Here’s an article on the different BMW ‘leathers’ https://www.bmwblog.com/2019/12/23/k...ather-options/.
As others have said, until you get to the top of the range you might as well be sitting on plastic.
______
Jim.
VinylOriginally Posted by jwg663
my friend used to have a 1980s BMW 3 series. That was the most sumptuous leather I've ever sat on. I asked him how much he paid for the restoration and he said, what restoration. They were beyond awesome.
My Passat has 'alcantaraish' inserts to the pleather seats, its not very nice really, easily stained and looks shabby. Id have full leather if I could. The wifes CC has full leather ( Im pretty sure real leather ) and its much nicer.
Cheers..
Jase
I'd take the leather and the money and run away before they change the offer.
Drum roll… did she, didn’t she?….
I prefer Alcantara, but mainly because it isn't cold to sit on. But that's not really a big deal. With the current state of the market, as has been mentioned, I'd take the car and discount. Waiting for the correct spec could take a lot longer than the dealership believes/has said.
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Thanks again everyone for the opinions and education - much appreciated and we went to the dealership this morning well prepared. Discussions were very amiable - true believers that the polite approach gets us further than aggression.
We looked at the Alcantara in another car in the showroom and to be honest were underwhelmed as it felt more like cloth than the suede feel we had anticipated. Mrs H's only remaining concern was a cold ar** on winter mornings, so in addition to the £720 offered yesterday, they offered to have heated seats retrofitted by a specialist third party at a cost to them of £400. We expressed concern over a third party tampering with the seats and electrics so said we'd instead take the £400 as an additional cash discount. Total discount from list price £2,620 - very happy with the way the Audi dealership handled the situation and Mrs H can use some of it to buy thermal underwear, as a happy wife = happy life :grin:
It’s a Q3 Black Edition and that interior is indeed graphite black and not the pasty grey the photo suggests
Very good outcome imo but am surprised a Q3 doesn’t come with heated seats as standard
I wouldn’t worry, womens bottoms have evolved with enough padding to provide the necessary insulation.
My aunt ordered a A3 many years ago, with heated seats, but arrived without. Not sure what discount she received, if any.
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I'm surprised the dealer bothered with additional discounts, they could surely sell this on at a slight premium given the current market.
Well played, that seems like a good result!
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I think it is called good customer service and satisfaction.
With the money you saved treat her to some bespoke sheepskin seat covers.Thanks again everyone for the opinions and education - much appreciated and we went to the dealership this morning well prepared. Discussions were very amiable - true believers that the polite approach gets us further than aggression.
We looked at the Alcantara in another car in the showroom and to be honest were underwhelmed as it felt more like cloth than the suede feel we had anticipated. Mrs H's only remaining concern was a cold ar** on winter mornings, so in addition to the £720 offered yesterday, they offered to have heated seats retrofitted by a specialist third party at a cost to them of £400. We expressed concern over a third party tampering with the seats and electrics so said we'd instead take the £400 as an additional cash discount. Total discount from list price £2,620 - very happy with the way the Audi dealership handled the situation and Mrs H can use some of it to buy thermal underwear, as a happy wife = happy life :grin:
It’s a Q3 Black Edition and that interior is indeed graphite black and not the pasty grey the photo suggests.
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Can treat herself.With the money you saved treat her to some bespoke sheepskin seat covers.
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It is very soft and super comfy and only comes on the top inscription spec I clean it and a feed it every couple of months especially as it’s a blonde colour I had a Honda Civic with leather seats and they were like a park bench in comparison
With respect, this is nonsense. Not only have I worked for Mercedes-Benz for 7 years and almost 20 years in the motor trade I had 5 years in the furniture trade before that as a leather specialist, and amongst other things had 2 weeks training in a tannery in Wales in 2000.
Leather faced means that the front facings of the seat are leather and the rest is man-made
Full grain is the whole hide, this can be split and the top layer (usually known as corrected grain) is used for car seats, furniture etc because it’s hard wearing and usually has an embossed finish with a sealer applied but it will still absorb creams and oils (or spilled drinks etc) and doesn’t feel like plastic. Of course it’s dyed or it wouldn’t have a uniform colour.
“Split” leather (the bottom bit) isn’t strong enough for the wear and tear of the surfaces nor the heat in a car. Generally, split grain is usually used on the non impact areas of home furniture (if you have a leather sofa, you’d probably notice that the sides and back are different to the facings you sit on. This is split) but needs to be kept away from radiators as heat affects and dries it out like cardboard. This is fully sealed and will not absorb.
Full grain is too thick to be used in car interiors as it has little flexibility. It can be used on heavier goods like boots, shoes, leather jackets and handbags. Some handbags are aniline (untreated, very uneven grain and pigment) or semi aniline (some chemical correction) but they need special care and stain easily. They usually have barbed wire marks, tick bite marks and other scarring that’s “masked” on corrected grain leather.
To wit
Mercedes-Benz use Nappa leather on the higher spec cars, and a corrected grain top layer on the mid range stuff. They do use Dynamica (alcantara) and Artico (pvc/vinyl) on the sub compact range (a class/gla/bclass)
In response to the OP
I’d take the leather and the discount.
The dealership can sell the car to someone with less discount than you and order you a new one that may not come im a timescale they cannot control and if the manufacturer downgrades the car (quite common in a world of shortages in microprocessors and other raw materials like copper and wiring looms from Ukraine) a bird in the hand is worth two in Stuttgart
Theres a guy I used to fit my reversing camera, really nice gut called Elliot, he does Skoda / VW / Audi Retrofits. He has done some crazy jobs. I digress, he has all the coding equipment and uses genuine parts and wiring. Link to his facebook page, worth having a browse, he's very reasonably priced but based just outside the M25 / M1 area .
https://www.facebook.com/skodaretrof...X6sibtqg4u2eMl
He's even done tri-zone retrofits on Superbs and the work involved for that type of work is crazy but worth a look - https://www.facebook.com/skodaretrof...SC2brtSWoigfJl
I digress, retro fitting the heating pads, button and pinning the wiring and then coding isn't a massive job for someone who knows what they are doing.
You definitely made the right choice. Alcantara is ok but Leather is way better!
Cheers, Paul
If you say Volvo have never used bonded leather, I would be surprised, but fair enough. But sealed leather used for car seats feels ‘pastic’ no ifs or buts, it does not feel like leather to me because of the protective layer. The top split layer is known as ‘corrected’ grain because it has been corrected, by ‘embossing’ a uniform pattern?
If it's just on the seats. Ask about taking the car and ordering new replacement seats which the AD will swap out at no charge
If the leather is the more expensive option. As many said. Take it, but it is your wife's choice
DON
Another firm vote for ‘Take the leather and the discount’!
1. Going down the Alcantara route gives you the delay and continued uncertainty of delivery.
2. Swapping the seats out is not a great idea, not many mechanics are used to swapping all of the seats out and they are unlikely to do the job as well as the track guys in the factory who can fit seats in their sleep!
3. If you go through the grind of waiting for the car with Alcantara, you can bet your boots that if it starts marking up/showing wear, your wife may well grumble that a ‘happy bunny’ she is not and you should have taken the leather and the discount!
Happy motoring!
Generally the face of the leather is buffed/sanded flat and then goes through a type of press or a roller system where a fake grain is pressed into the surface. It hides wrinkles/bites/scars/stretch marks with a uniform grain rather than the natural grain which would be highly variable in depth and pattern.
“Natural” leather grain. If you zoom in you can even see the hair follicles. From the pic I would guess this is an aniline or semi aniline and completely impractical in a car as this leather is highly absorbant and stain-prone.
Corrected grain
Last edited by RJM25R; 31st July 2022 at 07:08.
Alcantara thermals, the best of both worlds.Thanks again everyone for the opinions and education - much appreciated and we went to the dealership this morning well prepared. Discussions were very amiable - true believers that the polite approach gets us further than aggression.
We looked at the Alcantara in another car in the showroom and to be honest were underwhelmed as it felt more like cloth than the suede feel we had anticipated. Mrs H's only remaining concern was a cold ar** on winter mornings, so in addition to the £720 offered yesterday, they offered to have heated seats retrofitted by a specialist third party at a cost to them of £400. We expressed concern over a third party tampering with the seats and electrics so said we'd instead take the £400 as an additional cash discount. Total discount from list price £2,620 - very happy with the way the Audi dealership handled the situation and Mrs H can use some of it to buy thermal underwear, as a happy wife = happy life :grin:
It’s a Q3 Black Edition and that interior is indeed graphite black and not the pasty grey the photo suggests
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