# Seats are too damn hot! ARGH!



## katie78 (Oct 25, 2011)

This is the first time I've had "leatherette" aka vinyl seats and geez are they hot and sweaty. I about burned the back of my legs one day. I've always had cloth seats. Anyone know of a good seat cover short of a towel?


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## ridgemanron (Sep 27, 2011)

katie78 said:


> This is the first time I've had "leatherette" aka vinyl seats and geez are they hot and sweaty. I about burned the back of my legs one day. I've always had cloth seats. Anyone know of a good seat cover short of a towel?


www.proseatcovers.com has a wide range of seat covers including a 'Cool Sport Mesh' model
in various colors that allow a/c or heat connections to flow from the OEM seat through the 
fabric. I don't see the 2012 Beetle listed but they do say to contact them if your specific car
isn't listed. I'm sure they can coordinate to your specific shaped seat. Hopefully they can 
change your reaction of ARGH! to AHH!

P.S. - Perhaps when Moody Lucy returns from her 'Lady Ghia - World Tour' we can get her to
'chime in' on this subject. She is so consumed with competing against Lady Gaga that we at VWVortex are left 'on hold' for the present.


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## plex03 (Nov 10, 2011)

katie78 said:


> This is the first time I've had "leatherette" aka vinyl seats and geez are they hot and sweaty. I about burned the back of my legs one day. I've always had cloth seats. Anyone know of a good seat cover short of a towel?


Get your windows tinted. It'll save you from that level of discomfort.


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## katie78 (Oct 25, 2011)

Window tinting is pretty restricted in Ohio. Several people I know got tickets for it.


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## silverspeedbuggy (Aug 8, 2001)

katie78 said:


> This is the first time I've had "leatherette" aka vinyl seats and geez are they hot and sweaty. I about burned the back of my legs one day. I've always had cloth seats. Anyone know of a good seat cover short of a towel?


That wasn't you driving on Wilson Mills/Monticello from Warr CTR to Richmond Rd yesterday morning between 7:30 and 8am was it? I was in my red Jetta GLI and there was a toffee brown Beetle 2.5 with a girl with chunky white sunglasses driving.

If it was: :wave:


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## Bef (Nov 20, 2005)

50% tint is legal, I believe - it would help the heat, I think. 

We usually do 35% in our cars. We've only ever had one ticket, in a podunk little town where the cop apparently had nothing better to do.


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## katie78 (Oct 25, 2011)

I'm really looking for a cheap solution that looks a little better than a towel.


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## BrownBetty2012 (May 24, 2012)

I bought some really nice seatcovers at PepBoys for $40. The salesperson there told me I may have issues with them since they are not *technically* made for leather seats, but so far, they work well. They fit snug and don't slide around at all. Definitely takes care of the heat!


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## zsqure (May 1, 2012)

I had 35% in my BMW and it wasn't dark enough so I went 20% on the beetle. Not as hot as not having tint.


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## the beet (May 5, 2012)

Here are some obvious, yet inexpensive solutions to your problem: 

1) wear long pants 

2) park in the shade 

3) Place a sunshade over your windshield when parking in the sun: 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/2-LAYERS-AL...agen|Model:Beetle&hash=item3a74fabb7d&vxp=mtr 

4) park it in a garage 

5) place a towel or blanket over the seat(s) while it is parked in the sun (I suggest white as it will reflect the suns heat and won't fade).


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## walery (Nov 16, 2006)

I have the perfect solution ... come to oregon and switch me for my cloth seats


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## moodylucy (Aug 21, 2011)

I've had "leatherette" for the last at least 10 years. Window tinting and windshield shape help a lot. 
I used to always keep a hand towel in my car during the summer in case I ended up on the sunny side.... I'm not crazy about seat covers.


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## ridgemanron (Sep 27, 2011)

moodylucy said:


> I've hat "leatherette" for the last at least 10 years. Window tinting and windshield shape help a lot.
> I used to always keep a hand towel in my car during the summer in case I ended up on the sunny side.... I'm not crazy about seat covers.


 The fabric seats in the base Turbo Beetle haven't as yet become hot and a problem. They 
also have this center strip, a few inches wide, that I found out was designed to work like a 
mild form of velcro to keep you planted in the center of the seat while driving around curves.


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## JR Martinez (Feb 25, 2003)

Got seat covers from Autozone, have a checkered pattern that goes with leatherette sides.


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## vdub10golf (Jan 23, 2010)

I've noticed the cars on our lot with leatherette are more unbearable to sit in in Texas heat than cars with leather. I always have to let the cars run with the AC for a little bit before I can sit inside, and even then the seats don't cool much. The leatherette also seems to always be 'sticky' feeling, but more-so in the Jetta and Passat than the Beetle


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## moodylucy (Aug 21, 2011)

If I planned ahead, I'd just leave a towel on the seat. I guess now, I'll have to buy a Denim Blue towel, or settle for black...


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## ridgemanron (Sep 27, 2011)

moodylucy said:


> If I planned ahead, I'd just leave a towel on the seat. I guess now, I'll have to buy a Denim Blue towel, or settle for black...


 Maybe something with a Moody Blues motif ?


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## the beet (May 5, 2012)

moodylucy said:


> If I planned ahead, I'd just leave a towel on the seat. I guess now, I'll have to buy a Denim Blue towel, or settle for black...


 How about fashion something retro-cool out of old faded blue jeans, you know, with the back pockets and Levis tag and all...


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## katie78 (Oct 25, 2011)

I may get a hooded kids towel so I can get a shark or something cool.


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## the beet (May 5, 2012)

Here you go... 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/2-COOL-SEAT...es&hash=item2a1e8b4f03&vxp=mtr#ht_2201wt_1059


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## katie78 (Oct 25, 2011)

Thanks but I'm looking for something plain and classy.


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## the beet (May 5, 2012)

http://www.vwcarcovers.com/sunshield.php


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## puma1552 (Jul 6, 2012)

FYI, leatherette is not vinyl. Leatherette is much nicer and can usually pass as leather to most people. 

Careful with a towel though, if you leave it on the seat too long in the heat it can stain the seat, this happened with a blue towel on black laeather in my old Mustang, never got the blue stain 100% off the black seat, even with boutique detailing cleaners.


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## ridgemanron (Sep 27, 2011)

puma1552 said:


> FYI, leatherette is not vinyl. Leatherette is much nicer and can usually pass as leather to most people.
> 
> Careful with a towel though, if you leave it on the seat too long in the heat it can stain the seat, this happened with a blue towel on black laeather in my old Mustang, never got the blue stain 100% off the black seat, even with boutique detailing cleaners.


 Leatherette, like vinyl, is a synthetic 'made made' material and unlike real leather, they both 
do not breathe, hence making both more uncomfortable than leather. This is why leather, at 
much higher cost than synthetics, is used in 'top of the line models' from the vast majority of 
auto manufacturers.


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## adam4490 (Oct 19, 2011)

Have u thought about trading 

Sent from my SPH-D710 using Tapatalk 2


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## Cadenza_7o (Jan 23, 2001)

I have leather seats in my NB and leatherette in my Mini Cooper and the latter is the worse in the summer. To avoid getting my skin seared, the windows are tinted. I also try to park in the a shade, use the sun shade (front windshield) and cover the seats with XXL towels. I don't use the towels when driving, just to protect the seats from direct sunlight while parking. When you're a beach bum, having a few towels in the car is a must.


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## ridgemanron (Sep 27, 2011)

Cadenza_7o said:


> I have leather seats in my NB and leatherette in my Mini Cooper and the latter is the worse in the summer. To avoid getting my skin seared, the windows are tinted. I also try to park in the a shade, use the sun shade (front windshield) and cover the seats with XXL towels. I don't use the towels when driving, just to protect the seats from direct sunlight while parking. When you're a beach bum, having a few towels in the car is a must.


 Would tilting the front seats forward, when you leave the car, prevent your 'tush' and 'back' 
from getting scalded when you return on a sun baked day?


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## 2011VWTDI (Jul 24, 2011)

If you are a girl, let me know I can come put you sunscreen... 

PROBLEM SOLVED...!!!!!!


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## Cadenza_7o (Jan 23, 2001)

ridgemanron said:


> Would tilting the front seats forward, when you leave the car, prevent your 'tush' and 'back'
> from getting scalded when you return on a sun baked day?


 Yes, I do that too. Easy to hang the towel over the seat when it's tilted forward.


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## ridgemanron (Sep 27, 2011)

Cadenza_7o said:


> Yes, I do that too. Easy to hang the towel over the seat when it's tilted forward.


 Since I can only do two things at one time, I'm unable to complete the 'drape a towel & set the 
seats forward' task if I'm also chewing gum at the same time. And I won't give up my chewing 
gum so that's my dilemma.


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## puma1552 (Jul 6, 2012)

ridgemanron said:


> Leatherette, like vinyl, is a synthetic 'made made' material and unlike real leather, they both
> do not breathe, hence making both more uncomfortable than leather. This is why leather, at
> much higher cost than synthetics, is used in 'top of the line models' from the vast majority of
> auto manufacturers.


 Right, but that has no bearing on anything I said. Leatherette is not vinyl, and most people can't tell the difference between leatherette and leather.


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## Babie (Jul 22, 2012)

My boyfriend has leather seats and are sticky when hot, he got some seat covers at WalFarts made by Dickies, he said they fit great, are cooler and wear like iron. 

I's get some.


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## ridgemanron (Sep 27, 2011)

puma1552 said:


> Right, but that has no bearing on anything I said. Leatherette is not vinyl, and most people can't tell the difference between leatherette and leather.


 Leatherette is only a fancy name for vinyl. They simply put it thru a brushing process to 
soften it more. The chemical composition is basically the same for both of them.


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## Aonarch (Dec 4, 2006)

The easy answer is window tint. Llumar Air Blue 80 has around 65% heat reduction.


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## eunos94 (Mar 17, 2002)

Bef said:


> 50% tint is legal, I believe - it would help the heat, I think.
> 
> We usually do 35% in our cars. We've only ever had one ticket, in a podunk little town where the cop apparently had nothing better to do.


 Hey Bef, this is Tom from Berea. Where do you get your tint applied? I would like to make an appointment as your tint always looks so good compared to most jobs I have seen. 
Thanks 
:heart:


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## ridgemanron (Sep 27, 2011)

Tint can be applied by the installer physically cutting the material while laying it out 
against the glass but I've been told that there is a computerized cutting of the material 
that works off each car's individual window specs for a truly perfect fit. The problem here 
in Brooklyn is that the only legal tint is the one that's on the car when it comes from the 
factory.


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