It's actually fairly common for the limiteds to have the diff lock. I had no idea it was an option when I got my limited and didn't realize it was there until I was driving off the dealer lot!

Yeah I wasn't a member of the forum when I did the swap so I didn't take any pictures. The hog ring is just a metal ring that can be crimped using hog ring pliers to close into a loop. It has sharp ends for piercing upholstery and holds seat covers to a cushion or a metal frame. The whole process was very easy imo. New hog rings and hog ring pliers are a must. Iirc I used wire cutters to cut off the old hog rings. I was pretty much flying blind when I started the process since I didn't have a write up and I haven't seen one either. Here's a pic of hog rings and the special pliers you would need

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Well its an easy choice for me being in AZ. Cloth is only way to go especially with lil ones. I really don't wanna stick my leg to leather when its 116 degrees outside. When I was in Cali, I would have the leather. Looks nicer but need to maintain more.

Than Mercedes-Benz?


Sorry dude, considering condition differences living in Southern California... I'd have to say leather doesn't get the chance here that you guys get there, especially because it's sunny all year round. The sun is evil!

i prefer my cloth, it doesnt look that bad, except the door handel things wear quick, but the seats are great as long as you dont spill anthing to stain them.

Leather quality isn't related to vehicle brand. Trim packages, special editions, and price range are all things that can effect the quality of leather used. The best leather I've seen was on a special edition Ford E series van. Another thing to consider is that I think the leather trim I have is thicker and does not have the soft feel of other higher end luxury brands. I'm sure it's the reason my leather has stood up well to the age and use it has. The climate differences should make a difference in the level of care, but shouldn't have such an adverse effect on it's durability. The brand name of your conditioning product is much more relevant than the brand name of your vehicle.

Sorry James, NE is worse for leather, because of the constant cooling and heating in temperature, if it is always hot then the leather is only expanded, if it is only cold the leather is only contracted. It is a consistent change that heps promote cracking and helps tearing. It is also why we get so many potholes. And yes Mercedes is built for comfort first, as a toyota was quality first (somewhere along the line this was lost).

Alright, but keep in mind that picture was of an S class, the top of line Mercedes when it was made. The leather also had at least 10 more years of exposure than any 3rd gen considering age. Leather just gets to look like crap when it gets old, granted Haddix's and 004Gunner's looks good, you can still see wear marks and stuff that cloth simply doesn't do. After a couple cars with leather, I'd rather opt for cloth, unless it's a high end luxury car.

Leather requires much more maintenance to keep looking good (I've never cleaned my seats in the 4R past vacuuming them, they still look great) and personally, knowing my friends, they'd **** it up like they did my old car. Every time someone sits on their keys or something in a leather seat, it's already been scratched or near punctured.

And guys, don't get me wrong, I love Toyota, but it's silly comparing Toyota to Mercedes on material quality. I absolutely guarantee the leather in a Mercedes-Benz will blow any Toyota's out of the water, hands down. Sorry guys, I deal with nothing but brand new Mercedes all day. I'm sure people like proudrunner know what I mean. Never will you ever get the same quality interior in a, what, $40,000 max SUV, than in a $70,000+ luxury car. Some of the cars here are worth more than homes (maybach 62s = $493k, SLR = $512k, etc). A brand new S or CL can run 200k if equipped accordingly. I strongly doubt the inventors of the automobile, let alone the epitome of luxury and high class, would ever put leather equivalent to that of a Japanese sports utility vehicle. I'm sorry, but there's no arguing that. Don't even get me started on trims, designo interiors and all sorts of gnarly Mercedes stuff.

I'll stick with my leather. My 13 year old seats just started splitting at 12 years. I put in replacement leather myself from LeatherSeats.com. Very happy with it. They're almost an exact color match, although they look a bit different between the daytime shot and the nighttime shot here.

Before:


After:

I personally like the leather since it is pretty durable and comfortable, considering that it's in a 12 year old vehicle. Mine does have low mileage but before I started driving it the leather wasn't really taken care of and it held up very well. Only a little wear on the edges from sliding in and out. I would post a pic of the leather but I have seat covers on them now, so no worries about the leather cracking or wearing.

I like my cloth seast which have covers on them and it's easy to remove the cover and wash them and my seats are in near new shape. My mom has a 99 limited and her leather is cracking from wear wirth getting in and out on the driver's side and is a pretty common issue with leather.

My old '96 SR5 had leather.
The drivers side was cracking badly ( go figure ). It made the whole interier look old and worn.
I was in a bone yard to get a new seat. Found some cloth seats that were like new and had canvas seat covers on them. Bought the whole set for $100.
When I changed the whole interior out, it made the whole truck look fresh & new.
I kept the seat covers ( after washing them first ) so when I sold the truck, the interior still looked brand new at 145K miles.

I will never go back to leather, unless I get a steal of a deal. Then I will change them out or cover them. Leather does not last well in Florida anyway.

You are right about leather in fla, the sun is viscous! and it can get hot! If you have tinted window and keep the leather conditioned (I used armor all leather clean/condition spray maybe once a month) it's not too bad. Leather is way easier to clean and good if you're jumping in and out of your vehicle wet ie beach/watersports. That is why I loved it. It doesn't have the longevity of cloth because of the cracking I had leather in a car up to 185k and cloth to 165k without much difference in the cloth. The leather driver seat was cracking some but never had a problem splitting yet, and only on the driver seat.

My runner has cloth though so we'll see, would have liked leather but will just have to deal

I have had cloth in a couple of my vehicles from Toyota, and my family's had leather. I like both, and I've seen failures in both. My tundra cloth seat crapped out after 5 years. It was a joke. My father's 4runner seat split on the side butt bolstering from sliding in and out. Overall I think Leather is WAY easier to clean, and will last long if you take care of it. If you're a girl that likes to wear short skirts and the like, then leather can get too hot. Of course if you're sitting your car in the sun you should be using a sunvisor to keep the UV off of your dash anyways, and that will keep your seat from cooking your ass when you sit down... Sit in both, check them out. buy which one you like...

When you have sex activities in the car, you'd better use leather instead because it's easy to clean.