05-21-2014, 04:18 PM | #1 |
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How's the Oyster Sensatec to maintain?
Since the 228i will be a warm-weather-only car for me, I'm thinking about getting the Oyster Sensatec interior to avoid roasting under the summer sun.
I'm a bit concerned about maintaining the stuff, though. Is it difficult to keep clean? Do blue jeans leave stains on it, for example? |
05-21-2014, 04:36 PM | #2 |
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While I don't have the color per se, my wife has a new 2014 X3 she is in love with, and it has the "tan" vinyl. And yes, certain jeans can rub off color onto the seat. Some are worse than others. The seats gets a bit wet when getting in after a rain...etc..and color can lightly transfer over time. It is NOT a big issue though. It's not like a huge blue stain results.
She just keeps it clean with actually some Griots Interior cleaner, and keeps it "fed" with some vinyl protectant. Works fine. But leather has the same issues. As one detailer here likes to tell people..."stop wearing those jeans...wear kakai's." Sure that's gonna happen. But I would not worry over it. Just enjoy it and stay on some minor maintenance. You have to do with the paint finish anyway--or should. |
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05-21-2014, 07:57 PM | #5 | |
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05-21-2014, 07:58 PM | #6 |
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I've heard newer jeans have the problem. Meaning jeans where the dye has not set. Otherwise the dye comes off easy. Not sure is that is true or not but kinda makes sense. Have also read that washing jeans in vinegar helps set the dye. Do a google search on washing jeans in vinegar.
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05-21-2014, 08:57 PM | #7 | |
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Do you have any first-hand experience? Especially with a light-colored interior? |
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05-21-2014, 09:51 PM | #8 | |
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The closest experience i had was owning Alcantara and Vinyl in my last Audi (which is also a synthetic polymer) and it was hot as hell in the summer. It wasn't the burning hot like vinyl gets...but it was a sustained heat that just refused to cool down. Additionally, those same Audi seats DID have 'vinyl bolsters' (just like Sensatec) and they were horrible in the 90+ degree NYC summer. Never again!! would never get another one with synthetic fabrics because i hate 'hot' weather anyways....last thing i want is a burned ass! |
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01-11-2015, 08:41 PM | #9 |
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Sensatec is licensing tehcnology from Gore Tex, you know the sports supplier in Germany. They're bread and butter is mainly gloves, and additional clothing items for professional athletes.
The concept (with a bunch of science behind it) is that they recreated one major attribute of leather sysntetically. It is the water resistance, water is held on one side and while air can pass through easily. Bottom result is you can get some air through those nano-holes, but water stays off: very easy to clean, you can prettly much just hose off a sensatec seat and will not hate you for it. |
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01-11-2015, 09:03 PM | #10 |
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Wow, talk about a thread resurrection! LOL My wife leased a 2014 328i a few days after I got my 228 and hers has Oyster sensatec seats. The car had 47 miles on it when she got it, presumably from test drives and the driver's seat was what I would describe as pretty dirty. It was a bit of a chore getting it clean. It was definitely not a spray and wipe job. Having said that, it looks great. Next test will be the summer. It's not unusual at all for the temperature to get over 100 degrees here, sometimes for several days in a row. It's also sunny everyday from about May through September/October so this will be a real test of the seats. I'm glad she's doing the test. I have leather.
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01-11-2015, 09:19 PM | #11 |
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I'll be doing the test too
It will be my first time with sensatec but having seen it (in black) in a friend's 3 series I was very comfortable ordering it myself. Will see how long my enthusiasm lasts :-D |
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12-04-2016, 08:13 PM | #12 |
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Bump - how were your experiences with Sensatec in the summer? I'm in DC and worried about May - Sept, when it can get brutally hot and humid here. But maintaining Oyster leather sounds like a huge chore. My other option is Terra, but that makes the car a lot darker inside.
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12-05-2016, 06:46 AM | #13 |
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Oh, what's up old thread!
Here is my experience with oyster sensatec: -Not as comfortable as leather, but easier to clean. The surfaces got uncomfortably hot and sweaty in the summer. I didn't like it. On the flipside, while it picks up blue jeans stains just like leather, it's super easy to clean. I wipe the seats off with a basic interior cleaner every now and then, and they look like new with very minimal rubbing. I wish BMW offered ventilated sensatec, that would be perfect. But as of now, I would buy leather if I was buying again. |
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12-05-2016, 10:20 AM | #14 | |
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The surfaces got uncomfortably hot and sweaty in the summer. I didn't like it. On the flipside, while it picks up blue jeans stains just like Sensatec, it's super easy to clean. I wipe the seats off with a basic BMW leather cleaner every now and then, and they look like new with very minimal rubbing. I wish BMW offered ventilated leather, that would be perfect. But as of now, I would buy Sensatec if I was buying again. Folks the leather has a acrylic/polyurethane top coat With leather seats you are still sitting on plastic that is impervious to water and water vapor. The only difference is the heat conductivity of leather is lower than Sensatec. But, eventually your back and butt will reach the the same seat temperature and sweat. |
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12-05-2016, 11:42 AM | #15 | |
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12-05-2016, 11:56 AM | #16 | |
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12-06-2016, 01:30 PM | #17 | |
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Last edited by Rayscott; 12-06-2016 at 01:41 PM.. |
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12-06-2016, 02:58 PM | #18 |
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I had Sensatec in my beloved E46 325 for over a dozen years. It looked as good as the day I bought it when I finally sold the car to our landscaper. And no one could believe it was not leather.
IMHO, the only reason to get leather is that it comes in a greater variety of colors. And for what it's worth, Gore Tex was created in the good old USA by Mr. Gore (no relation to Al) in 1969 and is a waterproofing technology used in a wide variety of fabrics. I had no idea that Sensatec was related to Gore Tex. And finally, if you really don't want to sweat, buy decent custom sheepskin seat covers. still nothing like 'em. |
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12-08-2016, 01:51 PM | #19 | |
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12-11-2016, 01:52 AM | #20 | |
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As for the OP's question, no issues with the Oyster Sensatec in my car. Super easy to clean, as one would expect. Any light color will need more cleaning than a dark color though.
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12-11-2016, 10:42 AM | #21 | |
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The difference are minor but you get what you pay for. With each leather upgrade you get better materials that are a bit harder to maintain |
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12-11-2016, 08:26 PM | #22 | |
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There is only one leather option on the 2-series, and it is crap. If you like Oyster or Black, save the $1450. If you want a different color, then you will need to pay up. That I wanted Chestnut and not Black, Beige, or Gray, is the only reason I have Dakota Leather in my wagon. But on the plus side, the leather was free on that car in 2011, so at least it didn't cost me anything. Despite careful care and low mileage, it is showing noticeable wear after 5.5 years. And as I said, there is zero difference in comfort between the two materials as experienced in my two cars.
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