Dear All,

I'm a bit confused - I have a 1981 W123 300D that I am told has a leather interior. I was told this by the seller, and the chap who valued the car for me, and from VIN number database on the Russian Mercedes owners' club web site... the problem is that it just doesn't seem very likely to me to be 28 year old leather - it is in such good condition.

As I'm new to the world of old Mercedes I looked on peach parts and found the following link:-

Is it leather?

In here it is suggested that MBTex has the ridges going to the edge of the seat for a 190 - was that also the case for a W123?

I've made some pictures of the interior:-





As usual any help in this matter will be greatly appreciated.

Definitely leather. Now go out and by some lexol and keep it looking new.

Leather has actual stitching rather than simulated stiching, and the pleats are deeper - like your seats. The pleats run the length of the seat regardless of material.

Nice car from the looks of it.

__________________
1982 240 D, 308,000 - 321,127 miles (sold)
1982 300 TD,166,500 - 226,000 miles
1998 E 320, 120,000 - 144,000 miles
2005 C 230 K, 26,000 - 77,000 miles (sold)

That's definitely leather. The fact that the front seats have a different plastic backing (not the typical flat backing w/ chrome surround and those black nets) indicates it's leather to me. It probably also has the netting but in a smaller area, with larger plastic surrounds.

Congrats on the acquisition, indeed it looks like a fine car.

__________________
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7271/7...144c3fc1dc.jpg

If you want a really good leather product try Leatherique, both the Rejuvinator Oil and Pristine Clean. Lexol is alright, but leatherique will really restore leather. I used it on my M3 seats, boy they came back nice and supple.

Wow thanks for the information - I am totally amazed that it is leather and in such good condition. I must indeed protect it from (the twins) baby dribble - I think this is probably the most corrosive thing known to man!

I'll look out for leatherique over here in Holland may be it has reached our distant shores...

Thanks again folks!

I dissent. Looks like Tex to me. But the trim code will confirm which it is, Tex or leather. The trim code should also be available from the Russian VIN site (I think), but it is definitely listed on the metal plate on the front tie bar under the hood. It's a 3-digit number. If it starts with '1' it's Tex, if it starts with '2', it's leather. My Palomino Tex is trim code 174. What's yours?

__________________
1988 California version 260E (W124)
Anthracite Grey/Palomino
Owned since new and still going strong and smooth
MBCA member

Past Mercedes-Benz:
1986 190E Baby Benz
1967 230 Inherited from mom when she downsized
1959 220S Introduced me to the joys of keepin' 'em goin'

There are only 10 kinds of people in the world--those who understand binary and those who don't

Hi Cal,

Thanks for your input - according to the Russian database it is leather saffron+java (234)
Because it is dark here in Holland at the moment I haven't been able to find any verification on the car - I was planning to check out the data that I got from the Russian site with what is actually on the car anyway... Only as a point of interest so I get an idea where things are original or altered.

The seats do indeed have a sheen that gives a plastic-like appearance but I think that that might be because of the stuff that has been used to preserve and protect.

I've not been able to source leatherique over here - but I have found a Western Saddle place that does Lexol - I plan to buy Lexol cleaner and protector and see how the seats look then.

I'll be testing it on an out of view bit first just in case it is plastic as I expect the leather cleaner will more or less melt it!

Thanks again.

How many KM's are on the odometer? Just curious cause those seats look to be hardly broken in. You should post some photos and post them here, I'd be interested and seeing the rest of the car, paint, etc.

The back of the backrest part of the seat should be covered in leather as well, including the corner pieces that you can see in the photo...don't forget to keep those parts clean and conditioned.

You'll have your work cut out for you as leather seats take a lot more work to keep soft and pliable than tex seats. Don't worry, as you break those seats in they'll begin looking more and more like leather.

__________________
1982 240 D, 308,000 - 321,127 miles (sold)
1982 300 TD,166,500 - 226,000 miles
1998 E 320, 120,000 - 144,000 miles
2005 C 230 K, 26,000 - 77,000 miles (sold)

Hi sd300td

Here are some pictures as requested:-






The car was recently imported to the Netherlands from Switzerland - it has done 157000 km (so not even 100,000 miles yet) and it has the service history to prove. The inside of the car has faired better than the outside which shows signs of (probably) old people getting into it and out of it. For example ring scratches on the roof above the front passenger's door and a worn out bit of paint and trim on the front door pillar. Unfortunately there are lots of small irritating dents and scratches on every panel of the car. I plan to put things right in the future but first I need to build a car port to keep the winter from messing things up even more - as we live in Holland the garage is full of bicycles!!!
(I had to build the castle like structure in the back ground of some of these shots for the childrens' bikes and stuff - arrrggggg I'm running out of space!)

Why not put the bycicles in the car port and the car in the garage when you get it built?

- Peter.

__________________
2021 Chevrolet Spark
Formerly...
2000 GMC Sonoma
1981 240D 4spd stick. 347000 miles. Deceased Feb 14 2021
2002 Kia Rio. Worst crap on four wheels
1981 240D 4spd stick. 389000 miles.
1984 123 200
1979 116 280S
1972 Cadillac Sedan DeVille
1971 108 280S

That is a very beautiful car. I've seen many 300D's with leather. The plain, as in non pleated sections were not used on w123 with leather. The style with the plain panel borders was used on 126, 201 and 124 series till they were refreshed in the late 80's. On those models it is a very quick way to discern. On older 116, 123 and 107's you can discern by texture. It takes a little practice to be able to tell quickly, just from viewing pictures.

__________________
1979 240D, 4spd manual, Power Sunroof, manual windows, 147k miles, Pastel gray/Black MB Tex.
1991 300D 2.5 - Smokes like it's on Crack!

Hi Peter,

I have three reasons:-

1) Some idiot built a great big heavy castle for the kids on his drive way! It sort of blocks the way to the garage now - and anyway my wife now wants more flower beds...
2) The next time you have two pairs of wet jeans hang one in your garage and hang the other outside undercover - I bet the pair outside dry faster than the pair in the garage! (Small print - this is definitely the case in Northern Europe - a wet car in a garage over here is one of the worse things you can have. I once bought a five year old Ford that I knew had always been "well kept" in a garage... I'll say no more except Fix Or Repair Daily)
3) Besides where am I going to put my shot blasting cabinet, compressor, axle stands, sheet metal folder, gas and oxy bottles etc etc etc?

(The bicycles will indeed be living under the car port too - A bloke needs his shed!)

Hi Brandon - Thanks for your comments - I'm glad I included the close up shot!

Your 1991 300D sounds interesting - practically free is always good... but how do you get it half way up a mountain (just North of Salt Lake City) with out a head gasket???

Ah. I see. Good reasons I guess. I hadn't thought of it like that. There's no such thing as a wet car where I live. Not for more than a few minutes anyway

By the way. For all those yanks who go on about "euro" lights. Those pictures of yours have a great view of the "standard" 123 series "euro" light clusters, for all 123's other than 2.8 litre gas engines. The US version with the four round lights in the bezels was visually an adaptation of this particular euro light cluster, not the "square" or rectangular one seen on the 280's. As such I actually prefer this kind of front end, and the US version of it aesthetically compared to the rectangular ones.

Nice car by the way. Well done.

- Peter.

__________________
2021 Chevrolet Spark
Formerly...
2000 GMC Sonoma
1981 240D 4spd stick. 347000 miles. Deceased Feb 14 2021
2002 Kia Rio. Worst crap on four wheels
1981 240D 4spd stick. 389000 miles.
1984 123 200
1979 116 280S
1972 Cadillac Sedan DeVille
1971 108 280S

How about some pic's of the engine bay? This may sound silly but are you sure it's a 300D? Five cylinder and not a 240D four?

- Peter.

__________________
2021 Chevrolet Spark
Formerly...
2000 GMC Sonoma
1981 240D 4spd stick. 347000 miles. Deceased Feb 14 2021
2002 Kia Rio. Worst crap on four wheels
1981 240D 4spd stick. 389000 miles.
1984 123 200
1979 116 280S
1972 Cadillac Sedan DeVille
1971 108 280S