newyorktoLA

My GL is really starting to **** me off. First, there are annoying creaking noises coming from the headrests and the seats whenever I get in and out of the car or whenever I drive over bumps. Second, my SIRIUS traffic service stopped working after the dealer replaced my COMAND Unit since earlier, the BT stopped working and replacing the hard drive did nothing. Moreover, my brakes quiver under my feet whenever I am stopped at a light. I also have a lovely clicking noise coming from my steering wheel whenever I turn it.

Thanks to your help, MBUSA has decided to investigate why my dealer is not fixing warrantable issues (I forwarded them some threads). Now, I wanted your response on what's going on with my MBTEX. On the drivers side, there is abnormal wear and tear. Do you think MBUSA will cover the issue? I have attached pictures. The bolster on the driver's seat closest to the door feels very stiff and doesn't feel like the rest of the seat at all. Dealer said they couldn't replace just the seat cushion, they would have to replace the whole seat.

Brocktoon

I must be blind. What am I looking at here? All I see are bagel crumbs. This is a four year old car, dude.

alx

There is nOthing wrong with your seats. At least looking at the pics I see nothing out of ordinary.

aeggroup

+1....

newyorktoLA

Ok, I uploaded some more pics. Do your seats look similar?
Picture: The left side shows the really stiff side and the right is the center of the seat. The grain patterns are also different. The one on the left (the hard and plastic-feeling surface) has separated grains while the right of the picture has the normal grain pattern.
Picture: The hard part of the seat (the left bolster on the drivers side)
Picture: The soft part of the seat (the middle of the drivers side)

See the difference?

MKW

It feels and looks like plastic of a toy football because it is ,faux pebble grain and all. Genuine leather ages with patina when well maintained. This fake stuff just ages, where the stamped grain just wears away in pressure points for some owners depending on their weight,width and type of clothing material, even the way they enter and sit down.
Had MBTex Pleather on my first MBZ three decades ago. Yuck then and still yuck now.

43221B

I think it is hard from the pictures for us to appreciate what you are talking about. To repeat, it doesn't matter if it is leather or MBTex, the side bolster is going to wear unevenly from the other seating surfaces. I have yet to see a car that doesn't show this. Also, the grain being different wouldn't bother me. If it were leather, it could look different too. Different cuts of leather sewn together will give you different grain patterns.

What have you (or whoever details your car) been applying to clean and/or protect the MBTex?

Having said all this, my GL is two years old and the only difference in my seats is the driver's seat side bolster has some wrinkles from entering/exiting. The wrinkles actually make it look and feel like leather. You would have a difficult time telling what my seats are made out of. I could actually say that they look better than they did when new. I don't really have a bias on the whole MBTex vs Leather debate although with kids, I don't worry much about the MBTex. They can spill their drinks or whatever and nothing seams to damage the stuff. Leave a bottle of milk dripping out slowly on leather seats and they will never be the same by next morning.

YYZ-E55

The MBTex (plastic) has taken on a polished look from entering/exiting the vehicle. Normal and to be expected from any vehicle - if it was genuine leather, it would have minor wrinkles instead.

newyorktoLA

Thanks guys for the input. Knowing that it happens naturally is a good thing. I'm just taken aback that it doesn't happen to any other seat in the car.
Anyways, I'm going to still go to the dealer and check out a few preowned 2010's to see if the same problem is there. I know that the ML loaner that I received once had over 40,000 miles and the MBTex had only wrinkles, not a polished look.

alx

this.

they all look like that.

you can make it all shiny with the proper product and this blend it all in... i wouldnt bother though...

mdadgar

Do you wear jeans a lot? Denim is surprisingly abrasive.

lkchris, let me save you the trouble: "That just shows how little you know about pants."

- Mark

newyorktoLA

I rarely wear jeans. I don't think I want to make the rest of the seat feel as bad as the bolster. I clean the car once a week with MB interior care and apply 303 Protectant once a month or so.

golfster

Do you use micro fiber towels on the MB Tex? The manual in my 212 suggests not to, and I asked but the service writer and a detailer why. They each suggested prolonged use creates shiny surfaces, almost as if polishing the pebble grain down a bit.

The pictures are too small to tell if that is what you are experiencing, but if so, you may try a mild solution of dish detergent and water followed by a wet towel wipe down without the vinyl proctectant to see if you can restore the more original matt finish.

newyorktoLA

I use microfiber on all of the seats in the car, even more extensively on the other seats, but I don't see similar wear on the other seats...
I tried following the instructions in the manual of washing with dishwashing detergent but still nothing. What's interesting is that with the microfiber, the grains are not being worn down, they are emerging even more so I can feel the individual grains with my finger. The surface is not smooth like the other parts of the seat. It is very uncomfortable to sit on the bolster; that is why I am trying to bring it up with my dealer.
Do any of you think that Lexol might work?