Hello all,
Ordering my '04 TL in about 3 weeks, but I'm having a hard time with the leather color choice. I'm thinking either Camel or Ebony, but specifically, has anyone had a car with black leather and had it fade over a few years? I really like the Camel, but would rather have the black if it didn't fade.

Thanks.

 

well... if black can fade or wear, camel can too.

would you rather have black with slight grey marks from wear and maybe slight discoloration due to the sun... or would you rather have camel with some stains (inevitable), wear and sun discoloration?

black is probably tough to keep from being dusty, but it hides stains and probably ages better is my guess.

 

black leather does not fade, only really cheap black leather will fade. with lighter color leathers what will happen is when there wrinkles begin to form it can get dirty and you will start to see dirt get trapped in the wrinkles which looks disgusting.

 

I say get the black cuz it would age better as willhaven said

 

Cool. Looks like black it may be. I'll check it out at the dealer soon.

Has anyone modded their NAV to play DVDs (or another video source)?

 

I've owned both the black leather and camel leather offerings from Acura for the last 12 years and I can give you some advice as follows:

Black leather looks much better than Camel for the first four months, hands down. Camel looks better than Black for the next thirty-two months, hands down. The Black doesn't fade as much as it just ages prematurely. White dust specs collect in the stitching / grooves, the cracks are whitish in hue, and a gloss appears where your butt slides on and off the seats. Camel suffers all these ailments equally, but the lighter color hides it much much better.

Black interiors, over time, make the car feel cramped and small on the inside. Camel (or any lighter color) feels more spacious. If you get that boxed-in feeling on whatever you're driving now, you really should think about this strongly.

I am assuming that you don't want advice on which goes better with your exterior so I won't give you my point of view there (unless you really want it). Go take two test drives in each interior before making your final decision.

BJ

 

weeeg has... it looks awesome.

 

Daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaamn, that looks sweet. I'm hoping the pic of the dude after the Necvox pic is a DVD. That looks awesome on the monitor.

Do you know if the touch screen works with DVD menus, or do you need a wired remote?

 

thats a good question actually. wish i knew...

 

Well said comments, will.

Like boltjames I have owned cars with both dark and light leather interiors. I know he favors the Camel (which I also have on my TL). But good quality black leather will also do just fine. It's really just a matter of preferences. Black interiors need more frequent dusting and may get a little hotter in summer, but parchment and camel definitely will show stains and dirt and scuffs more easily.

People should just get the color they like best. And if, in the long run, you decide it wasn't the best color after all, well, God willing you'll get another car and pick a different interior next time.

 

I had a 99TL with black leather. It didn't fade a bit. I do always get tint, not really dark, just a light tint, so that may help.

I think with a good treatment of Lexol you should be good to go for many years.

 

How about quartz. I really like the color. Great comprimise.

 

I'd be surprised if the black leather faded, but regular attention (ie using a good leather conditioner once in a while) should help keep it nice. I clean the leather with plain water, and dry immediately, and have some special leather cleaner for my couch. I've had 2 cars in Vegas with black leather seats and had no problem with fading. Lots of pain in the summer, tho

One thing I learned the hard way was never to put either photocopied documents or shopping bags directly on leather - the print can transfer and is a real pain to get off again.

I wish I could get the red ext. with the Quartz. Black is too hot and the camel/parchment looks too busy with all the other interior finishes. So I'm probably gonna get Silver with Quartz.

 

Damn that dvd looks a lot better then i thought it would be. I have to find a shop around here that will do it. I wonder how much?