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      09-24-2013, 04:39 PM   #1
2insane
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Sensatec interior

Hey everyone

My AW f30 sedan/berline company car i have on order (estimated delivery end of october) will have the black sensatec interior.

Originally i opted for the fabric "track" interior because i really liked the red stitching and details and the price for the black leather with red accents/stitching was a bit much in my honest opinion.
My boss however insisted on the sensatec interior, as it is supposed to be similar to leather but is only a €150 option or something like that, whereas the leather interiors are €1000plus and since he's the one paying for the car i didn't object to it, although i will miss those red accents

Now i would like to ask, does anyone here have this interior and if so, what are your thoughts on it? The pro's/con's etc..

Should i get special cleaning products to maintain the quality of the interior?

Thanks in advance.

- oli
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      09-24-2013, 04:48 PM   #2
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I had a F30 with Sensatec as a loaner. Honestly, I liked it enough to where wouldn't bother paying for leather. I don't have any experience with BMW cloth, so I can't give you a pro or con compared to that.
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      09-24-2013, 05:01 PM   #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bimmerjph View Post
I had a F30 with Sensatec as a loaner. Honestly, I liked it enough to where wouldn't bother paying for leather. I don't have any experience with BMW cloth, so I can't give you a pro or con compared to that.
Thanks for your input!
They did show me a model in the showroom that had the sensatec, but i only had a minute or two to look at it, from what i saw and the small bit of the seat that i touched during that small amount of time, it looked and felt like leather but i thought i would just ask this forum because, well... 2 minutes is hardly enough to know what the sensatec is like

Thanks again
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      09-24-2013, 05:53 PM   #4
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I have it in mine - don't mind it. Feels like leather, seems to get a bit hotter in the sunlight, but everyone who has been in the car has thought it was leather, so I think the differences are not that noticeable.
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      09-24-2013, 05:54 PM   #5
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I had similar questions and wanted to bring up the leatherette discussion.

One thing I've heard about leatherette is that it doesn't breathe quite like leather so back/butt sweat becomes an issue. I can't say I perspire any more or less than average, and I haven't spent enough time on a leatherette seat to judge. Any insights?
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      09-24-2013, 07:25 PM   #6
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I have it. Everyone who gets in thinks its real leather. I wipe it down with some interior wipes every once and a while to keep it clean. Can't really say it gets hotter than leather, since a loaner I had with leather was about the same. Wouldn't really call perspiration a problem either, same as leather.

At the end of my last lease, my leatherette still looked like new.
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      09-24-2013, 07:48 PM   #7
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I don't think most can tell the difference...including myself. The first time I sat in a coworker's 335i convertible, I had to ask her.

She didn't know.
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      09-24-2013, 08:33 PM   #8
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BMW's leather is very low quality so the letherette fills and serves much better than it.
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      09-24-2013, 10:33 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by joedoe View Post
BMW's leather is very low quality so the letherette fills and serves much better than it.
The Dakota in the F3x cars, at least.

I have noticed that the leatherette is hotter/sweatier than my last bmw with leather. But, it could also be comparing tan leather to black leatherette.. so color could be a factor. I don't think a little bit of hotness is worth the $1450, though.
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      09-24-2013, 11:11 PM   #10
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I have the sensatec....no complaints. I don't notice that it gets any hotter than leather and it breathes just fine to me. I'd only pony up the extra $$$ for leather if I REALLY wanted a color only offered in the leather, otherwise save the money or put it towards some other option.
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      09-24-2013, 11:31 PM   #11
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For me the decision was made by BMWs bundling of packages...

I need lumbar support
I like to have comfort access
Therefore I must have leather

If I could have lumbar + leatherette I'd take it in a heartbeat and save the $$$, but alas, that is not an option
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      09-25-2013, 01:26 AM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by F32 View Post
I had similar questions and wanted to bring up the leatherette discussion.

One thing I've heard about leatherette is that it doesn't breathe quite like leather so back/butt sweat becomes an issue. I can't say I perspire any more or less than average, and I haven't spent enough time on a leatherette seat to judge. Any insights?
I think most people, who decided to save $$$ and got leatherette are going to defend their decision no matter what.

One day I got a loaner, which I though had leather seats, in 15 min my butt and back were all wet. Once I got out from the car, I realized it was a fake leather that caused it. It did looked like a real thing, but certainly did not feel that way. Now, I do live in hot climate where temperatures above 90F (32F) are normal, although with very low humidity. So, perhaps, in SF that would not be as much of an issue. Although, leather typically helps with a re-sale.
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      09-25-2013, 01:33 AM   #13
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Leather may not help resale if its not in good condition.

I had leather before and I will not order leather again. Simply more expensive, more maintenance and less durable.
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      09-25-2013, 02:05 AM   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by hmc View Post
Leather may not help resale if its not in good condition.

I had leather before and I will not order leather again. Simply more expensive, more maintenance and less durable.

This is completely overgeneralized and incoherent statement!

When did you have it, what car was it on, how long have you had it, what type of leather was it, what maintenance did you perform, and what was your problem?

I had Dakota leather on my e90 for 3 years, the only thing I did is wiping it with a leather conditioner/cleaner every 3rd or 4th time I had a car wash, i.e 2-3 times a year. It looked the same the day I sold it as the day I purchased it.
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      09-25-2013, 02:22 AM   #15
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I had Dakota leather on my E60 525 for 2.5 years and E60 550 for 4 years.

While Dakota leather is fairly durable, it quickly shows it's not new anymore (especially driver seat) and I tried to clean and condition with leather cleaner and conditioner twice a year but it doesn't really help much.

If you think leather is more durable, you are kidding yourself...
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      09-25-2013, 02:42 AM   #16
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Quote:
Originally Posted by hmc View Post
If you think leather is more durable, you are kidding yourself...
This is correct.
I've never seen a BMW leather driver seat that looked as good as a sensatec seat after six years of intensive use.

Had beige sensatec in the E90 and have black sensatec in my current F30.
Wouldn't change it for anything else.

Maintenance? Just go over it with a damp cloth from time to time if it's dirty... or do nothing at all. No conditioning or expensive products needed.
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      09-25-2013, 03:26 AM   #17
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And, if I were to buy a used car, I would prefer almost new looking fake leather to clearly used looking real leather. No question about it...
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      09-25-2013, 09:01 AM   #18
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Quote:
Originally Posted by hmc View Post
And, if I were to buy a used car, I would prefer almost new looking fake leather to clearly used looking real leather. No question about it...
or a cloth seat full of some fat bloke's sweat
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      09-25-2013, 09:12 AM   #19
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i wouldnt have spent $1k for leather. i wish my car came with sensatec, i would have much rather spent that money on another package
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      09-25-2013, 09:14 AM   #20
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Quote:
Originally Posted by or0b0to View Post
For me the decision was made by BMWs bundling of packages...

I need lumbar support
I like to have comfort access
Therefore I must have leather

If I could have lumbar + leatherette I'd take it in a heartbeat and save the $$$, but alas, that is not an option
Comfort access is what it's all about...never need to fumble for keys, definitely a fantastic feature...too bad they force you to get the package.
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      09-25-2013, 09:17 AM   #21
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 328AL View Post

One day I got a loaner, which I though had leather seats, in 15 min my butt and back were all wet. Once I got out from the car, I realized it was a fake leather that caused it.
That right there is a dealbreaker for me.

Thanks.
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      09-25-2013, 10:35 AM   #22
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 328AL View Post
I think most people, who decided to save $$$ and got leatherette are going to defend their decision no matter what.

One day I got a loaner, which I though had leather seats, in 15 min my butt and back were all wet. Once I got out from the car, I realized it was a fake leather that caused it. It did looked like a real thing, but certainly did not feel that way. Now, I do live in hot climate where temperatures above 90F (32F) are normal, although with very low humidity. So, perhaps, in SF that would not be as much of an issue. Although, leather typically helps with a re-sale.
it's those days that i will miss my cars that had air-conditioned seats...didn't matter how hot the day was, your butt/back/thighs never perspired...i would gladly pay the $1k for air-conditioned seats over real leather any day of the week
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