Leather seats worn.

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Dandle

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Hi just found that our car thats only ten months old has the leather wearing of the drivers side bolster. Havent got pics yet but its like the black is pealing away from the leather underneath.

Will be contacting the dealer in the next couple of days. Has anyone else had this problem? My Volvo with 90k miles on it has no damage at all like that on its leather seats and the audi only has 6k on it.
 
Yep mine suffers as well... It's on the side of the rear of the seat not the base. Let me know how you get on.

Mines going to be looked at whne I get the DSG oil changed. The thing that really pee's me off is that up until now mine is the only one I have known to suffer. All the second hand cars I've lokked at even with more miles and more years under their belts seem to be holding up really well to wear and tear.

J.
 
:shutup2: hi there
i have a 3 month old s- line the leather has pealed on both seats when i took it in to a stealer in my own town any body had thought i'd called his mum a whor-.
3 months old and they just didn't want to know called it wear and tear, i had to live with it. so i took the car to wakefield audi, where slightly only slightly more under standing. they also called it wear and tear. audi call there cars a quality product but when the warrenty person comes along says sorry won't repair it its wear and tear there's ****** all you can do. any way i stood my ground and now its booked in for monday. last audi i buy period :racer:
 
Mine is very creased but hasn't started peeling yet. That's not good though I'd kick up a real fuss if it started happening on mine. Our cars aren't that old and if you've only done 30K (i've done 23K) you haven't done that many mile for these to be worn.
 
My leather is fine (20 months old,22K miles).
That includes pretty unreasonable use too,such as a three year old that enjoys walking all over the seats.

I would suggest whomever manufactures the seats look to their quality control department.
Leather,being a natural product,can vary greatly in quality.
When the tannery delivers it,it should be checked for grain,thickness etc.
If it doesn't meet the standard,it should be refused.
It's common practice in the bike clothing world

So,either Audi aren't checking or they aren't giving a damn.
 
Phoned the dealer this morning and it didnt sound to good as the warrenty guy said Audi get funny about seat wear. But took the car down at 3pm he took one look at it and said thats very unusual and they will change the seat back cover. He did say that it will look slightly darker being new but will lighten to match the othe seat with time.

Just have to wait now while they get one in.
 
Ive got blue leather and its worn on the drivers side real bad only done 22k and its a 54 plate, im going to have a chat to my local dealer...ill let u know how i get on.??
 
Its a joke really the quality of the new seats in audi's
 
If you want the best quality leather,order white seats !
Only the best quality leather can hold white dye.
 
Hi I've got the exact same problem. 11 months old, 3900 miles on the clock! Lava grey, peeling from bolster on driver's side. Been to dealer and they told me it isn't covered under the warranty. I had photos taken by the dealer in October and duly waited for feedback from their warranty dept. 5 weeks later I contacted them only to be told they had no record of my complaint. went through the process again and waited 3 weeks to be told it wasn't covered. They did suggest I contact Audi Customer Services, which I am about to do.
Has anyonew else had this problem? Has anyone had any joy getting it sorted?
 
11 months old, 3900 miles and problems with the leather that are not covered by warranty - outrageous.

Surely the leather is not fit for purpose - I would contact Trading Standards if I were you.
 
It's certainly not reasonable wear and tear.
They will always claim certain things (exhausts,brakes etc.) are 'wearable' items,but the fact of the matter is they must,by law,last a "reasonable time".
You would be able to argue a claim for brakes and exhausts that fail in only 3900 miles,so you should also be able to claim for seats that are worn in such a short time.
Quite simply,this is to protect the consumer from manufacturer's/retailers that will simply try and point to a piece of paper saying "not covered mate"

It is never as simple as that.

I've managed to argue the toss about items that have fallen outwith their warranty using the 'reasonable wear and tear' argument,so for the dealer to argue the toss whilst the seats are still actively covered by warranty is absolutely shocking.

BTW,your claim is against the dealer,not Audi UK.
Your contract is with them,not Audi UK.
It is your dealer's problem to argue with Audi,not yours.
 
My exhaust rattles quite badly, it's either rattling against something or something is not right inside it.

It'll be going in in January, 1yr 10mnths old and with 7000 miles on the clock. If they try on the "it's not covered, wear and tear", I'll be following it up pretty sharpish. 1yr 10mnths and 7000miles is not a reasonable time to last. Similarly with your seats.
 
Just had my seat cover replaced today and thats turned into a nightmare. Picked the car up and drove away from the dealer, a minute down the road I noticed that the part of the cover over both side of the seat hinges arent fitted correctly, so I go straight back to them and they appoligise and book it in again to correct that. I then drive home and when i get home I start to have a proper look at how well the cover is fitted(very well in this case) and then notice that there are two big scratches on the inside of the drivers side bolster that I didnt notice when I picked it up due to the position of them(look like screwdriver marks). So I have phoned them back up and have to take it in again tomorrow for them to look at them.
 
dandle said:
Hi just found that our car thats only ten months old has the leather wearing of the drivers side bolster. Havent got pics yet but its like the black is pealing away from the leather underneath.

Will be contacting the dealer in the next couple of days. Has anyone else had this problem? My Volvo with 90k miles on it has no damage at all like that on its leather seats and the audi only has 6k on it.
Click to expand...

How strange. Not relating to cars but...

A very similar thing has happened to a leather sofa of my mothers. Its like the top layer of black has come away, revealing grey underneath.

She has rang round some upholsterers, and they have suggested they doubt the "leather" is actually leather. She took out an extended warranty with the sofa, and guess what, she's not covered. She too has been advised to contact trading standards.

It must be very poor quality leather or not leather at all.

In terms of a car though, surely the "leather" is not fit for purpose, as its in a high-use situation. So better quality leather should be fitted.


AL
 
AL B,with regard to your sofa.
Doubtful it's not leather,but it could be crap quality leather.
Either too crap to hold the dye,or something wrong with the dying process itself.

Friends of ours bought a cream leather suite from DFS.
It went filthy within weeks,and no amount of specialist cleaning could get it looking good again.
They had a DFS warranty.
DFS tried to back out of it.

Bottom line is,they used the "reasonable use" argument and got the citizens' advice bureau involved.
They got the suite changed.

Persevere mate,never give up !!!
 
DANDLE - have a go at the Dealer Principal. Work should be checked before being handed back to the customer. If someone does a sloppy job, no one checks it and you have to go back, they should be doing something about it. Don't they have Quality processes, ISO9001 or similar?

SANDDANCER - your case is outrageous and there should be no doubt it should be sorted. When it finally does get sorted, follow it up with the dealership who turned it down and ask why it was initially turned down. Then inform Audi UK of the inconsistent approach. About time some of these dealers sorted themselves out.

Sloppy service like this really does wind me up -and it's not even my car!
 
They are changing the seat cover again for me now. The dealer has been pretty good compared to some and Ive had no squabble with them at all.
 
dandle said:
They are changing the seat cover again for me now. The dealer has been pretty good compared to some and Ive had no squabble with them at all.
Click to expand...

No squabble...
Seats..
Squab...

I see what you did there,nice one.
 
Just heard back from Audi UK today. They state they have been in touch with Audi Wearside and spoken to a guy there who claims to have inspected the seat and in his opinion it is not worn due to manufacturing defect, but due to some random item coming into contact with the seat! I find this bizarre as the guy they claim to have spoken to has never been near my car. They have suggested that I get an independant specialist (at my own cost) to produce a report in order to establish the nature of the damage. I don't see I have much choice but to do this. Does anyone know of such a specialist in the Newcastle area?
 
There have been to many reports of wear on the bolster for it to be abuse. The seats on my 90k mile T4 dont have any wear like my 6k mile A3 did. You could try printing out all the post on the subject to prove yours isnt a one off and show them. There are some posts on VW vortex about wear aswell if you do a search.
 
audi upgrades
Sandancer- Just go to another dealer and try and at least get them to admit that it is defective! I've seen new RS4's with baggy bolsters so there's something going on with the manufacture!
 
One of the problems is that Audi leather trim is not leather trim. The seat sides/backs etc are Vinyl/PVC, this makes the leather seat facings stretch in an un natural way. It then causes the leather to crack. The only Audi interior that is 100% full leather is Audi Exclusive at £2500+.

All manufacturers are thew same, VAG, VAuxhall, Jaguar and so on, my Vectra was re-trimmed by Classic Car Services in Leicester and has done 23000 miles in 9 months with no wear. This is because the whole interior is done in bridge and wear leather.

My A3 has a problem with the seat base sponge sinking. Classic Car Services are owned by a good friend of mine and what I have learnt about manufacturers leather is scary. Total crap to be honest.
 
Just to update this saga. I wrote to CEO at Audi UK and received a reply in 2days! The upshot is a very nice young lady from Wearside Audi took my car to 2 independant leather specialists and they both said it was "wear and tear". My reply to her was b****cks. Pardon my french. I re enforced my arguement and she agreed with me that it was unacceptable. Audi Uk have agreed to replace the cover at their own cost as a "goodwill gesture" However I must make more effort to enter and leave the car more carefully! They have suggested I should retract the seat as far as it will go before getting in. I have no intention of changing my driving seat position every time I get in or out. As the leather is "on back order" I will have to wait 3 weeks before the work can be carried out. Am I the only one suspcious here? Doesn't "back order" imply there are others with the same problem?
Watch this space.
 
Hi Sanddancer

I hear you on the leather seats problem. I cancelled my order for a TT because I don't like what happens to leather seats. I order a A3 sport because it not leather simple as that. I will not have leather seat again from any brand in any car.

I don't think because it's on back order means there is a problem, just they are made to order.

The problem audi explained to me was that leathers like "napper" are very soft and are used because it breathes and does not give that vinyl 70’s seat feel. If the leather is treated more, which gives it a shinny effect, it will last longer but will be less comfortable. This sounds to me like a classic catch twenty two situation, short lived soft comfy leather, or hard glossy long lasting leather. German brand pick the soft stuff, but for me this means that leather is not an ideal material for use in the interior of a car.

Chris
 
Is this problem with all kinds of Audi leathers, mine comes with Fine Nappa leather is it likely to be affected as well?

Pedro
 
Mine has gone in for a service today and they are looking at the seat again. The seat has developed a squeak after they replaced the cover.
 
On this subject - the seat area in mine is starting to crease badly at 6 months/3000m, almost as if the seat base is sinking. Im 2m tall and 80kg - hardly a bloater ;)
I'm going to tackle Audi about it this week.

Also there have been numerous posts on Fourtitude forums from US customers with the problem of bolster cracking/wear.
 
Having read this thread I checked my drivers seat .......... the black surface finish of the leather is coming off on the seam of the bolster next to the door.:motz:

For a car that done 10k this is ****** pi$$ poor, especially so considering its an Audi!! My 02 plate Hyundai Coupe's leather seats at 25k still looked 100% with none of this type of wear and thats considered a budget car manufacturer.
 
Are the bolsters actually leather? I know an awful lot of the 'leather upholstery' is plastic/vinyl, but which bits?
 
coupe-se said:
Having read this thread I checked my drivers seat .......... the black surface finish of the leather is coming off on the seam of the bolster next to the door.:motz:

For a car that done 10k this is ****** pi$$ poor, especially so considering its an Audi!! My 02 plate Hyundai Coupe's leather seats at 25k still looked 100% with none of this type of wear and thats considered a budget car manufacturer.
Click to expand...

Yep budget cars use treated (harder wearing) leather. Leather for me is a No No.

Chris.
 
rich1068 ......... my bolsters are definately leather.

My A3 is the most expensive car I've bought and the 4th one to have have leather seats ......... also the 1st one to show any wear signs like this!! I believe the backs of most leather seats are actaully a heavy duty vinyl of some sort, to make them 'more durable' .....probably and more likely cause they are cheaper to produce.
 
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