Mercedes ‘Artico Leather’ really isn’t…..

[ALFAitalia]

When did they stop using real leather? My 1999 SLK 170, my 2006 W169 A Class and the 2002 208 CLK all had real leather.

 

[HappytalkAgain]

When did they stop using real leather? My 1999 SLK 170, my 2006 W169 A Class and the 2002 208 CLK all had real leather.

You can still opt for real leather on most ranges. But Artico seems to be the no cost standard.

 

[Jobsworth]

Artico really does seem to be some and some. I look after a lot of taxis, mostly E’s with artico seats in all of them. None have failed. I have ordinary customers though who have had ripped seats which we have fixed. Maybe taxi drivers get in and stay there, maybe it’s lots of in and out cycles, maybe it’s the way people sit in the seat, maybe it’s the fidgeting. I don’t know, but I’ve seen artico seats with 250,000 miles, still good and some with 60,000 miles and they have split. I’m intrigued to know.

 

[rf065]

Artico really does seem to be some and some. I look after a lot of taxis, mostly E’s with artico seats in all of them. None have failed. I have ordinary customers though who have had ripped seats which we have fixed. Maybe taxi drivers get in and stay there, maybe it’s lots of in and out cycles, maybe it’s the way people sit in the seat, maybe it’s the fidgeting. I don’t know, but I’ve seen artico seats with 250,000 miles, still good and some with 60,000 miles and they have split. I’m intrigued to know.

Our old CLK had 130,000 on the clock before the drivers seat showed the slightest start of a tear in the Artico. I recall at the time reading an interview with a car upholstery guy who said thin people with bony backsides cause the most damage because all their weight is concentrated on one spot whereas fat folk spread the weight evenly across the whole seat. Maybe he knows something?

 

[Jobsworth]

Our old CLK had 130,000 on the clock before the drivers seat showed the slightest start of a tear in the Artico. I recall at the time reading an interview with a car upholstery guy who said thin people with bony backsides cause the most damage because all their weight is concentrated on one spot whereas fat folk spread the weight evenly across the whole seat. Maybe he knows something?

That fits with my taxi driver customers to be fair

 

[Gollom]

Our old CLK had 130,000 on the clock before the drivers seat showed the slightest start of a tear in the Artico. I recall at the time reading an interview with a car upholstery guy who said thin people with bony backsides cause the most damage because all their weight is concentrated on one spot whereas fat folk spread the weight evenly across the whole seat. Maybe he knows something?

I resemble that remark.......

 

[MikeInWimbledon]

When did they stop using real leather? My 1999 SLK 170, my 2006 W169 A Class and the 2002 208 CLK all had real leather.

1990’s when real leather because a £1-2,000 option when you bought the car.

Artico is far easier to maintain, doesn’t damage and stain, and is “ecologically” preferable for many people.

This is nothing unique to MB it’s a car industry thing.

I had Artico in my W210 E55, S500 W220, W221, and most of my V8 S211’s and S212’s. It looks fine, even in an “Ambassadorial” Limo, just doesn’t need maintenance apart from an occasional very simple wipe down clean.

If leather wasn’t listed as an extra on the original sales invoice, it’ll be artico or MBTex.

 

[noogieman]

Donald Trump would have said it's all fake
Seriously what is MB thinking offering fake leather for their premium cars, what a disgrace!

 

[noogieman]

Our old CLK had 130,000 on the clock before the drivers seat showed the slightest start of a tear in the Artico. I recall at the time reading an interview with a car upholstery guy who said thin people with bony backsides cause the most damage because all their weight is concentrated on one spot whereas fat folk spread the weight evenly across the whole seat. Maybe he knows something?

One and only time it's good to be phat.

 

[rf065]

Seriously what is MB thinking offering fake leather for their premium cars, what a disgrace!

Traditional leather manufacture is not eco friendly, involves a lot of chemicals etc. Blame the greens for forcing manufacturers to look at other options.

 

[BTB 500]

The Artico seats in our 2007 C class had no damage or significant wear when we sold it on approx. 130k miles. I've no doubt there have been changes to the formula/spec. over the years though.

 

[Petrol Pete]

FYI:

View attachment 160116

C124, 28 years old, 157k miles, driven exclusively by a lardy fat bstard...

(I will admit the seats are due a clean)

Bit of a 'low miler' , but stood up well .

 

[noogieman]

Traditional leather manufacture is not eco friendly, involves a lot of chemicals etc. Blame the greens for forcing manufacturers to look at other options.

You mean like that fanatic nasty Swedish weirdo Greta Thunberg?
There's a special place for her burning on historic scrapyard

 

[ALFAitalia]

Traditional leather manufacture is not eco friendly, involves a lot of chemicals etc. Blame the greens for forcing manufacturers to look at other options.

So you are saying that making seats out of plastic uses LESS chemicals and raw materials (like oil) than grass grown leather?.....I don't know one way or the other....just asking.....And what happens to all the unused leather? .....the cows will still be eaten so where is all the unused leather going.....landfill??

 

[ToeKnee]

so where is all the unused leather going

Gimp suits for drivers of Italian diesel cars, perhaps......

 

[rf065]

So you are saying that making seats out of plastic uses LESS chemicals and raw materials (like oil) than grass grown leather?.....I don't know one way or the other....just asking.....And what happens to all the unused leather? .....the cows will still be eaten so where is all the unused leather going.....landfill??

Not sure, but the traditional dying process is so anti eco friendly that leather is now coloured with vinyl paint instead and has been for many years.
I don't think the chemicals and process is the problem in itself, it's how the used chemicals are disposed off after the manufacturing process, leather dying typically involves the use of chromium, heavy metals, and formaldehyde.

 

[MikeInWimbledon]

So you are saying that making seats out of plastic uses LESS chemicals and raw materials (like oil) than grass grown leather?.....I don't know one way or the other....just asking.....And what happens to all the unused leather? .....the cows will still be eaten so where is all the unused leather going.....landfill??

You know that, and we know that, but eco evangelists live in Ethics not Essex.

(OK, real pukka nappa doesn't come from routine cows but your point still remains valid)

 

[MikeInWimbledon]

The Artico seats in our 2007 C class had no damage or significant wear when we sold it on approx. 130k miles. I've no doubt there have been changes to the formula/spec. over the years though.

Chiseled whippet ?

 

[noogieman]

Gimp suits for drivers of Italian diesel cars, perhaps......

You think Tarantino will make a sequel to Pulpa Fiction?

 

[Connoisseur]

Nope. Trimmers fix that kind of fault all the time. Most people sit on Artico (aka Vinyl) and fake leather. Real leather seats are a rarity.

Their websites, Facebook pages and Insta feeds show their work.

May well have been a panel replacement rather than a stitch or whole seat pad, but it's still a job that costs less that £100 all in.

But Mercedes thanks you for your contribution. 90% of car company profit comes from parts, service, insurance and finance rather than car sales.

Every little bit helps

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This is a replacement of the Artico perforated centre section in the current model Mercedes A-B-C-E CLA-GLA supplied and fitted in our workshop

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Autotrim Limited Manchester

Mercedes Artico (vinyl) seat repairs. We stock authentic Mercedes Artico vinyl that is used in most Mercedes models. This vinyl is well known for cracking and splitting over time. We can replace each...

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Missed this. Assume you are on big commission here? Why, well:

Costs to me: part £270, fitting £96, 2 hrs of my time. Result brand new seat cushion, last for years all done for £366

Your ‘cheaper’ and ‘green’ alternatives:

Remove seat, ship to Manchester/Sheffield/Middlesbrough ££££££ who knows, no car until repaired seat shipped back £much more cost of my time £ much, much more
Or drive car to same, stay overnight(s) ££££ wait till fixed ££ many more not green carbon emissions cost of my time £ much, much more
Get back repaired seat cushion still >6 years old, likely to fail again cost of repair (not black) £200 ish

So with either option cost likely nearer £1k, just for a repair

Thanks all the same but am very happy with my lo cost/high quality and trusted solution