True Leather in Astra SRi/Sri-T/CDX/VXR?

[MitchSRi]

I was just looking in the dealer brochure and it states "leather faced/leather wrapped".

I know some cars have "imitation" leather that contains PVC.

Do the model astras in subject have genuine leather or artificial?

From the smell when they are wiped with a damp cloth I'd be inclined to think they are genuine leather.

Can anyone confirm?

[SIMid]

Leather faced/wrapped meaning the surfaces your butt and back touch are the leather bits. Everything else wrapped around the back is vinyl. My Calibra had the turbo leather interior which I had mended by a trimmer which showed and explained it to me the different textures.

[USC]

so....the interior is not all leather in the sri(t and non-t)/vxr??

[Shaun]

VXR i believe are. At 5k a pop for each Recaro Seat they would want to be.

[USC]

well, the aussie sri-t/vxr seems to be all leather (sri-t just has less comfy/supportive seats). I have seen pics of VXR`s in the UK where they had the half leather/half cloth seat.

[RudeOne]

VXR i believe are. At 5k a pop for each Recaro Seat they would want to be.


Leather faced, vinyl back - :(

[Wraith]

As Simon mentioned is correct - only the seating surfaces are genuine leather (which are of all differing types and qualities) the rest is either vinyl or some other form of polymer compound...

Most seats are made this way, 5k each or not !!!

You can get full covered leather seats from some car brands that allow you to order them that way as an option, IMHO it's a waste of money...

BTW 5k per seat must be the GMH replacement cost, (typical GMH rip off as mentioned so many times) because last I checked when I was looking for a set of custom top shelf Recaros for a project of mine (these were way over the VXR spec seats) they were going to cost me $4,200ea. including all delivery costs...a typical high end Recaro seat was worth around $1,800-$2,500ea.

[USC]

how about the bit around the door handle? is that leather?

[imay]

Can only speak on behalf of the convertible owners, but I believe (as mentioned earlier) the seat base and back "face" is leather, the ruffle trim on the doors and the head rests is leather. Everything else is vinyl, and not that good a quality I might add!. But then, having said that, the leather is not of a particularly good quality either. Considering the excellent material used on the roof, the interior leather quality is a bit of a disappointment.

[Wraith]

Can only speak on behalf of the convertible owners, but I believe (as mentioned earlier) the seat base and back "face" is leather, the ruffle trim on the doors and the head rests is leather. Everything else is vinyl, and not that good a quality I might add!. But then, having said that, the leather is not of a particularly good quality either. Considering the excellent material used on the roof, the interior leather quality is a bit of a disappointment.

They're 'bargain basement' Recaros in the Astras Ian, so the leather quality is not a prestine one...

The models fitted to the VXR are better, but still not top shelf...

As I've mentioned the quality of the leather is of differing standards, you can get better, but it raises the cost by a substantial margin and even the best leathers eventually wear and look shitty :(

[imay]

Quite right, Ange. As I mentioned to you when in Melbourne, a friend of mine in Tassie (the coach builder) was amazed at the quality of the roof and interior materials on a car under 50K. I have an open invitation to pop over and have a full re-trim anytime if I want quality work.
Just one problem . . . there's no way I could justify spending the money on the quality of leathers this guy would be using. He's used to re-trimming classic RR, Bentley, Aston Martins, Ferrari, etc., in the land of the well-heeled retiree that just happens to be passionate about classic cars.

So, although not top shelf leathers, they aren't bad. And with a bit of tender loving care should last for many years to come yet (I hope, anyway).

[Red AH SRI T]

just be thankful you didn't go out and spend $60k on a Mercedes C Class to get home and find out the seats are pure vinyl. Not a dead cow in sight

[tim_]

just be thankful you didn't go out and spend $60k on a Mercedes C Class to get home and find out the seats are pure vinyl. Not a dead cow in sight

are you joking? surely they're not vinyl...

[Red AH SRI T]

I'm serious.

They used to call it MB Text, IIRC. Its now called ARTICO. But it is not real leather. Even the C63 has vinyl seats as standard.

[Greg K]

its not the same vinyl that looks cheap and nasty... its an artificial leather. same physical properties and feel as leather, just not from an animal... im sure animal right activists are happy to hear that. techincally it is a vinyl, simply because it a man made leather

[Wraith]

its not the same vinyl that looks cheap and nasty... its an artificial leather. same physical properties and feel as leather, just not from an animal... im sure animal right activists are happy to hear that. techincally it is a vinyl, simply because it a man made leather

It's called vinyl because that's the polymer/plastic compound it's made from, but yes it's synthetic or man made not natural :)

Also ' if ' it looks as good or better than genuine leather and ' if ' it has equal or better wear properties, then I say why not ???

As I've already mentioned, even top shelf leathers eventually wear badly and look and smell like crap, so what's all the big fuss about leather anyways - it only looks/feels good when in new or newer condition...

Seen too many 5-10 year old S/H cars or even less years than that with leather interiors that need to be re-upholstered from how bad the leather looks, even those that have been treated with 'proper' products !!!

[USC]

its called pleather....it also comes in the Merc E class.

[Wraith]

its called pleather....it also comes in the Merc E class.

That's the marketing or sales 'pitch word' LOL - otherwise people would be turned off to hear or read what it actually is, ie: vinyl :)

Make something sound nice enough and people will buy it LOL :D

[USC]

lol!! pleather = plasticleather:D

[OPC]

its called pleather.....

is that similar to SHIM ?

[tim_]

is that similar to SHIM ?

hahahahahaha thats awesome



i dunno. i never knew this before and it makes me glad i never went ahead and forked out the thousands of dollars to have the interior done in my car!

[Wraith]

lol!! pleather = plasticleather:D

I knew that.... :)

It's alot better for selling purposes or marketing saying or calling it an abbreviated word like pleather rather than the full word plastic leather, or vinyl ;)

[imay]

"Leatherette" is a another favorite from UK and Europe. It's probably got about as much leather in it as my skin has, but it does tie in nicely with the leather seats of the convertible.

[Apex]

The stuff in mine is crap, has no leather smell and has worn very poorly considering the amount of Aloe Cleaner and conditioner I have used in an effort to keep them nice.

Jump into a Lexus if you want to know what real leather is!

[Wraith]

The stuff in mine is crap, has no leather smell and has worn very poorly considering the amount of Aloe Cleaner and conditioner I have used in an effort to keep them nice.

Jump into a Lexus if you want to know what real leather is!

Totally agree...

As I've stated, the leather interiors in most cars look and smell like crap after a little time :(

I've seen many 6 -12 month old Astras and Commodores with the drivers leather seat looking totally shabby compared to the rest of the 'unused' interior...

With regards to the Lexus, there are many reasons why they're winning award after award, even against Europes best ;)

[USC]

The stuff in mine is crap, has no leather smell and has worn very poorly considering the amount of Aloe Cleaner and conditioner I have used in an effort to keep them nice.

Jump into a Lexus if you want to know what real leather is!

u prob. put too much aloe cleaner that wore down the leather even more.

[Apex]

Na, it’s actually quite gentle and I have done it every two months. I am sceptical that is in actual fact leather.

[Wraith]

Na, it’s actually quite gentle and I have done it every two months. I am sceptical that is in actual fact leather.

The seating surfaces are in fact leather, just a cheap grade of it and the colouring would also be a cheaper type...

If you look at the recommendations for maintanance of high quality leather (such as domestic lounges etc.) they do specify to NOT use any products or treatments, but simply use water and a non abrasive (cotton) cloth for cleaning and that's it...

That's how I've always looked after my leather gear, both car interiors and my expensive home furniture :)

I've seen heaps of cars that've been treated with leather polishes etc. IMHO they've turned out crap, that shiny look makes em look cheap IMHO and most are so slippery after such treatments, you slide off the seats !!!

[sooty]

It's called vinyl because that's the polymer/plastic compound it's made from

Ding ding ding...we've got a winner.
Vinyl, for those who are interested, is a sub class of polymers bearing a monosubstituted ethylene molecule (-CH=CH2);)
Therefore the rear of your seats have characteristics resemble Clag (that glue you used in prep :p) and PVC pipes...
Lucky that the substituted group changes the property ey, or it could be a very sticky, hard ride lol....

[Wraith]

Ding ding ding...we've got a winner.
Vinyl, for those who are interested, is a sub class of polymers bearing a monosubstituted ethylene molecule (-CH=CH2);)
Therefore the rear of your seats have characteristics resemble Clag (that glue you used in prep :p) and PVC pipes...
Lucky that the substituted group changes the property ey, or it could be a very sticky, hard ride lol....

Engineers/engineering students do think alike :)

[sooty]

Engineers/engineering students do think alike :)

Lol, very true....we're all one and the same...:p

[USC]

r u a chemical engineer?

[Wraith]

r u a chemical engineer?

Are you referring to me USC ??

If so, no not chemical - I'm structural, but have also covered material sciences, including metallurgy and mechanical engineering courses :)

[USC]

cool!! :)

[sooty]

r u a chemical engineer?

Materials Engineer here :)
Well...will be in three years time lol...

[RudeOne]

I used to be involved in furniture manufacturing few years back now, and one thing i learnt early on is the treatments in most cases can cause more damage then they are worth - my advice is only wipe the seats down with warm water and a clean cloth one a week - it is the chemicals in your sweat that damage the surface finish of leater. In lower model cars the leather surace is a normally painted finish so once you scratch it you will see natural leather colour. In better quaility leathers they use full grain/full skin (not cut or split) and dipped in colour not painted, so the colour is all the way through not just the surface.

Back on cheap leathers - the top layer of leather is the softer more luxurious part of the leather, behind that this material is stiff and rough -they stamp and paint it to make it look like the top layer - you might as well have vinyl.

Vinyl technology has improved so much these days that in fact some vinyls are better quaility than "split" leathers.

Obviously this is just my experience/opinion and only just a basic overview...

I have had my VXR on the road for almost 1.5 years now, and it is my daily driver - the quaility of the leather is very good considering the vxr is not a 100k lexus etc. no signs of wear and tear and once cleaned with some water looks as new - still matches the back seats :) The pin hole style centre leather also helps avoid wear because the leather has the flexiblity to move breathe etc.

[guy 27]

Materials Engineer here :)
Well...will be in three years time lol...

Too many engineers. I too will be a mechanical engineer in around 3 years.

[USC]

I finished my engineering course 3 years ago.

[SIMid]

I finished my engineering course 3 years ago.

I gave up playing with Lego 26yrs ago.

[USC]

I gave up playing with Lego 26yrs ago.

r u that old? haha...what do u play with now?;)

[tim_]

what do all men play with?

[USC]

what do all men play with?

their cars?:p

[Wraith]

their cars?:p

I'd have to agree with that one ;)