Today I was obsessively slathering Lexol and Armorall protectants all over the inside of my car, and I realized I wasn't sure where the leather ends and the vinyl begins, or vice versa.

Acura literature says "leather seating surfaces", and taken literally that could be interpreted to mean only the area covered by my ever-widening 42 year old butt. However, since I wish to use the appropriate protectant on each material, I've been struggling to ascertain what's what.

I'm assuming that the entire seating surface of the front seats is leather, including the headrest --but not the center console armrest or the gathered leatherlike stuff in the door panels. The back seats look leathery to me except for the areas I'd describe as "above the shoulders" on each outboard seat. I'm not sure about the face of the rear armrest (I guessed that it once mooed and applied Lexol.)
Anyone have a definitive answer?


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2002 TL Type-S
WDP, Parchment, Navi
Custom, High-Performance Molybdenum Muffler Bearings --At least, that's what the salesguy said...
Roadbrew (TM) Dashmount cappuccino machine --Messy & dangerous, but worth it.
Bobbing-head dog figurine in rear window --Stylin!

 

Leather: center front seats part that touches your butt and back to the seams, headrests, arm rest, door panel gathered inserts, seating bucket area of back seats and half way up the headrests in back, outboard side piece directly under driver's and passengers thigh between the seal and door (kind of a long oval piece, but the same piece on the inboard positions is not leather).

Pleather: pretty much everything else.

You will notice the difference more as the stuff starts breaking in; the leather breaks in and gets softer while the vinyl does not. Also, you can hear a different sound when you rub against it.

Either way, I'm glad that someone who looked hard at their own car couldn't tell the difference and was even wrong about some portions, because that tells me that the stuff can at least fool some folks and doesn't look as fake as I think it does.

It seems more obvious on black interiors in my opinion...

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'01 White Diamond Pearl 3.2TL
-Wing, tint, wood and Whistler

 

Oops, Heretic - I noticed you drive a 2002 S and your interior might be different. Try squeaking your fingertip along portions to see the difference.

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'01 White Diamond Pearl 3.2TL
-Wing, tint, wood and Whistler

 

a little off topic here, but the m5 has a stitched dash leather option. its the sweetest sight youll ever see

 

Just a quick word about the Lexol Cleaner & Conditioner. It is okay to use leather conditioner on vinyl but not okay to use vinyl conditioner products on leather.