matman167

so I purchased my first Mercedes today . It's a 2011 E369 Wagon. It's beautiful but The only flaw is the seam on the seat ( driver side) is coming apart. I read this is common so my question is how do I go about getting this fixed without paying a crazy amount of money . Any advice would be greatly appreciated

KEY08

Have you viewed the other long threads on this issue here? There some solutions, but they are not without significant cost. It is impossible to try and restich plastic. Replacement of the seat cover seems to be your only option.

matman167

I have not . I assumed there's some I just didn't search yet . Apologies if it's a redundant question

KEY08

No, no, not trying to be flippant. It is a problem for many owners and just search ripped MBtex and you will find other stories.

Airmousam

https://mbworld.org/forums/e-class-w...at-ripped.html

cetialpha5

Yeah, many threads about it.

I think it's about $241 for the OEM seat cover mail order and then maybe around $150 or so from a custom upholstery shop to replace it unless you want to DIY.

https://mbworld.org/forums/e-class-w...-ripped-2.html

matman167

Where do you order the seat cover ? Any suggestions on a site ?

Diesel #2

You have a E 369 ? Is that the limited edition supercharged twin turbo V12 model ?

cetialpha5

There's two places, either www.oediscountparts.com for free shipping or genuinemercedesparts.com which has low prices on shipping, might be cheaper if you need a couple items like the seat heater and the connector if you have dynamic seats. Otherwise oediscountparts if you just need the seat cover.

matman167

Diesel lol, damn auto correct on my phone . E350 I meant. Thank you tons Cetialpha5 !

IgorE350

Id advise you not to order the same garbage from the dealer, it will ripp in no time, you better off fint a good upholstery shop and get the middle part replaced with genuine leather that will less a long time.
If you want to do DIY and you can take the seat cover off and send it to me i can do it for you, for a reasonable price. JUst did mine

cetialpha5

I think they're still using that same part number in newer cars. There was another thread that said that MB fixed the problem with the stitching. If you get it done at an MB dealer, you get a 1 year 12k warranty with any repair. But others mentioned that they charge 3 hours of labor and at the $150-$200 rate, that's anywhere from $450-$600 in labor.

IgorE350

Im sure its the same tex, and yes it will withstand 1 year 12k. usually they start ripping around 30k miles.
For $600 i will do 2 front seats, and it will be real leather and will feel and look better, for sure will less life of the car, if you dont abuse it and take care of it.

matman167

Thank you all. I am going to call a place in NJ tomorrow. its the closest one that seems legit and has great reviews

Kevin Park

if you have warranty, it covers, if you don't it is about $300 parts price and $100 labor from dealer.

matman167

Thank you all. I am going to look into how much it would be to get an actual leather seat cover since this MB tex is a flawed design

cetialpha5

It'd be an aftermarket leather seat cover. I don't think MB made a leather seat cover in the same color. Plus the stitching is in a different direction which is how you can tell if it's leather or MB-Tex. MB-Tex is horizontal, leather is vertical. There were some other threads that said that initially they were replacing seat covers a few times but the last time they said they fixed the problem. This wasn't a problem with the W211 line so it's not like it's a common problem. So if you just do the driver's seat, your passenger seat isn't going to match. And let me know if you get a quote for $100 from the dealer, others who mentioned said they wanted 3 hours of labor. My dealer price ranges from $150-$200 an hour so I really doubt they'd do it for $100 even if it only took an hour.

davidjohnbamber

Good luck with your visit to a local upholstery shop. In the long run you will probably be better off replacing the cover with another OEM seat cover. When I traded my 2014 E350 with 40k the seats showed no appreciable wear. M-B Tex being a synthetic material makes me wonder if UV exposure might affect its life.

matman167

Yeah you're right. I called an upholstery auto shop that's somewhat local to me and they quoted around $150-$200 for the labor. I found a brand-new OEM seat cover for $246. It was a site someone gave me hear. I don't want to spend an arm and a leg replacing both front seats with leather just to have them match. If I had the extra money, I'd do it no problem. The rest of the seating in the car is in great shape .

cetialpha5

Oh, I also hope you tried out the seat heater. That's also a common failure item.

matman167

Yea they both work. The driver side actuslly takes a little bit to heat up. If does go out . Is the part expensive to get the correct part and fix ?

cetialpha5

It's about $112 for the bottom seat heater. There's multiple pieces, the rear seat back and then in the cushions next to the seat and the seat bottom itself. It's usually the seat bottom itself that goes out and it's right under the seat cushion. If you're getting the cushion done, you mind as well get it done the same time. If it takes a while, it's could be the sides you're feeling not the bottom.