leather Recaro seat question...

[PetesPonies]

so my 86 SC has the Recaro option. However...it is obvious that the drivers seat is all leather and just as obvious that the passenger seat is mostly vinyl. Theya re the same style, speakers in the headrest. Has something been chaged over the years or is there an explanation for this?

[RARE-ASC]

so my 86 SC has the Recaro option. However...it is obvious that the drivers seat is all leather and just as obvious that the passenger seat is mostly vinyl. Theya re the same style, speakers in the headrest. Has something been chaged over the years or is there an explanation for this?

most likely one was recovered or patch paneled Recaro's were leather at least the seating surfaces.

[svo413]

My 85 has all leather panels. I've had them out and didn't notice any plastic panels like some factory leather seats. The leather seems to be surface dyed (painted) and not vat dyed thru the whole hyde. This gives a durable surface finish but tends tp crack with age.

[Sandy]

Our son's 2001 Jeep Cherokee Limited had leather seats standard as part of the Limited model's standard features. It was ordered by us, brand new, and has had no former owners. It's 100% original, as we got it.
The driver's bucket seat is ALL leather, i.e. seating areas, front perimeter areas and headrests. The seat backs are vinyl.
The passenger side front bucket has leather seat areas, but the outter perimeter is definately vinyl ! The bench back seat has leather in the seating areas, but the perimeter area is vinyl ..... BUT a totally different grain and grain pattern of Vinyl .... SO nothing surprise me any longer. It may be very well OEM installed, as recieved from Recaro.
Or..... it may have been recovered somewhere along the way.
BTW, ALL automotive seat leather for the past 15 years or so has had the color PRINTED onto it. Thank the EPA. The dying of color in the vats ended long ago ! All leather on thebackside is a cocco-tan-beige color. In olden days the pigmentation went all the way thru. No more, which is why the color wears off in older cars. Cadillacs are famous for this!

[RARE-ASC]

Ford has a creative way on this when they list leather on window sticker i remember on an 04 mustang it says "leather bucket seating surfaces" and i know for a fact the rears are vynal but 99% of customers never know or ask otherwise they think full leather trim

[PetesPonies]

leather in the seating area only is a very common practice. However, the fact that my two seats are different from driver to passenger is what really promted the question. I was just wondering if there was any chance it was done that way originally. I must say the vinyl passenger looks exactlt like the drivers seat. It doesn't look done by an average upholstery shop for sure. On another note...when I picked my car up it really had an interior smell. I assumed it was mold smell from the back window being out. Well the heat didn't work either. I fixed the heat yesterday and found the smell. The heater box was converted to a mouse condo. There was so much mouse bedding in there you wouldn't believe it. There was enough to creat two bowling balls in valume. It was totally unbelievable. I pulled bedding out for well over an hour and boy did it smell.

[negusm]

I must say the vinyl passenger looks exactlt like the drivers seat.

So how exactly do you know its not leather?

[PetesPonies]

well..I own leather clothing, leather coats, leather furniture and have leather seats in 3 cars now and a few that I have previously sold. I know materials as that has a lot to do with my college training. I can tool leather and have done some other work with it...I know what is leather and what is not. Really, it is quite obvious.