Leatherette and perma plate
 

Did most of you guys get leatherette on your W204? Also, did you guys get perma plate?

Is it the same as MB-Tex? I want to know how to get a tough stain out of it.



i:blah:o

Perma Plate....
 

...is an aftermarket product that is hyped by the dealerships to increase their bottom line. These products generally cost only a few dollars to apply, but retail for hundreds.

They are only as good as the surface they go on and adding such stuff over your paint is usually a bad idea as it traps contaminants between the paint and the sealant.

As far as the interior treatment is concerned ask yourself this question:

Since leather is a "once living" product, we all know that it requires different care from vinyl - how can this "perma plate" properly protect both products equally? It can't....

I don't care for Perma Plate products, they are sold exclusively (and obscenely marked up) at most dealerships as a dealer service or option.

I got it applied for free with a free kit for home use when I bought my Passat. Perma Plate is mediocre at best. It's definitely a rip off.

MB-Tex is an extremely durable and low maintanence material. I wipe my interior down once in a while with warm water mixed with a little Murphy's Oil Soap.
For stubborn stains I use rubbing alcohol or use Einszett Deep Plastic Cleaner.
With Einszett a little goes a long way (you may need to dilute it with water) and you could use it on all interior plastic and vinyl surfaces. There is no shine and it smells awesome.

Appreciate it.



i:blah:o

Thanks for the tip. I tried out the wheel, rubber, and plastic cleaners. I recommend them all, especially the wheel cleaner. I didn"t need much, it worked right away, and it rinsed off quickly. :y

I second aowhaus' thoughts. If I recall, he and I ordered our W204s from the same dealer at a time when there was a long ordering delay if you wanted leather. I was hesitant, after hearing from a few BMW-owning friends who thought their leatherette was incredibly hot in the summer and ridiculously cold in the winter. But after two years, I would honestly hate to go back to leather. I've had no problem with it feeling overly warm or cold. No one except die-hard MB fans have noticed it's not leather. An auto broker friend long ago told me how to tell leather from "pleather", so I can spot it right away. But I still think the MB-Tex looks great.

Plus, I'll admit to being a little obsessive-compulsive about cleaning my cars. With leather, I was always worried about keeping it conditioned in our dry, desert climate. With the MB-Tex, it so nice to never have to worry about it.