One the top of door panels is it really leather of vinyl? For instance I was told by the Acura dealer that the center portion of the rear seat bottom is not leather but vinyl. Also the seat backs, basically what is leather are the actual surfaces you sit on and the rest in vinyl. If you feel top of your seat and then compare the feel to the center portion of the rear you will see what I mean. Obviously this was done to cut costs, can't have you cake and eat it too! I remebered this after I saw another post where the persons door trim was damaged during window tint.
https://acurazine.com/forums/showthread.php?t=120827

 

I believe you are right on

The seating surface of the seat is leather while part of the doors, the seat's side & back are vinyl.

FYI, Acura is not the only Manufacurer doing that and you can buy $5,000 worth sofas with the same type of material - Leather on the seating surface and vinyl on the back.

Best regards

frenchnew

 

My wife and I noticed either on the sticker or the brochure that it stated "leather trimmed seats" instead of "leather seats". Hey that's why the BMW 330i is about $10K more.

 

I read an article a number of months back that very few cars have an all leather interior (no vinyl). One of the few exceptions is actually the Pontiac GTO...and that is only because it is a Holden made in Australia. Being that the GTO is a limit production car, it would likely cost too much to match the leathers and vinyls together, especially since they offer odd colors like purple and red for the seats. GM doesn't offer all leather on any other car...not even the Cadillac XLR.

 

guys what are you talking about? the seat bottoms and backs (perforated) including the small trim around is leather. if you touch it u can obviously tell the difference from vinyl portions, its much smoother, and mine is beginning to wrinkle as leather should. btw, the front headrests are leather while the back seat ones are not

 

Shit they arent leather? I don think that is correct, although I noticed the leather trimmed too. BMW used to offer(may still on the new 3) leather as an option, otherwise you got all pleather.

 

Yea, my friend bought a 3 series and it comes standard with vinyl seats... leather is an option.

 

yep, it sucks.

 

So does the vinyl clean easier? Maybe thats part of it. Vinyl is more durable isnt it? Or am I really back asswards here??

 

Yeah, but it's called leatherette!

 

You are correct. The perferated portion is leather the rest is vinyl or "leatherette" when we were car shopping we noticed that the Mercedes and the BMW came with "leather trimmed seats" If you wanted 100% leather it was about 5K more. but like other people have said it was done to cut cost and you pretty much only sit on the leather and 99% of the people out there would not know its not real leather unless you point that out. Hell there probably members with a TL that think their seats are real leather. Hope this helps

 

put a match or lighter to it. If it burns, it not leather. LOL! J/K!

 

For the Bimmer its only like 1-2k more, but thats the 3.

 

This is not uncommon. If your body touches it, it is leather. Otherwise, it's fake. That's a general rule (there ARE exceptions).

 

That explains why there's no leather smell when I get into the car. There never has been. The Saab 9-3 I had prior to this had 99K on it, and it still smelled like leather when you got in. My friend's G35 Coupe has an overwhelming leather smell too. I was assuming it was just because it was shiatty leather in the TL. Interesting that it's not even leather at all...

 

The G35 has the same set up as the TL. This is from the G35 wsite " Leather-appointed, heated, 8-way power driver's seat with adjustable lumbar support and 4-way power passenger's seat"

 

When I get in my car it smells like White Castles!!!

 

Real leather or not I love my TL? I guess you get what you pay for. My MB E-Class has leather everywhere you touch but you do pay for it.

 

So does anyone have exactly which ones are vynil and which ones are leather?

Some people saying rear headrestraints are vynil?

 

I dunno, the Acura site talks about the fine hand selected leather.

 

The rear headrests are vinyl covered, the fronts leather covered. All you have to do is touch the two to tell the difference.

As another poster stated, the vinyl portions have a different feel to them, a somewhat rubbery quality whereas the leather has a harder, smoother feel.

The perforated surfaces on the seats and doors, the door arm rests, the console armrest cover are leather and the panels surrounding the perforated areas of the seating surface are leather. Pretty much everything else is vinyl, albeit a very good quality vinyl.

 

Hm. I've had my car for a year and half, and people still say that my car has that "leather" smell.

Although...there could be other smells mixed in there....

 

The material on doors is not leather.

 

Yeah I have to say I notice a good strong leather smell I enjoy when I get in the car. Except today when I got my tints... now it smells like chemicals and soap or something... BARF Hopefully will be back to leathery smell soon

 

I was cleaning my car today and on closer inspection, I don't believe the door arm rests are leather, I think they're vinyl too. But I'm comfortable saying that the perforated trim inserts on the doors are leather, like the seat surfaces, at least on my '04 they are.

What do you base your statement on?

 

On my car it's very clear that the dash and upper door material is the same, textured rubbery vinyl. Can't be mistaken for leather, it's very rubbery. It still looks great and is probably good for doors as people are always handling and banging on it.

 

I've got an Acura TSX 05. Got this car when my 03 Accord EX V6 was totalled. I bought my Accord brand new and the wreck was in 2010. it had 70 sumtn thousand miles on it and i got a measly $8k from the insurance company! i LOVED that car and got the Acura bc it was basically the same car except supposedly a more luxury version.
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Well i can honestly say I have been more than disappointed in the TSX! My Honda still had the leather smell all the way up until it was totalled. the TSX never had a leather smell and the seats are torn and it doesn't even look like any of it is leather! I'll come back here and add pics to show you guys. there's plenty more areas where the Accord was much better than the Acura.. the amount of cup holders, speakers, horsepower, comfort, interior space.. just off the top of my head.
I can't get into talking about this too much bc I'm about to have to go to the store but just had 2 put my 2 cents in because the whole leather issue with the TSX makes me livid! you'll see why when i come back and add the pics!

 

So, you bumped a fourteen year old thread for the 3G TL to complain about your 2005 TSX? Why?

 

at least give him credit of actually doing research.