ZephyrAMG

Well I can't take it anymore. The side bolster is now all chipped up in the leather and not to mention the leather is coming apart from the back of the car seat frame...

The service manager said there is NO WAY they will replace the chair. They may only take apart pieces of the leather and change that out IF NEEDED...

Anybody elses experience with this? Should I call MB USA First?

https://mbworld.org/forums/c63-amg-w...ity-seats.html

Sincity

They will not replace the seat in it's entirety, but may opt to replace either the upper or lower seat cover at their discretion. If your SA is good and has a good relation with the local MB warranty rep, you should be able to get it done. When I used to have my ML, my SA was able to get the seat covers replaced after a similar complaint. GL.

ZephyrAMG

Indeed you are right. Thats what he just informed me with. They will only replace the areas that are damaged. NOT THE WHOLE SEAT. The seat has many parts and will not be replaced in entirety.

He said yeah, the seat does look bad...

eagle_lex

this same thing happened to my nissan pathfinder. good news they replaced the cover on the area of the seat where the leather wore prematurely (IMO and theirs). bad news is within the same timeframe it did the exact same thing. by that time it was out of warranty plus the dealer told me when they replaced it the first time nissan would only let them do it once.

i dont think its bad that they will only replace the part that is defective (defective - in ours and im sure your opinion) but what keeps it from happening again. i want solutions to the problem not a quick fix. as im sure you do as well.

_AMG_

I just spoke with my tech for you, he said it will take 1-2 days to fix. It should be a pretty easy fix. He said since the seats are hand stitched they have areas that will usually split apart. He has seen quiet a few C63's with the same problem and has fixed it himself.

eagle_lex

what causes this??? i program my "3" setting to all the way back to keep from rubbing the seat on exit and entry but you know you cant really do that AND TRAIN your passenger to do it.

not sure how the OP gets in and out of his car. but this trick might help him. i have seen and heard others here doing the same as i do.

ZephyrAMG

I'm telling you, it has nothing to do with getting in and out (per se). I am 5'10", weigh 200lb so I am not necessarily huge but I am not thin and small either. I get in and out VERY carefully. When they looked at it they were pretty dumbfounded as to the odd form of damage and "pealing away" of the leather. It was absolutely CHEAP leather and it just wasn't put together well. This should not happen at all...BMW leather and non AMG leather is made so much better...This is than thin NAPPA leather...

My SA also said he does a lot and its pretty easy. I truly hope they don't damage other things in the process but I do have to say, they are VERY miticulus and careful as each time I bring it in, they see me wipe the door down with a rag when they open and close the door. Sick, I know...

propain

Sounds like a defective seat. I would demand a seat change. Kick and scream and be a dick about it. Your not there to make friends.

eagle_lex

ur not sick im just as bad. ok this clears it up. let them fix it. when its out of warranty and IF you still have it maybe think about a high end seat place for a better leather recover. thats what i will do. my nissan is a daily driver its presitine none the less but it has eraser head size wear marks on the actual seat area. totally a different issue i know. im not fixing it. but i would crap if my AMG leather came unhinged! im sorry your dealing with this but thanks for posting it!!!

Sincity

MB-Tex bolsters.

eagle_lex

thats a good idea...wonder what it would look like.... i would think it wouldnt match well. plus we all PAID for nappa... and we assumed it would look good for a long time. hell at least 5 years anyway...

ZephyrAMG

Thanks for the advice guys...

eagle-Lex and SIN thanks.

_AMG_ Thanks for asking your SA


Propain: Its funny you say kick and scream. I am that type of consumer where I wand to get what I pay for. But read on as to why I am holding my cool...from what it sounds like I would seriously have to throw a Sh*t fest to get the whole seat changed...electronics and all...

So I am sitting in the SA office and we start talking about how they would go about this, this that and the other, and I am getting a little heated because I am getting the idea that they want to do it in this exact order at their convenience, and that they are just gonna consider it as normal wear and tear:

1. Look at it
2. Determine how bad it really is
3. Then have the district or regional support guy who calls all the shots to look at it and determine how bad
4. Then POTENTIALLY change out only the areas that are bad

So I start getting just a weeeeee bit tempered and start saying how this is BS and that this brand of car should be better quality and that I would expect to be covered 100% and that they would be my advocates towards Benz and that I WANT A NEW SEAT. He says NO WAY for a new seat because not all of it is damaged as SIN said.

The SA looks and me and says, "Don't act Aggresive, act Injured."

Whoooaaaaaa.... as if he was giving me consumer advice on how to get my way. LOL

I told him I haven't even called MB USA yet and he said that he is preventing that step by trying to assess the seat and do everything they can to fix it. He said thats what his job is, to prevent me from calling MB USA.

So I am on tap to have the regional guy look at it and determine the status. I'll take pics for sure.

Even Money

Hope it works out for you...

If not, I'm sure tecnocraft can make you a set of these

http://www.tecnocraft.com/Lamborghin...eat-P11C3.aspx

ZephyrAMG

Damn nice.....I went from spending hopefully nothing to $7,000.00 seats...LOL

They are awesome though...

Sincity

Zephyr-You are welcome and hope it works out. It is also in your SA's best interest to make the bill as high as possible since they are commissioned. They just need to work around certain parameters and be creative in their justification (to MBUSA) to replace the covers. That "act injured" advice is actually good. My SA was great. He has worked with me since 1999 and it is sad that he passed away last year. RIP J.P..

Inertia

My dad had a Lexus SV400 back when they came out and his bolster lasted maybe 90K miles. Lexus is known for soft leather that doesn't last long. Always pointed out to people that the stiffer/thicker leather that German cars used was superior because it lasted forever. Was really disappointed and worried when I saw the "Lexus" leather they used on the C63.

When it comes time for me to replace my bolster I will likely have an upholster swap out all the bolster leather with suede or alcantara. I hate it how I have to contort myself to avoid rubbing the bolsters when I get in/out of the car....

HBC350

They're not gonna replace a $3K seat when they can easily repair what he's got. Why not just lift the radiator cap and drive a new car under it?

eagle_lex

i wouldnt get too upset. they will fix it one way or another. no real need for an entire new chair. i know you dont want to hear that but seriously a new chair isnt going to really solve anything anyway. they will fix it back to OEM. if that doesnt satisfy you.... i would look around for a HIGH quality leather shop and have them done super nice. i know thats money out of your pocket but if it makes you happy its worth it in the end. i would let them fix it.... hope it doesnt happen again. if it does and the car is under warranty (or i think you might have recourse out of warranty since you brought it to their attention under warranty if it does the exact same thing) then have it replaced again. out of warranty id just upgrade the leather. just my advice. hope you dont wear yourself out over this. you have a great car. enjoy it.

black-clk500

totally sucks Zephyr--I think this is total BS for any car this soon, especially a MB AMG.
I guess it's okay that they just fix the leather and not replace the seat--I can see their point, but come on!

The seats are REALLY snug fit, I fit totally fine, but I know some family members might be riding in the back!

First thing I'm going to do when I get my car is program the memory seats as others have and yell at my passangers everytime they get in and out of the car

Good luck, I hope they make it like new and don't faack it up worse

propain

I bet ya I could get a new seat out of it.

What the dealer is going to do is get a third party in there. One that is not represented by MB to fix it. They wont even let MB know about it. It saves them time and labor.

Why not just forget about it HBC and just go home? Sounds like your a bit of a defeatist.

It all depends on how bad the damage is and how odd it looks. Yes, small wear here and there taking place long before its expected and they wont replace the seat. Cracking and ripping and tearing is another story. As long as the car owner isn't 350 lbs he should have no problem getting the seat replaced.

My opinion: Say to the dealer "I want a new seat or im calling MB USA". Trust me. You will get one. MB wants you happy. The dealer just wants you to go away with as little labor as possible.

ZephyrAMG

Thanks guys...Propain you sure? From what it sounded like, when I was sitting in his office he called the distribution center to ask whether they had my leather parts in and that ordering time. It didn't sound like a 3rd party. Who the hell is this regional guy to be calling the shots?! SEAT COMING APART = FIX. SIMPLE. I mean it doesn't take a geniouis to look and determine that, yeah, the seats are truly messed up...

He also said the tech there would fix it.

I mean, the guy was SERIOUSLY adamant about the fact they would NEVER change out the whole seat. Only the parts.

The funny thing is that the passenger seat is also showing signs that the leather is coming apart from the back frame...

Is there a tantrum just waiting to be unleashed at the dealership????

black-clk500

I would throw a fit and request new seats, whether that happens I think is doubtful, but you can bet I'd try--you can always "settle" for a fix, but you may as well ask for the moon!!

Honestly, MBUSA will probably not agree to a whole new seat, I think Propain is wishful to think that MBUSA really gives a crap, hopefully I'm wrong, but if you make enough of a fuss you might get it done.
But I'd be willing to bet they (MBUSA) wouldn't just roll over and say "yeah okay new seats"
You could threaten to sue, go public (who feels sympathy for a guy with a BenZ), tell them this is the last Benz you'll ever buy, etc.

If MBUSA decides to grant new seats, be prepared to wait a long time, they'll tell you they're coming from Germany, blah, bah, blah.

I had a dealership install the wrong xenon fixture on my CLK (it was a facelifted version) when the car was less than a year old, and I noticed it a couple weeks later that the two lights were slightly different and I had to go through MBUSA and it got done (dealer brushed me off), but it was a total pain in the aaasssss

Good luck--I'd try for the new seats and call MBUSA now, believe me the dealership doesn't fear them, it's all a circus

BTW make sure you write your mileage, to the tenths, down before you bring it in!

propain

Never is ever for sure. But from my experience ive been told many times "We have a leather guy" when pointing out flaws in my seats and asking them to be fixed.

Im curious how it turns out though. Like I said before, if it were me, I would demand a new seat or threaten calling MB USA. You have nothing to lose. The worst thing that could happen is they say no. I would rather have MB USA tell me no though. Not some dealership.

Quick story...

I had a Sony TV. It broke. Covered under warranty. PC Richards tech came to fix. He couldnt. Made it worse I thought. I flipped. Called PC Richards and told them I wanted a new TV. They said not a chance in hell.

I hung up and called Sony directly. 1 month later a brand new TV was delievered to my house.


Never hurts to ask. The people who stay quiet are the ones who get Fxxxed because they dont wanna **** people off and have anyone not like them. Im not really the type to flip about every small thing, but when its something big like your issue. I dont lay down easy.


Good luck bud.

propain

How did this all work out?

Dark_Knight

I had a leather repair on my M5, the regional service mgr had to look to authorize payment, they just slip a new cover over the seat a new seat would be overkill and theyd probably scuff you interior and scratch your door sills while doing it