sim Posted March 12, 2007 Share Posted March 12, 2007 Its only small, but something i am going to keep my eye on over time. We just got back from another road trip this weekend and noticed that two small areas, barely 1/8" at most in diameter, on the side panel (adjacent to the lumbar area about where your kidneys would hit the seat) of the passenger leather seat have "flaked off". It looks kind of bad on a black seat to have two small white dots of underlying material showing through. We didnt put anything sharp on there or recall any other actions which might have caused this except sitting there during the drive. Anyone else seen this so far? No other problems with the car to date, its only 1k miles old. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J-150 Posted March 12, 2007 Share Posted March 12, 2007 Its only small, but something i am going to keep my eye on over time. We just got back from another road trip this weekend and noticed that two small areas, barely 1/8" at most in diameter, on the side panel (adjacent to the lumbar area about where your kidneys would hit the seat) of the passenger leather seat have "flaked off". It looks kind of bad on a black seat to have two small white dots of underlying material showing through. We didnt put anything sharp on there or recall any other actions which might have caused this except sitting there during the drive. Anyone else seen this so far? No other problems with the car to date, its only 1k miles old. Most car leathers these days are not properly tanned and dyed. Its painted with a clearcoat finish. So it sounds like the clarcoat itself is what is flawed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Traveler Posted March 12, 2007 Share Posted March 12, 2007 (edited) Today, it seems buying leather in the modest brands is a crap shoot. The leather upholstery on a couple of recent cars (2001 Cobra for one) I've had showed premature wear way to early and even with good care. For that reason, I don't even look at leather much anymore and was more than glad to buy premium cloth in both my car and truck. Furthermore, they are always comfortable and unaffected by temperature changes. The downside in cloth can be in the stitching and spills...not to mention static electricity. Edited March 12, 2007 by Traveler Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dwg Posted March 12, 2007 Share Posted March 12, 2007 I had the same problem on my 1999 Taurus when it was new. I believe it's from your body rubbing againt the seat when you get in and out. The dealer replaced the leather seat covers and then I went out and bought custom seat covers to protect the leather seats. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drake Posted March 13, 2007 Share Posted March 13, 2007 I've got the same thing in my Explorer on the drivers seat even with proper care and cleaning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sim Posted March 13, 2007 Author Share Posted March 13, 2007 Well the reason i ask isnt due to excessive use to date, i have only had the car 1.5 weeks since it was bought new - hence i was wondering if it was a flaw in specifying a poorer quality leather or whether its really leatherette or just a thin veneer of leather over regular cloth, etc. I'll show the dealer, see what they say when i next take it in, although i am sure it'll go down as regular wear and tear - even though its only had a butt in that seat for a maximum of 8 hours in the last 1.5 weeks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dwg Posted March 13, 2007 Share Posted March 13, 2007 I don't consider it normal wear and tear. I think it has more to due withthe shape of the seat back. My Taurus was only a few months old when I brought it to the dealers attention. Because of the way the seats are contoured the edges of the side of the seat is constantly being brushed by your body when getting in and out. The Edge seats are contoured very similar to the ones in my Taurus. After they replaced the leather seat backs it started to crack again in the same spot not long after they were replaced. Thats when I decided to just cover them up with seat covers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hbalek Posted March 13, 2007 Share Posted March 13, 2007 I had the same problem with my 2002 Infiniti G35 sedan during the first few months of ownership, when it was still new. I took it to the dealer and they had a leather repair guy come in and touch up the areas that had peeled off. They did this free-of-charge under warranty. Now almost 5 years later the entire seat cushion looks worn but there are no areas that are abnormally worn or peeling. So the good news is based on my experience, this should be repaired under warranty and it should be just fine after that! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hbalek Posted March 13, 2007 Share Posted March 13, 2007 I don't understand the concept of seat covers for leather seats. If you don't want to sit on leather, then buy a car with cloth seats. It's sorta like putting wall-to-wall carpeting on hard wood floors--doesn't make sense! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dwg Posted March 14, 2007 Share Posted March 14, 2007 (edited) The only reason for the seat covers was to protect the leather from further cracking (which it has). As I said the replacement leather started to crack and wear in the same place that the original leather seats did. The seat cover has worn in the same place where the leather seat was cracking. It is cheaper to replace a seat cover than replace the leather seat back when it is no longer under warranty. If I had my choice I would stay with the cloth seats. This car so happened to come with leather. My 2003 Windstar has cloth seats and they still look like they are new. Edited March 14, 2007 by dwg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J-150 Posted March 14, 2007 Share Posted March 14, 2007 The only reason for the seat covers was to protect the leather from further cracking (which it has). As I said the replacement leather started to crack and wear in the same place that the original leather seats did. The seat cover has worn in the same place where the leather seat was cracking. It is cheaper to replace a seat cover than replace the leather seat back when it is no longer under warranty. If I had my choice I would stay with the cloth seats. This car so happened to come with leather. My 2003 Windstar has cloth seats and they still look like they are new. here's the problem... North America... and India and China have had an unprecedented economic boom in the past 10 years. You may have noticed the McMansions popping up everywhere and the growth of companies like MB, BMW, Lexus etc. Used to be leather was a rare product. So when you bought leather it was expensive but well made and would last a lifetime. Properly tanned and dyed. But because of the wealth, there are hundreds of thousands of leather couches being bought. Leather coats everywhere... and cars? Almost every car out there offers a leather option. Maybe you've also noticed that leather costs have also dropped. Leather coats cost less now than 10 years ago. Ah yes... leather has gone the way of Wal-Mart. Off-shored and cheaply put together. Its a commodity like Nikes. Think about it... if a nice leather coat cost you several hundred dollars 10 years ago... how is it they can put all of that leather in your car (and think of the demand cost in the hundreds of thousands of leathered cars every year)for only $500? Like I said in post #2, its all painted and clearcoated. And its all shite. You're actually better off with faux leatherette vinyl. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Traveler Posted March 14, 2007 Share Posted March 14, 2007 When I had flaking on my 01 Cobra driver seat, the dealer swapped out a new cover under the warranty. Because the new one did not quite match the grain of the seat bottom, the service manager told me to come back and they even swapped the bottom even though there wasn't any problem with it. There was still a very subtle difference in the driver seat and passenger seat, however. Leather quality appears to be one of those areas where budgeting gets into the picture on mainstream cars. The thing is a lot of packages REQUIRE leather and then the factory/dealer socks it to you on the price...in many cases it really not being worth it. You may out the nose for higher quality leather. Look at the standard leather in a F-150 Lariat and then observe a King Ranch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
txmartin Posted March 27, 2007 Share Posted March 27, 2007 When I had flaking on my 01 Cobra driver seat, the dealer swapped out a new cover under the warranty. Because the new one did not quite match the grain of the seat bottom, the service manager told me to come back and they even swapped the bottom even though there wasn't any problem with it. There was still a very subtle difference in the driver seat and passenger seat, however. Leather quality appears to be one of those areas where budgeting gets into the picture on mainstream cars. The thing is a lot of packages REQUIRE leather and then the factory/dealer socks it to you on the price...in many cases it really not being worth it. You may out the nose for higher quality leather. Look at the standard leather in a F-150 Lariat and then observe a King Ranch. I just took delivery last Thursday on an Edge SEL+. ON Sunday=4 days old, I noticed a slice or crack on the driver's side next to the door. I snapped a picture and zoomed in to take a look. It is apparently not even leather on that part of the seat, as the picture shows white backing under the split. That was sure disappointing. It is back at the dealer for fixing as of today. I aree with the guy who said it makes no sense to protect leather with seat covers - why pay more to cover it up? Other problems discovered after delivery and in for fixing-paint sag on the driver's side left front and poorly installed tinting on the driver's side that was already peeling on the first night home. Otherwise, the EDGE is great to drive. My first tank of mixed driving yielded 18.8 mpg on the INFO center. If you haven't driven one yet, you will be pleasantly suprised at the pickup you get from the V6. There are many other pluses - too many to list here. Any others with similar paint and "leather" problems out there? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
napfirst Posted March 27, 2007 Share Posted March 27, 2007 You do realise that the window tinting is aftermarket, right? How about the paint sag? you didn't mention that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J-150 Posted March 27, 2007 Share Posted March 27, 2007 How about the paint sag? you didn't mention that. go away troll. I don't know what your problem is. Are you jealous that OAC is still open and you are going to work at McDonalds? Or are you just bitter because you wife died? I really don't care either way because facts are facts. OAC is open and your wife is dead. Continuing to fuck with OAC product and badmouth their employees just makes you a small man. Now do us a favor and put a pistol in your mouth already. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
falconman13 Posted March 27, 2007 Share Posted March 27, 2007 As a general rule, if you notice, the leather option will say "Leather Seating Surface" A lot of cars will have the leather only on the surface and use a matching vinyl on the sides and backs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
napfirst Posted March 28, 2007 Share Posted March 28, 2007 (edited) Let's see, since someone, a customer, complained we have a list of excuses; 1) everyone should expect quality problems while launching a new product. 2) it's the vendor's fault 3) it's the dealer's fault you guys have a good list of excuses going here. You might consider putting a small card in the glove box with these so our customers will know! Edited March 29, 2007 by napfirst Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timmm55 Posted March 28, 2007 Share Posted March 28, 2007 Let's see, since someone, a customer, complained we have a list of excuese; 1) everyone should expect quality problems while launching a new product. 2) it's the vendor's fault 3) it's the dealer's fault you guys have a good list of excuses going here. You might consider putting a small card in the glove box with these so our customers will know! Speaking of quality control, it's "excuses" BTW. I don't think anyone here is giving Ford (or anyone else) a buy on leather problems. Cheap leather is common across the board these days. I prefer cloth myself, it usually holds up better in the long run. I was looking at second hand cars, a lot of them had over 100K miles on them. The interiors with cloth seats looked better 90%, regardless of make. Leather 'character' lines just isn't for me. I intentinally got cloth in my 05 Mustang GT and a friend of mine got cloth in his new Edge for the same reason....he's very pleased with it too! He said it's the best car/truck he's ever had. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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