laidback93

I discovered my driver's side leather is cracking pretty bad and I'm not a happy camper. I bought the car back in Sept. 06 and it looked like it hadn't been taken care of very well. I highly doubt if any protectant was ever put on the leather. Of course I starting taking care of it when I bought. I've been using Lexol every three months or so. Guess it was too little too late as its shot now. Ugh...

I'm going to get an estimate this next week on repairing it.

sdafins

you might want to check and see what a replacement cover would cost from the dealership, and have an upholstersy shop install it. i had a cadillac catera, and the service department (one of many visits--worst car i've owned--couldn't keep it out of the shop) punctured the leather when they were replacing the heating element in the seat. they ordered a new cover- and all was new.

t7n7

and what does this have to do with the "acura" leather being bad? .. if this was any other car and the previous owner didn't do much, the outcomes would've been the same..

mike1988

If your car is still under warranty, they will get you a new seat cover, I am going to do the same thing soon and get my leather replaced under warranty, it is all cracked and i got the car in august of 06 brand new. ACURA LEATHER SUCKS!!!!!

s55lear

Acura leather is pretty crappy.

Phrosttz0

it looks cheap, and it even feels cheap, feels like pleather to me

t7n7

the tl has one of the most comfortable seats you can sit in... i dunno wat u guys are talking about.. maybe the leather is not treated properly? .. both know 2 ppl with 99 tls and both their leather seats are heaven!

fsttyms1

Compared to some cars this leather is top notch. 225k on mine and just the drivers seat is starting to show signs of wear.
(+ only part of the TL seat is actually leather)

honda_motor_co_4life

I have a '00 TL-P with 57k miles. The leather is practically flawless. The only leather thats not up to par is the leather in TSX's and the 3rd gen TL's. The perferations in the leather make it more sensitive and you can snag it more easily and so it can tare or make some nasty cracks. The perferations Im guessing is for style and so the heat can reach your personal undercarriage faster. Most luxury cars now have the perferated leather. but i love the seats in my TL they're really comfortable and the leather is awesome!!! you just need to take care of it thats all.

s55lear

I will agree with the comfort level of the 1999-2003 TL. It is amazing. I have a '99 TL. But thats not JUST the leather making it comfortable, the leather is just playing a small role. But in the first gen. RL the leather just seems so cheap. The 02-3 TL-S the leather just seems like pleather, cheap sheets of leather. The Integra and RSX we wont even mention. The 2004-2006 TL is just about the same as the RSX. And the second gen. RL's are much better yet still seem to get vinyl-ish after around 25k+ on the odometer. The TSX's leather is okay. Now when it comes to 2007 acura's leather seems to be a lot better, not as nice as say, BMW, but much better than previous years.

t7n7

i sat in nearly every bmw @ the autoshow and personaly, the X3's leather is SHITTTTTTTTTTT , when i mean shit.. its like the shit u find on the street laid by a dog after 2 days... ye.. bad... very bad.. especially the back.. feels like i'm sitting on some plastic bench.... x5 is excellent!! i didn't liek the 3series much either... from all the cars i sat in... i love Lexus's leatherrrrr.... that car is something... all american models had cheap shit so not gonna mention it.. including the corvette... , umm lets see... i guess it really depends on wat type of "leather" ur looking for.. there are the soft relaxed ones... that make u feel like ur sitting on a leather couch (similar to the 2nd gen tl's, etc.) or the ones like u see in AUdi A4's and above..... those leather seats are Stiff... very hard, better for a more sporty drive i guess...

my 2 cents....

honda_motor_co_4life

well in case you guys havent heard....bmw leather isnt leather is leather-LIKE materials meaning its crap! the higher end models like the X5 and 7 series get real leather but as for the 3 series and x3 is fake... I know this because I called a BMW dealer to confirm it and sure enough a 2007 325i base model starts at around $33,000 and it comes with fake leather... add the real leather, HIDs, etc etc to match with the new TL's options and you'll be at around $45,000 when your done equipping it to have the same options as a TL. So, gee let me think what would I get with $45k a P.O.S german sheet of metal thats smaller then a TSX inside and slower then a base TL or a brand new TL-S for under $40k. and with the rest of the money slap on some 18's and the basic bolt on's..... ya I think we all would agree and go with the new TL-S ................. oh and btw to have the REAL leather in a BMW its a $4,000 option.... thats messed up!

laidback93

Well my friend has an 07 Camry Hybrid and the leather is so much better in quality it's not even funny. I have heard the 07 Acuras have much better leather though.

jazznut

Laidback - Did you buy the car brand new or used? How bad is it? Can you show us pictures? I bought mine in December 2006 brand new and it has a very very small crack (about half an inch) and I've been using leather protectant ever since I bought it. Have you talk to the dealer? Please let us know, I might go in for repairs, too.

myTaLizaS3.2

well I've had my car for two months and when i took delivery of the car, the driver side leather was fine, but now I notice that it's forming a fold where my legs are. is this normal?

laidback93

I bought it used this past September from a small independant dealership, so no warranty.

It only 60K and the leather looked fine. I'm sure the previous owner didn't take good care of it. Judging from the CarFax report it looked like it was a lease return.

I'll try to take pictures when I get home from work.

BrotherDavid

I've been in a Mercedes, a BMW and an Infiniti similiar vintage to mine and the Acura leather in my 03 seemed better quality than theirs. In fact, my buddy who owns the Merc and my cousin who owns the Infinity both said they liked the Acura leather better. It felt smoother and seemed more "durable" or thicker.

If the leather in yours was poorly cared for, it may have been spruced up by the dealer before you bought it (as you said it looked "fine") but the prior poor care didn't help. Good luck getting it straightened out!

Soseductivesf

Yeah my passenger side has a small rip on the side of the seat. The prev. owner bought the Total luxury Care package so I wonder if it covers my seats! I got 70K miles

csmeance

you guys know that real leather start to crack after a while due to wear and the constant flexing right? Also the acura leather is pretty good, if you have excessive cracking,. i'd recommend a new seat cover rather than reparing it as the repair will not be an exact match.

rocajack

If I am not mistaken, the leather parts are where your butt and back touches. I really enjoyed the TL leather (2000TLP). however, the side fake leather on the driver seat began to crack. I toook pretty good care wtih it with mothers and the overall look and quality is still good.

RJ.

03typeStl

Is the leather covered in the 4/50k warranty ?