Mercedes leather quality question
 

I have a 1997 E420 which recently had the driver seat leather replaced (the heated seat stopped working and apparently the heating element is stitcked to a new cover).
The new seat cover is slightly different in texture and color. It is a little lighter (only I can tell) and seems a little rougher. Frankly the leather in the rest of the car is much nicer.
Did Mercedes cheapen its leather in the last few years compared to the 97 models?

I know that the leather in my '94 wagon is much superior to the leather in the '99 E300DT. Cleans up nicer too. I get that nice smell with the '94 too and not with the '99.

No the quality is the same if not better but its roughness will wear down with conditioning via MB leather cleaner. The matte sheen is what it comes with from the factory; it will match the rest of the interior with after 6 or 7 applications of the MB stuff spaced out over time. The roughness comes from the grain that is embossed upon the leather and it will eventually become identical to the rest of the car. The smell of the leather is subjective but I like the smell that it gives to the car.

m/b leather quality
 

Just my 2 cents: M/B has the worst quality leather of all the luxery cars! This is true back 30 years! replacement leather is even worse! just ot get off my chest, Abe G PS I beleive that quality of leather is not first cut,but second.

I would have to disagree because MB has the most durable leather of them all. Almost every 10 year old Lexus, Infiniti and Jaguar I have seen has torn seats but I have yet to see an MB with torn seats. I have MB's nappa leather in my S600 with its natural grain and I like it even better than the British conolly leather. Most luxury car makers apply so much solvents to soften the leather that they become easily creased and worn as they age but MB leather is different.

leather is a natural product. There are bound to be differences in texture/color when comparing separate material/dye lots. Replacing only one seat is always a risky move.

On the bright side, if you were driving a 97 Acura, all the leather would have been trashed by now. :p

I'd have to say, the leather on Mercedes, or at least earlier models MBs has the best durability among its class, way better than BMW Lexus...

I was actually first attracted by the condition of the leather and paint on my 11 year old 400E before I bough it, they are basically like new. The leather that MB used to make one seat may be enough for some other manufactures to make two.

Lexus was building the first LS400's to a very exact price point. I know a few early owners, and their leather wore out VERY quickly.

The owners that stuck with the brand (almost all) have seen the interior material quality go up dramatically. Of course, in 1990 the LS400 was about $55K in Canada, and now it hovers right around $100K. It should be better.

I'd like to have the wear areas on the bolsters of my driver's seat re-dyed. Any suggestions/advice??

Dean,

The guy that did my car was recommended by David Morris and several other folks, including some car nuts I know. He does leather interior work. It's Wayne's Upholstery, and he's on 107th Ave and 172 street. Don't have the number handy. He did a superb job on my Tex.

Thomaspin shows us how to do it in his website. It is defintely a DIY project:

www.pindelski.com

I second the above remarks about this definitely being a good DIY project. My outboard bolster on the driver's seat gets abraded from getting in and out of the car.

I personally use ColorPlus dye. If you go to their web site (colorplus.com) you can order a really nice, FREE brochure which will tell you everything you always wanted to know about leather upholstery but were afraid to ask.

The best part of this company's product line is you can order dye in MB colors right off the shelf; no custom mixing charge or having to send in a sample of your leather. At least in my case, with gray leather, the match was EXACT.

Easy, easy job!

Thanks all for your advice...I intend to have the job done this summer!

abe g - just wondering how you've come to your conclusion about leather quality? I have a 92 Q45 {102K) and a 92 400e (62K) - our Q45's drivers seat is really worn out! The leather is starting to rip. Part of the reason why I decided to try W124 is that I saw so many high mileage examples (120K+) that had "new" looking interiors. Japanese manufactures sure now how to make cars that mechanically last, I guess they cut corners on cometic durability. That being said the paint on the Q45 does appear to be MUCH higher quality and much more lustorus than the 400e.

I did take a ride in a W210 recently and that leather (as well as all of the interior materials) DOES suck - well at least for that price point - I felt as if I were ridding in a 97 Honda Accord! WTF?!?!

My only experience with newer MB leather was a sense of disappointment with the leather quality when I test drove an ML about 2 years ago.

On the other hand, I am constantly amazed at the appearance of the leather in my car. The driver's seat gets much more wear so has some creases and the bolster wear mentioned above, but still cleans up pretty nicely.

I am also startled when I get in my car after not driving it for a couple days, and getting a whiff of the leather, which still smells as if it were new. Not bad for a 10-year-old car with 128k miles!