What is Leatherette/MB-Tex?

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I've been browsing used car classifieds that crow about leatherette or MB-Tex seats. Lots of cars have authentic cowhide leather seats maybe even Naugahyde.

Several of my vehicles have had leather surfaces and they were with proper care very nice.

Is leatherette durable?

BTW this is a photo of an actual Nauga on the Johnny Carson Show decades ago. They are almost never seen outside the wild.
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Volkswagen uses a lot of fake leather. It seems to hold up better than actual leather if you don't do the perpetual upkeep leather requires. I've had both over the years and I actually prefer the imitation better.
 
MB-Tex is MB’s vinyl. In the 80s and and 90s it had legendary durability, nowadays it’s best to avoid it.

Leatherette refers to the vinyl in poverty trim VWs and BMWs, the latter usually comes with manual seats. it’s not particularly durable and tends to tear easily in my experience
 
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It's probably more likely to be polyurethane than vinyl these days. Unless vinyl is being used as a catch-all term for both PVC (polyVINYLchloride) and polyurethane synthetic leather.
 
I've had the MB-Tex and the VW leatherette. It's like sitting on a Hefty bag. The MB-Tex always seems to tear on the seams in the E-class.
 
My 1988 Mercedes 190e has seats covered in this material. Being the 80s, it’s all dark blue.

And as said above, it’s still intact, even though the car hasn’t seen the road since 2006. But I do intend to return it to drivability one day soon, because I can. 😎😁
 
I'm a fan of true leather, but the MB Tex I have had has been great. It actually seems to breathe a bit, more so than other vinyls. It is also much better overall than some of the over processed 'coated' leather used in some vehicles.
 
I’ve had both and quite honestly, I’d take either. Both have their pluses and minuses.

The vinyl feels more slippery and cold in the winter. Maybe a little more sticky in the summer, but it’s easy to clean and seems to stay looking “good” forever.

The leather feels better, and maybe looks better initially. But it’s tough to clean and maintain over time. Aside from having it professionally detailed (stained/refurbished), you are going to have cracking, fading, staining you just can’t get out and finally tears/wear. But it sure looks and smells great when it’s right.
 
The stuff these days is much better than the old vinyl seats way back when. The old vinyl was thick of course and prone to cracking after exposure to extreme temperatures and getting sat on. Those thick edges were actually sharp and would cause pain if inflicted properly. Duct tape wasn’t a big thing then.

The automakers latest design buzz is quilting. Quilted seats are coming back though they don’t have those buttons anchoring the quilts like the Naugahyde Davenports of the the 70’s. If you start seeing that, run away.
 
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