[Canaletto]

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?

[zkeeper]

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.

[Meeni]

Leather is subject to the same threats.

[scrape1]

I've never had issues with jeans staining any car interior. Maybe some of you guys wear crappy jeans.

[IEDEI]

Originally Posted by Canaletto

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?

you do realise Sensatec is essentially a fancy name for Vinyl/Polymer compounds. it will be waaaay hotter than leather in the summer, like roast your skin kinda hot....Leather breathes, synthetics don't in the same way.

[disco4me]

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.

[Canaletto]

Originally Posted by IEDEI

you do realise Sensatec is essentially a fancy name for Vinyl/Polymer compounds. it will be waaaay hotter than leather in the summer, like roast your skin kinda hot....Leather breathes, synthetics don't in the same way.

There seems to be conflicting reports over whether the Sensatec is more uncomfortable in the summer.

Do you have any first-hand experience? Especially with a light-colored interior?

[IEDEI]

Originally Posted by Canaletto

There seems to be conflicting reports over whether the Sensatec is more uncomfortable in the summer.

Do you have any first-hand experience? Especially with a light-colored interior?

VINYL will always be hotter under sunlight....waaaaay hotter than leather. That's pretty much for sure. You can listen to Sensatec owners defending their choice, but the reality is that vinyl polymers heat up quicker and do not dissipate heat like an organic/natural substance does.

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!

[drivethemachine]

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.

[chaswyck1]

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.

[drivethemachine]

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

[englishguy84]

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.

[drivethemachine]

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.

[mdputnam]

Originally Posted by drivethemachine

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.

I've had oyster leather seats in my convertible for one year now here is my experince:

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.

[englishguy84]

Originally Posted by mdputnam

I've had oyster leather seats in my convertible for one year now here is my experince:

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.

Thanks. Doesn't sound worth $1450, IMO. Maybe if it were a $600 upgrade. Paying that much more for a material that still has a plastic topcoat but requires the maintenance of a higher-grade leather isn't worth it to me - at least not in a small, sporty coupe.

[Fugly M3]

Originally Posted by englishguy84

Thanks. Doesn't sound worth $1450, IMO. Maybe if it were a $600 upgrade. Paying that much more for a material that still has a plastic topcoat but requires the maintenance of a higher-grade leather isn't worth it to me - at least not in a small, sporty coupe.

This was my thinking...the same leather is $1450 in a big 5er and tiny 2er...not worth it in the 2. I got the oyster sensatec...but haven't had enough experience to give a full review...but the stuff definitely feels nicer than the old leatherette product

[Rayscott]

Originally Posted by Canaletto

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?

I own a detailing business and a 2012 X3 (5 years) with Sensatec. I use Leatherique products to clean and condition the Sensatec. and good quality leather cleaner/conditioner on my new 228ix. My seats look new. You can check out Leatherique on my suppliers detailing site www.detailedimage.com and click on interior products. I use their leather products on the cars I detail that have leather. Here is a tip, use either product regularly on dye transfer, coffee and other stains or they will set in and may not come out. Also regular cleaning and conditioning of leather and Sensatec will prolong the life of the seats. I recently detailed a late model Porsche Panamera that had blue jean dye stains on the drivers seat. They would not come out using safe stain removing products. The owner said they had been there a while. Need I say more.

[morphomeman]

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.

[Rayscott]

Originally Posted by morphomeman

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.

I retired from Gore and knew Mr. Gore and his son Bob, who was the one that discovered Gore-Tex. It was an astonishing discovery and their sales are now in the billions. Gore-Tex is actually expanded PTFE (Polytetrafluoroethylene) and Bob did an experiment by heating PTFE and expanding it. The rest is history. It is used in clothing, electronics, medical and industrial. I bike with it and it keeps me warm and dry.

[krhodes1]

Originally Posted by IEDEI

you do realise Sensatec is essentially a fancy name for Vinyl/Polymer compounds. it will be waaaay hotter than leather in the summer, like roast your skin kinda hot....Leather breathes, synthetics don't in the same way.

No it isn't. The cheap leather BMW uses in the low line cars does not breath any better than the vinyl does. I have one car with Dakota leather and one with Sensatec, there is not one bit of difference between them in how they breath.

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.

[Kolyan2k]

Originally Posted by krhodes1

No it isn't. The cheap leather BMW uses in the low line cars does not breath any better than the vinyl does. I have one car with Dakota leather and one with Sensatec, there is not one bit of difference between them in how they breath.

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.

Leather has UV reflective coating according to BMW website

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

[krhodes1]

Originally Posted by Kolyan2k

Leather has UV reflective coating according to BMW website

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

Which might matter in a convertible, but my car doesn't even have a sunroof.

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.