in a light grey seem to hold up just fine...I'm the third owner and i don't think the owner before me did much leather care, not sure about the first owner.

AMIC

I have an '05 and I'm not a big person at all and my leather (quartz color) on the driver's seat is creased and definitely looks worn. I do clean it and put protectant on it, but it doesn't seem to be doing much good. I guess I slide in/out a lot and that's what is causing it.

HigdonTL05

a friend of my mine who used to work at a car wash detailing cars told me as soon as you start using the cleaner and protectant, the seats will become as he puts it "thirsty" and will keep soaking in the liquid so if you dont stay on it will become "dry" and be more prone to cracking and showing wear. It made sense to me, just sharing insight!

trancemission

meh...not once have I had one person say anything to me about my car concerning the leather.

Babnik

I'm gonna ask a bunch of questions, and I want to have them answered immediately!

Is using conditioner or lexol or whatever it's called only worthwhile if your leather is like new and you want to keep it that way, or is there also any reason to use it if your leather is already a little worn? Does it only prevent further wear, or does it reverse existing wear too?

rockyfeller

iTrader: (6)

You 07+ guys have to realize the reason why your leather looks so good in comparison to older TLs is because they upgraded the leather. The grain in your cars is tougher. The pre 07 cars have soft leather and it WILL start folding and eventually crack. Mine looks pretty bad, not as bad as some, but bad enough. Nobody really notices it except me. I was maintaining it as best I could from day 1. It looked good till my car was around 2, then it is nearly inevitable.

And no, I am not overweight and have a fat ass, lol!!! I have seen the leather in 7 series driven by large individuals with leather in good condition.