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Are my seats leather or MB Tex?
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pb39374 (05-08-2021)
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2020 S560 Sedan, 2019 SL450, 2019 E450 Luxury Trim Wagon, '24 BMW I7 on order...
Many of the E Class sedans have faulty wood trim that fades very quickly. MB has been very good about replacing all the wood trim under warranty. Our 2010 had the problem about two years ago and our dealer did the replacement in one day, leaving the interior looking just like new, with absolutely no signs that anything had been taken apart. The photo you posted shows wood that appears to be faded, but I'm not sure. Good luck.
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I have the same stitching on the door but I have MB TEX, unless you see something different about my door stitching. My seats have horizontal stitching not vertical, so I agree the OP probably has leather seats, I'm just saying I don't see any difference in door stitching between his and mine.
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'15 E350 4M Sport
I also read somewhere that leather is the "seating surface", meaning the inside panels. My understanding is that the rest of the seat material is not leather. Other manufacturers do that too. OTOH, the S-class I believe is all (or mostly) leather.
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The entire front face of the seat including the front of the bolster is leather. The back of the seat is not. The OP's seats are definately leather.
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It's pretty easy to tell what is leather and what is not. You are correct though that the leather is really deligated to what you sit on(face of the seat). The sides and rear are not leather. All of the MB's I have had and every other manufacturer i have had leather seats in have been built this way for well over a decade. This includes Everything from Honda to Infiniti to porsche.
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2015 E250 BT 4M
The quickest way to determine if a W212 has leather interior is to look at the directions for the seat stitching: the bottom sections of real Leather seats have fore and aft stitching (MBTex is crossways) and the seat backs have vertical stitching (MBTex is horizontal).
There is no difference between the stitched door panels on a leather interior compared to a MBTex interior. As of MY2014, both the door panels and seats have stitching in a contrasting colour (e.g. grey stitching with black upholstery).
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2015 E250 BT 4M
faded walnut wood trim ?
The 2nd interior photo posted by Diamond White W212 appears to be more accurate for colour reproduction.
Last edited by DerekACS; 04-05-2015 at 09:50 PM.
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'15 E350 4M Sport
For MY2015, only the seating surfaces are leather along with the faces of the headrests. The stitched dash and window sills are MBtex or 'Artico' leather (man-made leather ).
The quickest way to determine if a W212 has leather interior is to look at the directions for the seat stitching: the bottom sections of real Leather seats have fore and aft stitching (MBTex is crossways) and the seat backs have vertical stitching (MBTex is horizontal).
There is no difference between the stitched door panels on a leather interior compared to a MBTex interior. As of MY2014, both the door panels and seats have stitching in a contrasting colour (e.g. grey stitching with black upholstery).
The quickest way to determine if a W212 has leather interior is to look at the directions for the seat stitching: the bottom sections of real Leather seats have fore and aft stitching (MBTex is crossways) and the seat backs have vertical stitching (MBTex is horizontal).
There is no difference between the stitched door panels on a leather interior compared to a MBTex interior. As of MY2014, both the door panels and seats have stitching in a contrasting colour (e.g. grey stitching with black upholstery).
[OT]: I guess everything has gotton cheaper. I remember some older cars I had with full leather (e.g. on rear of headrest and seat back). One was my '86 Audi CS Quattro (black with red interior). It was a 5-cyl/5-spd and such a fun car to drive. The rear window's defogger element spelled the word "Quattro" and when it melted snow it spelled it out. So cool!
Last edited by noka; 04-06-2015 at 07:33 AM.
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VIN?
DJ, What's your VIN? If you post your VIN, me or someone can look it up and tell you definitely whether you have leather or MB Tex
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Some people may not be comfortable posting a VIN. Anyone with two eyes can see that this is leather.
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Sorry my eyesight is not as acute and my knowledge not as vast as someone with your level of intelligence and expertise.
There was no need to reply with a smart *** comment.
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Yeah, you are right. Sorry about that and no harm meant. All he wanted to know was if it was leather and the vertical pattern alone is the dead giveaway on the leather seats. If he wants to do a VIN datacard that may also help him understand what other options he has since it appears he doesn't know much about what he purchased.
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Yeah, you are right. Sorry about that and no harm meant. All he wanted to know was if it was leather and the vertical pattern alone is the dead giveaway on the leather seats. If he wants to do a VIN datacard that may also help him understand what other options he has since it appears he doesn't know much about what he purchased.
Apology accepted.
I have MB-Tex in my car and was unfamiliar with the difference in pattern on the seats. I thought that by running the VIN, he could not only get the Build Code whether MB-Tex or Leather but also the entire list of options including
Engine #s, Transmission #'s and date of delivery to original selling dealership.
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Yes, I have my Datacard and always thought my color was Arctic white. It says I have Calcite White, so you can never learn enough. The datacard is nice to have.
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2010 E350 Luxury Sedan, Engine 272 (V6)
Appears you have leather facings. Key is leather pleats go from front to rear and MBTex go from side to side. Otherwise, almost impossible to visually tell the difference. Everybody who rides in my car thinks the seats are leather. Have had cars and have another car with leather and I can't really tell the difference. Leather will crease more over time and is supposedly softer.
Remember that you will need to treat it with leather products, BUT treat all the vinyl and plastic with a vinyl/plastic product.
I use Lexol Leather Cleaner and Preservative for leather. Lexol's Vinylex is really good for vinyl and plastic, but somewhat difficult to find. Cost a bit more and most people who go to auto parts stores either don't treat vinyl/plastic at all or use the cheaper products.
I do my vehicles about every six months or so.
Remember that you will need to treat it with leather products, BUT treat all the vinyl and plastic with a vinyl/plastic product.
I use Lexol Leather Cleaner and Preservative for leather. Lexol's Vinylex is really good for vinyl and plastic, but somewhat difficult to find. Cost a bit more and most people who go to auto parts stores either don't treat vinyl/plastic at all or use the cheaper products.
I do my vehicles about every six months or so.
Last edited by El Cid; 04-07-2015 at 11:25 AM.
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Red 2001 SLK230, Black 2011 E350
It's leather for sure. My SLK and E-320 came with leather seats and they look and feel big difference from my E-350's MB-Tex seats.
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Appears you have leather facings. Key is leather pleats go from front to rear and MBTex go from side to side. Otherwise, almost impossible to visually tell the difference. Everybody who rides in my car thinks the seats are leather. Have had cars and have another car with leather and I can't really tell the difference. Leather will crease more over time and is supposedly softer.
Remember that you will need to treat it with leather products, BUT treat all the vinyl and plastic with a vinyl/plastic product.
I use Lexol Leather Cleaner and Preservative for leather. Lexol's Vinylex is really good for vinyl and plastic, but somewhat difficult to find. Cost a bit more and most people who go to auto parts stores either don't treat vinyl/plastic at all or use the cheaper products.
I do my vehicles about every six months or so.
Remember that you will need to treat it with leather products, BUT treat all the vinyl and plastic with a vinyl/plastic product.
I use Lexol Leather Cleaner and Preservative for leather. Lexol's Vinylex is really good for vinyl and plastic, but somewhat difficult to find. Cost a bit more and most people who go to auto parts stores either don't treat vinyl/plastic at all or use the cheaper products.
I do my vehicles about every six months or so.
I also give 2 thumbs up for Lexol. Works great and doesn't harm leather.