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Cloth Versus Leather Seating

B

Blackhawk

Charter Member
Full Member
Joined
Mar 21, 2002
Messages
71
Location
CARO, MICHIGAN
Isn't there any AV owners beside me that actually prefer cloth seating to leather? I'm a new owner/new member and must have looked at over 200 AV's and only found about 8 or 10 that didn't have leather. I finally settled on a Black 1500 Z-71 with all except leather and block heater (would have took block heater as well if it was on the vehicle) but had a heck of a time finding one with sunroof and cloth seating. My 95 Suburban Leather seat is cracked on the sides as ONLY :)the part you sit on is leather and the sides of the seat are vinyl on about all the vehicles including the AV's (I think). I love the way the black paint looks when it's clean, but it was about my 4th color choice as my driveway is about 275 yards of sand. On the plus side, mine was fresh off the truck and was still in transit when I bought it on Feb 28th and John Gregor at Joseph Chevrolet in Millington, MI was the best Salesman I have ever dealt with. He worked with me for about 6 weeks to get me what I wanted. Sorry about the plug, but he was the second most patient person in the world. (my wife is the first). Any input?
 
I caved in on leather. My wife's T-Bird has leather and my Montana had cloth. After seeing what my interior looked like from the kids versus her's - I went with moo skin. Also leather is the only way you can get heiny heaters.

Actually, I wanted the double bench seat too, but only if I could have gotten heiny heaters and leather with it. I have nothing against cloth at all, just leather doesn't soak up spilled sippy cup milk and starts smelling like bad Parmesan [sic?] in the warm summer sun!
 
We have the cloth bench and I'm quite happy. I've always been dissappointed that leather meant 'seating surfaces only' for just the reason that you described - the vinyl on the sides cracked.

But I must admit that I would have liked the option for leather, butt warmers, and a power passenger seat on the bench configuration.
 
The Cief said:
Also leather is the only way you can get heiny heaters
Click to expand...

This is not true. After buying the AV, my wife wanted the newest and LAST Firebird, and when we got her car, she wanted cloth, but also wanted the heated seats (riding in the AV spoiled her). They put heaters on her cloth seats. It's apparently new, and it only has on and off, but is regulated by a sort of thermostat so it only get's to about 99 degrees.
 
I wasnt going to have anything but Leather! Matter of fact I didnt see any cloth interior in an Avalanche until last Feburary when i was out cruising the dealships looking at the different Avalanches with my own...and once i saw the cloth...i was glad i didnt get it.
 
Yea, I didn't even consider cloth. I had cloth in my last truck (2000 GMC Extended Sierra 1500), and it got stained, and was a pain in the arse to clean. The Leather is soooooo much nicer. The "heiney heaters" are an added bonus...especially since I bought it in the winter! :D
 
wrchism said:
We have the cloth bench and I'm quite happy. ?I've always been dissappointed that leather meant 'seating surfaces only' for just the reason that you described - the vinyl on the sides cracked.
But I must admit that I would have liked the option for leather, butt warmers, and a power passenger seat on the bench configuration.
Click to expand...
That "vinyl cracking" thing happened on two of my previous leather seat vehicles, including a 1997 'Burban.

Lucky for me and others, there are vinyl repair operations that you can call and they come repair your cracks and tears - and the repair is impossible to tell from original. :eek:

The first time I used them was on a 1991 Toyota Cressida with medium gray leather. There was a 1 1/2 inch rip on the drivers side seat right where the driver slides his butt in. They repaired it in about 20 minutes - matched the color perfectly. It was IMPOSSIBLE to tell where the repair was made. I was incredulous, but the proof was in the pudding. (Note: I sold that car about two months later, so I never got to see how long the repair lasted. )

Now that I knew how that is done, I was going to use them again for a couple of small cracks in my 1997 'Burban - but I traded it in on the AV before I got the repair done !! ;D

So any of you who avoid leather because of the worry about cracks and tearing, please realize that it is fixable, and the benefits of the leather (great feel, easy to clean, great smell, high resale value) generally outweigh the detriments. ;)

Laterz.......
 
For me, it was leather or bust. I've had cloth over and over again, and I am tired of the stains, the smells, and the grimy feel that cloth eventually has. This is the first vehicle I've bought with leather, and I am happy with the result!! :)

I think if I take care of the sides, they will last, vinyl or not!
 
Nothing but leather for me. It's amazing, if you want cloth you can find nothing but leather and if you want leather you can find only cloth.

I held out and, by using GMbuypower, found a Victory Red 2500 Av with Graphite leather within 20 miles of my Zip code. My dealer traded his 2500 (Light Pewter/Tan interior - yuk) for the Avalanche of my dreams.

I hunt practically all year and the leather seats clean up much better than cloth
 
Well, I bucked the leather trend by getting a cloth bench seat. I wanted seating for six and the brains at GM said "not in leather you don't".

I prefer cloth over leather because they get too hot in the summer and too cold in the winter. The butt warmers are okay, but they still take time to heat up. My last leather interior car got so hot that I had a big sweat stain on my shirt back by the time I would drive to visit a client. Not good for business!

I've never had a problem with spills on cloth seats, and they've never smelled like Parmesian cheese! And I'm always paranoid that my kids will put a hole in the leather with a pen, etc. Yikes!

I will admit that leather seats are impressive looking, and they are easy to slide in and out of. They add to the overall "luxury" of any vehicle. But I'll stick with cloth for now, at least until they start "smelling". ;D
 
Looks like I stirred up a hornets nest! I have both-Suburban w/leather. Caprice, Grand Marquis, Chevy half ton, and Av as well as my work truck, Z-71 Silverado all with cloth and have had great wear, great comfort and they only smell when my kids leave something rotting in the seat back pockets. Most folks I've talked with in Michigan seem to prefer cloth as well, but I'll admit a few have strong preference for leather but there at about a 5 to 1 margin against. My Caprice has over 142,000 miles and looks great. The light gray in the Grand Marquis has a few stains but I don't clean it as often (its a FORD) and it has over 150,000 miles. The C-1500 has 120,000 miles and none have had any tears or rips. I've yet to see leather with that many miles not torn, cracked or discolored. The 98 Z-71 had to have a new cloth back installed but it was under warranty and it was my fault because I'm in Law Enforcement and my
holstered gun rubs against it. (The first engine died at about 5000 miles.) Anyway I always use "TUFF STUFF",
and it not only cleans the cloth and carpets but smell good as well. Get it at WalMart or any Auto Parts Store.
I also got the cloth because I wanted the bench seat so I could still fit most of my Family in seat belts with the back seat down. I bought a vinyl repair kit but haven't had time to mess with the seat. (Still got a Ford to keep running.)
 
i got cloth cause i try to be animal friendly. save the cows man. :)

no, but on a more serious note, i don't like leather. i wear shorts all too often in the summer and i didn't want to be stickin' to my seats in the 200% humidity levels that seem to be quite common the past few seasons here in jersey.
 
Blackhawk you don't have to justify your preference of cloth over leather. I have cloth interior for much of the reasons that you stated and besides I like the look. I have had both leather and cloth interiors and have no problem with smells.
 
I went with cloth on my AV for the same reason above. My Av is always outside in the heat and in the cold. It is a lot easier to get in when the cab is hot or cold. Now my TA has leather but it stays in the garage in the hot and in the cold. Since it does not get too hot or too cold it's not that bad. As far a cleaning I perfer leather.

Another cloth bench AV ;D
 
I guess I kind of compromised. I got the sport-leather. I wanted the buckets and the center console, but wasn't sold on the cloth. For some of the same reasons as the Chief. And I wasn't completely sold on the full leather, could take it or leave it. Just so happend that the truck my dealer found had the sport leather. If it had the full leather I probably would have still bought it.

I'm sure glad I got the sport-leather(and vinyl). I bought a six-pack of coke in the plastic bottles. Either some one had tampered with one or it wasn't fully sealed from the bottler. I had set it on the back seat and didn't notice that it had leaked 1 to 2 ounces until my daughter saw it later when she was getting into the truck. I soaked it up with a towel and it's no worse for the wear. I'd hate to see what it would have looked like with the cloth seats. And to think I thought one of the kids was going to make the first mess! Needless to say next time I check the sodas and they go on the floor or in the back.
 
With a family of 6 my only choice was cloth bench. If I could have got leather benches I would have jumped at it as I really like the feel of leather. I do have to say the comfort of the cloth is still very good. :)

I asked a number of salesmen while looking at the AVs why Chevy doesn't offer leather bench seats but didn't get a satisfactory answer. Actually a couple of times I got the answer "we do have leather bench seats available as an option" but they couldn't seem to find it in any of their vehicles on the lot or their options books. :rolleyes:

I too am afraid of what the cloth will look like in a couple of years after my kids have a chance to do what kids do, but what can I do... :-[

My only complaint with the cloth seats are for the past 1-11/2 months I seem to build up a lot of static electricity because EVERY time I get out of the AV and close the door (touch metal) I get an electric shock :eek:. Anyone else with cloth seats have this problem?
 
When I was buying (1 month ago) tan benches were a almost non-existant. It came down to the want of tan over the want for a bench. With 5 family members, the 6th position would have come in handy. My previous f150 had a leather bench...but had the contour of a bench from a '76 caddy. When you took a corner..you better be holding onto the wheel or you may have found yourself slidding around a bit. So if I was going with the buckets...I was going all the way. I've had cloth and leather and have the same concerns about both as others have posted-
 
Static Zap from cloth seats . . . YES !!!

Dry Colorado winter weather is perfect for generating sparks! Open the door, turn to exit, step out, grab the door to close it . . ZAP! . . . every time.
 
I wanted the bench seat so had no choice on this purchase, but I think cloth has many merits. I'm happy with the cloth.
 
I had know doubts in my mind when I bought my Av that I wanted leather seating....My last vehicle had cloth interior and it seemed that everything stuck to it..from dust to lint to hair....etc....

Also like it's been mentioned above...I wanted the heated seats and power lumbar etc..... :)
 
WELL THE DECIDING FACTOR FOR ME WHEN I WAS LOOKING AT THE INTERIOR WAS MY COMFORT. AND I SAT IN BOTH SEATS, THE LEATHER AND THE CLOTH, LIKED THE CLOTH BETTER. I'M A PRETTY BIG PERSON 6'-2" AND NEAR 300 LBS. AND THE CLOTH BENCH SEAT WITH THE FOLD DOWN CONSOLE WAS VERY NICE. ON THE OTHER HAND THE LEATHER SEATS JUST DIDN'T ACCOMIDATE A BIGGER PERSON LIKE MYSELF. THE BIGGEST FLAW I SAW WAS THE SHORT ARMREST ON THE RIGHT SIDE, TALL PEOPLE HAVE LONG ARMS, ITS THE WAY WE'RE MADE. AND I NEEDED A LONGER ARMREST.
ALL THAT SAID AND I SAVED ABOUT A $1,000 BUCKS.
 
We haven't bought our Av yet (intend to come the end of Sept.) but we will most likely go with the cloth buckets. We find the leather too uncomfortable in the summer and the main reason.... we usually take our 100 lb. pooch with us when we go camping or cruising around. I know, I know, dog hair, but we love the pooch (basically another kid, and he weighs more than our 10 year old daughter) and I couldn't imagine what leather seats would look like after the dog's claws get into the seats. What a mess that would be!! Leather does look nice, but just wouldn't be practical in our case. Different strokes for different folks.
 
I prefer leather for the look, feel, resale value, & heat!!!

Also leather is easier to clean!
 
I love the way leather seats look. I have the Neutral Leather in my Avy. I notice however that the drivers seat is starting to loose it's shape. It now has some creases in it. I weigh 180 pounds and have had the Avy since Oct 2001. I hope that after owning this truck for a couple of years that the drivers seat is going to look mangled. I clean the leather seats and protect them after every 3rd washing, I wish there was a way to keep the leather seats looking new. My girl friend who always rides shotgun weighs 100 pounds and her seat looks like it has never been sat on. I love the weigh leather looks in all vehicles especially the Avy. I just wish they always looked new!
 
maybe a nice compromise to keeping the leather and transporting kids and pets would be to buy a rear seat cover to protect the leather.....this would still let you enjoy those bum toasters.. :D
 
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