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I am new to the forums and on searching for a used Mini Cooper S (prior VW owner). I have a question regarding the Mini upholstery but can't find the information I am looking for and Mini Customer Service does not seem that have the info either.
I was wondering if anyone knew what the leatherette seats are made of (is it vinyl/PVC or a more bening type of synthetic leather?). I wish it was the latter but seems to me it's the former which I am not keen on for health reasons (would prefer cloth but that is very hard to find in a used Mini). Otherwise, do you know if the leather seats are all leather or just the front part is leather and the rest vinyl?
Great, that helps! I found a 2023 Cooper S with the satellite grey Chesterfield leather seats so those are the ones I was thinking of. I will shoot an email to Lear and see what they say about the leatherette.
Not really off topic and a valid comment. I know most people are not concerned about the toxicity in everyday products (like cars, furniture, personal care) but I am, and vinyl is considered one of the most toxic materials ever made. It is certainly very practical and the Mini one seems high quality, but nonetheless I would prefer either a leatherette made of more bening plastics (they exist) or cloth or leather. Hence my trying to find out what type of plastic they are made of. I emailed Lear but never got a reply. BTW, I saw that Mini is starting to experiment with using more sustainable seat materials, but so far it seems it's just a prototype of the SE.
As a side note, I had beige leather/leatherette seats in my old VW and they were still looking very good after 20 years!
Not really off topic and a valid comment. I know most people are not concerned about the toxicity in everyday products (like cars, furniture, personal care) but I am, and vinyl is considered one of the most toxic materials ever made. It is certainly very practical and the Mini one seems high quality, but nonetheless I would prefer either a leatherette made of more bening plastics (they exist) or cloth or leather. Hence my trying to find out what type of plastic they are made of. I emailed Lear but never got a reply. BTW, I saw that Mini is starting to experiment with using more sustainable seat materials, but so far it seems it's just a prototype of the SE.
As a side note, I had beige leather/leatherette seats in my old VW and they were still looking very good after 20 years!
in my opinion, leatherette is the most practical material you can use for car interiors.
Thanks, but I was trying to figure out not what leatherette is but what type of leatherette it is. Leatherette can be PVC, PU, silicone or plant based. Given the lack of other information, I will just assume it is vinyl.Like all plastic, it is practical but it's bad for health and environmental reasons. Personally, I think it does look plasticky. But, given that I am not ordering new, I may end having to get it just because it seems to be the most common seat option.
These articles shared that Sensatec is a fabric with a pvc coating. Further articles I looked stated that all the materials in Sensatec are artificial - manmade fibers coated with PVC.
BMW leathers have a “synthetic polymer paint coating added in the manufacturing process. This gives it a super smooth, even surface, and more importantly makes it hard-wearing to stains and dirt.” So, leather is a better option to meet your requirements, but not 100% natural. Even then, only the seating surfaces will be leather, with the remaining sections covered in Sensatec.
The fabric upholstery options are made from nylon and polyester, with the non-fabric sections being Sensatec :(
Given your concerns, it might be better to wait until the new Mini models arrive in 2024/2025. The materials are supposed to be much more environmentally friendly to produce and recycle.
Sorry, interpreted the article differently. More like saying "SensaTec is leatherette and leatherette is this." Nonetheless, I am certain it is PVC (i.e. vinyl). I did not know about the coating on the leather seats, so thanks for that. I agree with you that leather is possibly a bit better but not ideal either. I will get a car now anyway (as soon as I find one with the specs I want!) instead of waiting, but I look forward to seeing what BMW comes up with for future versions. Though one thing I do love about the Mini is that it still has all the ***** and dials, but it looks like BMW, just like VW, is starting to dispense with those and go all "Tesla".... ugh.
A timely discussion- The 2003 MCS I recently acquired was ordered with the Black Panther leather interior. The interior is in amazing condition other than the side air bag area of the drivers seat. Is that area a synthetic material ? I need to find a way to clean this up. Any ideas ? Edit- "Gravity- Black Panther leather" according to the VIN lookup.
Not knowing much about leather restoration- I can only guess that a synthetic fabric would need a different top coat/coloring than an organic leather, I know there are even paints used in some cases as well. The Black Panther is more of a very dark grey than it is a true black. This look interesting for leather but may not be suitable for this side panel. https://www.ebay.com/itm/19426356439...UAAOSwRsJegncV
