What exactly is leatherette

[skiguy1981]

Is it vinyl or something?

[Oregon]

Effectively, also called pleather, among other things. Wiki expands on the subject - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pleather

[ad78]

Check the 08 135i with boston leather. on bolster you will see the smooth shitty thingy leather. And thats the leatherette

[BSM 135i]

Originally Posted by ad78

Check the 08 135i with boston leather. on bolster you will see the smooth shitty thingy leather. And thats the leatherette

WAIT WAIT...I PAID FOR BOSTON LEATHER AND I GOT A LITTLE LEATHERETTE THROWN IN????!!!

[Lester]

Letherette, or imitation leather has been around for many years. Naugahyde, Pleather, leatherette - all names for the same thing. Of course, like anything else, the quality varies and you get what you pay for. The leatherette that BMW uses has always been very good over the years. It is very durable, wears well and looks great.

BMW puts the leathette section in the bolster because they know it will wear better than the thin leather that they use, so they are simply doing you a favor. Most people can't even tell the difference. Shhhh......

[Oregon]

All my buds thought the interior was leather, didn't have the heart to string em' out, informed em' it was ye olde' plastic leather.

[Lester]

Same here. BMW leatherette rocks. Let's all check back in about 5 years with pictures and see who is happiest. I don't knock anyone for getting leather, it is real nice - especially when it is new. I had to go for the pragmatic choice, though.

[KathyFG]

Yeah, basically it is fake leather. In the Bimmer, it is extremely nice and "leather-like." I looked at it before deciding. For me, although I like leather, I am extremely lazy about taking care of it, and I plan on keeping my 128i a while, so I decided on the leatherette. The coral red leather was awfully tempting, but I knew in the long run, for me (and my lazy ways), I'd be happier with the 'ette. And it really is a nice quality.

[BlackjackMulligan]

Originally Posted by Lester

Same here. BMW leatherette rocks. Let's all check back in about 5 years with pictures and see who is happiest. I don't knock anyone for getting leather, it is real nice - especially when it is new. I had to go for the pragmatic choice, though.

I'll happily compare with you.....cause I take care of my leather

true though, without frequent care, real leather can deteriorate

[nordique14]

I wish they offered the 'ette in more color choices. taupe and black are not enough. leather offers another 5 color choices (if you include the P1 choices).

[jkp1187]

Originally Posted by nordique14

I wish they offered the 'ette in more color choices. taupe and black are not enough. leather offers another 5 color choices (if you include the P1 choices).

Even better, I wish that the taupe offered the two-tone black/taupe on the doors and dashboard like savannah beige or coral red. That two-tone interior look is pretty cool. The monochrome taupe leatherette interior is really boring.

[mugennosora]

it's the girly leather...

[lib]

Originally Posted by BSM 135i

WAIT WAIT...I PAID FOR BOSTON LEATHER AND I GOT A LITTLE LEATHERETTE THROWN IN????!!!

That's standard procedure for most car manufacturers. In my understanding the "real leather" option for most brands only gives you real leather on the seat surfaces that touch the driver & passengers. Seat backs, sides, trim and sometimes bolsters will still be the "fake leather".

I believe BMW is one of the manufacturers that does this but I'm not sure how extensive it is.

[MadMan77]

It is vinyl. Plain and simple. It is just textured to look like leather.

[pit1]

Originally Posted by ad78

Check the 08 135i with boston leather. on bolster you will see the smooth shitty thingy leather. And thats the leatherette

Wait a minute here...I'm not sure I agree with that. I think that smooth strip is actually a more supple leather and more prone to wear. Which is why they have swapped it in '09 for the more durable textured leather. I'll check again today, but my wear marks to date scream LEATHER. The armrest... Definitely leatherette, and poorly done if I might add.

Indications of leatherette:
1) a bit stiffer, especially when cold
2) doesn't smell like leather
3) dig your fingernail into it, Leatherette will stretch and flex a bit
4) Leatherette can often be cut more easily, in which you'll see the layer of vinyl lined backed with some sort of cloth.

Of all that I've seen, BMW leatherette gets the cake. My wife has it in her Jetta, I like it, but a bit too hard IMO.

Yes, most manufacturers use leatherette to complete their interior leather "trimmings" Audi is notorious for this, it's been worse since the A4-B6 platform where only seat surface is leather. Even my Dad's $90K Cayenne GTS has sheets of leatherette wrapped between the leather and alcantera. BMW, however generally has a more complete leather interior, at least with seat sides and full headrest wrapped in leather.

[skiguy1981]

thanks for all the great info

[ad78]

my mistake. it was a leather not leatherette

http://www.1addicts.com/forums/showt...ht=leatherette