All Audi models with leather seats do the same even a £150k R8.... So that kinda blows your theory right oot the waterPossible problem is right here as these cars have never even seen Inglostadt as they were build in Hungary. Just saying.
Facelift Enough for a Warranty Claim on Super Sport seats?
- Thread starter HulkRS3
- Start date
So we should be glad our 30/40k cars have the same uhm characteristics as a £150k R8....
Mass production is your theory well my My focus ST had leather Recaro seats and after 23k miles the driver seat only had a few wrinkles on the side bolster its not mass production at all, it's the cushioning underneath the leather that's the main culprit, it needs to firmer,yesterday l jumped straight out of my car into a BMW its seats where much firmer very noticeable indeed and not one crease on them......
Audi know all about this as l have said before and do nowt about it hopefully the next model won't suffer from this
So we should be glad our 30/40k cars have the same uhm characteristics as a £150k R8....
No not at all mate my point is, it happens across the board
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Possible problem is right here as these cars have never even seen Inglostadt as they were build in Hungary. Just saying.
Sure the A3/S3 is built in Inglostadt no?
They build the following models in Hungary:
Audi TT Coupé
Audi TT Roadster
Audi TTS Coupé
Audi TTS Roadster
Audi TT RS Coupé
Audi TT RS Roadster
Audi A3 Sedan
Audi A3 Cabriolet
Audi S3 Sedan
Audi S3 Cabriolet
Audi RS 3 Sedan
Not sure about A3/S3 Sportback.
Know it all strikes again. Don't sit there and tell me what my car cost and didn't cost, these cars can be specced past £48k and even more if it's the RS and with the same seats you'd expect more, and without mentioning any product names you don't know what I'm using to treat the leather so until you do you should refrain from commenting on that. I'm only 10 stone and never sit on the sides of the seat or lean on the bolsters when I'm getting out, I make a point of this as I knew what the seats were like when I ordered.
Like I said - I'm not massively unhappy because I knew what they were like but if you don't complain then they probably won't sit up and take note that the leather they are using is *****.
I think the Sportback is built in Ingolstadt but the Saloon in Gyor.
Mr know it all.... Awe shucks... thanks.... I know what a leather wipe is and l know very well what the costs of a S3 can reach, l was making a educated guess of the cost of your car going by the options mentioned on your signature..... You need to chill kid.... And learn to take on board other people's opinions.....
RichardT
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PhilsA3
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The leather on the side bolsters of my A3 is exactly like the photo in the OP and was when we bought it with 750 miles on the clock!
My 3 series BMW has leather seats in better nick after 47k miles....
But overall the Audi looks far better.......(IMO) !
My 3 series BMW has leather seats in better nick after 47k miles....
But overall the Audi looks far better.......(IMO) !
Chris43
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Ingolstadt or Gyor assembly has no bearing on the seat quality as Audi will source them from the same sub supplier.
Another thing to note, when i got my seat replaced the service advisor commented that interior trim is only covered by the manufacturers warranty for 6 months or a set mileage 6000(?) so if your considering making a claim don't leave it too long.
Another thing to note, when i got my seat replaced the service advisor commented that interior trim is only covered by the manufacturers warranty for 6 months or a set mileage 6000(?) so if your considering making a claim don't leave it too long.
6 months!
Audi need to be more upfront if this is the case. Sounds nonsense to me as the laws in this country require items to be of reasonable quality.
If a seat developed a hole in it due to a manufacturing defect after say a year they have to honour the warranty.
Audi need to be more upfront if this is the case. Sounds nonsense to me as the laws in this country require items to be of reasonable quality.
If a seat developed a hole in it due to a manufacturing defect after say a year they have to honour the warranty.
Leather is a bit like human skin some of us wrinkle more than others as we get older. Developing a rip, tear or hole is a different situation entirely and could be possibly due to a material defect or manufacturing fault whereas creasing is inherent with the product
Chris43
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The issue would be proving it was a manufacturing fault that caused the failure. The point where it moved from manufacturing defect to fair wear and tear will always be up for discussion.
Ironic considering that each year when costs are trimmed BMW always trim more off than Audi. That's in terms of carbonfibre/aliminum/leather etc used in interiors.
Saying that, I recently drove a 435d xDrive for a few days, and the leather was comfortable, but very hard, and didn't feel as 'premium' as my S3's SSS. Also found the interior still so dated with tacky plastic switches, especially the headlight control.
Well, as I've said before, I opt for alcantara rather than full leather as I feel the latter is an affectation and the former is more practical.
Leaving that aside though, I've never been that impressed with Audi's leather. I checked out the full leather seats in the S3 in the showroom and it feels more akin to vinyl than leather. It's not very soft nor supple.
I think really good quality leather is still the preserve of the prestige models as it's obviously so expensive.
Possible problem is right here as these cars have never even seen Inglostadt as they were build in Hungary. Just saying.
He has a sportback so it was built at Ingolstadt. The saloon is built in Hungary.
Of the 3 German marquees Audi leather is by far the best, bmw gives you faux leather in a 1 series as does Mercedes in a A class, as for alcantara.... that's the worst fabric by far for seats...... It looks messy wears away faster than leather and its not a premium product and it is a bit of a rip off as it's so cheap to manufacture you wouldnt believe it.
I have no gripes with my seats at all including my last S3 as l knew all about the weakness of side bolsters in Audi's prior to buying one
I watched a review of the all new A8 yesterday "Prestige car" and its drivers seats had a few ugly creases in it, looked awful now granted this was a poorly looked after press car hence the severe creasing.
To minimise this defect you just have to enter and exit the car in a way as to avoid the side bolster, treat/clean the leather with quality products and there should not be a any problems
Ps Porsche cars also suffer from the same bolster creases/collapse
Having to enter the car in a certain way to prevent damage is a joke.
I'll stick to "cheap" cloth seats.
I'll stick to "cheap" cloth seats.
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I love the Alcantara in mine, looks like new after 16K miles, even after pouring a pot of strawberry jam over the passenger one, it doesn't suffer from saggy bottom like the pictures above.
Always the same temperature when getting in and gives loads of grip in the when pushing on.
It gives a nice contrast against the plain leather sides, always thought the leather seats looked very plain and boring, although the SS seats look great. Would definitely choose it again.
Always the same temperature when getting in and gives loads of grip in the when pushing on.
It gives a nice contrast against the plain leather sides, always thought the leather seats looked very plain and boring, although the SS seats look great. Would definitely choose it again.
Chris43
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VAG group will use the same seat supplier for all marques so it's no surprise that the seats will be of equal quality across the whole range.
VAG will screw the suppliers purchase price down so hard that they have no choice but to make savings where ever possible in order to scrap some profit. So in some ways Audi are reaping what they sow, pay peanuts get crap. For 17 years I worked for a second tier supplier into VAG supplying brake pads through Conti Teves that finished up on the PQ35 plaftorm. This was the MK5 Golf, Bora, Beetle and equivalent Seat/Skoda models. In between the price being agreed and production launching the spec for the brake pad changed 3 times with extra shims and grease etc being added. There was no opportunity to renegotiate the price despite the higher production costs so the supplier has to suck it up. For many items VAG will also dictate what sub suppliers must be used, the brake pad backplate had to be sourced from a specific company in Italy thus limiting any movement we had to find cost savings.
VAG will screw the suppliers purchase price down so hard that they have no choice but to make savings where ever possible in order to scrap some profit. So in some ways Audi are reaping what they sow, pay peanuts get crap. For 17 years I worked for a second tier supplier into VAG supplying brake pads through Conti Teves that finished up on the PQ35 plaftorm. This was the MK5 Golf, Bora, Beetle and equivalent Seat/Skoda models. In between the price being agreed and production launching the spec for the brake pad changed 3 times with extra shims and grease etc being added. There was no opportunity to renegotiate the price despite the higher production costs so the supplier has to suck it up. For many items VAG will also dictate what sub suppliers must be used, the brake pad backplate had to be sourced from a specific company in Italy thus limiting any movement we had to find cost savings.
Carefree69
Registered User
Tell me what else can one do to avoid it mate,cloth seats are awesome Audi should add this as a option to the S3....Porsche do it and its very popular its known as Sport-Tex,they do it in a contrasting 2 tones
You can replace the first word in the above quote with the name of any manufacturing organisation from car manufacturer to pharmaceuticals, its called capitalism.........we all want good quality at low cost so ultimately everyone gets screwed......Merry Christmas
That's kind of my take on it.. Not going to change the way I get in and out of my car. Equally I can't tell passengers to do the same. Fortunately I drive with my eyes on the road and not the seats
I think the rust around the wheel hubs is more annoying as everyone can see that!
I think the rust around the wheel hubs is more annoying as everyone can see that!
Not this old garbage again.
I've had alcantara in pretty much every Audi I've had and it's never shown any signs of wear at all. Contrast that with endless posts about creased and sagging leather!
Leather is an affectation. It's too hot in the summer, too cold in the winter and has zero friction so you end up sliding about. Alcantara is superior in every way but people get leather because they fall into the trap of thinking it's "premium" simply because "leather innit guv".
Every man to his own but I think that describing leather as an “affectation” is frankly rude and is just your opinion. It is not a fact but you describe it as though it is. I happen to like leather seats - I like the smell, the feel, the look and just accept the creasing as a natural phenomenon. After all I don’t take my leather shoes back because they begin to crease once I start to wear them. I happen to think a 50 year old Jaguar with well-creased leather seats looks great. If I wanted to offend (but I don’t) I could describe alcantara as a poor man’s seat material as it’s cheaper than leather but that would be as stupid as using the word “affectation”. Just my opinion of course.
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How is alcantara cheaper than leather?
I've always seen it as a step up from "ordinary" leather.
I've always seen it as a step up from "ordinary" leather.
Simple. Leather/Alcantara is £550. Leather is £1220. That in my mind means it’s cheaper or am I missing something?
The fact that Audi charge less does not make Alcantara a cheap product.
Are the full leather seats a different construction?
Are the full leather seats a different construction?
Chris43
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If you (we) wanted low cost non of us would by an Audi. When you pay for a premium product its reasonable to expect premium quality or are we all brand snobs?
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we have an expensive alcantara sofa and its a bit rubbish tbh. leather for the win, in cars at least.
Alcantara is a lot cheaper to manufacture than leather. I could not decide between the two so I went with cloth heated seats.
I think you are misunderstanding the definition of "cheaper". The word means "low in price, especially in relation to similar items or services." It does not (and I did not imply it did) reflect anything about quality. Ergo alcantara is cheaper. End of.
Alcantara is made from 2 types of Plastic polyester etc basically speaking, its also known as faux suede..... It's used in F1 cars as its lightweight and doesn't catch on fire easily, it's also known as micro fibre.
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I appreciate that this is being a bit pernickety, but you don't actually manufacture. leather.Alcantara is a lot cheaper to manufacture than leather. I could not decide between the two so I went with cloth heated seats.
It's a by-product of sirloin.
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But I bet nearly all of us didn't pay full price for our cars, because we wanted them cheaper
