07-18-2011, 09:50 AM | #1 |
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leatherette seats and my shweaty back
I got my X3 a couple of weeks ago and absolutely love it. However, the one thing I regret is not getting the leather seats. The leatherette seats look fine and are comfortable, but they are H-O-T!
Does anybody recommend a seat cushion that will give me a a little ventilation back there (and under the arse)? Something that doesn't look ridiculous....and isn't huge? I used a towel on my 4 hour trip yesterday and that did help quite a bit, but it kinda looks a bit too trashy for a BMW. |
07-18-2011, 10:14 AM | #2 |
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BMW does have a seat cover accessory for the X3. It is primarily intended for keeping the seats clean, but might also help for heat. Not sure the content of the material though - if it is mostly synthetic then it may not be worth it.
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07-18-2011, 11:12 AM | #4 |
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I have had both over the years, and I find the leatherette does not breath quite as well as the leather. That said, the differences are pretty marginal.
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07-18-2011, 04:24 PM | #5 |
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Leather breathes, whereas the synthetic leatherette cannot and will/must be more liable for sweaty back/arse!
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07-18-2011, 04:50 PM | #6 |
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I have leather and the back of my legs gets hot. It seems as if there is not much air coming out at my feet when that button is selected and I sort of wish there were a choice for my knee area. I had leather in my previous car and don't remember this problem.
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07-18-2011, 08:37 PM | #7 |
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The seats should be perforated and ventilated in this price of vehicle. That being said, I don't find the leatherette seats any worse than leather. Also my leatherette seats on my 335i are holding up much better than the leather did on my 540i.
Last edited by Stephen5242; 07-18-2011 at 09:23 PM.. |
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07-19-2011, 09:28 AM | #9 |
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XB101....the car I switched from is an 08 CTS. The CTS did have leather seats, but I did not have the same problem. Sure they got hot, but I didn't sit there in sweat. I can't speak about BMW leather seats because I haven't sat in them for a long time.
My dad has a ML350 with the MB Tex seats. He has the same problem. I think it is just the nature of the material. Choose wisely....I brought this issue up to help prospective buyers like yourself. I love everything else about the car...it's my only regret. |
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07-19-2011, 09:31 AM | #10 |
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having hot seats doesn't have anything to do with having leatherette vs. leather IMO
They both tend to get hot if the car is placed under direct sunlight for some time. (you could say that when it comes to normal car seats that are in fabric for example)... |
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07-19-2011, 11:58 AM | #11 |
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...I just want to clarify. Yes, all seats are hot, but the leather seats in my other car seemed to breathe better which made it less sweaty back there. I have had a CTS and an Acura TSX and haven't had this problem. Maybe it wasn't the material..maybe it was because both were perforated leather seats...not sure.
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07-19-2011, 01:58 PM | #12 | |
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While I'm sure leather "breathes" better than leatherette I would think other factors such as perforations in the seats or the color would affect how hot they get more so than the type of material (cloth being the exception). I think it might just be the design of the seats Beerfan. I too had perforations in my last car and the seats were leatherette (MB Tex) and they felt cooler than the ones in the X3. I wish the X3 had the option to add ventilated seats; rear passengers can get heated ones, why not ventilated ones for people in the front. |
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07-19-2011, 02:07 PM | #13 |
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I tried leatherette in an Audi a while back and they were sticky hot. Never again. Leather will breathe and will be better. If you can swing it, I would say its worth it if your in a warmer climate.
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07-25-2011, 10:26 PM | #15 |
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the leatherette in the X3 looks really fake and plasticy in black, not sure if beige helps...... the leatherette on the 3 and 5 series are much better looking... Benz has pretty nice leatherette seats and they are hard to spot the difference than real leather.
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07-26-2011, 01:56 AM | #16 |
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12-08-2011, 09:58 AM | #17 |
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I decided to try leatherette since all my cars had leather. My wife was ok with it because we have dogs. Then I started reading some of the posts on leather vs leatherette...and I thought I made a mistake.
So far I am happy with them. Yes they are not as soft to the touch as leather but I am sure I going to be happier with the look in later years. In addition, most of the time you don't really have skin touching leather because of clothing - never tried driving my BMW naked. One advantage that I really like and I don't remember reading is the leatherette on my car has a little rubbery grip and it really holds you in place in turns etc. Whereas leather tends to make you slide a bit from your driving position. Ask me again in the summer, I might change my mind. I was also worried that I might have sweaty skin syndrome. I sweat easy but I doubt leatherette causes an excessive sweaty back unless your clothing/jacket is all synthetic and not breatheable. Last edited by BBMk; 12-10-2011 at 05:52 PM.. Reason: update |
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12-08-2011, 10:33 AM | #18 |
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I have tried leatherette once and that was enough for me. It just gives me that sticky sweaty feeling in the summer. I have never had that issue with real leather on any of my vehicles whether they are perforated or not. I also think leather holds up just as well as leatherette if you take care of it. We kept my wife's last car for 10 years and it had real leather. I used leather conditioner once every six months and it was still like new when we sold it.
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12-08-2011, 10:42 AM | #19 |
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my 08 e90 had black leatherette and it look new when i trade it in mid november it was purchase 07 oct, .. leather wears down quicker tends to crack
i have leatherette and its different from my e90 its feels more like leather, smooth and more refine then previous leatherette in e90..just my 2cents some cant tell if its leather or not even if their car comes with leather..lol |
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12-08-2011, 01:23 PM | #20 |
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The leatherette in my 2004 Rainier VS the one used in my 35i is ridiculously different. The BMW is bounds and leaps better, more comfortable & looks a whole lot better.
With kids/child seats & the mess they do in the back, I'll always take leatherette over cloth/real leather until they're old enough. After a few minutes of blasting the A/C, the whole insta-sweat/burn goes away. |
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12-08-2011, 04:46 PM | #21 |
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Yup, leatherette all the way if you have kids! Plus, you don't have to take care of it like you do with real leather. Just wipe it with anything damp and your all set - good as new!
If you don't have kids, don't spill shit all over and love to spend hours treating it with leather soap every few months - go with real leather!...it is much nicer... |
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12-08-2011, 07:05 PM | #22 |
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The main difference between leatherette and leather is that leather is a natural material which will adjust its temperature to your temperature quickly (therefore the shock of going from hot or cold seats is brief) whereas leatherette is a petrochemical based product which does not breathe and will take longer to adjust to your temperature and which also has a broader spectrum of temperature (it gets colder and hotter than leather will) so the initial shock to your body is greater in both directions.
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