Is there a way to lessen the damage to the side bolster when getting in and out? Mine is slowly getting worn down.

Are you saying it's the leather that's showing signs of wear and tear, or is the side bolster literally not giving you the support it once did?

Massage some rejuvenating oil into it.

i set seat memory 1 for moving the seat all the way back and lifting the steering wheel outta the way and 3 for driving that way you arent sliding across it getting in and out.

Having the same issue as the OP. What product should I use to keep it from wearing and tearing?

Leatherique or Zaino leather care are well spoken about.

I had just noticed the same thing last week. Kind of bums me out its already looking worn with only 11,000km on the car. Its bad enough I already have to move the steering wheel all the way forward and up to get my 6'2" 215lbs. in and out of the car everytime. Now I have to contort like a monkey to clear the bolsters even more.
That and the stupid metal buttons on the back pockets of my designer jeans have scratched the seat as well. The good news is that I have seen amazing work by upholstery experts on damaged car interiors. If and when it gets bad enough I will get one of those guys to fix it all up.

Did that from day one.

the leather showing wear and tear, I guess I'll set the memory 3 for the seat to go all the way back and the steering wheel go all the way up. didn't think of that :o

thanks guys.

Many years ago, when I just finished college, I had a Honda Accord with the same problem. The Honda dealer just replaced the seat back leather on warranty. I wonder if you can get the same done through MB. Mine was premature wear though.

They might. My SA put in a request and they changed both of the front leather seat covers on my ML under warranty. I wonder if going the MB Tex/cloth route might be best here in the desert? There are a few guys here on mbworld that has the MB Tex/cloth combo on their C63s.

I wonder if the 2-year "wear and tear" warranty would cover something like that. Probably not...

But if it's really just a matter of the leather on the side bolster showing wear and tear, I believe liberal use of a good quality leather conditioner, as others have said here, would go a long way to preserving the new appearance of that part of the car. I've heard good things about Meguiar's leather conditioner, if you're okay with a mass market product. There'll definitely be others who can recommend a more professional product if you're inclined to pay more.

Also, I thought the steering wheel just automatically moves up when you switch off the ignition, to allow for greater ease of egress. Mine does.

just stay in the car and never get out!
besides, the best place to be is behind the wheel!

My steering wheel doesn't adjust, unless it's at its highest setting and i haven't noticed it. I haven't read the manual, but how do you adjust the steering wheel height?

Okay, I just checked mine, and the steering wheel doesn't move up automatically until I actually open the driver's door, not when I shut off the ignition.

As for adjusting the height of the steering wheel, don't you just use the same stalk in the steering column that's used for moving the steering wheel forward and back?

I haven't messed around with the steering wheel so i have no idea what you're talking about. :o I'll mess with it later when i get off from work. I never had the need to adjust it.

LOL

Okay, okay. For ease of reference, the stalk I'm referring to is the one used for power adjustment of the steering wheel. It's located on the lower left hand side of the steering column.

Good luck!