Nappa “leather”

Blanco

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I ordered a new Merc and waited four months, which was the period required for my preferred nappa leather interior. When it arrived disappointment, frustration and embarrassment don’t even begin to describe my feeling! I am not a native English speaker and my fault I think was that I believed when you say “leather” you mean leather! But apparently not. Of course I paid for this “leather”. Don’t be fooled; this “leather” looks and smells horrible and it’s not worth it.
 

Craiglxviii

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Nappa leather IS leather.
 
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Blanco

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Nappa leather IS leather.
This is from a website: “Nappa leather is a popular leather type used by automakers today that is typically a full-grain leather. Full-grain means that the surface has not been altered aside from hair-removal, and the leather has retained a lot of the original textures and markings of the hide. The Nappa leather also goes through a finisher application to enhance durability, but because the leather is hardly treated aside from this step, it still retains a natural look and feels extremely soft to the touch.”
The problem is that Merc nappa doesn’t correspond to this description; it’s not soft and it looks totally artificial.
 

LostKiwi

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Check your datasheet (can be done via the VIN number and make sure it was built with Nappa Leather.

As Craig said Artico is not leather, nappa leather is leather.
 

sonic

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I have Nappa leather & it is leather.
 

ZZZZ

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Yup, same here - I have nappa leather, and it's definitely a [softer] genuine leather, not a man-made material.
 

malcolm E53 AMG

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I have leather in the 210, very tough and hard wearing, it has a coarse grain and imperfections from what would have been damage to the hide when the animal was alive

I have Nappa Leather in the 212, it has a totally different look, smooth grain finish with no imperfections in the hide and softer to the touch

Well worth the cost premium in my opinion
 

John Laidlaw

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My 212 is Nappa and therefore soft LEATHER
There isn’t a Nappa ARTIficialCOw....
 

jp williams

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I have leather in the 210, very tough and hard wearing, it has a coarse grain and imperfections from what would have been damage to the hide when the animal was alive

I have Nappa Leather in the 212, it has a totally different look, smooth grain finish with no imperfections in the hide and softer to the touch

Well worth the cost premium in my opinion


And my 210 Real Leather is 15 years old, 220,000 mile sat in,is also in fine condition too.
Artificial leather should be described as such!
 

L John

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Artificial leather should be described as such!

Indeed but lots of things are described in a misleading way.
e.g. A chocolate flavour drink is not the same as a chocolate flavoured drink. One has the taste of chocolate, the other is made using chocolate.
 

jp williams

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Indeed but lots of things are described in a misleading way.
e.g. A chocolate flavour drink is not the same as a chocolate flavoured drink. One has the taste of chocolate, the other is made using chocolate.

Yes LJ, you are right, but too many of us us forget that "consumer is king." The law of supply and demand is based inter-alia upon perceived freedom of choice and a limited supply of income. Too many of us have too much disposable income and are prepared to accept the poor quality offered to us by unscrupulous sellers of inferior goods.
That is my view and I have no wish to start a debate. Regards.
 

Frontstep

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A debate is healthy.

The leather in our car seats is often really plastic with a supporting leather base.
My seat bolster has been repaired with a piece of leather I chanced upon from the back of a tip bound sofa, the leather from the ex DFS sofa is superior according to the upholstery guy that fitted it.

The leather is often overprinted or corrected to give uniformity.

We then give it a hard life in a dry atmosphere, remember whatever you put on your seats goes on your skin.

Much of the detailers snake oil treatments have never been tested .
 

malcolm E53 AMG

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And my 210 Real Leather is 15 years old, 220,000 mile sat in,is also in fine condition too.
Artificial leather should be described as such!

Yes John sourced from German bulls apparently and tough as old boots, I’m very impressed with it at 18 years old in mine
 
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