CanadianSteel

Yeah i know what most say..."Fake leather" While this is true i have to say i'm glad i went with it over leather. One of my buds has on 05 C class with leather and while nice, the wear is getting really bad on the driver side. He was surprised that the Tex i have is holding up so much better. Almost no wear, with VERY minor stretching of the inserts.

I would like to hear others comment on the MB tex as at first it bothered me that it was "Fake leather" but now i have a new found respect for it.

LILBENZ230

My leather inserts stay in great shape due to conditioning. But yes MB-Tex is pretty awesome.

Glyn M Ruck

MBTex that started life as "Taxi leder" is indeed a tough product. All our farmers spec it - otherwise everybody here want's full leather. All I miss with MBTex is the double stitching on leather & the smell. Have you seen the latest MBTex fitted to 2012 models? It has taken another step forward in looking like real leather.

ggms16

MBTex rocks!

MBNA109

OP - why the complex?
Seriously, if you need to have a complex that's worth whining about how about - our glossy burl wood compared to the real feeling & looking coarse wood grainy stuff in the Audi's.

Now THAT IS WOOD!

sammydragon3

i thought the 2005 c230 had real leather?

CanadianSteel

I'm digging the Tex, not whining at all. That wood is

LILBENZ230

The 2005 C230 in standard specification has leather inserts. Only the perforated seat BOTTOM on the front seats is leather. The rest is MB-Tex.

It was possible to get full leather interior. You'll know if you have this because the doors will have the crinkled leather look to them.

If your door looks like this:



It is MB-Tex interior.

If it looks like this:



You have leather interior.

venchka

This is wood..................The sailing vessel Elisabeth Grace.



Wayne

Glyn M Ruck

Easily recognised by double stitching. Some US cars had leather centre panels with MBTex. Only market I know of that had that hybrid.

Glyn M Ruck

Sorry - Matt beat me to it.

tommy

Wood in a car makes as much sense as a swiss army knife in a baby carriage.

I'd rather applaud all of the nice cloth seating options that we get here in the US like they do in Europe. Oh, that's right, I can't. MBUSA has a serious problem with screwing the US market on options/car levels that are "beneath" us.

Glyn M Ruck

MBUSA does not screw you. The only cheaper market in the world for a Benz is Saudi Arabia. You get them for nothing!

venchka

I guess the Germans just don't get the North American buyer. They only sell us 70% of their output.

Wayne

Glyn M Ruck

They don't sell you anywhere near 70% of their output. SA consumes 66% of US sales every year. Benz market share in the US sucks!

CanadianSteel

Well i know we Canadians love the Canadian winter pack, as well as little things like only having Km/h and not Km/h in large numbers and Mp/h in small. Props to MB Canada =)

tommy

They certainly don't get a slice of the "low-end" luxury market, no. While it's their right to do so, it doesn't mean that I have to like it.

boom132

I have some "rot" along the bottom of my seat back on the driver's side. Looks as if the girl who owned the vehicle before me had a studded belt of some sort, and punctured it.

Think an upholstery shop can replace a panel? Can they even get MB-Tex? or something similar? or would I have to replace all the middle panels... (of which I have a ton of red leather; maybe that could be stitched in?)

Jason

venchka

My figures might be a liitle old, but what I read was that 70% of ALL German automobile production was sold in North America. How much of that is M-B, I don't know. I would still wager that North America accounts for a major portion of M-B's German production. With the advent of the plants elsewhere, the numbers could get skewed.
That said, we do get the short end of some of the sticks. The GLK is a classic example: 19" wheels minimum, incomplete trailer hitch, etc.

Wayne

Glyn M Ruck

US is a valuable but small market for Benz. I'm sure they would like more of it. Remember SA supplies the vast majority of your W204's. They do well with their Freightliner trucks which is where they make their real money in the US. ME/Asia takes far more cars than US.

Spec'ed a new ML diesel with a friend in Dallas last night. He ended up ordering with the optional air suspension, handling pack and 20" wheels. The vehicle runs 265/45/20 tyres. Not even the Tirerack stocks that size & Michelin seems to be one of the few manufacturers that makes it. Where the hell is he supposed to get tyres? The dealer?

nlpamg

I gotta say, MBTex takes a beating and still looks good. Nothing wrong with it at all.

Haha, I LOVE the MBTex on the C250. They've gone a long way and they have started to use deviated stitching that gives it a nice touch as well.

Glyn M Ruck

Yeah Phil - the latest MBTex is amazing! Like that stitching too.

venchka

Maybe we should start car shopping by first sourcing replacement tires?
My Volvo XC70 & M-B GLK are limited to the Pirelli OEM tires.
Michelin doesn't make a 265/45-20 for your friend's ML according to Michelin U.S. web page. Pirelli & Continental do.

Cheers!

Wayne

Glyn M Ruck

Michelin does make as we have them here. Continental & Pirelli might list but we could not find any online & Tirerack only lists Michelin but zero stock. Conti SA makes these big sizes for Audi Q7 and the likes. I guess Cayenne derivatives.

I recommended he always keeps a spare set six months before a change is likely. It's not as though this size is new. Even the 19" ML tyres seem scarce.

venchka

I am not trying to cause a ruckus, but the Michelin USA web pages do not show the 265/45-20 tires. Tire Rack lists a page full+ from other makers. This is for the USA.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/TireSe...nSpeedRating=S

Through the wonders of the internet, the Michelin site doesn't list ANY 2012 Mercedes-Benz models. A 2011 ML350 BlueTEC with 19" wheels is as good as it gets.

http://www.michelinman.com/tire-sele...C+4Matic/tires

I have a feeling that shopping for tires online is hampered at best. Somebody has to make the tires or the ML350 would arrive with empty wheels. Wait. They are arriving without 20" wheels at the moment. Or did they find some?

I suppose your friend can always replace the O.E.M. tires with the same. In a few years. Or have them shipped from S.A.

Wayne