DigitalRJH
New member
Everyone, piggybacking off the prospective dog buyer thread, how does the softex seat material hold up to dogs claws? Any protection needed? Thanks
Softex seat material vs. dog nails
- Thread starter DigitalRJH
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97BlackAckCL
Elite Member
Mine has held up well, my oldest dog did scratch the back rest on the driver's side the first time in the vehicle but I've had them in and out dozens of times and never had an issue. I do have the CanvasBack liners in the back for them but nothing on the front seats
Jetboy
New member
After myself - my dog is the most common passenger in my 4Runner. Softex holds up great. No cuts. No tears. No scratches at all in mine. I have a 2yr old boxer - so midsize dog. She has scratched a few spots on the second row door plastic sill. That's probably where you need the most protection.
Knuckledragger
New member
No complaints from me either. I have a 55# pointer mix that likes to hang out wherever she wants. I own one of those backseat hammock deals for dogs but I don’t even use it. It’s actually in my girlfriends 2001 4Runner.
Seattle206
Senior Member
Softex holds up to dog claws extremely well to my surprise.
Rapid_Amble
New member
No issues here either after 10k miles, most with a Lab.
Bjohnson425
New member
not to hijack but semi related, anyone know of any ladder/step system for dogs to help them get in the back? I have an aussie who is getting old who is having a real hard time jumping that high anymore
comtn4x4
Senior Member
I used on of these:
PetSTEP Folding Pet Ramp, Graphite - Chewy.com
However, there are cheaper versions. I needed something pretty stout for my St. Bernard and 2 Akitas when I had them. Downside with every step I've seen is they're bulky and hard to store.
97BlackAckCL
Elite Member
I picked this up, dogs haven't figured out how to use it yet but planning to work with them and train them to use it. My 12 year old is having some arthritis and can't jump up as easily as she used to
Solvit PupSTEP Car Hitch Pet Step, Black - Chewy.com
DigitalRJH
New member
Thanks Everyone!
DallasTRDPro
Member
I hope they hold up well since there ain't crap available for seat covers for the 4 Runner. It was so easy to modify things in my Jeep. 4 Runner sucks and everything is so stupid expensive.
DigitalRJH
New member
Wow that took a strange turn after an 11 month thread hiatus. :biggrin2:
I’m having difficulty deciding between OR versus ORP and mainly cloth versus Softex (Sunroof is plus or minus for me). I have a 50# dog and an infant. The cloth seems better for the dog nails but softex is better for baby spit up (and thus clean up). Just wondering if ppl with the softex (and no seat protectors) thought it was still holding up with dog nails? I’m currently leaning towards cloth. Thank you!
Ry'sRunner
New member
apc9199
Member
I'm new to the 4Runner world, but I have three dogs who are very energetic and go with us everywhere that we are able to take them, weather permitting (it gets HOT inside of vehicles here in AZ). They were used to riding with their paws on the center console of my Jeep Liberty CRD before I got the 4Runner, so they like to try to do the same thing now and are always popping their front paws over the folded rear seats to try to stand next to us in the front. Initially I freaked out about trying to keep their paws off the console until I could find a cover for it, but a little over a month in I have already realized that the Softex is way more resilient than I expected. They regularly ride with their paws on the center console and our smallest dog, a ~20# Jack-Russel/Schnauzer mix, occasionally scampers over the console to jump down at my wifes feet to lay on the floor for longer car rides. After cleaning with some synthetic leather cleaner and wiping down with the ECP Softex protector from Toyota, you cant even tell that there have been dogs in the vehicle!
On top of that, we went out camping a couple of weeks ago and someone out in the woods was firing a gun off, which scares the crap out of the aforementioned dog, so we decided to let her jump in the car to "hide". She decided to make a "nest" in the driver seat and proceeded to scratch at the seat for what was probably 60 seconds or more by the look of things. The whole seat was scratched up and had that whitish-grey disturbed look. As a new-to-me vehicle, I was pissed. After camping, we loaded up and headed home. By the time we jumped out of the vehicle 4 or 5 hours later, and much to my surprise, just our butts moving in the seats had "polished" the scratches out and you couldn't even tell they were there. Another quick cleaning and protectant coating and they seriously look like the seats out of a showroom vehicle.
Needless to say, I am very impressed with the Softex upholstery and based on the look of the cloth seats in my buddies Tacoma (with 2 dogs and now 2 kids), I would never settle for cloth seats expecting them to hold up better than Softex. Alone it may not be worth the upgrade to Premium, but if thats whats keeping anyone on the fence, I would recommend the Softex.
On top of that, we went out camping a couple of weeks ago and someone out in the woods was firing a gun off, which scares the crap out of the aforementioned dog, so we decided to let her jump in the car to "hide". She decided to make a "nest" in the driver seat and proceeded to scratch at the seat for what was probably 60 seconds or more by the look of things. The whole seat was scratched up and had that whitish-grey disturbed look. As a new-to-me vehicle, I was pissed. After camping, we loaded up and headed home. By the time we jumped out of the vehicle 4 or 5 hours later, and much to my surprise, just our butts moving in the seats had "polished" the scratches out and you couldn't even tell they were there. Another quick cleaning and protectant coating and they seriously look like the seats out of a showroom vehicle.
Needless to say, I am very impressed with the Softex upholstery and based on the look of the cloth seats in my buddies Tacoma (with 2 dogs and now 2 kids), I would never settle for cloth seats expecting them to hold up better than Softex. Alone it may not be worth the upgrade to Premium, but if thats whats keeping anyone on the fence, I would recommend the Softex.
