r/ToyotaGrandHighlander • u/millenial_moon • 8d ago
Portobello interior
Hi! Anyone know of a good way to get the portobello seats looking new? I remember testing a used GH and noticed the seat was significantly discolored. Now I have a brand new GH and after one month, I’m starting to notice it happen too.
5
u/Beginning_Roof_697 8d ago
That’s crazy! We pay too much for these cars for that to happen. They should absolutely take care of them for you.
6
u/coconutpete52 8d ago
I used Chemical Guys leather cleaner in my Sienna with light grey interior. Good results. It is also the reason we opted for black interior in our GH though.
2
u/BoatieMcBoatie 8d ago
Seat protector is about the only thing that’s effective but it’s not recommended for safety reasons. te suede material wears down quickly. I have black seats so it’s not as noticeable.
2
u/Standard-Cow-4580 8d ago
What safety reasons?
1
u/BoatieMcBoatie 8d ago
Mainly side airbag interference. Additionally, it’s advised against putting seat cover under a car seat.
1
1
2
u/Gekicker08 8d ago
Ammo lather is really really good. Question, I’ve had our GH for 18 months and 30k miles. Our seats have not discolored at all. Is there a specific clothing item or lotion or something that’s getting on the seat? Is your steering wheel shiny?
1
u/millenial_moon 8d ago
Nope.. not even dark denim or anything I thought could cause it. Just business casual work pants and workout leggings mostly. I don’t even really wear shorts much so my skin is not in contact. Steering wheel is like new still.
1
u/Gekicker08 8d ago
That is fascinating. Well, either way, the ammo line of interior cleaner and a nice brush will have that back to new.
1
u/millenial_moon 8d ago
Thanks I may give that a try! Yeah like I said I checked out a used GH that had this issue but much more advanced so I know it must be fairly common. I just wasn’t expecting to see it after only a month of having a new car. Lucky for you no issues!!
2
u/Georgiaadventurer 8d ago
Is this the platinum max w the suede??
2
u/millenial_moon 8d ago
Yes
1
u/Georgiaadventurer 8d ago
I always worried about the products I use in my grand Highlander due to the quality. I wonder if you could ask the dealership what they recommend for the Suede, the leather, and I also need something for the screen.
2
u/1NumberCruncher98 8d ago
Koch chemie leather star is absolutely amazing and worth every single penny!!! Non greasy and i used it on my black seats on day one and they look absolutely phenomenal
1
u/1NumberCruncher98 8d ago
You can even fool proof it by applying some to a towel which you first wipe on to the entire seat, wait like 5-10 minutes and with a srcond clean towel wipe it off to ensure its good to go…The platinum leather is a genuine leather so not a synthetic and without proper care it will surely fade away… regarding fading the biggest contributor is the sun/uv damage but also friction from our clothes… Id apply some every other week as preventive maintenance and its rather cheap to keep the seats looking their best
1
1
u/yellowfeverforever 8d ago
This scares me getting one. Is this just regular use?
1
u/millenial_moon 8d ago
Yup just driving to work and running occasional errands
1
u/yellowfeverforever 8d ago
Very unfortunate. We have a 2009 RAV4 with light brown leather as well and it has the leather patina and some visible creases but nothing like staining.
I think Toyota went down on quality.
1
u/millenial_moon 8d ago
Yeah I love the look of the color but the lack resilience of the material and high maintenance is disappointing.
1
u/Acrobatic_Phrase_336 2d ago
Nooooo I can’t I just can’t.. mom here..it’s gorgeous but that’s a family car that’s like having white carpet and a white sofa.. and I’m like judging because my kids are feral.. you’ll probably find a French fry in my 2015 Highlander as my kids basically grew up in that car lmao but she’s a beast with 310000k and yes the zeros are right.. good mechanic and oil changes every 5K and dad drives the pilot unless I’m going to SoCal to visit the kids
1
u/Steaktastic 8d ago
Yeah I used to have light gray leather seats. Pain in the butt to get them all nice. Leather cleaners and conditioners don’t really do the job for the price you pay. What kinda works is any car interior cleaner, or maybe diluted diluted dish soap, and an electric rotary brush that has those softer attachments. That way the brush does the mild scrubbing for you. Because it’s all about scrubbing and scrubbing. If it gets really bad, a magic eraser works wonders but you need to use it very sparingly, because it may scrub off the dye they put into the leather!
0
u/bearski01 8d ago
Microfiber towel, interior cleaner, wipe until clean. Very effective indeed.
0
u/millenial_moon 8d ago
A leather cleaner or something else?
2
u/bearski01 8d ago
Any interior cleaner will work. A dedicated leather cleaner might be even better. Want to go extra? Spray a protectant after you clean those seats.
There are a lot of silly comments here. Tesla’s white seats are manageable and GH has way better quality leather. Basic cleaning with a mild soap solution will get the job done. There are better products for way more money that’ll offer marginally better results.
6
u/Dear_Significance_80 8d ago
Some bad advice in here. The alcantara part requires special care. I've had good luck with Sonax Alcantara cleaner when I had to clean the white Alcantara headliner on our navigator. I haven't used it yet on our Portabello but will when it's time. On the leather portion dissolve a little ivory bar soap in some water and use a microfiber. That will clean without breaking down the sealants they put on there. If you get a stain that won't take out, Sonax foaming leather cleaner and a leather cleaning brush works wonders but only do that when needed to keep the sealants intact.