Leather vs. Cloth IN THE SUMMER

[qwerty53]

Hi,
Does anyone have leather and lives in hot weather? Maybe goes to the beach and touches the seats with bare skin in the summer? Is it ok or you are burned and swim in your own sweat?
Also in general how much maintenance leather requires?
Please tell me what state you live in if you answer.

Thanks.

[roarkrd]

I have two Pilots, both leather, and it does get pretty warm in the summer, but nothing a towel/blanket over the seat can't solve.

[qwerty53]

Thanks. But what do you mean a towel? You mean you have to put a towel to sit in it?

[qwerty53]

Also how about the maintenance of leather?

[roarkrd]

The towel is to block the heat from the seat, not the sweat if that's what you thought. The leather will crack/crease over time, but the progression can be slowed by wiping it with leather protectant every now and then.

[qwerty53]

ok. thanks. You convinced me - no leather. From what I see it is just a pain in the but AND you pay for it.
Thanks.

[cali510]

Cloth can be a pain if you spill something may soak in instead of leather which you can wipe off.I don't live where its really hot,but days that it is I use a window shade which soaks some of the sun off the seats.

[phathom]

I prefer leather in almost every car I buy. It feels better and is easier to clean up. Sure you have to do some maintenance on it, such as using leather protectant wipes on it every so often (once every time you detail the car) and do a leather restorer every couple of years. Also, if it does get torn or ripped, it is much easier to repair leather than it is to repair cloth.
As far as the summer goes, tinted windows do wonders for keeping the seats cool, also rolling down the windows for a minute before you get in helps too.

[OhioPilot09]

This was a big discussion point between the wife and myself. She is the main driver of our Pilot and she said 100% that she would NOT drive a car with leather due to the heat in the summer...so we are stuck with the cloth. Myself I prefer the leather due to the look and ease of cleanup. I'm dreading the day we spill something on the beige cloth seats in our Pilot...

[blueridgemtn]

I was originally looking for a EX Pilot with cloth seats. Ended up scoring a good deal on an EX-L so I went with the leather seats. Really glad I have the leather seats now. They feel luxurious...drivers seat feels like a comfy lazy boy recliner.

[qwerty53]

Originally Posted by blueridgemtn

I was originally looking for a EX Pilot with cloth seats. Ended up scoring a good deal on an EX-L so I went with the leather seats. Really glad I have the leather seats now. They feel luxurious...drivers seat feels like a comfy lazy boy recliner.

How about if you would drive for hours with your shorts on (skin touches the seat) wouldn't you be sweaty?

[blueridgemtn]

Haven't had that problem yet as it is still early Spring. I'm sure the summer months will be sweaty BUT the Pilot has a great AC system so it should be a non issue. Only issue I can think of is the initial temperature of the leather when you first get in during the summer months. It will be hot but as soon as you open the windows, run the AC, etc it should be good to go.

[stevek2010]

I bought my pilot in July. It got really hot here in Tennessee with very high humidity. I didn't notice it much. I'm used to leather though. I have to have leather in my car for that luxury feel. I don't think it gets that bad plus like other said, you can just drop the windows down a bit using your key/unlock feature a few minutes before you get in. I also have remote start so before I leave my car, i crank up the AC in all zones. That way when I remote start it for 5 minutes, it's great in there.

[macphanatic]

Leather holds up better, it's easier to clean, you get seat heaters, and no static shock when sliding out of the seat in the winter.

[qwerty53]

How you got the remote starter?
They installed it in dealership or it came from the factory? (you have the engine temperature on the remote correct?)
Thanks.