Real leather vs leatherette

G

Greenie3754

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 23, 2003
Location
Kalispell, MT
TDI
1995 4Runner with 2003 ALH Engine
This must be covered somewhere, but no idea where. Would a 2003 Jetta TDI Wagon, GLS, have real leather or leatherette? I swear it is real. I have cut a piece off a torn seat cover, examined it, chewed on it (I know,...) yet I am being told by someone that it is absolutely 100 % leatherette. Open to being redirected to past posts or to comments. Thank you
 
Windex

Windex

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Apr 1, 2006
Location
Cambridge
TDI
05 B5V 01E FRF
The above is true for some German makes like VW, not so with others - I've had toyotas, a subaru, and GM cars that use genuine, perforated leather.

I might add that the perforated seats (leather or leatherette) are a pain to clean. Dirt gets stuck in those little holes far too easily.
 
jokila

jokila

Vendor
Joined
Dec 3, 2004
Location
Houston, Texas
TDI
2003 Jetta GLS, Manual
Even then, most manufacturers don't use real leather all around, just on the sitting and back surfaces. VW included.
 
Jetta_Pilot

Jetta_Pilot

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Apr 14, 2005
Location
West Hill, Ont.
TDI
2015 Passat Highline TDI Candy White (SEL Premium) long gone 2002 Jetta TDI
My 2015 Passat has real leather but only a portion of the seat I think. What you mostly sit on, I think is not or the part where most of your back is. I could be wrong!
 
compu_85

compu_85

Gadget Guy
Joined
Sep 29, 2003
Location
La Conner, WA
TDI
... None :S
The GLS cars with leather (non perforated seats) are real leather. The GLX cars with leather have real leather too, which is much softer than the GLS cars :)

-J
 
oilhammer

oilhammer

Certified Volkswagen Nut & Vendor
Joined
Dec 11, 2001
Location
outside St Louis, MO
TDI
There are just too many to list....
And they all singe your butt and scrote if you sit down on them on a hot day, or cause your scrote to retreat into frightened turtle status if you sit down on them on a cold day. Cloth does neither.

I hate leather/leatherette seats like poison because of this. Sadly, one of my cars is cursed with leather. I do like the nicer steering wheel it gets, though.
 
oilhammer

oilhammer

Certified Volkswagen Nut & Vendor
Joined
Dec 11, 2001
Location
outside St Louis, MO
TDI
There are just too many to list....
So does carpeting. If you are a pig, the surface of the seats won't make much difference. Gross is gross. And I am in and out of some REALLY nasty cars. I would be embarrassed to let anyone see them.
 
Windex

Windex

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Apr 1, 2006
Location
Cambridge
TDI
05 B5V 01E FRF
Leather cleans so much easier.

After the melted crayons & skittles incident of 2004, I won't go back to cloth.
 
oilhammer

oilhammer

Certified Volkswagen Nut & Vendor
Joined
Dec 11, 2001
Location
outside St Louis, MO
TDI
There are just too many to list....
Haha, yeah, neither of those items are ever allowed in my cars. :p

Skittles are a common underseat siting for me, though. They just sort of slowly dissolve into the car. Disgusting.

Here is a recent one:





Here's another winner:



Spent a half an hour digging crap out of the seat tracks on that one.
 
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