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Shopping for a used W212 and as a dog owner (3x) I'm interested in whether MBTex or leather is the way to go. I'm familiar with Volvo leather which is bomb and dog proof, and I assume MB leather holds up too.
Question 1. Any tips on whether MBTex is as hard wearing as leather? I see postings here about ripped seat covers at seams on MBTex. Is it scratch resistant?
Question 2.. Some dealers have zero clue whether it is leather or mbtex... so they say leather. Any good way of telling? Just sniff test, or is there a way of looking up the spec by VIN and getting the official answer?
I have dogs and have had both leather and mbtex. My leather was black and it got dirtier but was easier to clean and it felt thicker and heavier dirty. The little dots in it get filled with dirt easily. I have white tex now and I think it's a bit thin and might puncture with the dogs nails if they get too long. My poodle is 70lbs and my Chihuahua is 7 lbs.
Last edited by Boarderjosh10; 12-09-2023 at 09:08 PM.
Elegant German lady neighbor has two german shepards. She drives around in a 10 yr old S-class (uuhh, a german auto) that she keeps up. One day I see her in a 20 yr old S-class. I ask if the more recent car is being serviced. "No. I use this car to drive the dogs to the groomer." True story.
No need to choose, get both.
I have dogs and have had both leather and mbtex. My leather was black and it got dirtier but was easier to clean and it felt thicker and heavier dirty. The little dots in it get filled with dirt easily. I have white tex now and I think it's a bit thin and might puncture with the dogs nails if they get too long. My poodle is 70lbs and my Chihuahua is 7 lbs.
Great, thank you... very helpful. I have same dog setup with regards to size plus one more. They look very elegant up front.
That's a very practical idea! Why didn't I think of that?
Originally Posted by ColonelKlink
Elegant German lady neighbor has two german shepards. She drives around in a 10 yr old S-class (uuhh, a german auto) that she keeps up. One day I see her in a 20 yr old S-class. I ask if the more recent car is being serviced. "No. I use this car to drive the dogs to the groomer." True story.
No need to choose, get both.
Lol, fair enough!
So heres my story. I just sold a Jeep with a plow because my wife didn't approve of a third car that just sat there for the majority of time. Now, if I can have a third car to shuttle the dogs back and forth that would definitely get support 🤣
Top of forum page under tools is a vin decoder, plug it in and it will tell ya what the vehicle has.
Great thank you! That's very helpful. I've used it on a few cars and interestingly the drivers seats get called out as "Seats w/Leatherette Back Material". I assume this actually means 100% mbtex on the back and base, rather than mbtex on back and leather on base?
Last edited by robbrown99; 12-10-2023 at 08:16 AM.
Shopping for a used W212 and as a dog owner (3x) I'm interested in whether MBTex or leather is the way to go. I'm familiar with Volvo leather which is bomb and dog proof, and I assume MB leather holds up too.
Question 1. Any tips on whether MBTex is as hard wearing as leather? I see postings here about ripped seat covers at seams on MBTex. Is it scratch resistant?
Question 2.. Some dealers have zero clue whether it is leather or mbtex... so they say leather. Any good way of telling? Just sniff test, or is there a way of looking up the spec by VIN and getting the official answer?
I guess it depends on dogs.
For 15 years we travel with family of 3 Jack Russel Terriers (short haired) and cleaning the seats was never an issue.
Vacuuming the hair from carpets is another story.
the old mbtext in my wife's old 1994 E320 wagon was awesome tough for dogs... we had a yellow lab who /loved/ the beach.. the new Artico stuff feels fragile. If we still had a dog, I would confine them to the back of the wagon, or if it was a sedan, I would get thick doggy seat pads.
W212 M276 DELA 30 ; W211 OM642 ; R107 M117, Sierra 1500 LZ0
new (last 20 years) MB-tex sucks. I have it in my W211 and it ripped on the driver's seat. My dad has it in his W212 and it ripped on the driver's seat. I have leather in my W212 and it's good so far, but clearly inferior to pre 2000s leather. I just keep a cover (almost like a hammock) in my back seat and call it a day.
I had leather in W211 and it become junk at about 7 years mark.
From what I see, W212 have combination of vinyl on the side and leather in the center. My driver seat, at 158k miles has few stiches broken, not a big deal yet, but I found new skin on ebay for about $30.
Waiting on the shelf for right time to replace.
Shopping for a used W212 and as a dog owner (3x) I'm interested in whether MBTex or leather is the way to go. I'm familiar with Volvo leather which is bomb and dog proof, and I assume MB leather holds up too.
Question 1. Any tips on whether MBTex is as hard wearing as leather? I see postings here about ripped seat covers at seams on MBTex. Is it scratch resistant?
Question 2.. Some dealers have zero clue whether it is leather or mbtex... so they say leather. Any good way of telling? Just sniff test, or is there a way of looking up the spec by VIN and getting the official answer?
Thanks
my W124 Wagon & W210 Wagon both had Leather option seating which was hardy & good looking…
i would cover the back seat Leather with MB
seat covers to protect from paw scratching!
My current 2011 W212 has inferior Vinyl/MBTex which ripped at driver seat horizontal seam, was repaired at local top upholstery shop for $350 & covered with high quality sheepskins on front seats @ $600!
leather quality was better in gens 124 & 210, & even the vinyl was better in those models.
my w214 '93 300CE cabriolet had black leather. the previous owner had replaced the front seat skins with real Mercedes, but the back seat was original and hard and almost ready to start cracking when I got it. by the time i was done with it, the front seats were pretty worn out, stitching was coming undone in places. that car had /nice/ full grain leather, thick cowhide. You could use a proper leather treatment like Leatherique Rejuvenator on them, it would soak in completely newer car leathers have a skin that repels conditioners.
sadly, too many issues had accumulated, such that the cost to repair and make nice again exceeded its cash value. I couldn't find anyone who wanted a free cabriolet project. Probably $3-4000 to get it running well again, $4-5000 more to make it really nice with new leather, new canvas top, new paint. Rare car, too, in 1993 MB only imported 772 300CE Cabriolets into North America.
12-09-2023, 08:11 PM
