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      05-28-2014, 08:41 PM   #1
disco4me
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Are Oyster Leather Seats Hard to Keep Clean?

I'm thinking of the Black Carpet / Oyster Seat interior combo. I'm a jean wearer. If you had or have oyster leather seats, were they hard to keep clean? Would you do it again?
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      05-28-2014, 09:02 PM   #2
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disco4me.

I have the oyster set/black carpet combination and I love the look and how the seats never get so hot. But they are difficult to keep clean. All my seats stay clean but the driver's seat since I also love dark blue jeans and black jeans. I am still thinking of getting this combination again but finding some kind of product to coat the seats to protect them before I start to drive in the car with dark jeans. I know when I was testing cars in the hot parking lot on Memorial day, I did notice the darker the seat, the hotter it was but also the darker the car's exterior the hotter the interior was.

BMW has a good air conditioning system so I am sure once the car is started, everything cools down. I like having my interior lighter looking. I am still not sure what I am going to do since if a dealer can locate a car I would like, I may take a car with a dark seat but if I order a car, I still think I may like a light seat. I need to take another test drive in a car that has been sitting in the hot sun with a black seat and see how quickly the car cools down.
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      06-01-2014, 11:25 AM   #3
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disco4me, DON'T do it. The oyster/black combo is beautiful, but a nightmare to keep up. Our 2011 528i (37,000 miles) looks trashed, despite professional detailing. And it's not just the seats, the armrests are starting to look bad.

For my 228i, I went with the Terra leather, which also includes black carpet and seat panels. Looks great, and I suspect will be easy to keep up.
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      06-01-2014, 12:26 PM   #4
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Never in a million years would I ever get white leather interior.
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      06-01-2014, 01:11 PM   #5
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I currently own a 328 with Oyster seats and for that reason I will not be getting that interior on my M235. The seats constantly stay dirty and are a pain to clean. The armrests are even harder to clean.
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      06-01-2014, 03:21 PM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by CONTROL ONE View Post
Never in a million years would I ever get white leather interior.
The OP is looking for comments from people who actually have the light interior; he's looking for people with the actual direct experience, not an opinion based on perception.

That said if you look at Luckys post based on her direct experience she's very optimistic but cautiously optimistic and I think that's the right balance

it sounds like she herself based on her experience would like to continue with the light interior just with an ounce of caution.

I've already shared with OP I've had the Venetian beige for almost 4 years now and everyone absolutely says it still looks so showroom new inside and out.

Both my dealer and Carmax are giving me top dollar for my trade and absolutely did not ding me on the driver side front seat…
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      06-01-2014, 07:38 PM   #7
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My 2011 328 Cab had it. I had the dealer clean the heck out of it for free after 1 year after seeing some dye transfer. I also asked if this was an issue at lease end. They assured me it wasn't and turned out it was not.

That said I would have to recommend a darker color for your BMW.

My new 911 has an even a lighter color but the leather is a different texture IMO although some Porsche owners complain about the Pebble leather interior. I guess I haven't learned and let my emotions do the choosing
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      06-01-2014, 07:53 PM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ede92 View Post
My 2011 328 Cab had it. I had the dealer clean the heck out of it for free after 1 year after seeing some dye transfer. I also asked if this was an issue at lease end. They assured me it wasn't and turned out it was not.

That said I would have to recommend a darker color for your BMW.

My new 911 has an even a lighter color but the leather is a different texture IMO although some Porsche owners complain about the Pebble leather interior. I guess I haven't learned and let my emotions do the choosing
Have it on the X5 and if 1) you buy and use a good leather cleaner and conditioner (not Walmart junk) and then 2) clean it quickly maybe once/week and condition once every couple of months...you'll be fine. Lots of Km's and lots of use hasn't changed its colour one bit.
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      06-01-2014, 11:15 PM   #9
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I just cleaned my Oyster Leather Seats a few days ago and it was a pain but worse was that the safety belt rubbed off some of the Oyster color down to black and I can't do anything about it. Now I am thinking of going with black seats in my next car which I am trying to still figure out if I want to wait for the 2015 model and extend my lease or buy/lease the 2014 model.
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      06-01-2014, 11:17 PM   #10
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Desert Guy, can you show us pictures of the Terra Leather as I am trying to decide now between black or terra leather. What color is the back of the terra leather seat?
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      04-26-2017, 12:55 PM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Desert Guy View Post
disco4me, DON'T do it. The oyster/black combo is beautiful, but a nightmare to keep up. Our 2011 528i (37,000 miles) looks trashed, despite professional detailing. And it's not just the seats, the armrests are starting to look bad.

For my 228i, I went with the Terra leather, which also includes black carpet and seat panels. Looks great, and I suspect will be easy to keep up.
my brother.. I have a 2011 528i

no you definitely messed something up. I have 75k on my oyster interior with mininal wear looks pretty much brand new.

oyster is NOT a difficult colour to maintain. it requires minimally more effort then other colours but will always look great with the proper cleaning.

oyster is a more difficult colour to match with the exterior. if you are worried about this, get window tints. my silver on oyster f10 looks amazing inside and out with tints.
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      04-26-2017, 12:56 PM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by CONTROL ONE View Post
Never in a million years would I ever get white leather interior.
its not white, looks like a light beige. classic bmw colour that looks beautiful when pulled off with the correct exterior colour. has black carpetting and accents VS all beige with venetian beige, which I think looks disgusting.
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      04-26-2017, 01:05 PM   #13
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I know my red seats had some issue with my jeans but after cleaning and then applying leather conditioner months ago I haven't had any issues. I wonder if my jeans just got covered in leather conditioner and so they are less likely to leave the dye.
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      04-26-2017, 07:13 PM   #14
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I have a detailing business and a 228ix with oyster leather. I use Leatherique with a horse hair brush to clean them and have had no problem keeping them clean. I have used Magic eraser on some very filthy light seats and they looked new. Light pressure and a good MF cloth. Followed up with Leatherique then a good leather conditioner. Do not let dirt, jean transfer, or other stains set. Very difficult to clean if they do. Go to my supplier www.detailed image and click on interior, then leather. They are great.
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      04-27-2017, 02:54 AM   #15
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I had oyster on my previous 330d Touring and had no problems, and ordered it again on my M235i Convertible. I've had to clean the driver's seat recently, because of a bit of blue jean colour transfer, but the BMW Leather Cleaning Kit worked fine - this after about 6 months. Cleaning and treating the seats every 4-6 weeks is no bad idea anyway, even if you're on a lease and intend to return it after 3-4 years.

So I'd say that if you're after absolutely no effort spent on cleaning your leather then go for black, but if you are prepared to buy the BMW Leather Cleaner and spend an hour each month or so, then the oyster is fine. Given the time I spend hand-washing the bodywork, this doesn't seem a disproportionate effort to keep the leather in good condition.



I've had all-black interiors before, and black cars, and I do think that they are very photogenic. But I found that (a) black bodywork is a pain to keep clean and (b) after a while, black interiors are depressing (for me anyway) during the winter months.

One thing I have replaced with black are the truly naff wing mirror tops - these are now carbon fibre, from AutoID UK. Also, my 330d had oyster carpets as well as seats:



but in the UK oyster isn't an option and carpets are in black only. I thought I'd have to replace the oyster floor mats in my 330d but they cleaned-up fine, and had I the option, I would have continued with oyster carpets in the 2 Series. I find that black carpets can sometimes show-up light-coloured road/pavement dust much worse than oyster.
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      04-27-2017, 06:45 AM   #16
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Quote:
Originally Posted by msej449 View Post
I had oyster on my previous 330d Touring and had no problems, and ordered it again on my M235i Convertible. I've had to clean the driver's seat recently, because of a bit of blue jean colour transfer, but the BMW Leather Cleaning Kit worked fine - this after about 6 months. Cleaning and treating the seats every 4-6 weeks is no bad idea anyway, even if you're on a lease and intend to return it after 3-4 years.

So I'd say that if you're after absolutely no effort spent on cleaning your leather then go for black, but if you are prepared to buy the BMW Leather Cleaner and spend an hour each month or so, then the oyster is fine. Given the time I spend hand-washing the bodywork, this doesn't seem a disproportionate effort to keep the leather in good condition.



I've had all-black interiors before, and black cars, and I do think that they are very photogenic. But I found that (a) black bodywork is a pain to keep clean and (b) after a while, black interiors are depressing (for me anyway) during the winter months.



One thing I have replaced with black are the truly naff wing mirror tops - these are now carbon fibre, from AutoID UK. Also, my 330d had oyster carpets as well as seats, but in the UK osyter isn't an option and carpets are in black only. I thought I'd have to replace the oyster floor mats in my 330d but they cleaned-up fine, and had I the option, I would have continued with oyster carpets in the 2 Series. I find that black carpets can sometimes show-up light-coloured road/pavement dust much worse than oyster.
I have 3000 miles on my Oyster Sensatec, looks like new
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      04-28-2017, 07:16 AM   #17
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FWIW, I have black sensatec, and compared to the leather 2/3 series I've driven, it cools off quicker, heats up faster in winter, and actually feels nicer than the leather to me (not as slick/plastic). These models get a 'leather' that seems like it has more silicone surface sealer than real cow, at lest to me. And my entire maintenance has been a few damp-cloth wipes. Oyster has a unique look, but needing to clean it (monthly/after every jeans-stain, etc.) would get real old for me.
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      04-28-2017, 07:44 AM   #18
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Maynard View Post
FWIW, I have black sensatec, and compared to the leather 2/3 series I've driven, it cools off quicker, heats up faster in winter, and actually feels nicer than the leather to me (not as slick/plastic). These models get a 'leather' that seems like it has more silicone surface sealer than real cow, at lest to me. And my entire maintenance has been a few damp-cloth wipes. Oyster has a unique look, but needing to clean it (monthly/after every jeans-stain, etc.) would get real old for me.
Have never been in to sitting on dead animal skin anyway:
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      04-28-2017, 07:57 AM   #19
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Maynard View Post
FWIW, I have black sensatec, and compared to the leather 2/3 series I've driven, it cools off quicker, heats up faster in winter, and actually feels nicer than the leather to me (not as slick/plastic). These models get a 'leather' that seems like it has more silicone surface sealer than real cow, at lest to me. And my entire maintenance has been a few damp-cloth wipes. Oyster has a unique look, but needing to clean it (monthly/after every jeans-stain, etc.) would get real old for me.
I cleaned mine yesterday, took all of 20 minutes using Leatherette. Last time I cleaned them like this was several 3-4 months ago. My X3 is over 5 years old with light tan interior. The seats still look new. The oyster looks awesome with Estoril IMO. No big deal keeping them looking this way.
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      04-28-2017, 08:09 AM   #20
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Granted, the estoril/white is almost iconic, and some other combos that are just super, and worth extra effort. Myself, I prefer that 'dark depressing boring' interior (I think R&T even called it 'tomb-like') - mine has the sportline red stitching and accent trim, so it has a little color. For me, the biggest turn off was the leather itself - leather is one of those things that if it is good leather done well, is fantastic (ditto for bags, clothing, shoes, etc.) but when it has that cheap artificial feel (or worse, that flimsy half-dryrotted quality the real cheapo stuff gets) then it is worse than alternatives; but maybe it wears in better - I'm mostly going from test drives and loaners that were probably near-new. Main thing is getting something that makes you feel good.
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      04-28-2017, 08:12 AM   #21
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Not specifically a fan of leather, but the way the car was packaged, I couldn't avoid it. Given the colors I wanted (Valencia over Oyster) and content, it came along for the ride. Having said that, coming up on three years, Oyster leather still looks new and clean with casual maintenance.
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      04-28-2017, 10:17 AM   #22
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Quote:
Originally Posted by disco4me View Post
I'm thinking of the Black Carpet / Oyster Seat interior combo. I'm a jean wearer. If you had or have oyster leather seats, were they hard to keep clean? Would you do it again?
Lovely color combo. I would not wear jeans when driving it. The blue will transfer. You can always keep a towel on the seats, but that rather defeats the purpose.
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