buckmeister2

Hey, friends,

I am seriously considering getting new seat covers from II. I am concerned about the color match for the cashmere interior on my '08 base 3LT.

Who out there has bought seat covers from them to match a cashmere interior? I want two-tone seats, with one part black, and the other "whatever their name is for the color" that matches "cashmere". If you understand what I mean, do you know what they call that color?

I see one page on the website that has a color palete with many, many color samples, none of which are named or numbered. Then, when I go to the "custom" seat section, and go to choose a color, there are not as many names as there were colors on the palete. Is "light oak" the color match for cashmere? If not, what is?

Then, there is the other issue of what is "nuvo suede", versus "alcantra". They don't explain the difference, but there has to be one.

Does anyone have any thoughts about how well "nuvo suede" holds up vs. "alcantra"? Is one cooler in summer than the other? Are they both available in perforation?

I accept what comes with doing business with an off-shore company, with English as a second (third?) language, which is why I am looking to you folks for help.

Jim

rkj427

can't answer your specific question on "cashmere" vs "light oak" but I will say MANY forum members have used Innovative Interiors with GREAT results.............., myself included on a prior C6 coupe...........but my interior was ebony and the match was pretty much spot on.

use the search function for Innovative Interiors or replacement seat covers and you should get numerous topics to browse.

buckmeister2

thanks, and I understand. I have already searched every post I could find on the subject, with no mention of how one can ID the correct color to match cashmere. I am sure it is out there somewhere.

thanks, again.

Jim

myredhead1

I think novo suede and alcantara are the same thing. They are both man made suede. I have all three in my car. Real suede on my steering wheel, alcantara on my door panels, and the nuvo suede on my seat inserts. The real stuff is thick with longer fibers, the alcantara is thick with shorter fibers and the Nuvo suede is thin with short fibers. I have the darker gray for my seat inserts and they clean up pretty good. I think commander had a blue shade that didn't clean very well though.

owc6

Alcantara is a brand of MF "suede." The gold standard, if you will. There are dozens of brands of MF "suede." It's like the Kleenex of MF suede.

1rusty1

It's been a few years but I believe I bought the light oak with the Alcantara perforated. It is not an exact match but very close. I enter a lot of car shows and no one has ever said they noticed including judges.

WhoIsPat

I am also looking into Interior Innovations replacement covers for my 2006 base 2LT. There are many prior threads on the company and its products, but the match for Cashmere has never been explicitly confirmed in any of the threads I've sifted through. I'm also having a hard time finding a good comparison between their synthetic vs genuine leather. Can anyone comment on which more closely resembles the factory materials on 2LT perforated sport seats?
Your seats look great, thanks for adding the pic. I plan on doing all one color like my factory cashmere seats, so I worry that being slightly off will be a lot more noticeable without the black trim in between. Also, I'm not sure if the Interior Innovations colors match between their synthetic leather, genuine leather, and alcantara.

Compared to factory perforated sport seats, How is the comfort (especially in terms of heat dissipation) of the perforated Alcantara? Do you ever have concerns about dye-transfer from dark wash jeans or other materials?

1rusty1

Comfort is great. I did replace the seat foam to a better quality product so that probably helped.

No issues with dye or heat with their alcantara. It's very comfortable.

I am not sure how their Alcantara light oak matches up with the same color leather but I agree with you that it would be more noticeable vs the factory cashmere if the seats were all done in the light oak.

Good luck with your decision!

Red Devil Z51

I was looking to replace my seat covers also i wanted cashmere main with montery red inserts. II does NOT have a very good match for cashmere they sent me samples but nothing matches very well. The Light Oak is a C5 color and not cashmere. The sample was also very grainey (as in large lumps) in the light oak. They also had no match for the montery red at all. Closest i found to a really good match was from Mid america which i would stay far far away from. They said 2 weeks in novemeber which would up being MAYBE in may. So i had cancelled that ****. APSIS from the samples they sent can do a pretty close match or you can send em your sample and they will custom dye to match yours. They cost a little more but i think you would be happy with them. I plan on doing mine with APSIS later on this year.

Good luck which ever way you go.

hydrasport

I checked with Interior Inovations for covers for my C6 with Cashmere interior. I have a sample from them and Ed Devil is correct about their light oak being a C5 color. It is very close but when placed on the C6 leather, there is a difference. I ended up going with Leather Seats.com and they offered "sandstone" as the C6 cashmere. It is a much better leather than the OEM and the sandstone is the C6 cashmere. Their seat cover quality is very good. You can get the shifter and e-brake boot as a set. The console cover that they offer is not padded. It took less than 3 weeks to get seat covers, boots and console cover. I did end up ordering more leather and having a local shop build the padded console cover. At least it all matches.

buckmeister2

Thanks for all the help, folks. I thing will be going with black, with light oak inserts. I am pretty sure that keeping the "light oak" insert separated from the cashmere pieces in the interior will make the mismatch much less so.

Special thanks to 1rusty1 for posting his actual experiences with the colors, and a pic.

thanks to all.

Jim

WhoIsPat

Really helpful replies, thanks guys.

I emailed II and now have some samples coming at some point. On their site they show Sandstone as one of the colors they have in genuine leather, light oak is not shown although it is mentioned elsewhere on the site. I asked them to send any color that looks close to Cashmere in all 3 materials. I look forward to having them in hand to do a side-by-side comparison of color, texture, feel, etc. I'll be sure to report back when I get them.

WhoIsPat

Got my Interior Innovations samples yesterday. They sent me a swatch of leather in sandstone and light oak, and perforated nova suede presumably in light oak, though it wasn't specifically labelled.

Against driver's seat cushion leather in C6 2LT with Cashmere interior
Left - Sandstone Leather, Middle - Light Oak Leather, Right - Light Oak Perforated Nova Suede.


Light oak perforated nova suede, light oak leather, and sandstone leather against Driver's seat bolster vinyl in C6 2LT with Cashmere interior. Tunnel drape carpet in background.



Against plastic/vinyl center console cover in C6 2LT with Cashmere interior.


Against plastic window switch trim in C6 2LT with Cashmere interior.


Against vinyl door trim in C6 2LT with Cashmere interior.


Conclusions:

• Light Oak leather is not a match to factory cashmere under any circumstances.
• Sandstone Leather is slightly lighter/whiter than cashmere.
• Cashmere is slightly more yellow than Sandstone.
• The differences between Sandstone and Cashmere appear to be within the margin of error between each of the Cashmere materials in the stock interior.
• Nova suede is an imperfect match to Cashmere, but the difference in material makes the difference appear natural enough to seem factory.
• Interior innovations leather is more plush feeling than my 10 year old C6 2LT leather and vinyl.