leather or not?

[50p]

Are the seats on the 1'8 Excel hatch 'real' or faux leather?

[TonyHSD]

Without even been in one I can tell that most of materials used are fake, and only real leather can eventually be the bolsters top and bottom and the perforated part that you seat on and the back support, anything else is fake. I also seen not very old Corolla with aged like bolsters therefore I believe they are made of real leather. 👌

[Spo2]

I am a not fan of animal products and ideally would have preferred animal free or synthetic stuff. The brown trims and leather were few reasons that i didn't go for Excel trim of CHR. 

[Cyker]

Vegan Leather!  

[Hornet3D]

6 hours ago, Cyker said:

Vegan Leather!  

Made from banana skins?  I wonder if that means you never have to buy one of those car scent tree things. 😁

[Cyker]

Yeah I don't know why it's suddenly being called Vegan Leather rather than what it actually is (textured vinyl, so basically plastic polymer). Used to just be called synthetic leather or pleather and such, don't know why everything has to be Vegan all of a sudden!

 

[Hornet3D]

The vegan religion is the in thing so if you can get vegan into the description of your product you are on a winner.

I have nothing against vegan living and being diabetic my diet is mainly plant based but what I can understand is why it must emulate non vegan foods, a vegan sausage roll....why?

[flash22]

Leather in normal cars is vinyl, non wear areas sometimes have leather facing (thin leather over a fabric base) considering a hide is £150 up and a full car is a min of 6 hides, a Bentley will use up to 20 hides circa £800 each plus 2-300 hours in labour to make it plus fitting

[Hornet3D]

One complication in all this is the fact that there are many variations in leather, the cheaper leather could even be bonded leather or reconstituted leather which is just scraps of leather glued together to form a sheet.   Which animal the leather comes from also makes a difference as does the processes used to treat the leather.

In addition leather has a few disadvantages when compared with cloth, it gets a lot hotter on sunny days and you slide around a lot more on leather seats.  

End result,  it is a very personal decision but I doubt I would order a car with a leather interior unless and had seen and driven in a similar car first.

[loz8]

Exel has choice,part or all leather and that imo is what it must be. Mine,part and it is leather.

[50p]

Thanks for all the replies.

So, what do I clean the seats with and help prevent the bolsters from cracking, a leather protector or vinyl cleaner?

[loz8]

I'm using leather polish from Mountain Warehouse [only now,7 yrs on] as one side piece is creasing,likely inferior piece.

[TonyHSD]

Leather care anything for sofas or special accessories for car leather seats. I clean mine most often with wet wipes or clear water, when washing the car I also wipe them with a bit of dettol antibacterial spray on microfibre cloth and once in a while I use wipes for leather sofas from dfs, these are two steps, first clean and then cream for preservation. 

[Hornet3D]

15 hours ago, 50p said:

Thanks for all the replies.

So, what do I clean the seats with and help prevent the bolsters from cracking, a leather protector or vinyl cleaner?

I have used Gyeon Q2 leather shield for a number of years on my Honda CRV that had full leather trim.  It does not change the the fell of finish but adds a protection coat.  The leather looked as fresh when I traded it in six years after I purchased it.

It seems a ridiculous price for a 50ml kit which comes with the liquid and applicator pad and suede cloth but you used very little.  I used to use it every 4 - 6 months and one kit lasted me four years.  I have full kit unused which I have no use for as the Aygo I swapped for the CRV has no leather at all.  If you think you can make use of it message me with your address and I will post it to you,

[50p]

6 hours ago, Hornet3D said:

I have full kit unused which I have no use for as the Aygo I swapped for the CRV has no leather at all.  If you think you can make use of it message me with your address and I will post it to you,

Many thanks Paul, really appreciate that. I have messaged you my address 👍

[Hornet3D]

1 hour ago, 50p said:

Many thanks Paul, really appreciate that. I have messaged you my address 👍

Thanks, got the address, I will post that in the morning and advise when I have done so.

[JBond007]

I use UGG leather shoe cleaner and conditioner.  Works great

[AndrueC]

On 3/19/2022 at 5:09 PM, Cyker said:

Yeah I don't know why it's suddenly being called Vegan Leather rather than what it actually is (textured vinyl, so basically plastic polymer). Used to just be called synthetic leather or pleather and such, don't know why everything has to be Vegan all of a sudden!

[tedgillispie]

Hey there! If it's 1.8 Excel hatch, the seats are faux leather. But don't worry, they still look and feel great!

[tedgillispie]

On 8/8/2023 at 7:50 PM, tedgillispie said:

Hey there! If it's 1.8 Excel hatch, the seats are faux leather. But don't worry, they still look and feel great!

Plus, faux leather is often easier to clean and maintain compared to real leather. So, you'll enjoy the luxurious feel without the high maintenance. Go for it and enjoy your comfy rides! But if you want real leather, I suggest you get it from here at https://vonbaer.com/blogs/blog/leather. I hope you like it.