I bought my tsx back in late september 2008. About one month after I bought my TSX, I started noticing something wrong with my leather seat, both driving and passenger side. It is like the leather stretched out and there is a ripple on the center seat area. By the way, my wife is the one who drives the car most of the time and she is only 100 lb. I only drive it during weekends, and when I drive, I always take out my wallet out of my back pocket. By the way, my neighbor has the same 2G TSX and he got the exact same problem. Anyways, I just wondering it a normal wear and tear considering I only bought it for less than 4 months.(the problem actually started showing less than 1000 miles of driving) Anyone have the same problem here? I'll try to post some pics later.

 

There are a couple active threads on this exact topic at the moment.

 

I've got the same issue, although I do leave my wallet in and the "stretch" is pretty much in that spot. Although, I find it hard to believe my wallet would do that. I don't have a "George Costanza" style wallet.

Passenger seat is fine.

I have not seen any similar threads and would be curious to those.

 

I know and i read them all, but i think there are all for 1G. i haven't see any thread about this topic for 2G yet and that's why i started this thread.

 

Ah, well it appears to suffer the same faults, whatever the reason as what you're describing is exactly what a number of people in 1G threads are describing. There were even pictures. Looks like a big old ripple in the middle of the seat. Some one said in another thread that it's the foam underneath at fault. Since your car is essentially brand new, I would bring it up with the dealer.

 

It's called 'pooling' or 'puddling' you will see it on leather seating where it's one smooth piece in the seating area as opposed to a tufted or smaller insert there.

I noticed that if I go in to the car to retrieve something from the console & use my fist or open palm to brace myself in the seat that it will leave a puddle there but is gone by the morning. I don't know if perforations help ease that or if they're just there to allow the seat area to breathe.

I noticed the white retainer clips along the console on driver & passenger side sometimes pop off & when I reattach them, they look correct. In the summer it will puddle more, in the winter, less. I don't see it as a design issue, it's the nature of leather just as much as scars and imperfections on the hides.

 

The perforations are there to mitigate the date ruining effects of swamp ass. It's about time that auto manufactures recognize their contribution to this debilitating condition.

 

 

The leather is very supple and appears to be easily stetched. I made the mistake when washing the rear window putting my knee on the seat cushion and got the same result as discribed. I think it is the price we pay for a ultra soft leather?

 

I'm more convinced that it is the leather that Honda uses. You just don't see these issues in the MB or BMWs. I like the rest of the car but Honda needs to switch leather manufactures and get something more durable.

Also if you want to see some soft leather take a look at the new Lexus ES. That is the best leather that I have seen in a car so far.

 

Yes you do. I used to work at a MB and BMW dealership (and VW, Mazda, Saab, & Porsche). Sure, you can't compare the leather to cars like the E-Class, S-Class, 5-Series, 7-Series, ect...but comparing them to the lower end models like the BMW 1-Series it's right on par. The 3-Series and C-Class' quality is comparable, but you're also spending quite a few grand more on those models.

For a $30,000 car, I think the quality is right where it should be and where I would have expected it to be. It's far nicer than my wife's leather interior on her 2008 Ford Escape (which cost approx. $7K less) but not as good as cars in the $40k+ range, and why should it?

 

The finished leather is comparable to the 2000 Toyota Sienna XLE's leather seats I had for 2 years, but those didn't crease and darken like the one panel in my driver's seat has.

 

Can you post some pix? I have kinda the same problem, but my seats are like stretch marks. Are they the same?

 

It is not the leather itself, it is the processing. The TSX has had accolades on how comfortable the seats are. It is not leather streched on a lawn chair, nor is it puffy for the soft recliner type of chair (BUICK!). Both of these scenerio's would provide more durablity. The TSX leather is very thin with a soft grain to promote "give" where it counts. . .your butt. The problem is that the thinner "giving" leather stretches.

My Mazda 3s had 4 years/70K miles and it shown no wear anywhere, not even the side bottom bolster from getting in and out. The Mazda had a thicker leather (It was perforated as well) on thinner/harder cushion. The difference is sitting in the Mazda seat vs the TSX seat. 60 minute butt time was the max on the Mazda, I sat in the TSX for 9 hours with no sore butt/fatique.

If the TSX had the thicker leather with the same foam set up, it would crack/check due to the give in the foam. Therefore the trade off is comfort vs strech vs crack/checking. After 9 hours of butt time, I like the current set up even though I don't like the visual consequence. I have been more concious on where I put my hands/knee for support as a result (I now lay the back seat down and sit on the backrest to wash the rear window).

 

I have to agree the seats in the TSX are fantastic for long term driving. The stretching goes away quickly enough if you just sort of rub it out then let it sit for a few hours. My back seat gets all kinds of deformed when I throw my hockey junk back there but it's usually back to normal by the time the game is over. If it's cold it takes longer of course.

 

I would rather pay an extra $1k to get more durable leather though. I guess I'm talking more because I own my cars 5-10 years down the road where most probably just dump them.

 

From what I was told by Brumos MB here, 90% of the Benz interiors are MBTex, not real leather, yet most people think they have real leather. It is very hard to tell the difference. BMW has really high quality leather, and an available upcharge for full leather. (Not just the seating surfaces.)

 

Anyone who's seen the Albert Brooks film, "Lost in America," can't hear about "Mercedes leather" without snickering.

The extra $1000 you want to spend for better leather, you can. I can't remember the username,... JimHolloman? ... he has a thread and pics of his custom full leather he had done on his 2008(?) TSX, it looks great, and matches perfectly. I'm not even sure it cost him as much at $1000. Search for it in the 1GEN forums, you'll find it.

 

BMW does the same thing with the 1,3, and 5-series. Leather is an upgrade on all of these models, otherwise they come with "leatherette". Yup, a $45K+ sedan (5-series) with pleather, woohoo!

 

I've noticed the same thing on my seats but it always corrects itself by the next time I get in the car...I'm more concerned by how much wear is showing on the drivers side seat bolster already ...