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View Poll Results: What do you prefer?
Leather
49
60.49%
Cloth
15
18.52%
Have leather, but prefer cloth
4
4.94%
Have cloth, but prefer leather
11
13.58%
Either one, doesn't matter to me
2
2.47%
Voters: 81. You may not vote on this poll

Leather or cloth seats?

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Old 01-24-2012, 11:42 AM
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Leather or cloth seats?

What does your current or former Maxima have, and what are your preferences?
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Old 01-24-2012, 11:57 AM
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Could do without the vinyl sections on the 00-01 seats. Driver side bolster is already worn out and they're starting to split at the stitches with only 70k miles.

Edit: All three of my Maximas had leather. My 3rd gen looked real bad thanks to the Miami sun. The only damage to my 4th gen leather was from a drunken friend burning a hole in the front passenger seat and the 5th gen is definitely lower quality.

From a detailer's standpoint I much prefer leather.

Last edited by 5th gen dd; 01-31-2012 at 01:47 PM.
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Old 01-24-2012, 12:35 PM
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Cloth, leather is freezing in the winter and scalding in the summer, plus it looks like crap in if it hasn't been maintained meticulously. The smell is nice though, that I will concede.
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Old 01-24-2012, 01:11 PM
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I think the tan cloth seats in the 4th gen are gorgeous. If they made power seats in cloth for driver and passenger, I would happily trade down from leather. 4th gen leather isn't all that.

DW
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Old 01-24-2012, 01:22 PM
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It's cloth for me. I don't know what my problem is, but I sweat if I sit in leather furniture.
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Old 01-24-2012, 02:26 PM
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I'm a leather freak for some weird reason... LMAO
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Old 01-26-2012, 11:12 AM
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Originally Posted by esco115
I'm a leather freak for some weird reason... LMAO
Heh heh so is my wife




Anywho...back on topic:

Cloth. As mentioned above, leather does not age well. Cracks and rips and UV damage ftl.
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Old 01-26-2012, 11:31 AM
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My previous 2 maximas had cloth, my current max and jetta have leather. While I like the look of leather I rather deal with cloth.
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Old 01-26-2012, 08:31 PM
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so far this is only my second car with leather i have no heated seats and it gets pretty cold over here some winters and its always like sitting on a volcano in the summer but i love it

it just makes the interior look classy to me i dont think ill ever go back to cloth
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Old 01-26-2012, 08:59 PM
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I have cloth but i want heated tan and black two tone leather. It will happen a few months after the car note is paid off next year. Also going to get a heated steering wheel.
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Old 01-29-2012, 02:57 PM
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I went from a fully loaded 4th gen to a bare bones 4th gen and its taken me a while to adjust.

I personally prefer the leather seats , assuming they are in decent condition. Why?

- They dont retain scent like cloth
- They were also heated
- They generally look and feel nicer

Some say leather doesn't age well ... Try getting stains out of cloth = not always able to.

Plus the leather just gives it the feel of a luxury car without the luxury price = WIN.

Leather > Cloth
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Old 01-29-2012, 03:54 PM
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heated black leather ftw
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Old 01-29-2012, 03:55 PM
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Leather

Feels better, easier to clean/maintain. All you need is a bottle of leather conditioner and a bunch of rags/paper towels
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Old 01-29-2012, 03:56 PM
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Plus, they're more stain-resistant.

They say accidents in the backseat cause kids, while kids in the backseat cause accidents. Funny how that works..
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Old 01-29-2012, 05:10 PM
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Leather is easier to clean and looks better. Long term cloth holds up better though.
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Old 01-29-2012, 07:16 PM
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I'd say it depends on the conditions. In warm 75 degree weather leather is perfect... In scorching hot and freezing cold times is when I wish I had cloth. Heated seats are a great things to have though .

Overall, I'd say leather just because it feels much more comfortable and is much easier to clean.
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Old 01-29-2012, 07:28 PM
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Leather seats aren't a problem with me here during the hot Florida summers now that i've tinted the windows. Made a huge difference since the tint I have blocks UV rays.
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Old 01-29-2012, 07:30 PM
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Originally Posted by T_Behr904
Leather seats aren't a problem with me here during the hot Florida summers now that i've tinted the windows. Made a huge difference since the tint I have blocks UV rays.
Does the tint make a big difference? This is the first car that I'll have tint + leather on.
+ It does tend to get pretty warm up here in july/august

Last edited by tseng1023; 01-29-2012 at 07:34 PM.
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Old 01-29-2012, 07:35 PM
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Originally Posted by tseng1023
Does the tint make a big difference? This is the first car that I'll have tint + leather on.
Yes it makes a big difference, so long as it's quality tint that blocks UV rays. When I drive home in the late afternoon, the sun shines through my driver's window. If I roll the window down some to let the sun in, I can feel the side of my face and neck heat up almost instantly from the tint not blocking the sun's rays.
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Old 01-30-2012, 07:41 PM
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Leather.
But only cause they're heated
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Old 01-30-2012, 07:47 PM
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ive never really cared for leather but i like vinyl. the cloth in racing seats like the Sparco's i had in the 3rd gen is awesome though
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Old 01-30-2012, 08:00 PM
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I have leather but I prefer cloth. My big concern is the weight. I live in a place where the lowest temperature reaches 40 (pretty rare) so I don't care about heated seats. I don't worry about getting stains/odors on cloth seats because I am very strict with food/drinks being inside my car.
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Old 01-30-2012, 09:34 PM
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leather
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Old 02-01-2012, 01:50 PM
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My 97 Max had cloth seats and my 03 has leather. My son spilled some lasagna sauce in the rear seat crease on the 97 and I never did get the discoloration removed. With the leather I clean and condition my seats 2 or 3 times a yr and they still look new. Give me heated leather all day.
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Old 02-01-2012, 02:00 PM
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leather in all four of my maxima ftw....buy my cloth interior
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Old 02-01-2012, 10:05 PM
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I have leather atm and I've had cloth in the past. Personally I prefer cloth, leather gets hot in the summer...but the ladies love leather...

Pretty much any is cool with me
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Old 02-02-2012, 08:41 AM
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Cloth, its too damn hot for leather.
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Old 02-02-2012, 08:55 AM
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Originally Posted by schmellyfart
Cloth, its too damn hot for leather.
So true but....

But having leather vs. cloth is like.....

Having a model as a gf vs. A homely nice useful one.

Of course I'm going to choose the one that's the model, as miserable i'd be.
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Old 02-02-2012, 06:37 PM
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Leather.

Its so much easier to slide in and out of
IMHO looks much better (the "charcoal" leather is much darker than the cloth)
if maintained looks great
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Old 02-02-2012, 06:55 PM
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Id really take any. Leather you have to care for especially in the southern summers. Cloth is fine with me and its what I have now and a brush with soapy water and vacuum every now and again is all the maintenance I need. Wish I had that handheld carpet cleaner....now then cloth would look really good
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Old 02-03-2012, 01:22 PM
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I have Beige leather in Northern CA which works out okay...

I'd say it depends on where you live. In Maine, for instance, Cloth...
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Old 02-03-2012, 02:35 PM
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My maxima is not my daily driver with having a company vehicle that i take home. I don't drive the work truck around town or anything when off the clock. But sometimes when i get home i do not go anywhere else. So the maxima doesn't move.

Below are pictures of three day old puke from a three year old. It was a friends kid and she was in a car seat. She was drinking an orange bug juice before getting in the car. I did not smell anything because of having summer cold. Yea it was early summer too. Temperatures were in the mid nineties. I was feeling better and i got back in the car after the puke had been there for three days baking in the heat. I smelled it as soon as i sat down and got back up out of the car immediately and went wtf. Started opening up doors looking in expecting find a dead animal or something. When i got to the passenger side rear i saw it and new whose it was. I couldn't believe my friend did not smell it when he unbuckled the car seat to get her out.

I immediately went inside and got this cleaning crap i bought on line that has yet to not remove a stain on my beige micro-fiber couch without messing with the color. It neutralizes smells as well. Literally only took two minutes to clean up with hand towel. Cloth is not so hard to keep clean if you have the right cleaners. I do not have any stain blocker's either. After driving with the windows down for a few minutes the smell was gone.

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Last edited by DAlastDON; 02-03-2012 at 02:38 PM.
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Old 02-04-2012, 03:55 PM
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i like leather for the looks honestly, when I think about it, it's cold as an icebox in the winter and in the summer you get burned and stuck to it, cloth is the same all the time. silly I know
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Old 03-12-2012, 10:50 PM
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Cloth because it doesn't burn you in the summer and it doesnt freeze your back in the winter, amd leather because of the looks especially the perforated one
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Old 03-12-2012, 11:07 PM
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I love the look of the dark blue leather in my GLE. Heated seats are definitely nice to have in the winter if you're jumping in a cold car and the interior stays pretty cool with the A/C and dark tints i have in the summer
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Old 03-15-2012, 09:15 AM
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i have cloth and prefer cloth, leather is easy to clean but during summer heats it sucks. also i have ocd on feeling dirty (yes i know, i'm weird) and leather seats make my back sweat no matter how cold the a/c is blowing. i just wish there were cloth a32 i30's so i can have rear cloth seats with head rest :/
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Old 03-16-2012, 08:29 AM
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Had cloth in my 2000, leather in the 03@$# and now back to cloth on a 02 but wish I had all black leather.....
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Old 03-16-2012, 08:39 AM
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Black leather ftw. i could never buy a cloth seated car.
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Old 03-16-2012, 08:07 PM
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Originally Posted by AoD11
Black leather ftw. i could never buy a cloth seated car.
wish I had black leather though . But HEATED leather seats is mandatory for anyone in the North...you have never experienced freezing your ***** off until you've sat on cold leather lol.
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Old 03-18-2012, 05:26 AM
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The leather seats are softer and the ones with cloth. Cloth seats feel like you are sitting on them not in them.
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