BelaMeca

Mine are not doing that well....

The Drivers side developed cracks as if the seats are 10 years old.I am talking about the side bolster.

The Passanger side has chips on the side bolster from getting in and out.
And please before you say anything about the clothing,that is not it.

I strongly believe that the seats are very bad quality,they can not wear out this fast.Im talking 4 Months since Delivery and only 4000 Miles!

Mercedes said by first claim NO they will not replace the cover,and by second time they approved but said that later by inspection if the inspection shows that it is due to abusive use they will charge 1100 bucks for the seat cover.

What are your opinions.

Btw.i went to the shop multiple times because the seat was squeeking and crackling....

vic viper

What seats do you have?

Remember that the W213 Sport side bolsters are protruding more than any other non AMG model Ive seen.
You also have some responsibility to enter and exit the car without chafing it too much.

I try to avoid rubbing as much as possible during entering and exiting to keep my seats pristine.

ADD0514

First, our physical characteristics and driving position are all different, the issue you have might not be a common one. I have the same problem with my seat bolster and started a thread about it on this forum - Frayed stitching and leather surface on the side bolster. I'm resorting to moving the seat backward upon exiting the car.

c4004matic

Biggest question, leather or MB tex? Im not sold on MB pleather crap. It may look like the real thing but its still glorified vinyl.

petee1997

I don't have MB tex on my present cars but have had it on previous cars. That stuff wears well. It does not show wear like leather.

Mbracer26

Had a luxury loaner with mbtex and the drivers seats stitching was coming apart on the upper left corner, the car had about 6k miles on it. Quality lower then a Honda. Just a car with a brand name.

jamesmhood

We have owned 4 Mercedes with MBTex. We also have 2 Portuguese Water Dogs. The dogs are with us close to 100 percent of the time.
I estimate the mileage on the 4 cars is in excess of 350,000.
The MBTex did not scratch, tear, or separate at the seams.
In my opinion MBTex is an excellent product. It does not look or feel as rich as leather, but it is more durable.
We ordered a 2017 wagon with MBTex.

teksurv

I've now ordered Tex on two Mercedes cars. It is vinyl, but I prefer it. My wife's SLK is "proper' leather. She recently said she'd rather have Tex.

Having driven a 213 loaner for several days, I agree with Vic. The side bolsters, on a sedan, are large. <-- I hated them. But the material, surface or stitching should not be an issue at this early junction. Do what you can with your dealer, otherwise try MB corporate in your country.

joshg1001

MBTex is awesome and I would have gotten it if they did the same stitching pattern on it as the leather. It feels pretty much like MB Leather. MB leather is not the softest and is quite rough in comparison to some of the japanese carmakers and the tex comes pretty close to it. Ever since they started doing full double stitching on the tex, MB has answered my prayers. No maintenance what so ever and it looks just as good at 100 miles as it does when new.

ua549

MB Tex is for taxis. I hate the smell of vinyl upholstery like MB Tex. It is quite rough when compared to nappa leather or the designo exclusive nappa leather.

Dashoto

Regardless of what clothing you wear or how you get in and out, the seats should hold up to the wear and tear. I'd bring the matter up with the dealer. Sounds like a material defect.

superangrypenguin

I'd say the MBTex on my car has lasted better then the nappa leather on my folk's S class. Both equally well treated, but both not equally well loved...anyways, I actually prefer the durability of the MBTex vs real leather (from a durability standpoint ONLY)

teksurv

Lest we forget that the E Class IS a taxi in many parts of Europe, but the choice of materials offered is not lost on me.

Bobby4919

My E300 is 2.5 months old.... 2300 miles, and the drivers bolster is already showing wear! I'm very meticulous getting in the car since I had an Infiniti that wore through in the same spot, but only after about 10 years! I even back into the car, sitting on the seat first, then pulling my legs in. I look like an old man getting in the thing but I thought it might help the wear on the bolster. Evidently not

My E300 has a leather interior.

mbchris

Here are my personal preferences:

Lease or own up to 3 years - leather
3 years+ - Vinyl

For me, the thing that wears out quickest in the car is the leather upholstery. And I prefer the car to age consistently over the benefits of leather. Heck, if you get the non-nappa lower grades of leather, they aren't even that much more suppler than vinyl.

cetialpha5

You guys should check out the W212 forum. Mb-Tex used to be good in the W211, but it started to rip in the W212, probably early 2010-2012 or 2013. They seemed to fix that problem afterwards, but it's hard to say if it's starting up again or if this is just an isolated incident. Got the infamous rip in my driver's seat too. I think MB dealers were quoting $600+ to replace it but I can order the seat cover online for around $250 and a local upholstery shop wanted $150 to replace it.

joshg1001

My 8 year old 2009 W204 also had a crack and rip on the side bolster for MBtex. I was disappointed but it faired better than any leather would be able to.

superangrypenguin

Curious. Do you guys treat/care for your MBTex the same you do for leather? I do - and it's lived up really well. Barely any creases too in the 'pleather'.

C280 Sport

Really? I have 255,000 miles on my C Class and the MB tex still looks amazing for its age and miles... Again everyone trashes loaners.

Mbracer26

Ive had alot of loaners and none with seat stiching issue that was described here. that cars seat issue went inline with what people described here. Ive had benzes since 2000 and never had a issue with the stitching coming apart or the fake leather, always in brand new condition even after 18yrs on my 2000 s500(real leather).

ua549

I've had MB's since 1959 some of which I kept for well over 10 years and 100k+miles with no issues with the leather or stitching. I bought a 300d with MBtex that I quickly sold because of the vinyl odor did not go away.