leather or leatherette?!
 

So here's a funny thing:

I got in someone's car the other day -- it's a 10 year old 528i -- and the first thing I noticed was that familiar "old BMW" smell. Come on, you've smelled it before ... that delicious scent of worn leather that, on a warm day, wafts out of the car when you open the door.

And then it hit me:

"Don't tell me you've got real leather and i've got that fake leatherette stuff?!?!" I asked him.

He said he had no idea ... which brings me here now: my 5 year old X5 with -- presumably -- leather interior(!) and 115,000 mile does NOT have that "worn leather" scent when you first get in the car.

Do i have leatherette?!?! How can i check to be certain?!

Thanks :)

Hm. I think i should start a poll too while I'm at it....

You definitely lose the leather smell over time. The only way to maintain it is to periodically clean and condition the leather. Some products even have a leather scent added to them, including some of the products designed for cleaning and conditioning vinyl and plastic.

The leather that was used in 1980's, early '90's BMW vehicles was much thicker than the "Dakota" leather used today. IMHO, it was also a much higher quality than what we find in BMW's today...More similar to the leather currently used in "M" cars. Maybe that is the difference that you detect.

Leather has a softer feel than leatherette...

do you have a BC button on the radio? if you do chances are you have leather. Also, leatherette looks more plasticky...

what would help is if you posted pictures of your seats :thumbup:

http://www.justferrari.com/%7Eeurotw...69707-17sm.jpg

this is leatherette...i'll go find one of leather...this model comes without premium package, with no BC button on the radio, and black exterior door handles

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/2001-...QQcmdZViewItem

i just noticed you have a 4.4i...you have leather...!ouch:

haha ok cool, good to know -- and yes, the quality of the leather in his 528 DEFINITELY seemed much nicer

*sigh*

This car does have the premium package (auto climate, moonroof and wood trim are the give-away), thus it has leather. Early models does not necessarily come with the BC button.

I found that leatherette have more of a spongy feel to it than leather.

My office chair is leatherette/vinyl. It smells worse than leather :)

oh really? ...anyway...the seller lists the upholstery as leatherette...

I agree. Just run your hands over the surface and push around a little. It's hard to tell for most people, but I can tell the difference. My friend's X5 3.0i, for example, is leatherette.

Yo Marc,

Montana leather is coarser and grainier as opposed to Nappa which is softer and more supple. Montana gets brittle with age and requires a heavy periodic dousing of leather conditioner, but eventually it will crack. Nappa actually holds up better while staying softer. But it also needs periodic cleaning and condition, but nothing to the extent of Montana leather. Montana often gets mistaken for leatherette because it's so hard and coarse.

I believe both the early E34 and E39 5 series had an upgrade option to move up from Montana to Nappa leather which is why your friend had the nice interior in his 528i.