Two Weetabix or Three?

[SH20]

Don't consider removing either front seats out of a LS460 unless you have had a good breakfast, they weigh a ton !!.  Although only 4 floor bolts and 4 wiring block connectors, incl the seat air bag connector,  the front seat takes a lot of strength and manoeuvring to get it out of the car, more so if it's the driver's seat  in my case as the steering wheel gets in the way.  The Battery needs the negative terminal disconnecting to allow the air bag circuit to discharge in about 10 mins before the air bag connector is disconnected.   If you do this you won't get a warning light coming on to detect an air bag circuit has been activated.    

I decided to tackle the slack in the leather of my seat base cushion.   the previous owner used to slide in to the seat thus pushing the leather sideways and after 8 years created some excess folds of the semi analine leather cover.   What a job to get the leather cover off the seat foam, nothing complicated but lots to do before the leather cover came away and the trimmer could un pick the stitching and remove the stretched leather folds.    The seat heating element lies between various layers of foam and fabric which are all stitched together as part of the leather cover, it's not separate so if your element fails it's a new leather seat cover at £1350.  So you have to tread carefully when pulling down a front seat cushion so the element doesn't get snagged or the fine interlaced heating element doesn't get accidently cut.   Anyway all done and at £45 for the trimmer a very cheap fix although it took me 3 hours to strip and rebuild the cushion incl getting the seat in and out.  

NB:  19.3.2016 -   Re read my own thread and realised I hadn't included the after shot of my driver's repaired seat cover after a local trimmer got to work on taking out the excess folds of leather after nearly 9 years.        

Edited March 19, 2016 by SH20

[Verbout]

Well done Steve, I think I would have lived with it.

[cruisermark]

i have noticed the loose leather on other 460s aswell - must be a common fault

[Cotswold Pete]

Is the leather more likely to stretch due to the perforations.

Maybe not have air-con seats is better in the long run, though £45 and 3 hours work seems like a worth while investment.

[mr2lad]

When I got my seat leather replaced on my 600 because of failed heating element as Lexus had diagnosed (in the end it wasn't the element but a relay) but they had already replaced the leather and heat element before I informed them it still wasn't working and finally diagnosed a £20 relay lol still got new leather but even brand new it had wrinkles on and was not a good fit (as it had been folded and packed away when it was new which left creases in leather when unpacked) so Lexus picked car back up and took to a leather fabricator who ironed and steamed out the fold marks then had to trim it to fit correctly as I refused to accept it the way it was...ps all under warranty so no cost to myself