Leather Seats vs. Standard Fabric

So lets see here equivocating meat eating to Nazism, that seems like kind of a stretch (ok a lot of a stretch) First to the best of my knowledge Nazis did not eat the Jews they slaughtered and killed, and second the argument is completely insane (in my humble opinion) this discussion was about preferring leather or clothe seats it has turned into for some people if you don't share my opinion you are a Nazi. Again I can argue with the best of them but when it comes to extremism, rational arguments will not work (Note Hitler was an extremist). I am not of the Jewish religion but I do find it kind of insulting to the religion of Judaism and the race to equivocate the killing of live sock for food or other materials to the wholesale attempt to slaughter a race of people. Ones beliefs are their beliefs but extremism often leads to fanaticism, which can only end badly for everyone.

 

IsrAmerPrius, I must apologize for not stating my position clearer. I, in no way, agree with Esther's stance on leather. I was simply offering her encouragement in taking on all comers and expressing my admiration for her passion. There is no sane comparison between what may or may not be violations of animal rights and the Holocaust; and I tried, as valiantly as I could, to offer an explanation for Esther's stance. I truly believe that, regardless of what Esther might feel passionately, she had no intention of making such an invidious comparison. In a forum like this, it's very easy to be misunderstood. Passion is one of the least understood human emotions. I'll tell you what I'm passionate about right now - taking delivery of my new Prius. I can hardly wait. And one of the first things I intend to do is put leather in my Prius. Further, I've read a couple of books about the history of the Mideast. If you have any interest in having a dialogue about the Mideast situation, and Isreali politics in particular, I'd enjoy learning as much as I can. I look forward to you future postings.

 

On this we do agree. Thank you for the clarification.

 

wait wait... are you sure its actually natural and biodegradable after they dye it with chemicals? im trying to find something online that will state that but im having a hard time.

 

i found something

"In terms of disposal, one would think that leather products would be biodegradable, but the primary function for a tanning agent is to stabilize the collagen or protein fibers so that they are no longer biodegradable."

so as soon as you get it tanned its no longer biodegradable

hrmm and if prius seats are made of plastic, i wonder if they can be recycled

 

I like the look and feel of the cloth interior in my Prius. The fabric is pretty much bullet proof as attested to by other posts and it cleans easily. Leather doesn't fit in my mind with the ecological aspect of the car, i.e. killing animals for seat covers doesn't seem "karma-appropriate". I also find leather hot in summer, cold in winter and waaaaay to slippery. I had a very hard time getting out ot the back seat of a friend's leather upholstered convertible (top up) because I couldn't get traction anywhere.
It's a personal choice, of course. Is it worth 1200-1600 bucks for you to get leather? Look at the album section; there are several photos of leather conversions.
B

 

Cripes! Just my luck I'm gone 4 days and miss out on a juicy (Pardon the pun) thread comparing leather seats to the Holocaust!

:roll:

It's a wee bit of a stretch comparing leather seats to the wholesale slaughter of +10 million Jewish citizens by the hands of Evil insane German Nazi's.

Seriously, I special ordered a 2000 GMC Sierra with, among other options, the SLT package. That included heated leather bucket seats in front, and a vinyl rear bench seat. I sold this unreliable truck to buy my Prius.

Leather seat pluses:

- Easy to wipe up coffee spills, poorly aimed nasal discharge, mayonnaise, cat fur, etc.

- Heated seats at -40 will spoil you.

- They just seem to go so well with Wrangler jeans and cowboy boots, don't you think?

Leather seat minuses:

- Without seat heaters, in winter you will freeze your most precious body parts right off.

- In hot humid summer, you will STICK to the seat. You will also sweat like a pig so when you do get out, your butt will look like you had an "accident" while driving.

I once tried driving my GMC in hot humid summer with my shirt off, all the way to my hobby farm. After 1.5 hours on the road at 88 degrees and 75% humidity, I stopped and could NOT get out. My back was STUCK to the leather.

With soft whimpers and occasional curses, I was able to eventually pry myself off the seat. It really did feel like I had left skin behind.

So, no more leather seats for me. I'll take my chances with cloth.

 

I would still get fabric. I had a King Ranch F250 with full grain leather seats (high quality). There was too much maintenance with those seats. I had to rub them down with leather treatment every month (took about 1 hour) to keep them soft. Otherwise they started to get stiff and would turn a light tan/whitish tan (normally brown). Also, they stained easily. Any type of moisture soaked into the leather fast. If it was anything other than water it would leave a stain.

The fake leather (with real leather on the edges) on my F150 was not bad. I did not have to worry about treating it and did not stain.

I am not sure what the leather quality is like on Prius but I was not taking any chances. Plus the fabric beads the water/spill pretty good. I picked my car up on a rainy day and watched the rain bead up on the seats. I hope it lasts.

 

jayman, you had better PM Fusco. Maybe he can write you a scrip or something for all of that stuff coming out of your nose. :lol:

 

You'll never guess how the Mayo got in there!

:lol:

Actually, the Mayo was from those yummy deli subs you can get made at Safeway here. I always order extra Mayo and olive oil, so they're a bit mushy to eat. I've also learned to no longer eat them in a vehicle.

Kitty likes to go for a car ride and when I go out to the hobby farm he goes with me. I was worried about all that cat hair in my Prius, but I just throw an old towel over the seat and it's fine.

 

Twelve million of which six million were Jews.

 

Danny:

Thank you for that comment of yours. I was just about to say the same thing. Too many issues these days get escalated to areas which need not be.

I am looking for someone to argue someday that I should breath air from the family room instead of the living room because of some political reason.

Lets get back on track here folks.

So far I have learned that the current fabric used in the Prius is easy to clean. That there might be a problem with air bags with leather.

Any other factual differences? After all this info I am now sitting on the fence regarding cloth vs leather.

Oh, and if this comment of mine suggests to you that comments about ecology and the environment are not important then you fail to get the point of this. We just need to get back to the actual subject. Thats it. Nothing more. Nada. OK?

Thanks

 

And where did you find this quote? Let me guess...a pro-veg*n website?...PETA? It's poor form to quote something and not provide a link to the source.

 

Extremism. That's all this thread is debating. The right to be extreme and to covet your beliefs above all reason and reality. For heaven's sake people - this isn't what the forum is about.

Usually - extremists use anecdotal information that is not scientific, ill-informed, or taken out of context to support their positions. Do any of you walk on leather shoes? Ahem - ladies??? This world is build upon the use of resources, renewable and non-renewable and it's success or failure will not depend upon the number of leather seats in use, or the number of vegans out there. I read this entire string and marveled at the flags waving, the fireworks going off, the shots here and there, and the depth to which some will drop to make a point. Referencing any animal skin to that of a human indicates the premise - extremists using information that does not apply, simply to sensationalize their points.

So - can we get back to the Prius? I really don't care who is a vegan, who likes leather or cloth, or why. I would like to hear about what problems there might be with leather, what years that applies to, what problems with cloth (like mine - it keeps coming up and unglued on the console and armrests), and so on.

Geezz.....keep the extremism in the bottle folks - I love meat, leather seats, and I have a son who is a vegan, another in the military. Life is about diversity and not about opposition. Get along and get over it -

 

I do not know too much about leather, but I would imagine the hides are just a byproduct of the cow's slaughter. It would not make sense to just raise cows for their hide and throw away the meat.

I personally have owned cars with leather and I prefer the cloth interior of the Prius to leather. If leather was FREE, I'd still choose the cloth, it's that GOOD. I have had my Prius for over two years and the interior still looks new!

I eat meat and am not against leather, I just don't like it under my butt.

 

I'm opting for the leather seats. In my current (first) car I have tan cloth seats (sort of a velour cloth) and love them, but over the last ~9 years they have gotten somewhat dirty/dingy, no matter how often or how well I clean them.

The Prius will be my first new car, and will also serve as a family car for the next ~10 years for my husband, myself, and the family we start in the next year or so. I decided on leather for its ease of cleaning...if a little one spits up or spills in the backseat, I have a feeling it'll be easier for a new mom who is short on time to clean up than if the seats were cloth (although the cloth in the Prius is very nice and soft).

I'm splurging here and treating myself to some nice leather seats for once in my life. My husband has dark gray leather seats in his Accord, which are quite nice I must admit, but I don't care for gray leather, so I'm opting for the lighter, 'bisque' (tan/beige) leather on the Prius. I only recently (end of Nov) changed my mind to leather over cloth after talking to a few friends who have leather and hearing their views and opinions about the feel, easy cleanup, and easy care vs. cloth seats.

And I absolutely don't care for seat covers, so that would never have been an option for me.