Leather material will always be valued for its high quality and the multitude of advantages it provides when installed in the interior of the vehicle. Since the beginning of the car manufacturing industry, vehicle interior designers have always sought to improve upholstery products using leather. Other engineers have tried to come up with other materials that were upgraded versions of leather or substitutes, and their primary purpose was to provide durability, comfort, and convenience in the cleaning process.
Were synthetic leather substitutes as successful in the market? Certainly not, knowing that none of them could really uphold the same level of quality and characteristics. And of course, when it comes to prestige, value, smell, and texture, no substitute could compete. This is why such high-class manufacturers like Bentley, Rolls-Royce, and Jaguar cannot be imagined without leather upholstery.
Leather in the vehicle is the image of class, good taste, and value.
Valued Characteristics of Real Leather Upholstery
1. What synthetic substitute materials lack when it comes to vehicle upholstery products is the breathability of real leather. This feature allows an easy movement of moisture, which in turn prevents stickiness and damp feelings that can be found when sitting on most plastic-based or even vinyl car seat upholstery.
2. Leather is much stronger and more durable than any cloth material. It is flexible and tough at the same time. Leather upholstery offers good protection against tears, punctures, and other physical damage. Of course, it can still be damaged, but cloth-based upholstery is just much more vulnerable.
3. Leather has better abilities at repelling dirt and stains. Moist clothes with mild cleaning products are perfect and enough to clean leather seats completely. The stains won’t get into the structure of the material, so no need to be afraid of getting the upholstery dirty forever.
4. The color of the leather is durable and protected against time, scuffs, and wearing off. In contrast to other materials that get visibly worn out over time, upholstery made from leather withstands everything that can cause deterioration. The color dye that creates the unique and elegant look of the leather upholstery is actually absorbed into the skin, deep into the material. It happens during the tanning process, which is the reason for such durability and protection against deterioration. It means that no matter how much wear is going to be created by people sitting on the car seat, the natural hue will remain the same.
5. Are you allergic? Well, then the leather upholstery installed in your vehicle will reduce the amount of allergen stuck in your vehicle. Cloth upholstery tends to gather a lot of dust and other unhealthy particles that can cause an allergic reaction. Leather materials do not gather dust as much and are very easy to clean.
Leather Car Seat Disadvantages, What to Consider?
1. Leather Upholstery in car seats wouldn’t be the best choice if you live in an area with extreme weather. If the temperature in your area is usually low, the leather might feel uncomfortable and cold. On the contrary, if the weather is extremely hot most of the time in the area where you live, the leather will feel like it is burning the skin.
2. Leather car seat upholstery is not a cheap pleasure. While cloth materials are cheap, leather products are considered a luxury and high-end customization. That is why usually these types of seats can be found in expensive, luxury vehicles.
3. Proper cleaning techniques and correct washing products have to be used to ensure that the leather stays in great shape, and never gets cracks or deterioration. It should be treated with care from time to time in order to prevent the hardening of the material.
Leather Upholstery is not the Same as Leather Seat Covers
When we talk about leather products for car seats, it is important to make a distinction between upholstery and seat covers. Seat covers are products that can be put on the car seats and used as a protective layer, but at any time they can be unattached for convenient cleaning and washing. Basically, seat covers serve as additional protection for existing upholstery, but at the same time, they are usually not as classy as clean leather upholstery.
Leather upholstery, on the other hand, is covering the seat completely and is attached to it tightly, it is the important part of the seat visible from the outside. Leather upholstery has many advantages over seat covers, both in functionality and appearance. But most importantly, when purchasing Leather Upholstery, you can choose different designs, colors, and sizes. basically, if you order custom Leather Upholstery, you will be provided with almost unlimited choices when compared to seat covers.
Leather Upholstery Adds to the Vehicle’s Value
Another advantage of aftermarket leather upholstery is that it will make your car more valuable when you try to resell it. It means that up to a thousand dollars, or more if you are good at haggling, can be returned.
We’ve researched the information, and here’s the summary of what we have found. In general, people who didn’t try to get the most money from selling their used vehicles with leather seat upholstery installed got five hundred dollars more on average than people who sold identical cars but without the leather upholstery. It works with older vehicles, and even works if the upholstery was installed for some years already since the look of it will always stay fresh, clean, and elegant.
Cleaning and Maintaining Leather Car Seat Upholstery
As it was mentioned before, it is easy to clean leather seats, while proper care has to be applied for them to be in great shape for many years.
For complete cleaning of the leather car seats use the simple vacuum cleaner first. This will take all the particles and dust out of the surface, removing it even from the crevices.
Then use the leather cleaner product of your choice to clean any spots or stains, and go thoroughly over the seat surface for perfect cleaning. If you have to use a brush, only soft bristles are allowed.
After the cleaning, use the leather conditioner from wax or silicone base. It will keep the leather moist and protect it from cracks. Don’t save on the conditioner, put it generously on the surface of the leather car seat and apply it with a microfiber piece of cloth.
Remember to park your vehicle in the shade, but if it’s not always possible, purchase sunshades or sunblinds. The leather has to be protected from prolonged effects of the direct UV-rays and heat, take this into serious consideration.
