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Model specific boards => Golf mk6 => Topic started by: Rolfe on 15 July 2009, 15:03
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We've touched on this is a few threads, but I'd like to hear a wider spectrum of opinion.
In general, I just love leather seats in a car. Opulent, classy, hard-wearing, what's not to like (oh, you said expensive, well that). It's the sort of bling I really go for.
My Peugeot has leather seats, which weren't all that expensive. They have suede panels in the seat and back, which I think cut the price, and also makes them less slippy and not cold or hot to sit on. The car is now over 11 years old, and I've never done a thing to these seats as far as care and maintenance goes, and they still look great. No real wear, just a bit of a polish on the driver's seat.
I started this new car lark being absolutely certain I wanted leather seats. However, the first two Golfs I saw had leather seats and I wasn't drooling over them quite the way I thought I would be. Not sure why. Maybe I don't like the shape of the head rests?
Then I heard chat on this forum that suggested these leather seats weren't as hard-wearing as I thought they would be. People spoke of them sagging and scuffing, and of them needing tender loving care. Then I decided I wanted the DSG, and began to think of taking the leather seats off the wish list to compensate.
Then I saw the cloth seats at another dealer's showroom (the one I've ordered from), and I have to say they looked very nice. Not at all the offensive jazzy seat fabric you see in some cars. The red stripe in the tartan picks up the red detailing on the car very nicely, the overall effect is less dark than the black leather, and the fabric looks hard-wearing. That dealer is a fan of the Mk I and was recommending the cloth over the leather on the basis of the heritage of the car and felt it looked classier.
So, my order is in without the leather. I feel, at the moment, that I'd rather keep the £1,675. But I'd like to hear from others about why they have or haven't ordered leather, and especially what experiences people have had with VW leather in the past - is it really not very hard-wearing?
Rolfe.
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my experience is as follows: mk 4 gti cloth - stains showed up! mk 4 v5 leather - sagged badly. mk 5 gti - 2 and a half years old and in very good nick. mk 6 on order - leather.
my opinion on leather? is v expensive but worth it. but i can understand totally not spending the money on it as its a lot of cash and the tartan is still nice. i have a young child and also a dog so the leather works for me in terms of any spillage whereas the cloth wouldn't!!
its each to their own, both me and my wife would never go back to cloth and is always a requirement when getting a new car for both of us, but its our personal preference. the good thing about the gti is that the cloth is very good so whichever you choose its still a good choice!!
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Easy to keep clean, looks classy, totally finshes off a car interior, and arguably more hard wearing.
Worth the money ? Yeah why not if you can afford it.
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I tried the leather in courtesy car for just under a month. Originally I thought that in my perfect spec'd car leather would be a must. However after having the car during a rare hot spell I found the seat to be rediculously hot in the summer and im sure quite the oppostie in winter.
I have quite a few early (cold) starts and also in summer my car spends all say in the sunshine before i get back in it and drive home. So for these two reasons I originally stayed away from the leather.
another reason is that I have a habit of carrying lots of items on the back seat and with the rear seats down. This too means that I have to be very cautious in how I load items in and out.
Finally... i find that when pushing on the cloth seems to hold you alot better that the leather which can let you slide about somewhat.
Although saying that.. the leather does add a touch of class and exec feel to the interior that the cloth doesnt. :nerd:
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I have been back and forth on this one.
Personally I like the cloth that you get as standard on the GTI, it's quite retro and pretty cool. Also you don't slide about on cloth and it's not too cold in winter and not too hot in summer. Also, the leather in the MK5 GTI was not very good quality compared to the MK4 and I presume that the MK6 will be the same as it's largely the same car.
However, I have had a number of cars with leather and there are some good points. Firstly, the smell of it as you open the door and get in is lovely. Secondly, it looks and feels very nice indeed. Thirdly, it is easy to wipe down / keep clean. However, it's really is very cold in the winter (heated seats take a while to warm up) and on very hot summer days it get's so hot that it is quite unpleasant and you get a sweaty ar5e! Also you end up being paranoid about it getting scratched or scuffed and if you have it on a car with pronounced side bolsters (like the GTI) it can waer quite quickly and look tatty.
My approach is that if I have to pay extra for it then I won't have it but if it's already fitted then that is fine.
Personally, if I was ordering a brand new MK6 then I would save the (signifcant) money and go with the cloth. Then i'd spend the money on Xenons.
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I have been back and forth on this one.
Personally I like the cloth that you get as standard on the GTI, it's quite retro and pretty cool. Also you don't slide about on cloth and it's not too cold in winter and not too hot in summer. Also, the leather in the MK5 GTI was not very good quality compared to the MK4 and I presume that the MK6 will be the same as it's largely the same car.
However, I have had a number of cars with leather and there are some good points. Firstly, the smell of it as you open the door and get in is lovely. Secondly, it looks and feels very nice indeed. Thirdly, it is easy to wipe down / keep clean. However, it's really is very cold in the winter (heated seats take a while to warm up) and on very hot summer days it get's so hot that it is quite unpleasant and you get a sweaty ar5e! Also you end up being paranoid about it getting scratched or scuffed and if you have it on a car with pronounced side bolsters (like the GTI) it can waer quite quickly and look tatty.
My approach is that if I have to pay extra for it then I won't have it but if it's already fitted then that is fine.
Personally, if I was ordering a brand new MK6 then I would save the (signifcant) money and go with the cloth. Then i'd spend the money on Xenons.
I would have to agree with that wholeheartedly. :smiley:
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question for the guys that slide on the leather, are you dipping your asses in grease before you sit down ? :grin:
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The VW brochure says quite clearly that there are bits on the "leather" trim that are actually vinyl. Does anybody know which bits?
Rolfe.
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or just get both xenons and leather!!
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The VW brochure says quite clearly that there are bits on the "leather" trim that are actually vinyl. Does anybody know which bits?
Rolfe.
The backs mostly. Assuming its like the mk5 and in all probability they are exactly the same seats.
I have leather and it looks lovely, but personaly I wouldn't spec it as it scuffs easily. Also the cloth seats look pretty good so I don't really think you are loosing out on the aesthetics.
Cloth with winterpack ftw.
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Have the cloth in my 05 GTI and it still looks as good as it did when it was new, some 4 1/5 years ago.....the new car will have leather, only because it was already built and I didnt want to wait until October for an ordered one...I'm not expecting it to last as well as the current car's cloth...even though I'm careful and don't let others into the car :wink:
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I went for the cloth and on the first clean I was waxing the roof with the door open and dropped the wax applicator inside the car and put wax all over the seat bolster. Called Autoglym (as is was HD wax) and they said use their shampoo which got it off completely.
The cloth seats are a tad scratchy in comparison to the leather in my scirocco but no way would i pay the extra for it as you'll ever see the money back come trade in time.
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Traditionally the only extra that made its money come selling time was metallic paint.
I reckon nav and xenons might be part of that club now but I agree leather isn't going to help us come resale time :sad:
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Traditionally the only extra that made its money come selling time was metallic paint.
I reckon nav and xenons might be part of that club now but I agree leather isn't going to help us come resale time :sad:
a £360 metallic colour will be worth money, but a £1600 extra is going to be worth £0 when it comes to selling our cars ?
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I think the DSG might improve resale value, but probably not a sunroof. Not sure about ACC, probably not I suppose.
I was mainly thinking about the hard-wearing qualities of the leather - or otherwise. Don't like the sound of all the scuffing and sagging. Is it really that bad?
Rolfe.
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I think the DSG might improve resale value, but probably not a sunroof. Not sure about ACC, probably not I suppose.
I was mainly thinking about the hard-wearing qualities of the leather - or otherwise. Don't like the sound of all the scuffing and sagging. Is it really that bad?
Rolfe.
No its definately not that bad. Everything has good and bad points, you just have to decide what is best for you regardless.
I mean, say you decide to get the standard seats. As nice as they are, they also have bad points. When I did my test drive I was wearing a standard thin jumper, can't remember the material exactly but the seats were like velcro, when I got out the car there was sooooo much fluff pulled from my jumper that stuck to the seats, I was only in the car about 20 mins. Took ages to get it off. Can you imagine this over time ? Here is a pic to show roughly what it was like.
(http://homepage.ntlworld.com/sizmik/IMG_0335.JPG)
Yes it may be easier to remove with a sticky roller etc, but that was a downside I noticed on those seats, and in turn you wouldnt have that prob with leather. My point is, and as I said earlier, everything has its good and bad points. I certainly don't think the 'sag' in the leather will be that bad, unless of course your 50 stone, but don't blame the leather seats for that :grin:
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ha ha ha that was simply hilarious... my only advice, get a better jacket... and I sincerely hope it aint your body hair...
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my mk6 gti as come with leather, only because the dealer thru them in for free :smiley:
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TANSTAAFL! :grin:
Rolfe.
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ha ha ha that was simply hilarious... my only advice, get a better jacket... and I sincerely hope it aint your body hair...
Was it even more funnier than the fact you cant read ?
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whoaaaa... chill out dude... no offence intended... cant take a little joke?
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whoaaaa... chill out dude... no offence intended... cant take a little joke?
Oh was it a joke ? Sorry, I must have missed the smilie after what you said to let me know it was a joke.
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Mine (picking it up friday!) has the cloth. I thought about having it fitted with alcantara which I strongly prefer over leather, but than I would loose the classic feel and the red accents.... I just could not think of a nice colour combination alcantara that would fit the interior.
I just decided that in the GTI, it must have the tartan. I like the looks, I don't like the sweaty back in leather trim.
Stephan
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whoaaaa... chill out dude... no offence intended... cant take a little joke?
Oh was it a joke ? Sorry, I must have missed the smilie after what you said to let me know it was a joke.
:smiley: :grin: :sad: :angry: :cry: :laugh: :kiss: :shocked: :tongue: :evil: :sick: :embarassed:
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Cripes man, how tall are you that demo car seem to have its seat so far forward you must have the shortest legs in the world!!!lol :grin: :laugh:that's a joke by the way!!
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whoaaaa... chill out dude... no offence intended... cant take a little joke?
Oh was it a joke ? Sorry, I must have missed the smilie after what you said to let me know it was a joke.
:smiley: :grin: :sad: :angry: :cry: :laugh: :kiss: :shocked: :tongue: :evil: :sick: :embarassed:
:grin:
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Cripes man, how tall are you that demo car seem to have its seat so far forward you must have the shortest legs in the world!!!lol :grin: :laugh:that's a joke by the way!!
My misses drove it too, that's her seat position.
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You're all pricks. :grin: that was a joke too.
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You're all pricks. :grin: that was a joke too.
haw haw haw... then was it you wearing her jacket or was it something else altogether? Or she was driving and sitting on top of you? Just trying to get the facts straight. Important we get it straight, becoz the combined weight should not exceed 50 stones for the well being of leather seats... ahem...
:grin: :evil:
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You're all pricks. :grin: that was a joke too.
haw haw haw... then was it you wearing her jacket or was it something else altogether? Or she was driving and sitting on top of you? Just trying to get the facts straight. Important we get it straight, becoz the combined weight should not exceed 50 stones for the well being of leather seats... ahem...
:grin: :evil:
Erm. :grin:
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You're all pricks. :grin: that was a joke too.
haw haw haw... then was it you wearing her jacket or was it something else altogether? Or she was driving and sitting on top of you? Just trying to get the facts straight. Important we get it straight, becoz the combined weight should not exceed 50 stones for the well being of leather seats... ahem...
:grin: :evil:
you crazy dutch people.... one track mind!! :evil:
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you crazy dutch people.... one track mind!! :evil:
[/quote]
I am certainly certifiable... as for me being Dutch... hmmm
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I plead guilty for being dutch too.... :grin:
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I am certainly certifiable... as for me being Dutch... hmmm
ah, so you're an immigrant in holland?!
(best not forget the smiley)
:tongue:
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I didn't notice any problem when I sat in the showroom model with the cloth seats, but it was a warm day and I think I just had a t-shirt on.
I'm still not picking up the phone to add the leather to the order though. I guess I'm getting attached to the £1,675!
Rolfe.
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Well, not an immigrant... Just say I am an expat.... ha ha ha I am fine, not that sensitive... haw haw haw In my job, if we get a bit testy... hmmm I would be out of a job then...
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i am going to sit in my car with a leather jacket on...... inside out :tongue:
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I didn't notice any problem when I sat in the showroom model with the cloth seats, but it was a warm day and I think I just had a t-shirt on.
I'm still not picking up the phone to add the leather to the order though. I guess I'm getting attached to the £1,675!
Rolfe.
Yaay, I too took the cloth option... leathers will be great when you have kids. I have one but he has been `toilet` trained.... lol.... and yes, I am just too attached to the extra cash... that could have gone into the xenons but I questioned do I really need it? The Netherlands is pretty bright at night.... so...
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I didn't notice any problem when I sat in the showroom model with the cloth seats, but it was a warm day and I think I just had a t-shirt on.
I'm still not picking up the phone to add the leather to the order though. I guess I'm getting attached to the £1,675!
Rolfe.
Yaay, I too took the cloth option... leathers will be great when you have kids. I have one but he has been `toilet` trained.... lol.... and yes, I am just too attached to the extra cash... that could have gone into the xenons but I questioned do I really need it? The Netherlands is pretty bright at night.... so...
It's not just the obvious light benefits you get from the xenon's though, in my opinion they make the car look the bollox and mean !
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It's not just the obvious light benefits you get from the xenon's though, in my opinion they make the car look the bollox and mean ![/quote]
Thats why I am in the car... he he he I do all that with my personality! And for free... :laugh:
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I didn't notice any problem when I sat in the showroom model with the cloth seats, but it was a warm day and I think I just had a t-shirt on.
I'm still not picking up the phone to add the leather to the order though. I guess I'm getting attached to the £1,675!
Rolfe.
Yaay, I too took the cloth option... leathers will be great when you have kids. I have one but he has been `toilet` trained.... lol.... and yes, I am just too attached to the extra cash... that could have gone into the xenons but I questioned do I really need it? The Netherlands is pretty bright at night.... so...
It's not just the obvious light benefits you get from the xenon's though, in my opinion they make the car look the bollox and mean !
tho just wait till the bulb goes in the xenon, will cost a small fortune to replace! had some gas discharge bulbs in my old accord type r, bulbs were 80 quid each!!
call me a sucker though cos i've gone for xenons too!
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It's not just the obvious light benefits you get from the xenon's though, in my opinion they make the car look the bollox and mean !
Thats why I am in the car... he he he I do all that with my personality! And for free... :laugh:
[/quote]
Ok, it will look extra mean :grin:
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Damn what happened to the discussion on leather seats? And 50 stones people wrecking havoc on the leather?
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Damn what happened to the discussion on leather seats? And 50 stones people wrecking havoc on the leather?
You ruined it with you're rubbish jokes. :lipsrsealed: :wink:
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Call the moderators in here. I demand justice! And the city cleaners, there`s rubbish to be collected!
In any case, the leather seats only come in one colour, right? How I wish I could choose other colours. United Grey with cream coloured leather seats would have enticed me very much. Oh why VAG did you not give your customers more choices?
HM
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Call the moderators in here. I demand justice! And the city cleaners, there`s rubbish to be collected!
In any case, the leather seats only come in one colour, right? How I wish I could choose other colours. United Grey with cream coloured leather seats would have enticed me very much. Oh why VAG did you not give your customers more choices?
HM
sounds like you should have bought yourself an R-design volvo!
http://www.themotorreport.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2007/07/volvo-r-design-interior.jpg
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yucks! what colour combination was that! my eyes are shot! volvo can do better than that... I am appalled! keelaw I have better taste than that! give me a little more credit than that! I cant sleep now... image burned in my head....
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Traditionally the only extra that made its money come selling time was metallic paint.
I reckon nav and xenons might be part of that club now but I agree leather isn't going to help us come resale time :sad:
a £360 metallic colour will be worth money, but a £1600 extra is going to be worth £0 when it comes to selling our cars ?
Pretty much, it will make the car more desirable and maybe easier to sell but won't add significantly to the aftersale price at all. There was one leasing website which I cant remember that showed a reduction in the monthly payments when you added metallic paint as it increased the resale value of the car.
I forgot about DSG that would certainly keep some of its money.
This rule certainly applies to the mass market cars, perhaps not so rigidly to niche cars like the GTI. In particular I can see Candy White being the most desirable colour for resale (fashion pending).
Most people won't pass on a used car becuase it had leather or not or xenons or not. But they might becuase of the colour...
I think its pretty well accepted that you all but loose the value of options as soon as you drive it away... but thats not why you choose them.
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Look at it this way... if you were buying a car 5yrs old what would you pay for a few more extras???
i think the max your looking at is about £500 for a few of the desirable extras.
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I've ordered leather on a few of my cars, but didn't on the GTI for the following reasons:
- leather is nice to look at (classy), but not particularly nice to sit on
- it's too hot in the summer
- it's too cold in the winter
- it requires regular maintenance to keep it supple (creams, cleaners, etc.)
- VW leather is poor quality, even the Nappa leather, which isn't offered on the GTI. I had this on my Eos and was very disappointed
- it's too taught and firm
- it's expensive
- I love the tartan cloth, reminds me of the Mk1 I used to lust in 1976
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I've ordered leather on a few of my cars, but didn't on the GTI for the following reasons:
- leather is nice to look at (classy), but not particularly nice to sit on
- it's too hot in the summer
- it's too cold in the winter
- it requires regular maintenance to keep it supple (creams, cleaners, etc.)
- VW leather is poor quality, even the Nappa leather, which isn't offered on the GTI. I had this on my Eos and was very disappointed
- it's too taught and firm
- it's expensive
- I love the tartan cloth, reminds me of the Mk1 I used to lust in 1976
Couldn't agree more.
I had a mk 1 so the tartan will be a little reminder every time I'm in it.
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I've ordered leather on a few of my cars, but didn't on the GTI for the following reasons:
- leather is nice to look at (classy), but not particularly nice to sit on
- it's too hot in the summer
- it's too cold in the winter
- it requires regular maintenance to keep it supple (creams, cleaners, etc.)
- VW leather is poor quality, even the Nappa leather, which isn't offered on the GTI. I had this on my Eos and was very disappointed
- it's too taught and firm
- it's expensive
- I love the tartan cloth, reminds me of the Mk1 I used to lust in 1976
The odd thing is, although several people are saying that about the VW leather, none of it is true about the Peugeot leather.
The suede inserts mean that it isn't either hot or cold to sit on.
I've never done anything but brush off the crumbs and the cat hairs in over 11 years and it still looks fine.
It doesn't seem to be particularly poor quality.
Never noticed it too taut or too firm.
It wasn't nearly as expensive as the VW leather.
On the other hand, the cloth options on the Peugeot at the time were awful!
I can't understand why the VW leather seems to be a poorer option than the Peugeot leather, at the price they're asking for it.
Oh, and I saw a pic of higher-quality leather in tan, and it looked awful on a black car.
Rolfe.
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Can you get the recaros i have in the MK6?
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When the Queen gets a car they would normally have leather as standard. She has them modified so her seat is cloth.
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When the Queen gets a car they would normally have leather as standard. She has them modified so her seat is cloth.
Well, she doesn't have to think about bling! She's got plenty already.
Where did you hear that by the way?
Rolfe.
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When the Queen gets a car they would normally have leather as standard. She has them modified so her seat is cloth.
Well she is paying taxes now, so I can understand her cutting back a little.
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When the Queen gets a car they would normally have leather as standard. She has them modified so her seat is cloth.
Well, she doesn't have to think about bling! She's got plenty already.
Where did you hear that by the way?
Rolfe.
http://www.prlog.org/10245685-hield-brothers-manufactures-cloth-for-her-majesty-queen-elizabeth-iis-bentley.html
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When the Queen gets a car they would normally have leather as standard. She has them modified so her seat is cloth.
Well, she doesn't have to think about bling! She's got plenty already.
Where did you hear that by the way?
Rolfe.
http://www.prlog.org/10245685-hield-brothers-manufactures-cloth-for-her-majesty-queen-elizabeth-iis-bentley.html
Thats what happens when money and thinking your too good for something mixes. You get a company to make you a one off cloth for your ass. Maybe sitting on leather when its warm triggers her incompitance, and we cant have her royal arse warming up too much on a hot day now can we.
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Off to the tower with you right now my boy!!! :grin:
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Off to the tower with you right now my boy!!! :grin:
:grin:
Seriously though, for all the 'shortcomings' that leather has. i.e. If your a fatty it will crease and sag, bit sweaty, cold on cold days (thats what seat heaters are for) and hot on hot days (How many of those do we have in the UK a year, 5 ?) - They won't put me off buying leather, Id still buy it in a heartbeat now.
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When the Queen gets a car they would normally have leather as standard. She has them modified so her seat is cloth.
Well, she doesn't have to think about bling! She's got plenty already.
Where did you hear that by the way?
Rolfe.
http://www.prlog.org/10245685-hield-brothers-manufactures-cloth-for-her-majesty-queen-elizabeth-iis-bentley.html
Thats what happens when money and thinking your too good for something mixes. You get a company to make you a one off cloth for your ass. Maybe sitting on leather when its warm triggers her incompitance, and we cant have her royal arse warming up too much on a hot day now can we.
Boy, that was not a nice thing to type.
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When the Queen gets a car they would normally have leather as standard. She has them modified so her seat is cloth.
Well, she doesn't have to think about bling! She's got plenty already.
Where did you hear that by the way?
Rolfe.
http://www.prlog.org/10245685-hield-brothers-manufactures-cloth-for-her-majesty-queen-elizabeth-iis-bentley.html
Thats what happens when money and thinking your too good for something mixes. You get a company to make you a one off cloth for your ass. Maybe sitting on leather when its warm triggers her incompitance, and we cant have her royal arse warming up too much on a hot day now can we.
Boy, that was not a nice thing to type.
It's the truth though.
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Oh, can it. One sarky comment is one thing, let's not make a soapbox of it.
"The Queen never sits on leather." No reason given. It's a custom one-off car, built absolutely to specification. So they specify very very high-class cloth.
Big deal. Still interesting that she doesn't rate leather seats, used as she must be to the blingest bling in all blingdom.
Rolfe.
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Oh, can it. One sarky comment is one thing, let's not make a soapbox of it.
"The Queen never sits on leather." No reason given. It's a custom one-off car, built absolutely to specification. So they specify very very high-class cloth.
Big deal. Still interesting that she doesn't rate leather seats, used as she must be to the blingest bling in all blingdom.
Rolfe.
Sorry mum, I'm off to bed then.
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Oh, can it. One sarky comment is one thing, let's not make a soapbox of it.
"The Queen never sits on leather." No reason given. It's a custom one-off car, built absolutely to specification. So they specify very very high-class cloth.
Big deal. Still interesting that she doesn't rate leather seats, used as she must be to the blingest bling in all blingdom.
Rolfe.
Sorry mum, I'm off to bed then.
Harry Enfield's Kevin.
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Oh, can it. One sarky comment is one thing, let's not make a soapbox of it.
"The Queen never sits on leather." No reason given. It's a custom one-off car, built absolutely to specification. So they specify very very high-class cloth.
Big deal. Still interesting that she doesn't rate leather seats, used as she must be to the blingest bling in all blingdom.
Rolfe.
Sorry mum, I'm off to bed then.
Harry Enfield's Kevin.
:grin:
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One option I wouldn’t select is leather trim. The standard tartan cloth just suits the car so well. In fact VW is planning on selling rolls of the fabric as an accessory for kilt-wearing GTI nuts. They probably wouldn’t have been able to do that with the old car’s trim – as with the rest of the new model’s cabin everything feels a little bit more upmarket this time around.
From here. Quite fancy a kilt, really....
http://www.imotormag.co.uk/carreviews/225284/new_vw_golf_gti_mkvi_review.html (http://www.imotormag.co.uk/carreviews/225284/new_vw_golf_gti_mkvi_review.html)
Rolfe.