Does anyone else hate leather?

[turtlevette]

When renting a car I go out of my way to find something with leather. Because cloth is so penetrable, it absorbs everything and that can be very gross. You're also exposed to dust mites, microscopic pieces of skin so on and so forth just like a mattress. If someone has a dog forget it.

Leather has a wonderful smell that is so coveted that manufs are making artificial leather smell now that leather processing no longer produces a smell. Then you have the leather fetish factor thing. I've bought my wife leather pants, skirts and even a dress and there's nothing else that compares.

 

[sleddriver]

Real leather: yes. Vinyl-coated leather: no.

The later in the sled hasn't held well at all in the driver seat. Both the seat and back are just in taters. The rear seats look new because they're rarely used. And this began happening about 10yrs ago. Volvo definitely threw me a curve ball with "vinyl-coated" leather.

It's NOT the real thing!

 

[Jarlaxle]

Originally Posted By: turtlevette
When renting a car I go out of my way to find something with leather. Because cloth is so penetrable, it absorbs everything and that can be very gross. You're also exposed to dust mites, microscopic pieces of skin so on and so forth just like a mattress. If someone has a dog forget it.


Do you wear a surgical mask in public?

Quote:
Leather has a wonderful smell that is so coveted that manufs are making artificial leather smell now that leather processing no longer produces a smell. Then you have the leather fetish factor thing. I've bought my wife leather pants, skirts and even a dress and there's nothing else that compares.


One requirement when I bought my Magnum: there would be ABSOLUTELY NO leather smell (which I find revolting) in the car whatsoever, or I would refuse delivery!

 

[aquariuscsm]

Originally Posted By: turtlevette
I've bought my wife leather pants, skirts and even a dress and there's nothing else that compares.


Right on!!

 

[antiqueshell]

Originally Posted By: Jarlaxle

One requirement when I bought my Magnum: there would be ABSOLUTELY NO leather smell (which I find revolting) in the car whatsoever, or I would refuse delivery!


I had my local hack Honda $tealership do 650$ service to replace the leaking distributor (which they screwed up and left parts loose when they buttoned the parts in the surrounding area (left throttle cable detached from its clip holders on the engine valve cover) and the bozos which give you the free [censored] car wash sprayed that fake leather scent [censored] in the car, it took weeks for it to air out. I HATE $TLEAERSHIPS. Oh, and I have CLOTH seating.

 

[wtd]

I don't like leather and when I went shopping for my Mustang, I purposely got a base model car for the cloth interior.

Wayne

 

[Trix]

Seating engineers typically rate leather as an ergonomically inferior material. Your skin sticks ... etc.

More luxury cars need a high end fabric option.

 

[01rangerxl]

Originally Posted By: Trix
Seating engineers typically rate leather as an ergonomically inferior material. Your skin sticks ... etc.

More luxury cars need a high end fabric option.


Through the 1980s, most luxury sedans had cloth available. Not just Town Cars, Sedan Devilles, and mainstream Euro cars like BMW and Mercedes, but Rolls/Bentley as well. High grade cloth was absolutely a luxury feature.

It seems like in the early 1990s, at least in the US, consumers and manufacturers ended up settling on "cloth is midgrade, leather is luxury," and that basic idea has held.

Of course, now most "leather" interiors are pretty far removed from actual, 100% real leather. I remember when Ford first came out with the King Ranch model F-150 around 2001 or 2002...smelled like a cow backed up and unloaded a steaming dump inside those trucks, but it was REAL leather (saddle leather as Ford called it). I can't imagine Ford faking a smell like that, but it was always strongest on brand new trucks. When they got a couple years on them, I didn't find the KR interior so overpowering.

Mild leather smell is fine with me, but I'm sure most of what my mind considers "mild leather smell" is really the smell of chemicals used on coated "leather."

Honestly, I don't care about material as much as the shape of the foam, density/firmness of the foam, durability of the seat overall, ergonomics of the basic design, etc. I've driven lots of cars with the three basic materials...vinyl, cloth, leather...I've never found seating material to be the make it or break it thing for me.

 

[Kestas]

I hate leather... especially in convertibles. It cost me $800 in parts alone to recover the 12 year old driver's seat in my Mercedes. Cloth for me.

I understand there have been advances in seating technology where we should have leather-like material in cars that includes an odorant so it smells like leather, but wears better.

 

[Scum_Frog]

Originally Posted By: Hokiefyd
Although I don't hate anything in life, I'm the opposite: I don't like cloth. Cloth sticks to clothes which I don't like and is more difficult to clean. If anything is spilled on leather or vinyl, I can just wipe it off. Cloth soaks it in nearly immediately.


+1

 

[CT8]

I am at the age where I hate most everything but I prefer cloth . My wife has a horse saddle that is 15 years old and looks great but it is taken care of and is high quality leather.

 

[itguy08]

I HATE cloth. Hard to clean, doesn't feel comfortable, and looks nasty if you don't take care of it.

With leather if I spill some coffee - wipe it up and it's gone. Dog hair brushes right off. Yes, it can get hot and cold but with heat and cooled leather it's not an issue. Condition it 1 or 2x a year when it smells like an old Nike and you're good to go.

Even my wife, who didn't like it wants nothing but leather on her next one.

 

[SteveSRT8]

^^^Likewise here. My sig car has breathable inserts and our new Ram has ventilated seats.

So if it's perforated leather I'm in, smooth stuff is not my favorite...

 

[mjk]

You sound like the life of the party.....


Originally Posted By: turtlevette
When renting a car I go out of my way to find something with leather. Because cloth is so penetrable, it absorbs everything and that can be very gross. You're also exposed to dust mites, microscopic pieces of skin so on and so forth just like a mattress. If someone has a dog forget it.

Leather has a wonderful smell that is so coveted that manufs are making artificial leather smell now that leather processing no longer produces a smell. Then you have the leather fetish factor thing. I've bought my wife leather pants, skirts and even a dress and there's nothing else that compares.

 

[Hokiefyd]

Originally Posted By: SteveSRT8
So if it's perforated leather I'm in, smooth stuff is not my favorite...


Perforated leather is certainly preferable for me as well. Our Acura has it, but our Honda's leather is smooth. The perforated stuff certainly is cooler in the hot weather (even without cooled seats).