Not Leather Interior in Mercedes Cars

[Clawhamer]

Collect my car in a couple of weeks. First Mercedes so all this fake leather trickery is new to me. How do I know if I have real leather or if I’ve unknowingly paid extra for plastic?

 

[Scooby_Doo]

What car ??

 

[Gazwould]

Leather

Plastic , well half plastic !

 

[Petrol Pete]

Collect my car in a couple of weeks. First Mercedes so all this fake leather trickery is new to me. How do I know if I have real leather or if I’ve unknowingly paid extra for plastic?

If its brand new and not top of the range there is a good chance it is not leather.

 

[Clawhamer]

What car ??

C300 coupe.

 

[Clawhamer]

Leather

Plastic , well half plastic !

Thanks but I don’t have the car yet so can’t compare to your images. I haven’t actually seen a C Class with the leather because I rushed into this car, by my standards.

 

[Clawhamer]

If its brand new and not top of the range there is a good chance it is not leather.

It is new but not top of the range as this would be the c63/43. I did pay for the “leather” upholstery option though so will be furious if it’s not real leather. It makes it clear that the standard seats are covered with Artico “man made leather” but it literally just says “leather” on the option i selected. Surely it can’t be man-made?

 

[markjay]

How can anyone prefer Artico , it's beyond comprehension .

I do, actually... mine looks new after 6 years, very easy to clean and does not require special care.

I ran a full leather car for a number of years, the stretching and cracking that developed over the years and which some refer to as 'character' just isn't my thing, and constantly using various lotions and ointments to combat wear wasn't fun for me either.

Said that... it's a personal choice. And I do appreciate that most people do prefer leather, or it wouldn't be a sought-after option on the second-hand market.

 

[markjay]

It is new but not top of the range as this would be the c63/43. I did pay for the “leather” upholstery option though so will be furious if it’s not real leather. It makes it clear that the standard seats are covered with Artico “man made leather” but it literally just says “leather” on the option i selected. Surely it can’t be man-made?

If it's a new car and the option says 'leather', it will be real cowhide.

(There are different types and quality of leather, but that's a separate issue...)

It's the second-hand dealers who usually omit the "man-made" bit when wording their adverts. The factory orders however are very very clear as to what's what.

 

[Scooby_Doo]

It is new but not top of the range as this would be the c63/43. I did pay for the “leather” upholstery option though so will be furious if it’s not real leather. It makes it clear that the standard seats are covered with Artico “man made leather” but it literally just says “leather” on the option i selected. Surely it can’t be man-made?

The "Leather" option you paid for is the real deal, genuine dead cow.
C Coupe has artico/dynamica as standard, so won't be difficult to see if it's leather.

 

[Gazwould]

I do, actually... mine looks new after 6 years, very easy to clean and does not require special care.

I ran a full leather car for a number of years, the stretching and cracking that developed over the years and which some refer to as 'character' just isn't my thing, and constantly using various lotions and ointments to combat wear wasn't fun for me either.

I enjoy it , choice of finish and smell , maybe takes 3 minutes for full interior , a thick cream longer .

I can only hazard a guess at a poorly back MJ ?

 

[markjay]

...I can only hazard a guess at a poorly back MJ ?

That's part of it, yes.

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

It is new but not top of the range as this would be the c63/43. I did pay for the “leather” upholstery option though so will be furious if it’s not real leather. It makes it clear that the standard seats are covered with Artico “man made leather” but it literally just says “leather” on the option i selected. Surely it can’t be man-made?

Have you looked at the car configurator?

I just did. when selecting options for upholstery you can choose between Artico and Leather. At the point of selection, Artico is described as being man made leather, and Leather is described as Being leather. On that basis I suspect that if you selected Leather then it will beleather.

However I’m fairly sure that some parts of the car will be made of Artico or some other plastic which looks like leather, perhaps the sides of the seat, dashboard top, or door trim, etc. If you want leather everywhere then AMG can do that for you, not many do though.

Finally, this isn’t a Mercedes thing, it’s a car thing. Most, if not all, mainstream manufacturers have a man made leather option. Most people wouldn’t know the difference, most car sales people wouldn’t know the difference, and so it can easily be described incorrectly, like models eg C 220 AMG.

 

[Clawhamer]

Thanks for all replies. Sounds like I have real leather seats then. I didn’t factory order this car as I would have opted for the leather dashboard which is a no cost option and clearly states it’s made from man-made leather. Would’ve looked good with the stitching to match the real leather seats. Seems crazy not to tick this option especially when choosing leather seats. However, I could not find one car available in this country with that option. is there a reason people avoid it?

I splurged on my current car and opted for extended leather. As standard it came with merino leather anyway and the option adds real leather to the dashboard and doors. The merino leather is really soft, unlike BMW’s cheaper Dakota leather. Does anybody have experience of these leathers and Mercedes leather and can tell me what to expect?

I’m aware that I’m sounding like some kind of leather snob, lol.

 

[chrisk2010]

I just spray real leather air freshener around close my eyes and pretend .

If you have real leather what you need is some high quality plastic seat covers to protect it.

 

[Scooby_Doo]

I have Artico in my C class and is still like new after 2 years. I've had a few cars with real leather and they haven't worn as well , the worst was a Mk II Audi TT where the seat base looked like an elephant's **** after 12000 miles. Audi agreed to replace it under warranty, a special fix apparently, as most MkII's and even Audi R8's had the same problem.

 

[Smart320]

Had Artico in my ML and drivers seat side bolster started splitting , car had only done about 70 k , maybe previous owner was big or wore jeans with rivets in them , much prefer the Nappa Leather in my SLK

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

Had Artico in my ML and drivers seat side bolster started splitting , car had only done about 70 k , maybe previous owner was big or wore jeans with rivets in them , much prefer the Nappa Leather in my SLK

Was it half-Artico and half-cloth by any chance?

 

[alabbasi]

MB tex is pretty good stuff. It's not leather but wears like iron and does not feel cheap and oily. I'd rather have it than the cheap leather used on lesser brand of cars.
It's also on the build sheet so anyone buying without looking at the build sheet only have themselves to blame.

 

[Clawhamer]

I took my son to look at a car with Amtico/Dynamica and he said the sm

MB tex is pretty good stuff. It's not leather but wears like iron and does not feel cheap and oily. I'd rather have it than the cheap leather used on lesser brand of cars.
It's also on the build sheet so anyone buying without looking at the build sheet only have themselves to blame.

Not seen any mention of MB tex in the UK. Only heard it mentioned in YouTube videos from the USA/Canada. Is it the North American name for Amtico?