Sheepskin Seat Covers: Must Have or Mostly Hype?

[XB70]

Do true sheepskin seat covers really keep you warm in winter and cool in summer, or is that just advertising hype?

How do the real sheepskin covers perform compared to the simulated ones?

Here (pdf file) is the selection of seat covers from Auto Expressions (a SOPUS company) which includes both real and simulated varieties. The simulated style is shown on the center of page 2, and the real on the bottom right corner of page 3.

Pep Boys has a pair of the simulated - advertised as "genuine" - for $19.88 after rebate. Meijer has a pair of the real ones Buy-One-Get-One-Free today and tomorrow for $59.99, $47.99 after a 'Santa Buck' coupon.

 

[theinvisible]

use latex, sheepskin doesn't protect properly against STD's.

 

[dwendt44]

Some folks love them, others hate them.
You choice.

 

[mechtech2]

They are great when they are new, but just like the Mongol's undersaddle sheepskins, they turn to felt as they compress.
A nice short term luxury.

 

[Al]

Haven't used one for 40 years. I remember the one I had to be very nice in winter. Don't remember anything about summer though.

 

[Matt89]

Go with the beads (think taxi driver)

 

[Benzadmiral]

Whatever you do, don't cheap out and get inexpensive ones! They'll shed. Fifty or sixty dollars sounds too low for real covers.

When I lived in Colorado, they were a must, and not only for cold weather. After all, when I get in my car in the winter, I'm wearing warm clothes, so there isn't much need for sheepskins for warmth.

However, they keep your leather or vinyl seats cool in the summer as well, which I appreciated in CO's 100-degree summers. Yes, they are a little warm against your back, but vinyl or leather are much worse after your car has been sitting in the sun. If you have velour or cloth seats, though, the sheepskins won't make any difference.

They also protect your leather/vinyl seats from wear and sunfade. Plus, you can always take them off to clean them, or remove them if you don't like them after a while. It's not a permanent change to your car.

I seem to be the only person down here in The Swamp who understands how useful they can be. You can't buy the real ones anywhere in New Orleans, and the only time I see a car with them on (besides mine) is if the car has a CO or AZ license.

 

[oli]

Warm in winter, cool(er) in summer. Just plain more comfortable regardless of season. I'm not selling anything. Never tried the fake stuff. I've had some where the wool was trimmed fairly short. The longer wool is better for temperature issues. I've had white and dark brown. It's all good. The real skin with long wool will change your seated eye level by probably over one inch. Some people might not like this at first. The elbow/armrest interface will change. This could be a good or bad thing. If you have electric seats, it is likely that you can adjust some things back to normal (assuming normal was good).

 

[mcrn]

I had them in an old mercedes thats original seats had torn. Well I loved them. They were warm in winter and cool in summer. Were very comfortable. But I think one very important thing is to not get the cheap ones that is one size fits all but get some that are made for your car. Plus make sure its real sheep skin not the fake stuff. If you do that I think you will like them.

 

[Old Mustang Guy]

I like them. My 06 Mustang GT was my first car with leather seats and I didn't like them so I put on some good sheepskins and they are much more comfortable. I agree with buying high quality ones. I had some on a 81 BMW that I drove 100k. The sheepskins were expensive custom ones put on by the first owner. They were still like new when I sold the car. The good ones are so resilient that they don't compress.

 

[sifan]

I agree. I bought a pair of cheap ones with real sheep skin only in the center portion. The rest is made of synthetic look-alike material that shed. They shed so badly that the fibers clogged the circulation vent for the HVAC system on my wife's Toyota Previa minivan. The mechanic took a long time to clean up the vent, and told me to get rid off those seat covers. So I did.

 

[Cicero17]

I have one on the driver's seat of my Jetta. It has leather and it pretty firm. The sheepskin cost $ 30 at Schucks and is definately more comfortable year round, both in terms of softness and warmth. However, since I got a cheap one, the fit is pretty lousy.

Don

 

[Norm Olt]

Obviously the $250 per pair (or more) custom fit ones are (should be) better than the el-cheapo variety, however...

Sometimes you can find pretty decent covers for $100, $69, even $49 per pair ON SALE!!! There are typically two models, one for seats with high headrests(or power seat headrests) and ones for low back seats without headrests (some of these have a slit across the top for the headrest). Newer ones have cutout panels for side airbags, etc.

If you take your seat dimentions you can usually get one that will fit pretty well, depending on your seat design. Putting them on correctly also means tight: you also want to make sure the straps don't get caught up in the seat tracks, hinges, etc., especially on power seats.

Allmost all older Mercedes owners (with more sense than money!) know that even a couple pairs of sheepskin seat covers cost a whole lot less than having a single leather panel replaced OR a new leather seat cover at $499.00 each...

To each his own. I just got a pair of tan covers, synthetic on the sides and back, sheepskin on the seating surfaces & headrests, for $25 each, which is just about 1/2 price. The last pair I bought lasted just over three years.

Cheers!

 

[Tornado Red]

I think about $200/pair will get you good quality and a good fit. I would not mess around with anything fake -- get genuine fleece covers and they will last you for a decade of comfortable driving.

 

[Papa Bear]

Get the set that comes with the free fuzzy dice to hang from your mirror.

 

[Cogito]

I had a sheepskin coat that I didn't use, so I had a leather shop cut it up and make a custom-fit seat cover. Worked out great.

 

[ikeepmychevytoo]

They look funny. Especially the one with fake leopard pattern that one of my relatives got just after his retirement car. It was '88 or '89, I still remember the fun we had with him, those were looking... well.. "pimpsy". But they were comfortable.

My preference in a car would be crushed valeur. They ventilates well, natural and resistant to fade. Too bad in Eu you can't get a fabric seat let alone the valeur with a v6 novodays. Every car seems to be equipped sheepishly with leather.

 

[JHZR2]

I like my cars with a good grade of pleather/leatherette/vinyl (think MB tex). Stuff that looks like new after 20+ years and a few hundred thousand miles.

I like to suffer in the cold, and I use a sunshade in the hot to protect my dash.

That said, thanks for all this info - Ive been thinking of looking into sheepskins to protect my seats, at least when it matters!

JMH

 

[M56959]

If a topic interests you please start a new one. Dredging up and replying to a 14 year year old topic helps no one.
It takes the same time to reply as it takes to start a new topic.