Yea my detailer says similar stuff. Says because the leather is coated there is nothing really that can be done. Too bad porsche doesn't offer a natural leather in black option.

I wonder if water would help with "impressions" or "dents" in the leather...

My cabriolet has marks on the back of the sport seats where the wind deflector presses against the back of the seats. The seat backs are covered in leather. I've considered water or even hot water as a way to pull these impressions out, but I have no idea if this will work or not...

Try it and let me know :).

I'll keep you posted!

Do not order the seat covers from Porsche. They are $1000 a piece (2 per seat). If you want them recovered go to a reputable high end upholstery shop.. They will use Porsche leather in whatever color you want. I had a quote at place near me that my dealer uses for $1800 for both seats with new foam..

You can also go to the Leatherique website..
They have a cleaner system (2 step) that is supposed to bring your leather back to "like new"..

Factory leather is only expensive from Porsche.. A good upholstery shop uses exactly the same leather as Porsche without the stupid mark up..

And I agree with Ian. There are many good places that do great work..

In Maryland there is no places that I know of. Nor in DC or Virginia. At least in the DC/VA/MD area. It seems they all like to hang out in California. Leatherique is for uncoated leather.

So is natural leather like the natural grey and brown different somehow?

Yes it is a higher quality leather that is much more supple to the touch and I believe vat dyed instead of spray dyed.

Got this info some years ago regarding natural leather :

"Leather is a starting point for a car manufacturer. With the base leather, the leather is stretched and the outer layer is sanded off and a new grain is embossed into it to make it more uniform. This increases the porosity of the leather when the outside is sanded off and it accepts color better. However, it doesn't hold up as well unless a sealer is applied. So the "leather" interior is considerably changed from its natural state. It is now thinner, uniform in both grain and color, and sealed against UV and infrared damage from the sun, making it suitable for an automobile use. Since it is stretched thinner you don't notice that it is slightly stiffer. It could be dark black or dark grey according to what the designer wanted. Full leather has nothing to do with what kind of leather is used, although the designer might specify a better grade if their research indicates the consumer expects it with the cost upgrade.

Natural leather is not stretched. It is natural thickness and has the natural grain still intact. It is tumble dyed in large drums that constantly roll and knead it to get it to accept the color. This softens it much like you would soften a dry chamois by kneading it. It retains the natural, saddle-like leather smell without adding synthetic aromas. The comfort, if you took the time to compare it, is obvious to the educated rear end. Even though less is done to cure leather this way, it is still more expensive since you get fewer square feet of leather out of a hide. The UV and infrared sealants are introduced into the leather while it is tumbling in the dye soaked drums and like the dye, is soaked all the way through the leather rather than added with the sealant.

Additional leather options in a Porsche, beyond the full leather option, show the skill and technology that Porsche craftsmen are capable of. For leather air conditioner vents, the leather is stretched almost paper thin to cover the plastic vanes of the outlet. Also, the match between what is leather and what is similar to leather is outstanding by automobile standards."

Thanks Dennis, great info! I feel fortunate to have natural grey because it's beautiful, but it should last longer too.

I had Natural Brown Leather in my 996 C4S. It was beautiful, but I found that it didn't hold up nearly as well as the standard leather in my Cayenne or my 997. It was much more susceptible to stains and dirt, it changed color more readily due to UV exposure and it did fade as it wore on the bolsters. Don't get me wrong, I loved it. However, it didn't hold up as well as that quote above would have you believe.

They did, natural grey is basically black.

I have a different expierence.

True, or better yet, the black leather from Porsche is basically dark grey.

Good to hear. I hope yours holds up better than mine did. I don't have any idea if durability is related to leather color - I don't see why it would be - but my Natural Brown Leather wasn't very durable. The Natural Brown also changed color fairly significantly over a span of a few years. When I replaced my shifter knob and boot with a Porsche OE part, the new leather was much lighter than the leather in the car. It gradually darkened to match.