leather vs vinyl...

mattymartin · Post by **mattymartin** » Thu Feb 14, 2008 6:53 am

hey guys

stinky & anyone else that can shed some light on this topic for me....

what are the pro's & con's using leather over vinyl......

what are the pro's & con's using vinyl over leather.......

eg... price, durability, comfort factor for hot & cold weather, repairing... etc..

thanks
matty martin

stinky · Post by **stinky** » Thu Feb 14, 2008 8:51 am

First of all proper automotive Leather starts around 10 times dearer than vinyl and can get more expensive depending on tastes.

Leather has a very limited range of colours/styles, where as vinyl has a massive range.

Leather needs proper care, cleaning and conditioning for it to last. Vinyl just needs to be kept clean, cloth and soapy water.

New vinyl smells like plastic/new car, Leather smells like Leather

Leather tends not to get as hot in the sun as vinyl, but you shouldn't be leaving your car in the hot sun with a leather interior.

Personally, I reckon you can't go past a cloth/vinyl interior for comfort, care and cost.

EK JAY · Post by **EK JAY** » Mon Feb 18, 2008 4:34 pm

Matty i used marine vinyl on my seats same as they
use on boats due to durability from sun; and
water spills from the kids as far as price go's
got both front and rear seats covered and re-padded
for $600 and had them back in 4 days

jay

retro · Post by **retro** » Mon Feb 18, 2008 8:12 pm

matty, i like leather, but i cant afford leather.

Speak to john dennis, see what he can recommend, you know his workmanship is outstanding and his prices are pretty low, you might be able to get a better material with the job still at the same price. The problem i found when i did the ute up was prices vary greatly and it all depends on texture, quality, and also colour of each material.

also did you chase that lead for the camper seat? Not worth doing trim unless you have the right seat chief.

oldnek · Post by **oldnek** » Mon Feb 18, 2008 9:52 pm

I'm with EK Jay on that one.
I did my seats and door trims in marine vinyl, especially with the kids, super hard wearing and a full range of coulours. I reckon that with the right trimmer could even make the vinyl look like leather, with that! the vinyl gets pretty hot in the old girl with all that glass and the sun bearing down on it. But it's ohh so soft.

Cleaning is a chore and shit only cause I have a light colour. I have been tempted to buy a leather smelly thingo, just to give me the illusion of leather.

Regards john

Miss Piggy · Post by **Miss Piggy** » Tue Feb 19, 2008 6:34 am

I do find you sweat a bit more on the vinyl seats (I have leather in my other cars)

If I was building a daily driver, I'd spend a bit more and get the leather.

My Vinyl interior.

Craig · Post by **Craig** » Tue Feb 19, 2008 9:36 pm

Hi Matty this is for the wagon I hope not a new gimp suit

mattymartin · Post by **mattymartin** » Tue Feb 19, 2008 10:14 pm

thats some funny shit craig... it brought me straight back to pulp fiction....
yep its for the wagon...

retro, stilll no camper seat... i'm hoping a little someone may sell me one...

ms piggy, that looks sweet as... where is the car? it looks as if its inside the house... in the lounge room...

tell me, is it possible to get the front seat done in leather, then everything else in marine vinyl... as i surf every day i need some thing durable...

that marine stuff sounds good...

matty martin

stinky · Post by **stinky** » Tue Feb 19, 2008 11:48 pm

mattymartin wrote:tell me, is it possible to get the front seat done in leather, then everything else in marine vinyl... as i surf every day i need some thing durable...

It's possible, but getting a match will be tough.
Surfer eh? why not get the seats done in wetsuit material?

Trev · Post by **Trev** » Wed Feb 20, 2008 5:23 am

Surfer eh? why not get the seats done in wetsuit material?

If he did that, every time he sat on it he would piss his pants

.
Isn't that how you keep warm in the surf

, Trev.

mattymartin · Post by **mattymartin** » Wed Feb 20, 2008 6:29 am

nice one....

stinky have you ever worked with marine vinyl... if so what are you thoughts on it...

is it better than normal vinyl, in your opinion... what would you recomend for me...

thanks guys

matty martin

Miss Piggy · Post by **Miss Piggy** » Wed Feb 20, 2008 6:46 am

Matty - Pic of car is in an empty industrial unit.

As far as marine vinyl goes over normal vinyl, it's great because

- it's non porous.
- you can clean it with almost anything without removing colour. (I use gumption on the white)
- it's more sun/weather-durable
- more resistent to tears

stinky · Post by **stinky** » Wed Feb 20, 2008 12:42 pm

I guess it depends on what the "marine" vinyl is.
My suppliers generally have interior grade and automotive grade vinyls, some vinyls are marketed as marine grade. Marine grade probably has more UV treatment than the rest.
AFAIK no vinyl is porous, but if you are stitching through it, it will obviously become porous.
Recommendation?
1. If you have the money(lots) and time to take care of it, Leather.
2. A little less money and time, "Marine" Vinyl
3. Budget, normal "Automotive" vinyl

Don't use interior vinyl, it's cheaper but not UV treated.

Here's a PDF with vinyls from Nolans
http://www.nolans.com.au/PDF/Automotive ... _Vinyl.pdf

Miss Piggy · Post by **Miss Piggy** » Wed Feb 20, 2008 2:28 pm

Also,

some automotive vinyl is perforated to make it breath like leather and can be quite comfortable in the heat.

mattymartin · Post by **mattymartin** » Thu Feb 21, 2008 7:00 am

thanks miss p & stinky...

that great info know i can do my research & try & find a colour that'll go good with tuscany yelllow, (ek 61's car)...

although i do like the colour you used stinky as i'm trying not to attract the wrong sort attention... THIEVES...
so original sort of colour is what i'm thinking of but i'm having a hard time finding any that match.
although i must say i would have never have pick that colour for daves car... but i really like it...

if possible i'll try a different colour so the two dont look too similar...

matty martin