GLK63AMG

Hi Guys,

Anyone have any issues with MB-Tex cracking on the bottom portion of the seat? I noticed my '15 GLK with 30k miles is showing some cracks on the outer portion of the seat. I know wear and tear items are not normally covered, but being the car is still under factory warranty and was a CPO car that this seems to be a bit pre-mature. The car is garage kept and in a parking garage while at work and has tinted windows. I don't think it would be a UV issue, but wondering others experience and luck with getting MB to cover this. I had quite an ordeal with dealer to have warped rotors replaced after only 6k miles so I envision another battle here. I also clean the seats with warm water and Murphys oil soap on a bi-weekly basis. Thanks for your help.

GLK63AMG

Photo of seat

NYCGLK

Plenty of this happening on E, C etc. Not only that but also the stitching comes apart. I heard people had tough time getting this covered under warranty (as this is wear and tear..no pun intended).
Semi good news is that MB sells the cover that can be replaced (200ish bucks) and it should be DIYable. Going to try over the winter.

Adam H

TPete19

Mercedes sells the bottom seat cover (replacement of just the MB-Tex, not foam) for $400+. You can find it for about $200 on the other OEM parts resellers online.

It's a very easy job to do. There's already s DIY on here somewhere.

DJSC

Mine is cracking also. And I was told sorry cant help you. 2015 GLA 43k miles. Jumped through hoops of making it CPO when we bought out our lease. Still under warranty. Was told this was a better product then leather when we ordered the car. What a piece of junk.

andreigbs

This is the 3rd time in as many weeks that this has come up. The MB-Tex is not as durable as leather, and not as comfy either. It just looks like it enough that it passes as standard equipment for a luxury brand.

Unless my eyes deceive me, I'd say that's beige? If so, part # 204-910-79-46-64-8P26 costs $240 here. There's a 10% off code as well.

For other years/models' seat parts, input your specific vehicle, then go to "Body," then "Front Seat Components."

All the best!

iewoals

So anyone have suggestions on how to remove the seat heater connector when replacing the seat cover? I bought the seat cover but can't get the connector to release on the existing seat cover. I could splice wires but would rather see if anyone has suggestions on how to disconnect the wiring connector/harness first.




Thanks.

morgan1632

I have a 2015 C300. MB-Tex is garbage as mine was cracking @ 31K miles. How do they justify making this crap rather than putting in a fabric or real leather that will last much longer than this stuff.

fabbrisd1

Replaceable under New Car Warranty - if under CPO warranty dealer can submit for coverage - if tuned down by MB USA CPO - then call MB Customer Care and push for MB USA for CPO approval

Cordovian

The MB Tex on the drivers seat outer bolster of my 2020 SLC has a one inch crack in it. I only have 6,400 miles on the car and it too is garaged at home and work. Wonder if they'll cover this one under warranty? I certainly don't want to have to DIY fix a seat on a six month old car.

TPete19

I've never heard of MB Tex failing that quickly. But I would imagine that it would be covered unless it is damage that was caused by a puncture.

Be prepared for a "normal wear and tear" excuse. If you take it back to the dealership from which you bought/leased it, they should treat you right.

Silver Shadow

My driver seat bottom left bolster had 3 large cracks when I bought it at 125,000 km. I had an upholstery guy fix it. He said to just replace it because it will crack again. Well 8 months later it did but in a slightly different spot.
I'm disappointed that MB uses such cheap, cold, poor quality material. In the winter they are the coldest seats I can remember and it takes a while for the seat heaters to warm them up.

andreigbs

Yes, MB-tex pretty much sucks. They've improved it slightly over the years, but it's like polishing a turd.

I'd recommend buying a replacement seat cover but in leather. The seat cover is a separate piece and it's the part that gets the most wear. Replace it once and you should be good.

jehousto

My 2020 GLE is less than 2 years old and the drivers seat is cracking. Keep in mind it has been hardly driven during the pandemic. It is garage kept so it is not sun damage. The dealer said MB Tex was as good as leather. I hope they take care of this under warranty. But do they crack again in 18 months when it is out of warranty?

This could be my first and last Mercedes.

Mmr1

I have never seen as crappy a seat covering as mb Tex. It’s junk. Mine also cracked after 50000 and 3. Years. My 1954 Buick still hasn’t cracked !

arocarty

Have owned a few MB cars with MB tex that were 6 - 12 years old, and have had very good experience, all held up with no cracking, looked almost new with minimal wear. Leather can also be prone to cracking - my previous BMW X3 with Dakota leather, had cracks on the driver-side left bolster after less than 3 years. It tends to be a pretty stiff leather... I was able to get the dealership to replace it without any hassle while still under factory warranty. In my view, most of this is due to how people get in and especially exit out of their seat - most people will sort of swivel when getting out of the seat with most of their weight bearing down on the outer side bolster, putting all sorts of twisting forces and other stress on the cover and underlying foam. I'm an average height man, just a tad over 200 lbs, so I have the potential to put 200 lbs weight squarely on the side bolster and twisting it, over, and over, and over again, for years. I'd bet even much lesser amounts can put a lot of forces on it, which, over time, can potentially cause excessive wear or cracks. Most used cars will show this wear, with crinkling and wrinkling, and various amounts of worn down underpadding on that outer side bolster. I don't believe car makers design that part of the seat with any of that in mind... leaving it vulnerable to that kind of wear. Maybe they should go back to good old bench seats?! Years ago I changed how I get out of my driver or passenger seat. I grasp the roof or windshield frame somewhere, and slightly lift myself out, putting little or no weight on the side bolster with my butt or thigh. Has been a very effective strategy at preserving my seats to look almost new after many years.

slmskrs

I wish!! I bought a replacement seat bottom cover (parts are leather). They had a video on how to do the replacement, but never showed how they unplugged the seat heater connection. I spent way too much time trying to disconnect the two ends, and finally gave up and just cut out the connector. I replaced it with a two-wire trailer connector (and soldered the splices). However, the bottom doesn't heat any more. I don't think it has anything to do with the connector; I think it is from all of the tugging, yanking, stretching I did trying to get the new cover over the foam. That was NOT fun (and I never actually got it completely in--gave up and taped it where you can't see it).

I checked the seat resistance and there was resistance (I don't remember how many ohms). I wanted to unplug the passenger cushion to compare resistance, but I would run into the same issue disconnecting the stock connector. But at least with that cushion, I wouldn't be tugging on the cushion so wouldn't possibly damage the element of that seat so could measure it, put in the same trailer connector, and know for sure if it was the element that died during the seat cover battle.

Also, I installed seat heating elements in my tournament water ski boat, but the way the MB cover is attached, there's no way one of those OEM heating elements would fit/work. So I suspect I just won't have seat bottom heating (back works fine). Winter is over so don't need it much (especially since I'm in California....

slmskrs

Oh, and while it does have leather, it looks very close to the original (black). You have to look close to see a slight difference in the area with the 'vent' holes. Glad I did it since that junk they use is bad news.

Silver Shadow

Is this the one you bought? Richmond Upholstery

slmskrs

Yup. Looks good. Their video wasn't good; it didn't show getting the cover over the edges. Took a number of emails and an additional 10 second video. But it was extremely tight (understandable). I think it should have had a little more material around the sides. But it still looks great.

bmwstephen

anyone have the part number for black upholstery for 2013+?

andreigbs

Try this site and I think it's part # 204-910-79-46-9D88 for black.

Double-check though, to be sure.

slmskrs

I purchased mine from Richmond Upholstery. This is what I ordered for my 2013:

2008-2015 Mercedes-Benz GLK250 GLK350 Leather Seat: Driver Bottom, Black (#MBZGLK0815DBBLP)

Note: They also said this: To ensure you receive the correct replacement seat cover for your vehicle, please email us a PHOTO of your seat, please be sure to include your full name in the email. The reason we ask for a photo is due to there being 3 different seat styles manufactured for your vehicle and we want to ensure you receive the correct seat without any issues.

bmwstephen

and you had no issues with matching the color, grain, texture pattern with the factory seats?

only reason I hesitate with aftermarket and would pursue oem/dealer source is that I come from BMW world and I swear the replacement leather or leatherette skins never match up to oem.