Alcantara/leather seats

[James.Asbri]

Hi all,

Has anybody got any interior pictures of the above with a close up if possible, yet to see a car with this material?

Also, to those who have this do you find it easy to maintain and does it look any good, I quite like the look of the material from the configurator?

Thanks

James

 

[NHN]

Had it on 2 cars & its the dogs nads cause in winter isnt cold & in summer doesnt stick to you, its spot on take my word for it & of course with most materials how you look after is what matters about maintenance, I had a cat pee on my seat some months ago & cleaned out perfectly with no odour or stains using just vanish foam spray, also my other car that had this didnt take much to clean it, of course darker colour would help that cause lol, but I've had both with the whitish colour & still love it, although you just reminded me to clean it lol.

 

[V6Pete]

Had it on 2 cars & its the dogs nads cause in winter isnt cold & in summer doesnt stick to you, its spot on take my word for it & of course with most materials how you look after is what matters about maintenance, I had a cat pee on my seat some months ago & cleaned out perfectly with no odour or stains using just vanish foam spray, also my other car that had this didnt take much to clean it, of course darker colour would help that cause lol, but I've had both with the whitish colour & still love it, although you just reminded me to clean it lol.

And breathe...

 

[James.Asbri]

I've been to the showroom several times and just never seen it so can't get a feel for it, how does it feel (Strange question I know)?

You don't happen to have any pictures then I take it?

 

[V6Pete]

I've been to the showroom several times and just never seen it so can't get a feel for it, how does it feel (Strange question I know)?

You don't happen to have any pictures then I take it?

It's basically synthetic suede, so has a smooth slightly fibrous finish. It's a lot less slippy than leather, so a better material for seats in most ways, as it holds you in place well, and as my colleague pointed out, a lot less sweaty in the summer and cold in winter.

Full leather looks great, but for usability, leather and alcantara is perfect.

 

[James.Asbri]

Liking the comments so far, if this is the case why aren't we seeing more of it?

 

[PH1L]

pic of mine after 60k miles

 

[V6Pete]

Liking the comments so far, if this is the case why aren't we seeing more of it?

Because most of us are leather fetishists.

 

[James.Asbri]

pic of mine after 60k miles

Still looks in fairly good condition, especially after that milage. I'm after a recent photo from new if possible?

Not a fan of all leather, rather split it up a little.

 

[PH1L]

fraid i dont have one mate maybe soon im warming to the idea of a new 2.0Tfsi Quattro but i just cant get over the ugly dumbo ears!

if it helps i dont htink it has discoloured at all so i ean it would just be tighter with more padding in a new one

 

[James.Asbri]

Thats great, appreciate the image and comments!

 

[NHN]

Oi dont knock the ears until you've tested them, they're fantastic for angles & tbh I after having 2 cars with the prefacelift ones can honesly say I like the new ones, they just seem to suit the car now on & using them proves this more.

The alcantara wears well, the older 8L ones did suffer from bobbing that a simple remington fuzz away dealt with easily back to flat smooth surface, but so far these dont seem to suffer from this, atm

 

[James.Asbri]

Think I get the sort of idea now, would still like to see an image of a car from new with this material though just to confirm?

Thanks

 

[PH1L]

meh ears may grow on me the mk5 golf did i thought that it was hideous the first time i saw it

 

[N8]

Full leather has its advantages, its more durable and tougher wearing. But then it gets cold/hot in winter/summer. I think alcantara looks classier, but others think full leather does, who knows....

 

[a3_dan]

I will upload pics a bit later today with my half leather half alcantara seats, mate they are spot on!

My car has done abut 20k miles now, and they still look like brand new!! Mint!

 

[beanoir]

I'm a leather man personally (yep that's right), here's a pic of mine....sexy time

 

[Lee_R]

As awesome as they are, i cant help but think they will turn blue after jeans have been on them! My cream leather sofa has been a nightmare for it!

 

[V6Pete]

As awesome as they are, i cant help but think they will turn blue after jeans have been on them! My cream leather sofa has been a nightmare for it!

Did you not see on another post, Nick said he only ever drives the car in his boxers, because of exactly that problem.

 

[beanoir]

Did you not see on another post, Nick said he only ever drives the car in his boxers, because of exactly that problem.

I'm glad to see somebody pays attention, that was also the thread were I mentioned that if it gets really cold then I go for some white Levis 501's, I call them my Wham specials....

 

[V6Pete]

I'm glad to see somebody pays attention, that was also the thread were I mentioned that if it gets really cold then I go for some white Levis 501's, I call them my Wham specials....

Yeah, the same one where you had that pic of you driving in your colour coded leather chaps. I never want to see that picture again.

 

[beanoir]

Only real men wear chaps!

Just one point to note, leather seats have the "accidental spillage" benefit, if some muppet decides to spill drink on your seats, alcantara tends to suffer more than leather. Easy cure for that of course is to not let muppets in your car, but occasionally they slip through the net..

 

[Pii]

Did you not see on another post, Nick said he only ever drives the car in his boxers, because of exactly that problem.

LOL!!

Newbie question: How do you keep the leather protected and shine-free? Looking at the pictures, the steering wheel looks like it's brand new. How can I get rid of the shiney/oily look?

 

[beanoir]

LOL!!

Newbie question: How do you keep the leather protected and shine-free? Looking at the pictures, the steering wheel looks like it's brand new. How can I get rid of the shiney/oily look?

wet n' dry.....?

 

[Pii]

wet n' dry.....?

Apologies for being a newbie but wet and dry just sounds like 'use some water'. I was thinking there maybe a recommended product(s) to remove the oily shine on the steering wheel which I hate

 

[V6Pete]

Apologies for being a newbie but wet and dry just sounds like 'use some water'. I was thinking there maybe a recommended product(s) to remove the oily shine on the steering wheel which I hate

Has the car done many miles? Leather steering wheels tend to get a shiny finish due to wear.

 

[beanoir]

Apologies for being a newbie but wet and dry just sounds like 'use some water'. I was thinking there maybe a recommended product(s) to remove the oily shine on the steering wheel which I hate

Sorry, I was being cheeky. The steering wheel will after a few thousand miles start to lose it's sheen, but i dont know of any products i'm afraid that would accelerate that process.

 

[Lee_R]

LOL!!

Looking at the pictures, the steering wheel looks like it's brand new.

Maybe thats because it is!

 

[Lee_R]

Has the car done many miles? Leather steering wheels tend to get a shiny finish due to wear.

Answer is get the S line perforated one, doesnt suffer from it!

MK4 Golfs and mk1 TT's suffer badly from shiny wheels, newer vag cars dont seem to be so bad.

 

[V6Pete]

Answer is get the S line perforated one, doesnt suffer from it!

MK4 Golfs and mk1 TT's suffer badly from shiny wheels, newer vag cars dont seem to be so bad.

Agreed, I took my S-Line wheel out when the car was approx 50,000 miles old, to fit a FBMFSW, and it was in particularly good condition.

 

[PH1L]

using a leather conditioner should help prevent the degradation i figure, also that interior is very hott any chance of seeing the meteor grey seeing as how it seems to be the dolphin replacement

 

[beanoir]

Of course, I thought they'd stopped doing Meteor Grey, turns out it just isn't on the configurator, looking at the latest brochure the 3 greys on offer are Meteor, Condor and Lava.

Here's my Meteor Grey S3....

 

[James.Asbri]

I will upload pics a bit later today with my half leather half alcantara seats, mate they are spot on!

My car has done abut 20k miles now, and they still look like brand new!! Mint!

Brilliant, will look forward to those pictures!

 

[James.Asbri]

Of course, I thought they'd stopped doing Meteor Grey, turns out it just isn't on the configurator, looking at the latest brochure the 3 greys on offer are Meteor, Condor and Lava.

Here's my Meteor Grey S3....

Thats one beautiful car, I want one!

 

[PH1L]

looks nice almost kinda green i love my paint since i had it redone then i fully detailed it myself looks great hard to explain what it does but it looks like straight streaks of different tones when light is shone on it, you gotta see it tbh

 

[Pii]

Has the car done many miles? Leather steering wheels tend to get a shiny finish due to wear.

Actually the car has only done 20k but I have noticed the wheel gets shiner by the day! Just wanna unshine it somehow lol.

 

[Pii]

using a leather conditioner should help prevent the degradation i figure, also that interior is very hott any chance of seeing the meteor grey seeing as how it seems to be the dolphin replacement

Any recommended brand? And after applying the conditioner will it remove the shine/oils?

 

[PH1L]

im not sure if it will reverse it i would stop further shine ill try and remember to check the brand i use on the way home from work tomorrow but any generic brand would do the same thing

 

[James.Asbri]

Anyone?

 

[beanoir]

My advice James is to have a look on the Audi website and do a seach for second hand cars (A3 or whatever), you will soon find one with the interior combination you are looking for, they will have interior pictures and are usually good quality and can be enlarged.

Hope that helps chief