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BMW 3-Series (E90 E92) Forum > BMW E90/E92/E93 3-series General Forums > General E90 Sedan / E91 Wagon / E92 Coupe / E93 Cabrio > leather vs leatherette



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      04-07-2005, 02:41 PM   #1
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leather vs leatherette

What do you all think? Would like to hear from previous and current owners on their thoughts, likes, dislikes on both materials. Does leatherette cracks like leather does?
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      04-07-2005, 02:53 PM   #2
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I've sat in an E90 at the NY auto show which had the beige leatherette. I have to say that it felt pretty nice (not as nice as leather obviously), but I personally think nice enough for me to save the money on the leather. It felt comparable to leatherette in the E46 (no better, no worse). But, I think if you're going with leatherette, maybe consider a darker color as opposed to beige since the brighter colors will show that it's non-leather more obviously than do darker colors. Black will be the most realistic. Leatherette is easy to maintain - just wipe with wet towel. As for cracking, I'll leave it up to members who have actually had leatherette for a prolonged period.

What car color/leatherette color are you considering?
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      04-07-2005, 11:20 PM   #3
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i seen 3 year old leatherette in the E46 and saw no cracking. also holds up better than leather does, cleans up easier and doesn't get as hot/cold(tho of course more than fabric). if you must have the real feel of leather than get it...if not then leatherete is plent good
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      04-08-2005, 02:01 AM   #4
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Thanks for the replies. I'll definitely getting black interior but haven't decided on ext color. I'm considering SG, silver, and metallic black. I love the carbon black metallic on the E46 M3. kind of have that bluish tint to it under daylight and looks black at night. I asked about getting it special ordered thru bmw individual and it would cost an additional $3000. Don't think it's worth it but the dealer suggests that the monaco blue is very close to the carbon black metallic. I'm yet to see the monaco blue in person.
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      04-08-2005, 11:19 AM   #5
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believe it or not, Im a big fan of leatherette. I think its far superior to leather. To me, the leather only had one advantage, and that was the name... if you tell people you have Leather, they go oooohh and ahhhhh, but otherwise theres is nothing good about it. The leather starts to look like crap after a few years of sitting in it, and it really does not cope well with dirt or stains.

Leatherette on the other hand looks just like new after 3 years of heavy use, and you can clean them so easily.. stains arent much of a problem. I also kind of like the tiny bit of stiffness of the leatherette, comes in handy on long highway drives

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      04-08-2005, 11:40 AM   #6
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I refuse to pay for BMW leather anymore. First it should be standard on an automobile of this caliber and second it is not worth the money considering how bad it looks in 2-3 years.

BTW, it is pathetic that other manufactures offer leather standard for the same MSRP or less.
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      04-08-2005, 02:17 PM   #7
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I bet with most ppl if you don't tell them that it's not leather, they won't even notice. The first time I sat in leatherette I didn't think it wasn't leather either...had me fooled
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      04-08-2005, 02:40 PM   #8
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Texture, feel, and smell are the big three that give it away for me.
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      04-08-2005, 09:20 PM   #9
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I have 'ette on my E46 and will be ordering it on my E90. Still looks like brand new on my car with 2 kids and sometimes a large dog. Only downside is that it doesn't breathe as well as leather -- when it's really hot plan on a wet back.
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      04-09-2005, 05:49 PM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SCA
Texture, feel, and smell are the big three that give it away for me.
True, but smell goes away after a while anyway.
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      04-11-2005, 01:58 AM   #11
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I ordered my E90 with leatherette. A year ago, two guys at a school I was attending had their newly ordered E46s side-by-side. One had leather and the other didn't. I checked 'em out pretty closely and that's when I decided to get "pleather". I could use the money somewhere else.
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      04-12-2005, 01:29 AM   #12
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Great post. I am happy that I am saving some money as well and am getting the Leatherette. Luckily im getting black because it sounds like the best ette to get. Great info here and I cannot wait to get my new car.

Is anybody else here thinking about there new baby 24 hours a day? I feel like time is stopped and I am just dying to get it.
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      04-12-2005, 03:13 AM   #13
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Yeah me too. Can't get it off of my head. My girlfriend is sick of me talking about it. I wish it would just come sooner....DURB
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      04-12-2005, 05:58 AM   #14
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Guys, I was the same exact way right before I got my e46. The only thing that got me through it was coming to a forum and sharing my obsession with other folks with the same problem. Really, this place is like a self-help group

Hi, my name is Jon, and I'm a E90 addict.
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      04-12-2005, 07:10 AM   #15
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I'm going with black leatherette, too. It was either leather or Logic 7 and Logic 7 won by a landslide.
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      04-12-2005, 09:04 PM   #16
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Hi I'm Ed....and i'm an addict.....whew!!!
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      04-12-2005, 09:30 PM   #17
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Quote:
Originally Posted by tim916
I'm going with black leatherette, too. It was either leather or Logic 7 and Logic 7 won by a landslide.

Good choice I think the improvement from the stock audio system to Logic 7 will be bigger than the improvement from leatherette to leather.
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      04-13-2005, 03:21 PM   #18
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My 2 cents during the comparison.

While comparing the leather and leatherette, the owner of the car with leather kept on saying " I should have gotten the NAV system instead of leather" and "if I would have known leatherette looked this good I wouldn't have wasted my money.

I looked at both cars closely and I was impressed with 'rette. Honestly, if nobody told me that 'rette wasn't real leather, I wouldn't have known the difference. The 'rette fit and finish looked better while comparing it side by side because real leather had imperfections like gash marks and grainy pores that comes with real leather. I have to admit the leather felt better while touching both materials and was softer. 'Rette was stiffer and slightly rougher.

My bottom line, if both materials are priced the same, I would pick leather. But since leather costs an extra $1400 , I didn't think it was worth the extra $$$$ since 'rette really looked good and is known to be more durable.
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      04-22-2005, 02:36 AM   #19
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mduchesne
Great post. I am happy that I am saving some money as well and am getting the Leatherette. Luckily im getting black because it sounds like the best ette to get. Great info here and I cannot wait to get my new car.

Is anybody else here thinking about there new baby 24 hours a day? I feel like time is stopped and I am just dying to get it.
I feel like wallpapering my home with e-90 pics so I don't have to log on to the net so much. And I might even do something stupid, like pay retail and buy one with options I don't need out of dealer stock.
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      04-22-2005, 07:01 AM   #20
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Quote:
Originally Posted by soon2be90
I feel like wallpapering my home with e-90 pics so I don't have to log on to the net so much.
You mean you haven't done it already!?! What kind of e90 fan are you?? Yea I've been changing my desktop wallpaper almost daily... every e90 photo looks good to me.
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      04-22-2005, 07:29 AM   #21
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Hi, my name is Nathan, and i'm an e90-oholic as well.

I think i have you guys beat. I have four flat panel monitors and two notebooks, and have e90 pictures on every one of them as wallpaper. My wife and friends are fed up of me talking about it.

Why can't June 1 be here already!

Nathan
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      04-22-2005, 10:07 AM   #22
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Quote:
Originally Posted by AskNiko
While comparing the leather and leatherette, the owner of the car with leather kept on saying " I should have gotten the NAV system instead of leather" and "if I would have known leatherette looked this good I wouldn't have wasted my money.

I looked at both cars closely and I was impressed with 'rette. Honestly, if nobody told me that 'rette wasn't real leather, I wouldn't have known the difference. The 'rette fit and finish looked better while comparing it side by side because real leather had imperfections like gash marks and grainy pores that comes with real leather. I have to admit the leather felt better while touching both materials and was softer. 'Rette was stiffer and slightly rougher.

My bottom line, if both materials are priced the same, I would pick leather. But since leather costs an extra $1400 , I didn't think it was worth the extra $$$$ since 'rette really looked good and is known to be more durable.
Exactly. Spend your money on the options that are really going to be useful and fun, like NAV and premium sound.

Of course, if you've got the cash, then there's nothing wrong with getting the real thing, but don't feel compelled to get leather just because it's a BMW.
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