mack025

hey guys i have a06 tl with black leather and noticed the leater is cracked on 70 percent of the seats.im thinking about taking it to dealer is this considered a warrantied item.the vehicle has 26k miles.

thanks

csmeance

acura most likely will not warranty it. It is considered normal wear and tear as the seats are real 100% leather where the body touches, including the bolsters. Your best bet is to keep on cleaning and conditioning them.

genghis82

I've noticed the same in my car. I periodically clean and condition them but still get cracks on the sides of my bottom cushion. The rest is still in pretty good condition. Try using Zymol or Lexol products.

TCM TL 05

My driver seat bottom and shift knob were replaced under warranty because the service manager agreed with me that they were unusually worn (this took place last November on my 2005 TL with ~26,000 miles at the time).

Elegant TYPE S

iTrader: (2)

Yeah my drivers seat bottom and is horrible. I need to see if I can get this replaced.

apsec06

you ever think by now that acura or honda or other car dealers would come out with something toprotect the seats from getting cracked? like a special lotion, or a sealant or bonding agent or something? is it possible? i have a 06 aspec also and the seats are beginning to be worn also.... who knows i wonder if they would sell a seat just theleather seat itself?

ggesq

iTrader: (1)

Dealer has replaced my driver's seat bottom as well under warranty.

What's the worst they can say- no? If they do, contact Acura directly and see what they say.

VQPower37

dealer replaced my passenger seat bottom part as well as top part, just tell them that u know many people on acurazine have gotten it done ... and that acura leather is not the best ... maybe then they will help u out

Tripnbeats

ok just so u guys know the only part of the seat thats leather is the perforated middle inserts.....thats it.....everything else is vinyl.

jokerman826

The way my seats are cracking, I am pretty sure that more than the perforated parts are leather. Vinyl wouldn't crack as much as the leather does.

Tripnbeats

i do upholstery at my shop at night..... ive taken the seats apart more times than i can count. I went from diff leathers to diff suedes because i couldnt decide on what i wanted....finally i settled on a color n material. the only part thats leather is the middle the rest is vinyl. you can take em apart and check for yourself.

say when

My vinyl shows natural leather creases surprisingly

Dads05TL

Your best bet is to keep on cleaning and conditioning them.

If you take good care of your leather it will last for a very long time! I use Zaino cleaner and conditioner, it's expensive but works VERY well.

Tripnbeats

yea zaino is great stuff........ the vinyl does show natural creases.....which surprised me as well... but its still vinyl so when u go to have it warrantied ask dude to see it... and rip the foam backing off a lil to see how its all vinyl. the only other part i believe is actual leather is the piece in between the bolster and buttons on the bottom part of the seat. as u can see it there.

Tripnbeats

I got seats from a harley davidson edition f350 the other day that were burned to a crisp....the guy swore up n down it was leather.....obviously a good test is the crease test when u push on it to see if its leather or not....even though we pushed and looked and poked some more even though it creased....it was vinyl.

jokerman826

damn so putting leather conditioner on those parts isn't going to do anything?

Tripnbeats

nooo it does of course it does....man it cleans it up and makes it really nice..... its made for the material so dont think its not gonna work. any good leather conditioner/cleaner will do the job amazingly.....zaino like dads said is the best i even use the quick wax they have and u can apply it in the sun....man the gleam ur car has after is siiickk!

csmeance

Zaino and leatherique are probably the best ones out there. Leatherique does a better job, but it is more expensive and it takes a while to do since you need to have the leather hot so it can properly do it's job.

jokerman826

i just use meguiers and that seems to work fine. I have no problem.

wasupdog

iTrader: (2)

i'm scared to see what my seats would look like now if i had never put zaino cleaner and conditioner on them every few months.

SportsJunkie

i've heard good stuff about Zaino for leather. is there a site i can buy it from?
i'd appreciate it if someone could tell me, thanks.

KJSmitty

Google is your friend...

"zainostore"

Of course you will want a www. at the front and .com on the end...

- Look for "Leather in a Bottle"

kipros

i am using Connolly...a little bit expensive but high quality stuff..

SportsJunkie

well yes, but when i first saw it, it looked a little cheesy. hence why i asked

Fast Cat

I have an 06 w/24k on it. The leather looks good (so far). Although mine is garaged most of the day so it's not exposed to too much hard sunlight. I also bought the interior/exterior protection plan at the dealer. What a rip, I could've bought the same stuff on my own for 1/4 of the price.

Window tints probably also help protect the leather as well.

Tripnbeats

ive used stuff that bmw sells in the parts dept. .....and it works wonders.... it smells really good but a little on the expensive side for a small bottle.

rockyfeller

iTrader: (6)

I definitely want to believe you tripn, you're usually right. I remember you saying this in another thread too. But it seems to me the other way around....It looks like the perforated inserts on the seats are vinyl as well as the back of the seats. If you look closely and try to stretch the material you can tell. The wrinkles on the perforated material look different than the wrinkles on the bolsters. The bolsters seem to be leather, and a soft grade, that's why they wear out so fast.

I just did a LCD install into the back of my headrests and they were in fact leather for sure. I can tell by looking behind the material which had a suede-like appearance. This leather seems to match color/grain perfectly with those side bolsters on the seats. Not to mention that unmistakable scent of leather.

BTW guys, remember leather is a natural hide that retains some natural oils and naturally breaks down as well. While you don't want the leather too dryed out and parched don't soak the leather all the time with conditioners either. This makes it too soft. There is such thing as overconditioning.

Tripnbeats

the headrests arent leather bro sorry. the bolsters arent....the only part is the perf. trust me dude. ive ripped the interior apart in this car 3 times before i decided what to leave or take out
i get so many tl's in the shop and ive had customers argue with me that its leather and all it needs is a leather repair (because u can repair some leathers and vinyls with the same repair material), but thats not the case you have to literall replace that section and sew another in. ive ripped the seats apart in front of them just to show them that 90% of it is vinyl.
the reason the headrests arent leather is because they are blow molded....the material on the inside is sprayed in and it expands....it sticks to the backing of the vinyl, u can peel it back but some of the backing sections rip when u do that....if its stuck to the leather the drying process would destroy it. the leather would crinkle and it would be over.
ill rip the headrests apart tonight to show u and take pics. I have materials at the shop that you wouldnt be able to tell if its leather or not... even carbon fiber leather and carbon fiber vinyl.....all looks identical but u couldnt tell the difference if u pressed on it or smelled it. smells the same feels the same.

Tripnbeats

at the same time it could depend on the years the cars were made....sometimes they'll run out of leather or out of vinyl and use leather or vinyl for some of the sections....it all depends on the batches of material they have and get at that time..... an example.... my steering wheel....i had the 05for a few months and it was destroyed to the point to where u can see the hide appearing on the leather ad it wasnt shiny anymore.....so i got an ebay steering wheel from the 06 model.....and its still in perfect condition.

rodneyc77

iTrader: (1)

I agree with Tripnbeats... I got the same response from a leather/suede material supplier months ago... they told me the same thing... only the perf. section is actually leather...

csmeance

I have an 04 and the center section with holes, the side bolsters, the headrest and shoulder bolsters are made out of leather. I have done the "press test" on them and as well taken it to a very reputable shop where they confirmed it.

Tripnbeats

take them off the foam dude....no shop can look at it and press on it to tell u its real. i have a flux capacitor at home....it's real wanna buy it?

csmeance

acutally they dis-assembled my seats to fix a tear on the leather, and as for you lux capacitor, it would be better for you to sell it to sarlacc for his fridge....

Tripnbeats

ok this is a dead topic to me....i work on these seats all the time....I know whats up with em. lol im gonna go back to"working hard"

KJSmitty

I couldn't in good faith argue with Tripnbeats as I have never pulled my seats apart. Yet I will admit my bolsters are cracking like leather would and the center perforated area in my TL actually (literally) melted and smeared like it was plastic/vinyl. Dealer replaced it of course.

Having worked with many upholstery issues/vehicles in the past, the "backing" of some "leather" seating surfaces is something other than leather yet with a very thin layer of leather applied to the actual surface etc.. This way you get the look, feel, and smell of leather on the surface yet the backing/foundation of the material is vinyl etc in order to facilitate the wear, tear and stretch issues.

Thus, just because the back side of the seat cover looks like fabric/vinyl doesn't mean the actual surface isn't a leather product.

Could very well be the case with Acura "seating surfaces".

Cheers

wasupdog

iTrader: (2)

easy way to tell if it's leather...poke it with your finger and see if the material wrinkles like a white chick over 30.

MrHeeltoe

iTrader: (1)

I've been doing a lot of homework on leather lately and the E36 guys really have it down. Leatherique is probably the best treatment in use. But then I found this thread:

http://www.m3forum.net/m3forum/showthread.php?t=214497

The leather in BMWs is far and away a different animal (no pun intended) than Japanese leather. But check it out.

Marcus