Without starting yet another Leather vs. Leatherette thread, I am trying to decide between the two, and have it down to one factor. I noticed that in the dealership, the Leatherette cars seemed to have a significant off-gassing plastic or vinyl smell, which I did not notice in the leather equipped cars. I've got a sensitivitiy to the smell of off-gassing plastic due to a job I had in the past. So...My question is, how long did the off-gassing smell last in your Mini, and is it just me, or do other people notice a difference between the off-gassing smell in leatherette vs. leather equipped cars???

 

I have bought 3 brand new MINIs all equipped with leatherette seats. Yes, the smell is a little strong at first, but within 1-2 months it will go away and completely dissapear within 4-6 months. However, if you drive with the windows/sunroof open often, then the "aroma" will go away at a faster rate.

I don't consider it anything thta will give you a headache, but I do know that some folks are very sensitive to the new car smell.

Get the leatherette, you'll love it!

 

There are a lot of components in a new car that contribute to the “new car smell”: the carpeting, the foam in the seats, other plastic parts, and the seat covers. If you know you have sensitivity to some of the plasticizers used in PVC, then switching to cloth or leather might help. Otherwise, you might choose based on your other criteria (asthetics, durability, cost) and use plenty of ventilation. Remember, the reason leather seats smell like leather is because of “off-gassing”.

 

Also did you know that in the state of California MINIs and other automobiles are know to cause Cancer? Sure glad I don't live out there ;-)

 

In the semiconductor industry, we call it "out-gassing" (vacuum environment). By your thread title I had a feeling this is what you meant. I LOVE the leather smell BTW. :-)

 

Think down the road not the first couple months. Vent the car, crack the window but lots of plastics contribute to the "new car" smell leather or not.

Nothing that one of those little green tree fresheners couldn't mask.
GAAAAAAK!

 

Vinyl and other plastics do release vapors of the chemicals they are comprised of - I don't know if this is the info you are looking for but it seems related:

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ad.php?t=58812

 

The new 2006 with leatherette had about the same new-car out-gassing smell that my 2003 had with leather.

I agree with other posters that there are a LOT of plastic bits that contribute to the odor and getting leather won't make a significant difference in the end.

Maybe you should buy a very lightly used MINI or one that has been on the dealer lot for a little while?

 

my 03 still has a new car smell. im guess it's because my seats are still off-gassing (?)...

 

Thanks guys. While I love leather interiors, if the "plastic' smell is about the same, I'll probably go for the leatherette and save the cash for other goodies.

 

off gas beside leather or vinyl seat coverings (foam in the seats, dashboards, carpets, etc). get the cloth seats.

 

Hmmm, they just did a study on this and found that the “New Car Smell” can actually be bad for you….If this smell is so strong then it could possibly be something to be concerned about. I guess I'll plan on leaving my sunroof and windows open every night for a while each night while it’s parked in the garage. Maybe that will help.

 

I love the feel and smell of the leather interior of my MINI. I think my love of leather began as a kid when I got my first baseball glove.

 

I get "off-gassing" in my car with cloth seats.....oh wait that would be me.

 

The most "off gassing" I got was from the ventilation system the first two weeks - turn on the heater, and you get all sorts of weird plasticky smells. Didn't notice the seat smell at all.

 

I have leatherette, it does smell if I don't drive the car for 12+ hrs.
But I do drive a lot with the windows down, so it doesn't bother me as much.

 

Well I did it, I ordered the Leatherette, so I guess I'll just have to drive around smoking a cigar for the first month. That should take care of any off-gassing.

 

One thing that I have noticed with the leatherette, is that they seem to have more lumbar than the other seats. I like the leather because I can adjust all of the lumbar out.

 

Lumber in the seats!!! Now thats just crazy. Someone could get a splinter or two. And about that out gassing. I've had that in every single car I've ever sat in. Heck right now where I'm sitting there's out gassing going on. I have to go now. The orderly is here to take me to the cafeteria for supper & my meds. Pull my finger!

Chuck

 

I don't wish to incite paranoia but this was reported yesterday about fire-retarding and plastic treatment chemicals used in cars:

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) - A Michigan environmental group is charging that at least part of the so-called "new car smell" is toxic, and that the interior of an automobile has dangerous levels of various chemicals.
The report, "Toxic at any speed," comes from The Ecology Center, an Ann Arbor, Mich.-based group. It reports that PBDEs, used as fire retardants, and phthalates, used primarily to soften PVC plastics, are found in dangerous amounts in dust and windshield film samples.

The rest of the article can be found here:
http://www.cnn.com/2006/AUTOS/01/31/...ars/index.html

The good news is that:
1. Health risks can be minimized easily by using sunshades, ventilating the cabin (more reasons to drive with the windows open), and by parking in the shade.
2. "BMW vehicles... had lower-than-average levels for all chemicals tested." Hmm, wonder if this includes MINIs with their all-plastic interiors -- maybe it ain't such good news.

 

I think that would be "gassing off." Hope you can make it to the Sierra Nevada Minis' February Reno Pie Run.

 

To me, part of the fun of having a new car is the smell. I hope it never goes away.

The leading cause of death among all living things is birth.

 

I have to honeslty say that when I read the title of this thread I thought the author was referring to something completely different

I started my calculations of gaseous absorption and rebound dispersion probabilities sourced from the human posterior in the two materials in question (leatherette vs. leather), using the baseline rates from pure unobtanium, then I realized the thread was about something else entirely.

Seriously though, I got a set of the rubber "S" floor mats as a freebie from my MA, and they had a horrible smell for about the first two weeks. I have leather in the car, and loved the smell - when I put the floor mats in I almost couldn't stand it - it was almost like I was in a tire factory. Thankfully, the rubber smell has gone away, and the leather smell is back.

"I can smell that like a fart in a Mini!" - Unknown