aftermarket leather vs stock leather

[cyclonus]

Just wondering if going the after market leather seat way is good or not. need some advice.The dealer said for about $1500 they could take the cloth off the car and put in leather. Or i could pay them $3500 more to get the whole leather package with the car so i get the stock leather.

[kerrton]

I can't say which leather would be better quality, this isn't a very common question and actually I'm surprised the dealer offered to replace your cloth seats with leather, is that correct or did you mean you were looking at a non-Nissan shop for aftermarket leather?

The AWD leather package is $5300 CAD, and also includes Bluetooth, XM, Intelligent key, Homelink and auto dim rear view mirror, 6-disc changer (circa 1992!!) and leather steering wheel. I think $5300 for this is crazy, many of these items such as Bluetooth and XM come standard on the base models form other manufacturers, and the same goes for the ridiculous $2300 premium package (the one cool thing you do get is paddle shifters, oh yeah and an additional coat hook ).

If they're offering you the $5300 leather package for $3500, I guess you could consider that a savings of $2000, however if all you're interested in is the leather seats then $1500 sounds like the better option, provided they assure you it'll include high quality leather and workmanship.

There are several different grades of leather and they're all quite different, so I'd recommend asking for a sample to help make the decision. For example, you can get very soft, supple leather that feels great, costs more but is less durable than the course grade, also you can get perforated or non, and you can even get different grades for the seat vs. the sides and back. I'd check into these details....

[DanTheMan]

My dealer also offered this option. There were two issues that I had with this and ended up not going with this and getting the Nissan package.

1. heated seats, mainly for the wife, but they sure are nice in the morning

2. door panels and arm rest wasn't included.

All and all, I am very happy I decided to go with the Nissan Leather package.

Cheers!

[Pescakl1]

There is a thread here of someone who made install aftermarket leather seat covers. Do a search as it is an old one.

[jstcruzin]

We bought our rogue used and I found a set of leather seat covers on ebay. Not the cheap ones, the ones you remove the cloth and replace. Got them for $300 if I remember right. It took me a day to R&R, but be very careful with the front seats and the air bags. Now she has nicer leather than my factory leather seats from Mazda. Oh well

[philipa_240sx]

Re: heated seats

Due to the airbag occupancy classification sensor located in the passenger side seat cushion, it usually isn't possible to add an aftermarket heated seat heater. If you want full heated (cushion and backrest) seats, you have to get the OEM heated seats. Personally, I would recommend the factory leather with seat heaters for this reason.

There has already been one reported case where an aftermarket shop installed seat heaters but refused to do the passenger side cushion... likely due to liability reasons.

[lilbaggie]

Cyclonus,

We installed the Katzkin kit ("Deluxe" which includes the Center Armrest and the Door Armrests) in my wife's 09 Rogue S. My friend owns an upholstery shop and when they say it's "Dealer Installed" they essentially send it out to a shop like my buddy's and he installs a Katzkin or similar kit. If you don't get the leather from the factory, you're better off going straight to an upholstery shop and avoid dealer mark up. The wholesale cost on our kit was $495 (i know because my buddy let me use his account and I went to the Katzkin factory to pick it up myself) and actual labor was about $100.

The kit is quite nice, although my vague recollection is that the factory leather was a touch softer. We ruled it out because we didn't want the other options in the package just to get leather.

[Andybond]

Another option is to get a used (but in good shape) leather interior. It can be found from the websites such as car-part.com or your local salvage yard... Just a thought.

[jk47]

I had the dealer install leather seats (and a sunroof) in my 08 Rogue S. They were just a little stiffer then the Factory leather in my 2010 Rogue but they were comfortable and looked good.