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Volvo C70 Leather Seats

7 messages,  Last post on Jul 07, 2008 at 2:11 PM

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What is this discussion about? Volvo C70, Convertible

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#1 of 7 Leather Seats - Newbie Question by johnnyb756

May 27, 2008 (2:52 pm)

Hi all, newbie JohnnyB here. We are sold on the C70 and will be submitting our order next week for an '09 for European Delivery. We are having problems choosing the interior seat color. We love the look of the Calcite Cream (so does our dealer as most all he has in stock has that color), however, we are concerned about trying to keep it clean.
 
Any owners of C70s with the Calcite Cream seats want to comment on how difficult they are to keep clean? How about wear?
 
Anybody have the upgraded "Sovereign Hide" soft leather option? I have not seen any and am wondering if they are worth the extra grand.
 
Thanks all for any help with my questions.
 
JohnnyB - Texas Hill Country

#2 of 7 Re: Leather Seats - Newbie Question [johnnyb756] by irbrenda1948

May 28, 2008 (10:37 pm)

Replying to: johnnyb756 (May 27, 2008 2:52 pm)
I just got my '08 C70 last week...celestial blue/calcite cream. I have every option except BLIS which I really wanted only for the retractable mirrors. Maybe I should have waited for an 09 but I just had to have it NOW! The calcite cream color is very very light and I'm concerned about wearing blue denim on those seats. I actually bought seat covers but I hate using them as they are truly ugly..I haven't put them on yet.
 
I did see the sovereign hide in a dark brown color with ice white exterior 2 weeks before I bought mine and I was on the fence as to whether or not I liked the way it looked. It seemed to have some obvious stitching all around the seats that I did not care for at all. I saw no difference in the seats but the leather is probably softer and I'm not sure that's so good either.
 
I have an '06 VW Touareg right now with the top leather, nappa, which is beautiful and soft but VW discontinued it in the newer Touaregs. Could be a price issue or a wear issue. The leather is definitely not as strong as the regular cricket leather seats. People have complained of the seams coming apart and the leather wearing badly in spots. I had an '04 Touareg with the same nappa leather that actually wore so thin it got a hole at 8k miles, and that was on the SIDE of the seat, not even the actual seating area. VW was going to replace the seat but they bought back my car for other reasons. I do notice alot of denim rubbing off on the seats and my seats are a Teak color, kind of like saddle. I love them but I don't think I'd pay an extra grand for upgrading anymore.
 
I'm fanatical about keeping my seats clean so I try to clean them on a weekly basis when I wash my cars.
 
Good luck on whatever you decide.

#3 of 7 Re: Leather Seats - Newbie Question [johnnyb756] by henkbw

May 29, 2008 (4:43 am)

Replying to: johnnyb756 (May 27, 2008 2:52 pm)
Hi JohnnyB,
 
I own a 2007 C70 (Magic Blue, Calcite Cream interior). My experience is that the seats collect dust/sand particles and thus get 'dirty'. I've tried several brands of cleaners but no one worked fine. I ended up using IKEA's leather cleaning set, called 'ABSORB', for cleaning and conditioning. Works perfectly!!
 
About the wear: After 45,000 km/28,000 mls I think it's average, only the driver seat has a small sign of wear: the sit part of the seat has lost it's print and has become flat.
 
BTW
a) I almost always wear jeans.
b) I (still) think that calcite cream is the nicest interior color they have for the C70
 
Good luck

#4 of 7 Re: Leather Seats - Newbie Question [henkbw] by tomkat73

Jul 05, 2008 (6:39 pm)

Replying to: henkbw (May 29, 2008 4:43 am)
johnnyb756 - when (and where) are you picking up your new C70? 2008 or 2009? We're picking up an 'in-stock' 08 in GOT on Labor Day. Metallic Silver w/ Off Black Leather. Maybe we could hook up at the FDC if our Delivery dates coincide?
 
That said - this C70 is replacing my 1991 Murano Red Acura Legend Coupe...with "off white" cream leather interior (purchased used in 1995 with 60K). I've put over 100K on it since then...and leather interior looks great (always garaged) with Meguiar's Leather treatment products. There's a spot on the drivers seat that has worn through the leather from the seat belt..but completely understandable after 17 years and 170K miles. Easily 'patched' if we were gonna keep the Legend (TOMKAT 2 - original TOMKAT was a Black on Black 1977 Toyota Celica Liftback Special Edition).
 
Before we put down our $2K deposit on the 'in-stock' Silver/Off Black C70...we took a peek at a Celestial Blue/Calcite Cream C70 for another customer...just happened to be in our OSD dealer's 'back lot' before delivery. Absolutely gorgeous and a definite upgrade from the Premium Package's usual Leather interior. This combination would have been our first choice of 2009 color combination if an 'in-stock' 08 (w/ 6 spd manual) wasn't available.
 
In late April-early May (when we made our deposit)...there were 2 Celestial Blue/Calcite Cream 'cancelled order' 08's available - but these had automatic transmissions (we have a OSD 2005 V50 T5 AWD with AT) and were 'snapped up' by other OSD buyers before we could make a deposit. We were pleasantly surprised a few days later when our dealer's OSD rep told us that there were a few "mislabeled" 6 spd manual 08's available - so that was the route we took.
 
IMHO - you'll be very happy with the look, feel and durability of the Calcite Cream Leather interior of your C70...as long as you garage the car - and care/clean and treat the leather interior regularly.
 
Ping me back if you're gonna be in GOT when we are. My wife is Swedish...and knows the country and people very well. In fact - we're going over a cousin's weddings. Scandanavian weddings must be experienced to be believed! Tomkat73

#5 of 7 Re: Leather Seats - Newbie Question [tomkat73] by johnnyb756

Jul 06, 2008 (7:47 am)

Replying to: tomkat73 (Jul 05, 2008 6:39 pm)
Tomkat73 - thanks for the post. Well, after lots of research, including seeing a car with the "soft" leather option, we decided to go for it. We really like the look and feel of the Sovereign Hide soft leather. We will be getting an '09 model using OSD program. We are scheduled for delivery on 09/25, so guess we will miss you guys over there. Would have been fun though.
 
In case of interest, the following is what we chose:
 
Auto
Vanilla Pearl paint
Cacao Sovereign Hide leather w/ off black trim
Premium package
Climate package
Bi-Xenon headlights
Convenience package
Portable Garmin navigation
Sirius radio
BLIS w/power folding mirrors
 
We are looking forward to getting the car and taking the trip. Plan to be there 5 days including a short Volvo 3-day tour and some "free lancing" for a couple of days somewhere around the coast. If you guys have any "must see" suggestions, would appreciate hearing from you.
 
Stay safe and enjoy your new wheels. BTW, we traded our '06 Acura TL for the C70, our first Volvo.
 
Regards,
 
JohnnyB756

#6 of 7 Re: Leather Seats - Newbie Question [johnnyb756] by tomkat73

Jul 06, 2008 (5:11 pm)

Replying to: johnnyb756 (Jul 06, 2008 7:47 am)
Johnnyb756 - sorry we'll miss each other. You might be in for a real treat with an peek at fall colors in Southern Sweden in late Sept.
 
We're not all that familiar with the Gothenburg (Goteberg) area - but check out this link to Goteberg infor from another forum I belong to:
 
http://forums.swedespeed.com/zerothread?id=21844&page=5
 
Your new ride sounds gorgeous...and I'm jealous that you ordered Bi-Xenon headlights. We have these in our 2005 V50 T5 AWD (replaced our 1994 Acura Integra LS Coupe) and I don't know how we lived without 'em here in the dark and damp PNW.
 
That said - our 2008 C70 was an 'in-stock' model - and Bi-Xenon evidently is a 'special order' option (go figure). I did have to 're-aim' my V50 Bi-Xenon's when it got here. Aimed way too low for safety. I found instructions on how to do this on the Swedespeed forum. My Volvo dealer kept telling me there were 'in spec'.
 
Since we're gonna be in Goteberg before you leave - I'll check in to this forum (or you can pmail me) when we get back for the must see/do 'stuff' in/around Goteberg.
 
Looks like you've got the Nav system (have heard that Garmin system is better for Europe than the Telenav 'stuff' I use in the US. Ask to 'borrow' the European CD's from the FDC for your trip. TC

#7 of 7 Re: Leather Seats - Newbie Question [tomkat73] by johnnyb756

Jul 07, 2008 (2:11 pm)

Replying to: tomkat73 (Jul 06, 2008 5:11 pm)
Tomcat, thanks so much for the info and the link to Swedespeed. The info there will be very useful. I will check for any posts before our departure on 09/23 in case you send anything.
  
Thanks again, and enjoy your trip!
  
JohnnyB

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