[jetblk328i]

lol i went to the mercedes dealer today to look at the GLK. Overall, i really like the car, however one thing really bothered me.
That would be, the lack of a wood trim option without leather.

Sure leather is nice,but this MBtex/leatherette stuff, i seem to like it better(sat in both).

However, it turns out that you can only get the wood trim, which i like very much ,with the leather package, something i find unnecessary.

I love the way BMW does it with interior trims, wood or aluminum, either are free.

I wouldnt mind paying for just the wood trim like in the A4, but does MB really have to bundle everything together?

Any ideas?

[vAnt826]

You have two options.

Leather with trim or MBTex without trim.

/thread.

[MShao825]

Love the new GLK as well

[stickypaws]

Why don't you just get the leather. When I went shopping for my '09 E350, I actually had to search for a full leather option. Most of the dealers get their allocations with MBTex.

MBTex, while it might look like leather, is still vinyl. Leather wears with a nice patina, and is much cooler in summer. Not sure why you'd want vinyl unless it's just a cost thing.

The MB leather is made by Eybl of Krems, Austria. (They also supply BMW, Porsche, Rolls Royce, Audi, and others.) It's good quality. http://www.eybl-international.com/

[yeefoo335]

get an X5

[amgthis]

Originally Posted by mshao825

Love the new GLK as well

What's so appealing about it? I've seen a couple and they were average and square.


not trying to be a di**

[spacedogg]

Originally Posted by stickypaws

MBTex, while it might look like leather, is still vinyl. Leather wears with a nice patina, and is much cooler in summer. Not sure why you'd want vinyl unless it's just a cost thing.

In addition to being cheaper, leatherette is much easier to maintain. Just wipe down with wet towel and then dry towel.

Real leather needs to be cleaned AND conditioned with moisturizers regularly in order to prevent cracking. And even with careful maintenance, it will eventually wear down and crack with years of harsh UV exposure and rubbing.

Leatherette will keep looking great!

New leather does smell nice though...

[slipknot]

oh shut up... and u are dissapointed in merc because of what?

[TK-421]

I'm dissapointed in Merc because they can't seem to make a quality car under 100K

[Messerschmitt]

I'm dissappointed there is no AMG version, they manage to shoehorn a V8 into just about everything else. I'd get the leather, smells great and will help with resale

[stickypaws]

Originally Posted by spacedogg

In addition to being cheaper, leatherette is much easier to maintain. Just wipe down with wet towel and then dry towel.

Real leather needs to be cleaned AND conditioned with moisturizers regularly in order to prevent cracking. And even with careful maintenance, it will eventually wear down and crack with years of harsh UV exposure and rubbing.

Leatherette will keep looking great!

New leather does smell nice though...

Well, each to their own. Keeping leather conditioned is part of owning leather. The same reasons why I wear a leather jacket over a plastic one. Or leather shoes over rubber shoes. If one is a strict vegan, then that's a perfectly understandable reason with me.

People don't get the leather option because it's cheaper, and not because they prefer vinyl over leather (cloth is a different story all together, but not available for the most part in the US.) People end up praising vinyl to make up for not getting leather in the first place.

I like the patina and feel of leather. Has anyone here ever sat in a Volvo 300 hp S60R with natural Atacama leather? They would quickly forget about vinyl (or "Leatherette," or "MB-Tex", or whatever vinyl trade name one wants to call it.)

Those "many" years mean 15+ in my experience, even with minimal care. Keep a car longer than that? Well, that's what the car restoration business is for..... leather is very easy to repair/re-dye, etc..

fwiw, w/o conditioning and care ANY leather will wear down eventually. That's also why we wash and wax the paint on our cars, too.

Plastic stuff was invented to make lazy people happy, and mfgs more profitable, and no real regard to the life of a cow, imho.

For some, cars are simply appliances, for others they mean more than that.

Cheers, and let everyone's butt be happy on whatever it's sitting on.