Is upholstery cracking covered under warranty?

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Oct 5, 2020 | 08:55 PM
  #1  
Our E450 is less than 2 years old with 24000km on it and I took it in for service today and the leather on the driver seat was cracking.

here’s an image


Apparently according to my dealer it’s not covered under warranty and I’d have to pay to replace the seat myself. This seems slightly BS as I’ve had multiple BMW with upgraded leather seats which never got damaged even 5,6 years later. I mainly wear dress shirts which wouldn’t really cause this much damage to the leather even if I got in and out of the car.

I’ll likely be taking it to 2 or 3 other dealerships in a few days to get a second opinion.
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Oct 5, 2020 | 09:08 PM
  #2  
Quote: Our E450 is less than 2 years old with 24000km on it and I took it in for service today and the leather on the driver seat was cracking.

here’s an image


Apparently according to my dealer it’s not covered under warranty and I’d have to pay to replace the seat myself. This seems slightly BS as I’ve had multiple BMW with upgraded leather seats which never got damaged even 5,6 years later. I mainly wear dress shirts which wouldn’t really cause this much damage to the leather even if I got in and out of the car.

I’ll likely be taking it to 2 or 3 other dealerships in a few days to get a second opinion.
In my prior Mercedes I had stitching on the front seats that started to separate.

It was covered under the 4 year 48,000 mile warranty. The covering on the seats were replaced at no cost to me and I was given a loaner.

Hope this helps
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Oct 5, 2020 | 09:15 PM
  #3  
Quote: In my prior Mercedes I had stitching on the front seats that started to separate.

It was covered under the 4 year 48,000 mile warranty. The covering on the seats were replaced at no cost to me and I was given a loaner.

Hope this helps
This helps a lot, thanks! I’ll be taking it to another dealership sometime this week or next week. I’ll probably be changing my Mercedes dealership after this too since the service department at the dealer I purchased from has been pretty mediocre.
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Oct 6, 2020 | 10:47 PM
  #4  
An update : I showed photos to another dealership and they agreed that it should be covered under warranty and have ordered in the replacement seat. Honestly screw my current dealership. I’m going to email the service manager after the other dealership replaces the seat and likely find another dealer for when the lease ends in October 2021.
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Oct 6, 2020 | 10:50 PM
  #5  
error
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Oct 7, 2020 | 08:59 AM
  #6  
Quote: error
please explain. Thanks
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Oct 7, 2020 | 09:50 AM
  #7  
Glad it worked out, clearly it was performance issue and not owner induced. Cracking much different than wearing it out. I would copy MBUSA on the email. Too many dealer inconsistencies with regards to warranty standards. Reflects poorly on the brand.
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Oct 7, 2020 | 10:45 AM
  #8  
Quote: please explain. Thanks
Probably trying to post from a Windows PC.
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Oct 7, 2020 | 03:10 PM
  #9  
Quote: Glad it worked out, clearly it was performance issue and not owner induced. Cracking much different than wearing it out. I would copy MBUSA on the email. Too many dealer inconsistencies with regards to warranty standards. Reflects poorly on the brand.
Yep, definitely will be copying the email to MB Canada since my experience at this dealership gets worse each time I go.

One of my family members was interested in purchasing a GLE450 or GLS450 from them and they had marked up all the fees to almost $6000, including charging $5000 for freight and PDI and $695 for some BS safety and security fee. On top of that to make things even worse, they charge $89 for a "fuel recovery" fee. Basically to give you the vehicle with a full tank they charge you for that too, which is just petty when you're spending that much money.
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Oct 7, 2020 | 03:48 PM
  #10  
Quote: Yep, definitely will be copying the email to MB Canada since my experience at this dealership gets worse each time I go.

One of my family members was interested in purchasing a GLE450 or GLS450 from them and they had marked up all the fees to almost $6000, including charging $5000 for freight and PDI and $695 for some BS safety and security fee. On top of that to make things even worse, they charge $89 for a "fuel recovery" fee. Basically to give you the vehicle with a full tank they charge you for that too, which is just petty when you're spending that much money.
LOL!
Yep, kick that dealer through the goal posts of life.
Reply 1
Oct 7, 2020 | 04:04 PM
  #11  
Quote: Probably trying to post from a Windows PC.
He probably made a post in a wrong thread (in error).

BTW, Windows OS penetration worldwide is 77.12%, nearly 5 times the next closest, OSX at 17.5%. Not that it matters.
Reply 1
Oct 8, 2020 | 12:18 PM
  #12  
I had the same issue with my 2017 E300. It's got Nappa leather and the leather started peeling/flaking. I had the dealership re-dye the seats. But, it looks like the front seats are starting to crack. When I put pressure on the leather with a finger, you can see cracks. I conditioned the leather with Chemical Guys leather cleaner 3 times since I brought it a year ago. Should I contact my dealership about the issue again? This is ridiculous, I have a 2011 Toyota Sienna with leather seats and there's not a single crack or crease (family hauler). I have a 2009 BMW 3 Series and there's no cracks or creases in the seats. Mercedes needs to do a better job as a Luxury car brand with the materials they choose.
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Oct 8, 2020 | 02:32 PM
  #13  
Quote: I had the same issue with my 2017 E300. It's got Nappa leather and the leather started peeling/flaking. I had the dealership re-dye the seats. But, it looks like the front seats are starting to crack. When I put pressure on the leather with a finger, you can see cracks. I conditioned the leather with Chemical Guys leather cleaner 3 times since I brought it a year ago. Should I contact my dealership about the issue again? This is ridiculous, I have a 2011 Toyota Sienna with leather seats and there's not a single crack or crease (family hauler). I have a 2009 BMW 3 Series and there's no cracks or creases in the seats. Mercedes needs to do a better job as a Luxury car brand with the materials they choose.
Should be covered under the new car warranty. Usually not covered under any CPO or extended warranty.
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Oct 8, 2020 | 02:54 PM
  #14  
Quote: Should be covered under the new car warranty. Usually not covered under any CPO or extended warranty.


When I push my finger down on the rear seats or the back supports of the front seats it doesn’t show those cracked patterns like the bottom does/cushion area (where your Butt sits). So, down the road, the leather is going to start cracking worse. The picture is of the drives seat cushion.
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