Has anyone else had the leather on the door armrest go rippled? I remember seeing this on a car in around 2016 that I went to look at with my father (so car would have been max 4 years old).

Mine that i aquired last month is a 2013 SL63 with 36k miles that has always been garaged in the UK (so no extreme temperatures). My car has the exclusive leather so has the alcantara headliner.


Thanks,
Sam

 

Usually that type of damage is moisture related, at least for those arm pads. I believe the UK gets just a little bit of rain
Unless it's the picture, looks like the whole panel might be having glue issues. That's a bummer though.

 

Same interior and same problem on my 2013 SL63 here in California (only driver side). Haven’t found a good fix for it yet.

 

Just buy a new armrest and be done with it. The cost for a new one is less than $300 for exclusive Nappa and less than $200 for regular leather (online pricing) and you just need some DIY skills or someone to do it for you with the door panel removal (which is quite easy). These cars are now 10 years old and wear and tear is normal.

Here is a part number for the driver arm rest in exclusive leather black (231-720-03-95-9E38) although this is only for the US, not the RHD UK version. Also the number will be different due to the porcelain piping. Just call an MB dealer and ask for the part number using your VIN and their price. You can then check for a lower online price.

 

Definitely would love to just get the new part. Been having trouble getting the one with the porcelain piping. Maybe I’ll harass my local MB dealer to do better.

 

It'll be easy. The VIN will take care of the right part no. We used to have the Porcelain White/Black interior in two of our SL's. My favorite
Quick pic of our first one...

 

Same interior on my SL63! Will report back after I head down to the dealer.

any tips on keeping the seatbelts clean? I feel like they have permanent dirt on them.

 

Unfortunately you'll find many parts of that porcelain interior are already discontinued. Hopefully thats not the case for those armrests. I haven't checked, but I know seats are an issue.....
Problem with those online sites is they rarely reflect correct availability status.



Easy to clean and they'll look like new:

I unclip them from the bottom of the seat, and extend the seatbelt ALL the way out. They extend out pretty far.
Once fully extended I use a flat clip where they enter in the rear side panel to block it from retracting. But you'll have to get creative here. Be careful NOT to let the seatbelt retract all the way with it unclipped front the seat!!! You may not be able to extend it once it locks fully retracted.

I use a small bucket with some mild laundry detergent. You can just put the whole safety belt in the bucket and clean it. I usually do it by hand, but sometimes will use a soft brush for stubborn areas. Clean them until you get the dirt out or are satisfied wit the results. (you may have to repeat the process if they're real bad).

Empty the bucket, and fill with warm water to rinse. Just make sure to get all of the soap out of the safety belt thoroughly. I use air and a bath towel initially to get most of the water out. then let it dry fully extended overnight (or as long as necessary). You can use just a towel if you don't have a compressor, it will just take more time to dry.
Make sure the belt is fully dry before retracting as you don't want any possibility of mold in there. Reassemble, and they should look like new.

Now I've heard all kinds of internet nonsense about how this will weaken the belt, but oils from skin and other contaminants +UV exposure are much more corrosive than any thing that will come about from cleaning with a mild detergent. If anything, it should preserve the webbing. Just don't use any crazy chemicals.
Technically, belt webbings in race cars expire after a set time anyways, I think its 5-7 years or so.....

I like that color too 😀

 

I have a little bit of "ripple" in my door armrests as well, 2013 SL with 18,000 miles. I actually thought it was supposed to be that way. To me it looks like leather. I like to keep my car as nice as is reasonably possible for its age...I hope this doesn't make me start looking at it as something that needs to be fixed.

 

My friend is the original owner of his car. His armrests also look like that. They were perfect until one day, his car caught a little rain while he had his top down. His armrests looked like that by the end of the week

 

This is an interesting question. In Europe, due to EU regulations, car manufacturers have to offer spare parts for a minimum of 7 years after production has ended. Trim pieces are more difficult to obtain but should follow the same guidelines. Lead times can be impacted though...

 

Sweaty arm or arm with sunscreen etc?

 

Score. Local dealer was able to source it for $400. Supposed to show up in a few days. Will post pics once installed.