Covers for a car made of eco-leather: how to choose?

A real leather interior - such a pleasure is not available to everyone. Drivers are looking for other materials that would be in no way inferior to leather in their properties. Today, eco-leather car covers are very popular. What is eco-leather and what are its main advantages and disadvantages? The editors of the Vodi.su portal will try to deal with this issue.

What is this stuff?

Leather substitutes are in great demand today because of their low cost. They are widely used in the furniture industry. But probably each of us knows that sitting in the heat on a leatherette office chair is not very pleasant - after a while, a person literally sweats and simply sticks to such a chair. In winter, leatherette becomes rough and heats up for a very long time.

There are several main types of leather substitutes, and each of them has both advantages and disadvantages:

• leatherette - a fabric with a nitrocellulose coating applied to it, it is cheap and has low abrasion resistance;
• vinyl leather (PVC leather) - polyvinyl chloride is applied to the fabric base, it turns out to be a rather durable and elastic material, but its disadvantage is that various chemical additives are introduced into it to achieve elasticity and therefore its vapors are dangerous to health (if you were sitting in the salon of a budget Chinese car, then perhaps and you know what we mean - the smell is disgusting);
• microfiber (MF leather) - used for interior upholstery, in the furniture industry, unlike genuine leather, it is breathable, but its cost is quite high.

There are other types, engineers and chemists every year create materials with new properties, and eco-leather is one of these materials, although it was invented back in the 60s.

Eco-leather is produced in the same way as all other types of leatherette: a breathable film of polyurethane fibers is applied to the fabric base. Depending on the purpose, the thickness of the film and the base fabric is selected. Thanks to modern technologies, the polyurethane film does not deform during application; moreover, various types of embossing are made on it. Thus, eco-leather is quite soft and elastic.

Its main advantages:

• by eye it is very difficult to distinguish from genuine leather;
• hypoallergenic - does not cause allergies;
• the presence of micropores allows the material to "breathe", that is, it will never be too hot or cold;
• high level of wear resistance;
• withstands a wide range of temperatures, but frost resistance is still lower than that of genuine leather;
• pleasant to the touch;
• does not contain harmful chemicals.

Also pay attention to the fact that plasticizers are not used to give eco-leather plasticity, due to which an unpleasant smell of leatherette occurs. Caring for covers is quite simple - just wipe them with a damp cloth, but if the stain is deeply eaten, then it will need to be removed with special means.

As we can see, eco-leather has solid advantages, but this is only if you buy original cases, and not fake ones, which are very numerous even in serious stores today.

The price of the original case depends on many factors.

First of all, pay attention to the type of material: Oregon, Valencia, Italy. The last type is made in Italy, while the first two are made in India or China. In principle, there is no difference between them, except that "Italy" is more durable. We at the Vodi.su editorial office picked up covers for Chevrolet Lanos, so the cover "Italy" costs about 10-12 thousand in different stores, while "Oregon" can be bought for 4900-6000 rubles, and "Valencia" - for 5-8 thousand .

There are also cheaper options, such as Persona Full, Matrix, Grand Full, but we did not find an option cheaper than 3500 rubles.

The thickness of the material is also important, according to this parameter, covers are divided into:

• economy class - thickness 1 mm;
• standard - 1,2 mm;
• premium - 1,5 mm and stronger seams.

In stores, you can also choose different color options, for example, a plain case will cost less than a case with more complex colors. In addition, the cover is selected for a specific car model and this also affects the price, since you can choose options with or without armrests and headrests.

In order not to buy a fake, inspect the product well, especially from the wrong side. The weakest point is the seams. The seam should be of high quality, straight, there should not be any protruding threads. If the seam bursts open, then the material will begin to deform, the fabric base will be exposed, and the whole appearance will be lost.

In addition, it is quite difficult to put on a cover on your own, so it is better to take the help of specialists. If you pull on the cover yourself and accidentally tear or scratch it, then no one will notice it under warranty. Such covers are easily scratched by sharp objects, such as rivets on the back pockets. If you smoke in the cabin, try to shake off the ashes in the ashtray, and not on the seat.

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