How does the space gray cloth upholstery hold up over time? It seems like it would be hard to keep clean. Do those of you who have it like it?

thanks in advance!!!

 

I haven't had the space gray upholstery that long (since May, 2005), but it has held up well so far. If you are concerned about stains, I would suggest treating with ScotchGuard.

 

no problems with it. I did scotchguard it. Any stains wash off nicely with a product called Gonzo

 

Space gray since Oct. 2003...no scotchguard...no probelms...but then again, no kids.

Theo

 

Get Leatherette... Much, much,much better!


I personally think cloth seats are yucky!

 

no probs so far with the space grey cloth, but it's < 1 month for me too.

I was contemplating the leatherette, but I think the dealer treated the seat with something so when I test drove it through some nice twisty roads, I was sliding all over the seat worse than a fried egg in a teflon pan.

 

leatherette is BMW's fancy way of saying "vinyl". I thought vinyl went out in the 70's.. Too slippery, too hot! It doesn't breathe! To each his own...

 

Space cloth has a funny texture on the inserts that is supposed to hold your bottom in the seat better. Lots of newer cars are coming out w/ new patterns and textures for cloth. I've had mine since Aug 02 and all good except for light fading of the black on the drivers side outer edge. Could be the Florida sun or my big butt sliding in after work. Had a couple of stains in the rear (3 teens and 5 cats) but the woman got them out w/ carpet/upolstry machine. Lots of scotchguard. Scotchguard is your friend.

 

Sorry Mike but I disagree with you

I remember the sticky, smelly, hot and slippery vinyl used in American cars from yesteryear, and there is absolutely no comparison to the high quality vinyl material used by BMW. You are comparing a piece of bacon with caviar

I live in Florida and all my 3 MINIs have been ordered with Panther Black leatherette seats. The material is extremely durable, has a very upscale texture to it and most people think I have real "leather" in the car.

Other pluses: Its not slippery, its not hot and its not smelly. Extremely easy to clean and maintain and if you spill something, just get a clean rag and presto. Try that with cloth seats, which in my experience are smelly because body sweat and odors transfer to the cloth material (Yuck!). If you spill a liquid by accident, you'll have a nasty stain.

Unlike leather, leatherette doesn't deform, crack, crease or peel.

BMW uses the same leatherette in the 3 series and other manufacturers are beginning to offer it as a better alternative to cloth and leather upholstery.

Now leatherette is also offered in a very nice Gray/Black combination. Leatherette is not a brainer!

The leatherette seats in my wife's '02 MC CVT with 31K miles still look and feel brand new. Try that with cloth or leather

 

Space gray cloth since April 2003 and 53,000 miles later it still looks good.

 

I LOVE the leatherette in the Mini - it feels great, grips great and will look great for years to come. That being said, VW has better feeling material, MUCH closer to real leather - but I'm still very happy witht he Mini stuff!

 

I have the space cloth and love it. I think it looks cool and is a cool temperature as well, feels good to the touch.

My dealer sold an interior protection program for around $300 where they treated the cloth once (one time only) with a stain resistant substance. (similar to scotchgaurd but better)

...then they warranted it for the life of the car, that if I ever get a stain I can't get out.. they will replace the seat. They had a sample in the show room, where they put coffee on the cloth, then just wiped it right off..dry.
Can't beat that.

 

kaelaria... did you ever get the milltek from randy?

 

I love how it looks and feels. When it's 110° in Fresno, I can still sit in the seats without getting burned. I have cloth in my other vehicles and it has held up very well and the MINI upholstery seems to be made of better material so I expect it will hold up very well also.

Steve

 

I've had mine since Oct 02 with the cloth seats (ordered specifically). I think they look great with the alloy patina trim. The whole interior is black and grey, why not keep that scheme going in the seats?
Also, here in the 117 degree days we had last week, leather or leatherette is just too hot and sticky.
The only marks I've had on my seats were a mark down the side of the drivers seat when it rained while the window was cracked and a coupe of small (about 1 1/2 inch diameter) round marks on the passenger seat. The one on the drivers seat came out, I haven't attacked the ones on the passenger seat yet. They seemed to appear after I was taking carry-out food home one night. Not sure what they are.

 

No, not yet - I had another project come up this weekend, I'll be ordering shortly though.

 

I have 38K miles on my spacecloth form Sept 03 and they look perfect. no snags, no stains and I like it alot better than the (Vinyl) that some are pushing Heck I ordered it specifically. If you have a preference for cloth for tempature reasons or even aesthetics you will not be disappointed.

 

I must say that the MINI "pleather" is really quite nice. I've spent several hours in a pleather MINI during fairly hot weather and it really isn't that bad. In fact, it has the "feel" of leather when you first experience it.

However, I got cloth for the other extreme in the temperature range. Nothing quite like heated cloth seats when the outdoor (and cockpit) temperature is below zero!

If you're not going leather, then I guess it's a mater of taste and climate.

Theo

 

Oct '02 with spacecloth interior. 35,000 smiles and they still look factory fresh. OK, no kids, no pets. Would not consider anything else.

Will be ordering my new '06 with the cloth seat to replace this one.

Cooler in the summer, warmer in the winter (even before the electric seats are turned on), not slippery when "motoring about" or doing the occasssional auto-X.

 

Plus, if you order the anthracite trim, the space gray fabric is almost the same color! Just my opinion, but the space gray seats with anthracite trim combination is the BEST!

 

great information! thank you all so much

 

Definitely a great combo. I also have the athracite headliner which really fills out the package.

Steve

 

I agree with C4. MINI's "leatherette" (I always say "vinyl") upholstery is first rate. I wish it did not try to look like leather because some people I know don't like the notion of sitting on animal skins. I got the space grey/charcoal combo and it cheers up my monochrome MINI. It's the best quality vinyl I have experienced since my Lancia Fulvia of 30 years ago.

On the other hand I am not knocking fabric upholstery. The car I owned for 11 years just prior to my MINI was a Geo Tracker. It had fabric upholstery and despite almost zero maintenance by me the couple who bought it said it looked like new. I believe automotive upholstery has been developed to an almost indestructible level--much more durable than residential upholstery.

 

I agree with C4. Leatherette is unbeatable.

-It feels like leather.

-It isn't sticky.

-It doesn't get as hot as you'd think.

-It's extremely durable.

 

i am on my 3rd bmw with plastic (vinyl, leatherette, or now they call it sensatech in my X3). many bimmer owners would love to have the cloth option in the US (canada still does).

i am going with cloth in my 2006 MC.

the cloth seats in the mazda 3 rock!

to each their own.