I know that this is a known issue and was covered under Mercedes warranty, back in the day. Unfortunately with my car being a 2019 AMG GTR, the days of warranty coverage are long gone.

My car is at a shop for a windshield replacement and with the windshield removed, I got a good look at the dash. Breaks my heart to see the leather bubbling like this on a $180k+ MSRP car.

I spoke to two local upholstery shops and they both suggested replacement. I’m super attentive to detail and a repair job will never look perfect.

Has anyone gone through this? Anything that I should be mindful of? Seems like a pretty large effort and I’m wondering if it’s worth the hassle. I know that with some repairs, it is impossible to reassemble everything back as it was from factory. Hoping that it is not the case with a dash replacement.

 

Oh no thats a bummer! Mercedes should fix that out of embarrassment but knowing them, they will say this is regular wear and tear!!

out of curiosity, is your car parked in the sun a lot or is this just a case of the glue giving up?

anyway, try this: https://mbworld.org/forums/s-class-w...on-repair.html

 

While the windshield is out, penetrate the bubble from the windshield side with a hypodermic needle and the proper super glue. Plenty of upholstery videos online. There also a recent thread on a leather bubble being repaired but in something perforated. Hitting it with a heat gun can also help but I would not do that until after gluing. Tip: before removing the needle from the leather, pull back on the plunger of the syringe so no glue drips, and immediate clean the area if you get glue on the leather. 91% iso immediately...but be careful with that around plastic. And if you use acetone, test it out before using it, as it depends on the leather finish, Nappa or coated, or synthetic.

 

I always keep it in a garage, even when I go out I park in a garage when its an option. Not sure how this happened. Maybe my car got used to being in CA and didn't like the weather and/or humidity change when I brought it over to DC?

Thanks for sharing the article. I wonder if its possible to do without perforations to insert the needle. Seems scary

 

gluck, let us know if you try the above solution and if it worked.

ps. Do you think the dash deteriorated quickly during the few months youve had it or maybe something missed during the initial purchase?

 

It has nothing to do with where the car is or anything youve done, but that the glue used is subpar. These cars and materials are supposed to be tested in extreme conditions representing the far north, to the desert. One would think that Mercedes understands leather shrinkage but perhaps thats why they continue to downgrade their materials is nearly every model to exclude high end finishes and quality leather. It's not as though we are talking about a car that is 30 years old so any excuses or comparisons to other brands that do this is really a moot point as it only exemplifies the current poor choices of other brands as well.

 

ironically i used to have a c63s coupe that was parked outside over 6 years in the sun and even though the brake caliper paint lost its shine, nothing ever happened to the leather and now here I am hoping that my gtr that is always garaged doesnt start showing this issue..

 

Alas, it has Nothing to do with Mercedes brand - this problem of Dash dehiscence/delamination and bubbling occurs in several other high end Vehicles/Makes, from Audi R8 (notorious), to certain Porsches, to Lambos, and even some Ferraris, etc etc

The common denominators appear to be smooth leather and adhesive failure over time, +/- accelerated failure from exposure to elements, etc

OP: If the localized repair via syringe needle + glue is unsatisfactory, another feasible and aesthetic solution is to cover dash instead with Alcantara, as previously and successfully done by other forum members here or on the Facebook group

GL, and let us know how it shakes it out!

 

I would say...if you love the car and plan to keep it long term, fix it the right way. I don't agree with your suggestion that it won't look perfect. A good auto upholsterer can make it look oem.
I've also seen someone post about using Alcantara to replace the leather to avoid future issues. He seemed happy with the result.
If/when mine needs to be replaced, I've already decided to send the dash in for reupholstery. This car checks all the boxes and is worth it.

 

I am able to find the dash for $4k ($2k discount off its $6k MSRP), but the shop where my car is will only take on the dash replacement job if they order the part themselves. On top of that, they’re quoting 8–10 hours of labor, which feels hard to justify.

I came across this video on YouTube, where they removed the dash without removing the windshield:
So maybe I don’t necessarily have to get it done now while the windshield is off.

 

yes, it has nothing to do with the Mercedes brand. That is why I said not compare it to other vehicles as a moot point because the other brands that make the same poor choices. Leather that is in conditioned spaces and kept well moisturized should never have these problems. I’d argue leather in a car parked outside should never have this issue for many many years. The issue is manufacture choice of adhesive likely due to regulatory issues and the amount they are pre stretching the leather. I stand by manufacturers knowing leather shrinks, as it has for hundreds or thousands of years and they are just cutting costs, creating cheap throw away vehicles. As another poster mentioned, older Mercedes did not frequently have this issue which is pervasive now.

 

any specific product recommendation? Ive had good experiences with leatherique

 

Just found this thread. I have a 2019 GTC that has a bubble by the gauge cluster area. Really hope it doesn’t spread. Maybe we write to Mercedes Benz - I’m down to start an email chain until they buckle lol

 

I just went through the process.

Basically you need to call Mercedes Customer Service and let them know about the bubble issue (manufacturing defect). Request for a good faith or good will warranty repair. They will open a case and give you a ticket number. Then you contact your local dealership and give them the ticket number and have them write an RO for the part + labor to repair it.

Once you have that, you contact customer care again and provide them the information. They will submit it for review. They take into consideration the number of owners, mileage, and age of the car.

For me, I only got $1500 out of them. The RO to repair the car was like $9k. It wasn’t worth it so I didn’t move forward with the repair.

 

That’s ridiculous. I mean it wouldn’t make me walk away from the car given how great the platform is. But it’s a shame they’re not willing to support a pretty glaring manufacturing defect - I call it a defect because it should not be doing that after only 6-7 years. What did you end up doing? Or are you just going to live with it?

 

I’ll have to see how bad it is this winter. It was really bad over this summer, but is not as noticeable now that it’s colder.

I’m able to get the part for ~$4.1k shipped from a local dealership. My dealership quoted $3.6k (12 hours) for labor. Would be around $6.6k if I decide to move forward. I’m thinking about it.

 

That’s steep, not sure I’d go that route. Id put a cover over it, and use the savings to upgrade or fund more track days lol

 

Unfortunately this is very common in cars with full leather dashes. It's not just a Mercedes or GT thing. Some people have had luck injecting the dash with a leather glue. May be worth a try since yours is still small.
There are many videos on YouTube.

 

Is the bubbling only on the airbag? It’s difficult to see in the picture.

 

It was a less common thing to see on Mercedes in years past. This has really mostly spawned up on cars from 2015 and newer…. while many other brands have always had these issues. That’s where the disappointment with Mercedes lies.

 

From what I understand it can come from 2 things...leathers natural inclination to shrink with heat and/or glue that isn't strong enough.
Vette with full leather dashes are notorious for it. But I've also seen people complain with Ferarri's, Audi's, Jeeps, Rams.
I avoided the 3LZ package in both my C7's because it scared me so much.

 

Yes, and the general quality of leather has gone down over the past decade. Mercedes, now more-so is especially hard hit with the war in Ukraine where much of the highest end leather came from.

I don’t know that we’ve ever heard of any W212E 63 leather dashboards having issues like these newer models.

This coupled with inferior glues due to environmental restrictions means inferior leather that shrinks more due to not having a stable base.

Add in a bean counter and the pattern is cut with only the thinnest margins to wrap, so it pulled just a bit to tight instead of being under less stress.

and lastly,modern coated leathers don’t take in conditioners very well so are hard to maintain to not shrink

which all means the manufacturers should take all of this into consideration and actually care about the quality of the car in 10 or 20 years down the road or even just five years down the road for a garage car and a mild climate that sees little use…

 

All true and valid points!

 

I had two R8’s, both 2017 and one of them had this issue. But Audi recently sent out letters to owners for a good will repair at no cost even if the car is out of warranty. My local dealer didn’t flinch and replaced it the same week I brought the letter in.
Hoping Mercedes eventually does the same but not holding my breath either.

I’ve seen numerous newer Ferraris and Aston Martins with the same issue.