Alright fair enough, but all I can say is from my experience the leather has been great no issues or complaints at all. Guys on the corvette forums complain about the seats in the vettes as well but I haven't had issues in any of my vettes either (I have had 4 of those too lol). Who knows maybe I'm just incredibly anal even more so than your average car enthusiast. Zaino leather in a bottle is what I use to condition my seats. Very popular detailing products over with the corvette guys. Great stuff!!

 

i have the similar problem with my seats, but how does the sun contribute to the damage?

 

 

QFT!

My 1998 ITR's alacantara seats still looked real good when I sold the car in 2005 and I did purchase the car new in 1998. We all know alacantara is a very delicate material. My 2005 TL had 55,000 miles on it when I traded it in for my 2007 TL-S and the interior on the 2005 was in waaaay better shape than the 2007, which was due to the previos owner and how it was treated.

That could've played a huge part in why the dealership sold my old 2005 in 1 day and why they STILL have a 2008 KBP on the lot after 3 months.

 

I agree that its the frequency you get in and out of the vehicle and what you wear that destroys the seat. I get in and out of my car at least 15 to 2o times on a daily basis. My car has 79K and within the last year, the seat not the side bolsters, have rapidly deteriotated. The perforations are splitting into each other and making holes. Anybody knows of a good car upholstery shop in queens or long island. Last resort is for the dealer. I will try to post pics later, warning: dirty seats with rips..not for the faint of heart.

 

A good sunshade will also help the premature wear of the seats!

 

JTS, your seats look great and keep up the extra special care on your interior, because I assure you that Acura leather needs that extra care. It does not hold up as well as leather in other manufacturers vehicles.

I have an 04 TL.
My wife has an 08 MDX.
My dad currently has an 02 TL.
My dad previously had a 96 TL.

All four of those vehicles started showing wear, especially on the driver's seat side bolsters after about 4 years or so. The MDX is starting to show this wear as well.

Meanwhile my father in law has two Toyota Avalons 1995 and 1997. I just took a look and his leather looks almost perfect and trust me he does not take care of his cars. I'm guessing those seats have never seen leather conditioner in their lives.

I still love my Acuras, but the leather's long-term reliability is definitely not up to par with the rest of the car's long-term reliability. (And apparently the dashboard too, but thankfully I have not run into that problem. )

 

The passenger seat looks even worse today there is more than one spot now. You would think this would happen on the driver side before the passenger side? No way it would be worth $1,000 to repair it...

I just can't believe how the passenger seat looked totally fine when I bought it and even a few weeks after I had the car and now these problems are coming up

 

Regarding this topic, I have wondered is the 3G Acura TL leather interior genuine leather or leather-like material?

It is definitely a thinner material for being leather than what I've experienced or witnessed in other luxury brands. I feel that is why it is prone to wear easier. I wonder if this TL material is actually vinyl to be honest.

Anyone know for sure?

 

Maybe this might help.

81999-GSU4420CFPS / PATCH, SMALL LEATHER *YR167L* (PERF) 47.38 (size 10 x 15)
81999-GSU4420CFPM / PATCH, MEDIUM LEATHER *YR167L*(PERF) 102.25 (size 17 x 23)
81999-GSU4420CFPL / PATCH, LARGE LEATHER *YR167L* (PERF) 142.97 (size 13 x 44)

PM me for details.

 

The bolsters and sides, armrests, center console etc. are all real leather. The perforated sections on the seats are vinyl.

 

I've actually read the opposite on this site from a member that used to be active and operated an upholstery shop.

 

Agreed on all points. I've had my dash replaced because it split open, am getting ready to repaint the car due to clearcoat failure, and will probably need to reupholster my driver's side seat at some point. I've had the car since it was new and it's been appropriately cared for, so these things should not happen.

 

^^ Yup. JTS97Z28 is completely right. It all comes down to how you treat the leather. And to everyone saying he is "wrong", how do you explain his seats looking like showroom condition? Sorry, but Im going to agree with the guy who has perfect seats and has a clue.

 

Hmmm... Well, I'm not certain either, but that was what I had been told a long time ago.

 

The leather in the TL is a lower grade leather that does not hold up well. It has been discussed here before. I believe its called split leather and nowhere near the quality you find in an infinity, mercedes or bmw. Its sad but the truth.
Last time I was at superior acura here in kc there was a vinyl repair guy spraying paint onto the seat of a used vehicle they were prepping for the used car lot. It happens all the time. More than likely they resprayed your seats and its wearing off.
Acura dropped the ball on this one. Its sad.
My seats are terrible in my '05 with that parchment interior. We'll see how long I have my TL and its disgusting interior when I get my m3 next week.

 

I do have to agree the German cars (Mercedes & BMW specifically) have better quality interiors than our 3G TL. I have personally driven and being inside several of the German products. However, I do not like their logic when it comes to serviceability of their vehicles and one of the main reasons I choose Honda products and for the reliability.

 

Yeah im pretty sure on the seats its the side bolsters that are vinyl. You can just look at them and see those sections are not real leather (feels fake too). Most manufacturers do this because those are generally heavy wear areas and vinyl doesnt wear as quickly as real leather I guess.

 

Mailman you can try Mr. Trim. He is in Brooklyn but he does great work and is very fair and deal oriented.

Also, you can go with these guys below. I got a chance to see these leather seat covers in person and they are first rate. Mind you, these covers don't go over your old seat covers. They actually replace your old seat covers. For the price Acura will charge for replacement covers, you can actually get some better quality seats for less. See Below and be sure to look at the seat material choices and also the colors. You can also design your color combinations. If you feel your seat covers need to be replaced I would go to Acura last unless you want the OEM look.

http://leatherseats.com/products2.asp?c=1&id=339

 

Oh and for the record, I'm thinking of reupholstering my tan interior in my NBP TL. I'm probably going to replace all four seats with the same tan seat color but opt for the black inserts instead of the solid tan OEM color scheme. According to my cart the price is $1029.00 shipped for all the upholstery in the car including back seats and arm rest.

Below are some examples of seat covers for Acuras.

 

that looks cool. I didnt really look into the website, got to go to work, but these go over the existing leather? I think I might pop over to brooklyn within the next few weeks when I am on vaca. Would you have their address? thanks alot, you have been really helpful......OOPS, never mind. Just reread your post about the seats. So we have to take apart the seats and replace these ourselves? Do you think its a hard project?

 

they didnt replace my leather lol, tried to ask if it was under warranty like one of the members here, but I think its cause I am a bit of a chunky monkey that they thought it was me

 

Hey Mailman The seat covers posted above are not seat covers as in covering up the old seat covers. Your current seat covers come off and the new ones go on. It looks like it's about $250 per seat which isn't bad.

Tks and I don't mind helping when I can. I am so new to the Acura TL so most of the time I'm doing the asking.

 

Check out Mr. Auto Trim

 

^^ Rear seats would be a hell of a lot easier to do then the front.....quite simple to get those out....plus it should be one giant piece for the bottom and one for the back right?

 

Yes the rear seats appear to be easier than the fronts. I have another thought, the perforated section of my tan interior is looking crappy. At first I was just going to get replacement sections for my seats but started looking into getting a custom leather seat replacement cover.

After looking at the youtube leather cleaning video below, I am thinking of saving my money and just getting the perforated sections of the seats. I figure if I can clean the rest of the seat to match the look of the new replacement section, I can save a ton of money and bring my seats back from the dead.

Below is a pic of my seat. I will take better ones tomorrow but you can at least get an idea of the condition of the seat.



What do you guys think?

 

omg that looks bad lol. I thought my leather was bad. I take care of my leather 120% and yet i still see some wearing. I condition my leather at least once a month and even have my dark tints.

 

I concur LOL!!

 

lol...mine is worse than that.....ill snap a picture tomorrow and post it so you feel better!

 

lol if that's the case ill take pictures of all the entire leather of my car. My passenger seat is starting to look a bit bad but w.e.

 

Instead of getting the center section in the original color, I'm thinking of getting the center section in black for some custom two tone action. What do you guys think?

***Mind you, this only happens if I can get the rest of the leather looking good.

 

any pics of the condition of the seats before replacing?
i went to 2 dealers for the issue and was assured that it's normal.
i hate playing the blaming game.
-vince

 

Guys,

I just purchased an 04 TL and the two front seats need help. Well, especially the driver's. It has a gash in the middle section and you can see the cushion. I got a good deal on the car so thought I'd just get it fixed.

After reading your posts Im kind of curious..

I know some of you guys said you were getting sections of the seats replaced. Is this something you can repair yourself? Do you order the leather (or covers)? How is this done?

Im just kind of confused since Im not sure if you meant that you would buy the leather and have someone install it, or do it yourselves.

Thanks.

 

Well Killa. You can go about this a few ways:

1) If your seats have actual holes in them you may want to look into getting OEM seat cover replacements. From what I understand, the OEM seat covers cost quite a bit but if you are determined to bring the interior to original OEM condition, then this is the obvious choice.

2) If you want a custom look you can go with places like www.leatherseats.com Just so you know, most car seats are made up of foam and frame. The type of material you want on your seats will come in the form of a seat cover. This method is appealing because you get an opportunity to use more durable but just as or even more attractive seat covers than the OEM seat covers you now have. The prices you come away with using leatherseats.com are for 4 seats which is competitive to say the least.

3) Depending on how bad the rest of your seats are you can go with replacing the middle section of the seats. You can get the same color or as I'm looking into, going with the black middle perforated middle section with tan outer section. Please get in touch with Acura of Peoria and ask for Tim Poliniak. He can help you with the replacement sheets for the seats and answer any other quesitons you may have on this matter.

Personally it looks like I may have to go with the custom seat covers because my seats are in too bad of shape. I will take pics tomorrow so you guys can see what I mean.

 

Mista,

Thanks for the info. Honestly, 500 a pop for the oem bottom cushion is a bit too much I think. My seats are all black and I plan on keeping them that color, so no two tone for me.

Im in South Florida though...

How much is the guy at Acura charging for that middle section? Thanks again.

 

Mista,

That does looks bad but I have to say I believe if you clean the seats well it won't look NEAR as bad. The cracks suck, they do. I have a few myself. But if you clean it completely the cracks will be far less noticeable. It's the grim in them that makes them "look" so bad.

So follow that video above with the scrubbing bubbles or use a magic eraser and be careful. Follow it up with a conditioner. I bet you'll like the outcome.

 

I was going to try and see if Acura would replace my leather... I doubt they will so I went to a local upholster here in town and asked him how much to do some Catskin leather, same set up without the holes...

$1,200 front and back... Honestly not to bad when you think about it... my issue is, do I really want to drop 1,200 on leather or get another mod =D

 

^^ either way your gonna end up with another mod down the road...its a never ending journey, I have tried to substitute one thing for another but eventually it all comes down to how bad do you want it, and that will dictate when you spend the money.

 

Oh the sad truth.... hahaha I think I am done with appearance time to get on the J-pipe & UR Pully There is my next want... LOL

 

whats the best cleaner/conditioner for our leather?

mine are not in bad shape but not new shape either. but I do want to maintain the best I can.