[rocky]

We ordered a maxed out 06 (with leather) back in September and are waiting delivery. Dealer just informed us that they don't expect any at that level until March and have suggested that the factory leather is less than adequate. Also gave us a slightly different story that they didn't order any with leather. Mildly marching us towards a locally installed leather option.
Any comments on the quality or appearance of the factory leather ?
Any comments on the availability of factory leather ?

 

[C.Rickey Hirose]

We ordered a maxed out 06 (with leather) back in September and are waiting delivery. Dealer just informed us that they don't expect any at that level until March and have suggested that the factory leather is less than adequate. Also gave us a slightly different story that they didn't order any with leather. Mildly marching us towards a locally installed leather option.
Any comments on the quality or appearance of the factory leather ?
Any comments on the availability of factory leather ?

I confer with all my Prius reservation placing customers that orders the factory "Leather" in package #8 NW, that the factory "Leathers" is "leather Trimmed" and not entirely done in Pure or Genuine Leathers. The Leather portion used is for the seating areas and reclining areas. The sides door panels,the side bolster portion,the center arm rest and the backs are not covered in "Genuine Leathers" If they balk at that then I suggest go to the one package lower NL #7 package and then let install the whole genuine leathers. You also can customise it the way you like it see below"
***********************************************
Then there is a way to customize your Prius interior
with a Sumptuous Leathers done in "Two Tone" even upgradable with
_Perforated_ seating area and also a _Heated_Seats_ for a price so
let talk upgrades later if needed, but in meantime send in your request
today ! Also the much longed: Sunroof now available for 04-06 Priuses.
___________________________________________________
Toyota Hybrid Vehicles, To make the World a better place to live
for present and next generations to come.
____________________________________________________
HSD, Hybrids for everyone in the near future.
Toyota Hybrids for this planet called, the Green Earth !
___________________________________________________
PRIUS are here & The HH, Highlander Hybrid. soon to, arrived !
07 CH or the Camry Hybrid seen on the Horizon ! 06 Mid Spring-Summer
__________________________________________________
The Largest PRIUS & HH Purveyor at Fremont Toyota-Scion.
Located: in the Beautiful San Francisco Bay Area, Northern
California.__________________________________________
******Email: [email protected]**********

C.Rickey Hirose, Fleet-Ecommerce Sales Manager.
The Hybrid vehicle's Ambassador.
(510) 252-5420 B. or (925) 699-6450 Cell.

 

[rocky]

Have another leather question or two...
If the leather is an aftermarket dealer add-on, is it covered by insurance ?
Also, does an aftermarket add-on affect the operation of the airbags or any other safety / operable equipment ?
BTW - the dealer add-on proposed by my dealer also allows for a lumbar support add-on and bun-warmers. The description of the quality and that the aftermarket replacement is on all surfaces also makes it a preferred choice, presuming that the factory leather is rather spotty and intermixed with non-leather products.

 

[grovey]

Just got my 06 a couple days ago. The seats feel like they have lumbar support built in. I think they are very comfortable. My Prius is a #1 with dark grey leather. I guess they are called leather faced seats. I think it looks great(high quality).

 

[jeromep]

We ordered a maxed out 06 (with leather) back in September and are waiting delivery. Dealer just informed us that they don't expect any at that level until March and have suggested that the factory leather is less than adequate. Also gave us a slightly different story that they didn't order any with leather. Mildly marching us towards a locally installed leather option.
Any comments on the quality or appearance of the factory leather ?
Any comments on the availability of factory leather ?

Sounds to me like you are getting some serious dealer smokage. Your dealer saying that factory leather is less than adequate is like your dealer saying that the factory paint job is not nearly as good as something you could get a Maaco. I think not! A couple rules about factory vs. after market. In most instances factory installed options, are better than aftermarket installed options. The factory leather in the Prius is going to match the interior trim and color perfectly. It is also going to be installed correctly and using factory mounting techniques and materials.

It is generally known, that unless you are buying a Rolls or other mega luxury supercar the non-seating surfaces in nearly every mass market production car out there will be covered in vinyl if leather is the corresponding seating surface. The logic is that people are buying leather to sit on, and the non-seating surfaces don't need to be covered in leather because those surfaces will not be stressed like the seating surfaces nor will they be sat on.

And my last topic is dealer special order. Sounds to me like your dealer is selling off from allocation only and is not actively doing dealer trades or any type of accomidation to bring in vehicles which are not part of their normal allocation. Since your dealer is blowing you smoke, I think it is high time to find another dealer, which will work with you and find you exactly what you want and do so by doing lot search and working with regional management to find the vehicle you want. Those package 8s are coming in and it is up to you to find a dealer who will play ball. This dealer is not interested in playing ball, and as such you shouldn't be either.

 

[jeromep]

Have another leather question or two...
If the leather is an aftermarket dealer add-on, is it covered by insurance ?
Also, does an aftermarket add-on affect the operation of the airbags or any other safety / operable equipment ?
BTW - the dealer add-on proposed by my dealer also allows for a lumbar support add-on and bun-warmers. The description of the quality and that the aftermarket replacement is on all surfaces also makes it a preferred choice, presuming that the factory leather is rather spotty and intermixed with non-leather products.

Generally insurance companies cover anything in the vehicle that is aftermarket if it is installed in the vehicle, and not loose or easily removable. Aftermarket radios are covered if they were permanently installed in the dash the same goes for just about anything else on or in the car.

The side airbag issue is of great importance. Any aftermarket leather has to take into account the need for "breakaway" panels to accommodate the side airbags. Keep this in mind, aftermarket leather for any application is not a custom item so much as there are companies that make re-covers that are sized to Prius seats and as such an upholstery shop will buy the covers from their source and remove the fabric covers from the factory and install the aftermarket ones. The shop's skill at doing the recover has a lot to do with how it will look in the end.

As for an aftermarket leather job being all leather, I highly doubt it unless it is specified by the manufacturer of the recover material. The price would be prohibitive for a recover manufacturer to make a full leather product and as such nobody could afford to buy it. Plus, there isn't much utility to putting leather on the back of the seat where nobody sits or on the sides or backs of head restraings where no heads will rest.

As for seat warmers and extra lumbar, yes, they can be added by an aftermarket shop, however if you are making this purchase through the dealer I'm sure there is a great deal of dealer profit involved. I'm leary of this dealer already based on the description of your communications with them. I would pass on any of their offers. Seat warmers and extra lumbar and the whole aftermarket leather suggestion isn't a professional thing for a dealer to offer on top of the fact that they are putting down factory leather which is as good or better than anything that can be had aftermarket. Sounds to me like they are trying to sell a car now instead of later, or never if they are only selling what is coming in their allocation. and increase their margins at your cost.

 

[Spike]

We ordered a maxed out 06 (with leather) back in September and are waiting delivery. Dealer just informed us that they don't expect any at that level until March and have suggested that the factory leather is less than adequate. Also gave us a slightly different story that they didn't order any with leather. Mildly marching us towards a locally installed leather option.
Any comments on the quality or appearance of the factory leather ?
Any comments on the availability of factory leather ?

I think you dealer is trying to snow you.

I have an '04, so before leather was availible. But let me say this, my current other car is a Toyota, and has leather, the quality is great. I traded in a '94 Camry a few years ago with 238,000 miles, it had a leather interior. Factory leather. It had held up fine, no rips or tears. I have no reason to suspect Toyota has dropped the quality of its leather interiors.

Getting from the factory, you know that if you ever have any issues, you know where to go. With the local guy doing it, what is your recourse if something happens down the road? Will he still be around?

For similar quality, I gotta think the factory is cheaper, but could see that not being the case. But think about it, you are paying for the work and everything for the cloth seats. You are then paying then for the seats to be taken out (maybe), cloth cut off, the leather needed, the install of the leather, the closing up of everything, the installer's profit, and the dealer's cut. Seems like Toyota could way undercut that, if they wanted to.

You know the seats will work in an airbag deloyed situation, you don't have someone saying it will. The factory seats were designed and built with that in mind.

For insurance, I would check. Generally, I thought if you did something pricey to the interior and wanted it covered, you have to tell them and possibly pay more for the coverage. If you sink $6k into an aftermarket stereo they won't cover it, unless you get a rider. Nor should they have to, your premium is supposed to be based on their perceived risk. If they have the potential to pay out much more due to aftermarket upgrades, your premium should be higher to compensate.

If it were me, I would hold out for Factory installed. Why go thru the headache(s) if you don't have to. I would also start looking at other dealers.

Spike

 

[dvdirv]

I added leather from an aftermarket dealer that does 95% dealer work (not the public).

They charged me $1100 and the leather looks like a factory job. Leather covers console as well as door arm rests.

Besides looking great, the big advantage of going with leather aftermarket is that you don't need to fork out an extra $5000 above what you really want just to get the leather since the leather package is only available on a loaded package 8.

The only real problem is finding a good aftermarket dealer to do the work. You might want to check with your dealer for recommendations.

 

[jeromep]

They charged me $1100 and the leather looks like a factory job. Leather covers console as well as door arm rests.

Besides looking great, the big advantage of going with leather aftermarket is that you don't need to fork out an extra $5000 above what you really want just to get the leather since the leather package is only available on a loaded package 8.

I agree that aftermarket leather can be done well. And most upholstery shops use cover kits. They do not cut and seam the leather by hand, but buy a leather cover kit from a manufacturer who has the patterns and specs from Toyota for that specific purpose. Those kit manufacturers also take into account the need for break away sides for side airbag deployment. I have seen aftermarket leather on 04-05s and there definitely was the tag on the leather seats indicating that there was side ABS.

The risk of aftermarket leather is the competency of the installer, not necessarily the quality of the leather cover itself, because those are essentially mass produced anyway.

 

[ajmck]

I just purchased a black '06 Package 8 from a dealer in southern california. I was surprised by how easy it was to get the car (and at MSRP) The dealership called around until they found someone they could trade with. They also told me that if I wanted, they would order it for me and I would get it in 2-4 weeks. It's amazing how easy it was to me while other people are being put on waiting lists and being charged over MSRP. I guess you just have to call around until you find a good dealer

 

[BIGGUY]

I bought my 05 from a dealer after setting up the order on the Toyota website and had leather added as a $1500 option. When I picked up the car it had just come off the truck from the docks in Houston. Had 1 mile on the speedo I don't see where they would have had the time or ability to get the car to an aftermarket shop ( not to mention this is a fairly small town and i am not aware of any shops up there). The leather we got was a lot like the Lexus leather we had, the seats are more comfortable and we can't complain about anything except the lack of adjustments (no electric)

 

[jeromep]

I bought my 05 from a dealer after setting up the order on the Toyota website and had leather added as a $1500 option. When I picked up the car it had just come off the truck from the docks in Houston. Had 1 mile on the speedo I don't see where they would have had the time or ability to get the car to an aftermarket shop ( not to mention this is a fairly small town and i am not aware of any shops up there). The leather we got was a lot like the Lexus leather we had, the seats are more comfortable and we can't complain about anything except the lack of adjustments (no electric)

You are buying in a region that does a lot of port option work. The importer in Texas is not owned by Toyota and as such they have facilities at port where the vehicles are "upgraded" before they head out to dealers.

 

[jeromep]

I just purchased a black '06 Package 8 from a dealer in southern california. I was surprised by how easy it was to get the car (and at MSRP) The dealership called around until they found someone they could trade with. They also told me that if I wanted, they would order it for me and I would get it in 2-4 weeks. It's amazing how easy it was to me while other people are being put on waiting lists and being charged over MSRP. I guess you just have to call around until you find a good dealer

If this dealer treated you well, why not let us all know so that others living in your area have the benefit of going there to purchase also?

 

[DaveT]

Ours came thru Houston and the "Distributor" added Mud Guards for $123. After looking over the fender contours, I decided I would have added mud/rock guards anyway, so I didn't gripe too much.

Actually, I had expected more AOP (ha ha) items to deal with.

 

[C.Rickey Hirose]

Have another leather question or two...
If the leather is an aftermarket dealer add-on, is it covered by insurance ?
Also, does an aftermarket add-on affect the operation of the airbags or any other safety / operable equipment ?
BTW - the dealer add-on proposed by my dealer also allows for a lumbar support add-on and bun-warmers. The description of the quality and that the aftermarket replacement is on all surfaces also makes it a preferred choice, presuming that the factory leather is rather spotty and intermixed with non-leather products.

Generally insurance companies cover anything in the vehicle that is aftermarket if it is installed in the vehicle, and not loose or easily removable. Aftermarket radios are covered if they were permanently installed in the dash the same goes for just about anything else on or in the car.

The side airbag issue is of great importance. Any aftermarket leather has to take into account the need for "breakaway" panels to accommodate the side airbags. Keep this in mind, aftermarket leather for any application is not a custom item so much as there are companies that make re-covers that are sized to Prius seats and as such an upholstery shop will buy the covers from their source and remove the fabric covers from the factory and install the aftermarket ones. The shop's skill at doing the recover has a lot to do with how it will look in the end.

As for an aftermarket leather job being all leather, I highly doubt it unless it is specified by the manufacturer of the recover material. The price would be prohibitive for a recover manufacturer to make a full leather product and as such nobody could afford to buy it. Plus, there isn't much utility to putting leather on the back of the seat where nobody sits or on the sides or backs of head restraings where no heads will rest.

As for seat warmers and extra lumbar, yes, they can be added by an aftermarket shop, however if you are making this purchase through the dealer I'm sure there is a great deal of dealer profit involved. I'm leary of this dealer already based on the description of your communications with them. I would pass on any of their offers. Seat warmers and extra lumbar and the whole aftermarket leather suggestion isn't a professional thing for a dealer to offer on top of the fact that they are putting down factory leather which is as good or better than anything that can be had aftermarket. Sounds to me like they are trying to sell a car now instead of later, or never if they are only selling what is coming in their allocation. and increase their margins at your cost.

Hi jeromep, All my after market leather job, Are all genuine lethers front face side and rear, unless, the customers wants to "Save" a few hundred
and wants the combo= Leather facing and leatherette side and backs. Also the vehicle's equipped with the side bolster air bags will get the Leather covered side "Air bag pocket" this walled leathers as well. ir has been tested with the "UL" or Underwriters Laboratory and proof of testing that shows it deploys as designed. The job I provide to my Prius and all Leather optioned seeking customers then will get and
Comes with all Leathers used on this conversion's "Certificate" plus a 5/60 warranty as well. The factory leathers all across Toyota lines clearly states in the MSRP label if that vehicle came with Lether then it is stated as the "Leather seating surface or Leather trimmed" So by stating it this way, Toyota is not Liable as to customers complaining later that they did not get the Pure Leather . I have faced in the past, customer returning after years of owning their cars and comes back Furious sayiong that they have been "Had" Some proffessional Lether shop told him/her, your vehicle's leathers are not all 100 % Leather ! So Toyota has changed the "Wording" such as: Leather trimmed, or Leather seating surface only.

I have just finished my own 04 Prius Leathers done in Two toned and center perforated plus the heated seats and + The Prius Sunroof ! The pics will be coming up on Sundays onward since I'm off finally ! Pics, Pics, and Pics. Stay tuned everyone or whom interested....