Dear Tom and Ray:

I have a '92 Lexus ES300. Great car. 68,000 miles. No problems except that my
driver's seat has lost its "cush." My tush is sore and uncomfortable after a long
drive. This didn't happen when it was new. What can a tender tush do? Replace the
seat? Put another cushion on top (which would take away valuable headroom)?
Replace the padding inside the seat (a difficult and messy job)? Or get a
chauffeur? I suspect this is a common problem for aging cars. I don't want to
unload the best car I have ever had because I am unhappy with the seat. -- Will

RAY: The problem may not be the car's seat, Will. It's been six years since you
bought this car, and you may be suffering from P.T.E. (Progressive Tush
Enlargement).

TOM: It happens to people our age, Will. Look at my brother. He's got what the
airlines call a "two-ticket butt."

RAY: In your case, Will, you have a lot of options. You've got an otherwise great
car which you love. You've only got 68,000 miles on it, and you can probably
expect at least another 68,000 out of it. So the answer, in your case, is to
replace the seat.

TOM: Right. On a heap like my '63 Dodge Dart, you'd toss a boat cushion on top,
or just wrap it in a bunch of duct tape. But on a well-preserved Lexus, you fix
the seat.

RAY: And you can either ask your dealer to order a new set of cushions for you
from Lexus and install them (without the leather covers, the cushions run about
250 bucks), or you can get a good upholstery shop to make a new cushion for you.
That'll be cheaper. And they may even be able to customize it to fit your shape.

TOM: Just insist they leave room for future expansion, Will.