chief63

Here it is:

Early January I get a call from the dealer to place my order for the C63. A custom order would be delivered mid april.

The guy also mentions they have the exact same car in stock in their show room now. I asked him if the car was a demo and he replied no, it's a 2010, same color, same options, etc.

I asked him how long it was in the show room and he mentions around 1 month. I ask him if the seats have any damage from entering or exiting the car (classic leather wear on the seat's bolster) and he mentions no people very rarely enter the car.

I decided that to avoid any delays and get the showroom car a month earlier, I would go with the one they have in stock and pick it up mid march.

Last night I was near the dealer and decide to stop by to see the car. Everything looks good but I notice the leather on the outside seat bolsters (driver and passenger) is a bit cracked. Not that much, but just enough to bother me and not look new.

Now I'm starting to reconsider the car. Was it really in the show room for 1 month and not 4 months? How many entry and exits does it take for the leather to start cracking in the early phases? Most of all, why did the salesman lie to me or did he not take the time to check?

I will ask them to make everything look like new when I take possession of the car, if it takes new seat bolsters altogether, then be it.

What do you think about the situation and how soon did yours start to crack?

I will get Zaino leather in a bottle or leatherique as soon as I get the car to prevent this.

thanks and I'm waiting for your comments.

mr inkredibul

You cannot prevent the leather from natural wear and tear if it is premium leather. I say use that to your advantage to get a price reduction. Your leather will eventually crack anyway if its the premium leather so just get that one cheaper and take good care of it. If it's not cheaper then I say go new.

ZephyrAMG

I started this very similar thread two weeks after I purchased my 2009 C63 in September of 09. Dealer had showed me proof that car had sat in show room for about 60 days. The car was immaculate. It was exactly what I wanted. I bought it then posted a thread asking about the seats.

The seats, in my opinion, are gorgeous but very, very delicate. NO MATTER WHAT, even if you pick up a European Delivery, you will definitely see cracking and crimping of the bolster leather and the seat leather. IT JUST IS WHAT IT IS. I'm the type that wipes my car down with 6 boxes of Kleenex, have a 3 feet perimeter around my car in the garage, park my car out in left field, clear bra'd the hell out of it, and never let any back seat passengers in...and the DAMN seat is one thing that REALLY bothers me. I almost do acrobatics to get in and out. When I started the thread, members were even mentioning how to get in and out to get around those badd *** bolsters. But what can you do....SERIOUSLY? IT IS WHAT IT IS.

Leatherque the thing like every week, it should maintain moisture and prevent cracking. Like many have said, the leather is a very rich, luxurious and quality NAPPA leather which is less "saddle and shoe like" but rather "wallet and purse" like, on the thin side but feels sooo soft.

My car had very slight signs of in and out seating activity. I still bought it because:

1. It was in show room
2. It had been there less than 90 days
3. Low milage
4. Exact color and options I wanted
5. I couldn't wait any longer
6. I got a great deal

So REALLLY take a look. If it looks like the mom from "Something About Mary", make a stink about it and make them change out the seats or negotiate price (pretty sure they will say no because there will be someone ready to buy it if you dont). Otherwise, slight signs of wear is truly no big deal vs. the damage YOU will cause just in the first week of owning. TRUST ME ON THIS.

wadgras44

That is my lone nit w/ the car as well. Though I'm extremely careful entering / exiting, there is some cracking / wear on the driver side bottom bolster. And some "wrinkling" as well by some of the seams on the bottom cushion.

It seems like I use z-10 on a weekly basis - and it helps - but it always winds up coming back.

I'll try leatherique in the summer and that should be a bit more effective.

Sincity

I have 1600 miles on the car since we purchased it back in July '09 and it has signs of slight wear. Like mentioned above, no way around it. Just get a good deal and move on. If not, wait for the new one.

rantarC63

You could replace the covers with the MB Tex/cloth and never deal with any wear on your side bolsters. It's a car so drive and enjoy it. Don't obsess too much about the leather as it WILL wear.

GBlansten

13K miles and no signs of wear on my Sahara Beige driver's seat.

chief63

Thanks for all the replies so far. I'm kind of a car maniac and paying 70K for a new car kind of changes my level of tolerance.

There is a difference between something happening (scratch on car, wheel, etc) and something being already there when I buy a "new" car. Being in Canada, there aren't many great deals around on C63s but I was still getting a discount and getting a good deal on the premium package.

What mostly bothers me was that I was told the seats did not have any wear, and there is some.

However if this wear will come in a few weeks of usage, then I'm not going to argue with them for nothing. I will still mention it and ask for either a compensation or the seat bolsters being replace before I take the car.

Keep it coming I like reading your comments!

NickZag

This is what I use on all my leather. I haven't noticed any cracking in the seats of my MB or Audi. Connolly is recommended by pretty much every high end manufacture from Bentley to Ferrari.

bushburninc63

I use 303 protectant on it every other week, it still has wear and tear, but i think it reduces it. I think :o

eagle_lex

i think they will replace the bolster. that doesnt cost the dealer anything... where a discount would.

ZephyrAMG

How do they REPLACE a bolster? Isn't the seat mostly one piece?

Palladin

You're kidding, right? First, I seriously doubt they can "replace the bolster" without putting a whole new seat in, and I guaranty you the dealer aint gonna spend that kinda money to fix this issue. Second, and more importantly, I'd rather have a worn seat from the factory than let the dealer idiots try to "fix" this issue. They will screw up anything they touch, almost guaranteed. My priority when I get a new car like this is to try to get it off the lot before the dealer can even lay their grubby incompetent paws on it. Have em put gas and oil in it and toss me the keys. What do I do when I have to take it back to them for service, you may ask? Cringe, bite my nails, get sick to my stomach, and hold my breath when I pick it up to see how they f*&^cked up the simple job I took it in for. Yes, I have had some bad dealer experiences.

chief63

You have an extremely good point about not making them fix it, just taking out the seats I suppose they would scratch the side panels and plastic. My only option is to ask for discount or get a new one off the lot if I can, possibly from another dealer.

Sincity

You either replace it with a new leather cover at $740 (labor not incl) or a car upholstery shop can just replace a single panel (in this case the bolster) with another piece of matching leather.

chief63

I just spoke to my representative and he mentionned all leather is under warranty for 4 years and 80 000 km. Unless you take a knife and cut thru it and take it back, they will replace any wear you are unhappy about. He seemed to hint that it's kind of a no questions asked policy, unless the wear is very very little or not visible at all. I tried to get more precise with him but he says have no worries, wear from jeans, etc, over the years its covered.

The fact I know the person who owns the dealer might also help in case I have any issues!

If anyone has had any problems in the past with dealers (regarding only this issue lol) let me know =)

ZephyrAMG

Immaculately said. ABSOLUTELY AGREE. +++1 Nice Response...

When I bought the car, I said give me the damn keys and the plates, dont wax it, dont wash it, DONT TOUCH IT. The idiots at dealers just want to get your *** paid and out, They could give 2 sh*ts about how they treat your car.

My drivers seat has the back leather separating from the seat frame and I dread the day I would EVER have them remove the seat and fix it. They would beat up anything in proximity, damaging other leather and putting thier work boots all over my interior and dash...

DEALERSHIPS ABUSE CARS, EVEN WHEN THEY SIMPLY WIPE THEM DOWN.

Unbreakable1

anybody else have experience w/ this product?

i found this:
http://www.amazon.com/Connolly-Hide-.../dp/B0002LJQMA

if its gonna work, its worth it

and leatherique has a lottttttt of products...which ones do you guys recommend/use?

tia

eagle_lex

maybe you all should find another dealer. i DO agree with your points as some of these things occured to me at other dealers but this hasnt been my exp so far at my MB dealer. Nissan was bad. Chevy was bad. Infinity was better. MB has been good so far. i just would hate for the OP to get it and not at least mention it. if he is like most of us and it sounds like he is... he will obsess over the issue until its corrected. that said my seat shows a few "comfort creases" but no cracking as described.

on a side note... my Nissan did experience a wear rub on the side bolster under warranty. nissan replaced the cover and it looked new for another 30k miles but then wore again. so my point is they didnt mess anything up.

Merc63

1-2 months mine were all chewed up from those brass rivets on jeans.

maximooz

We should all contribute to a thread with photos of just the bolsters to see who has the worst/best

ZephyrAMG

Excellent idea. Should be interesting...

bushburninc63

Designer jeans? :o

NickZag

Damn, you guys go to some horrible MBZ dealers! The 3 in my area all have huge glass windows in the waiting room and you can watch your car being worked on and washed. The shop is VERY clean and they do a complete walk around your car before and after with a check list to make sure your happy before and after. It was actually one of the reasons I went with the C63 over the M3. My dealership experiences have been great so far.

c32AMG-DTM

Rejuvenator Oil (RO), and Prestine Clean (PC). Make sure you read up on how to use them (I recommend the detailing section of MBW, or a reputable detailing forum).