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      05-21-2007, 08:53 AM   #1
stobbie
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Drivers Leather Seat Wearing

Greetings,

It’s a shame I have to start my first post off on a negative note, but I need some help. I'm the proud leaser of a new Z4 2.5SI with leather. I've "owned" the car from new since October 2006 and it has now done just over 5000 miles. Unfortunately, the driver’s seat bolster has started to wear quite badly (sorry no photos yet). I was dismayed to notice such a lot of wear in only using the car for such a short space of time. I'm not a particularly big guy, nor am I disabled, so getting in and out of the vehicle isn't a problem. Anyway, I took the car to my local BMW dealer on the first of May and was informed that they would need to arrange for a specialist to come and view the car. That viewing took place this morning and so far this is not very positive news. The expert has stated that the wear to the seat is “entry and exit wear” and that they are unlikely to replace this under warranty as I will be back with the same issue in another six months. While I agree that it certainly is entry and exit wear I don’t think that given the newness of the vehicle that this is really acceptable. I am particularly worried what the seat will look like in another 6 months! Anyway, can anyone offer any advice on what to do next? Is BMW customer relations worth a shot? Has anyone reported any similar problems? I seem to remember reading somewhere online when I was researching getting the Z4 but I cannot find any posts on this subject at all. Any help or advise would be appreciated.
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      05-21-2007, 09:31 AM   #2
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Hmm...this is a tough one. You should definitely fight this one. Threaten to contact the head office if necessary. There was an issue with the //M roadster where the back of the headrest was rubbing against the area behind the seat & causing undue wear and even a hole. Some of the z4um members were having this issue (feel free to chime in) and they were able to have it replaced once for free and told by the stealers that if it happened again, they would be charged for it. Even though this was a known problem.

For your case, if you raise a big enough stink about it, I think they'll change it out for you. But you should try to figure out why your seats are wearing out so fast. Have you had this problem with previous cars?

Possible contributors:
- jeans or other harsh pants
- check your pants and shirts/jackets for attachments, buttons, zippers, etc. that may be rubbing or scraping against the seats every time you get out

Whenever I get out of the Zed, I put my legs out first, and then put my right hand on the seat to help lift me out of it to minimize friction. :rocks:
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      05-21-2007, 10:05 PM   #3
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takedown: I do similar preventative measures.

Not blaming you at all stobbie. You must be very frustrated. Do not give up. Persistance pays with BMW. Have you contacted BMWNA? Try to remember though that kindness goes a long, LONG way and you are very likely to get your way if you are persistant and patient.

I do remember some Z4um members having issues...but I just can't recall exactly...stobbie, can you post some pictures?
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      05-21-2007, 11:13 PM   #4
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Gotta agree - pictures might help us see what is going on here.
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      05-21-2007, 11:58 PM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by fire-n-ice View Post
...Have you contacted BMWNA?
The guy's from the UK. Anyway, there should be BMW Customer Relations that you can contact there who will be able to give you a more definitive answer. Just get whatever they say in writing so that you can support your case against the dealership.

BTW, if you're leasing the vehicle, at least you don't have to worry about the long term when you give it back to them.

Welcome to the forums!
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      05-22-2007, 03:11 AM   #6
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Thanks all for your supportive comments so far.

@takedown8 - The Z4 is the fourth car I've had with leather (Mazda 323, Peugeot 206, Mazda ZX8) and I never had any problem with any previous car. As you will note the Z4 is by far the most expensive vehicle here! 80-90% of my journeys in the car are work related and I wear a cotton suit which should not under any circumstances cause wear to the seats. I do wear jeans occasionally and this must be the problem. However at an estimated 500 – 800 miles driving the car with such clothing this seems rather excessive wear. I also get out of the car as you describe.

@fire-n-ice – It is rather unfortunate that the z4um seems to have vanished. The more I think about it the more I seem to remember this was the place where I read about others with a similar problem.

@Rick Hunter – I am slightly worried about the leasing thing actually. I always look after my cars, washing and waxing them on a regular basis (well if the north east UK weather permits). I would not wish to find myself caught in the middle of a legal battle between the leasing company and BMW. On this note do you think I should inform the leasing company once I have a decision formally in writing from BMW?

@all - I will post photos this evening. Does anyone have any contact is BMW UK customer relations?

Cheers

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      05-22-2007, 11:03 AM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by stobbie View Post
Thanks all for your supportive comments so far.

@takedown8 - The Z4 is the fourth car I've had with leather (Mazda 323, Peugeot 206, Mazda ZX8) and I never had any problem with any previous car. .........

Cheers

Stobbie
This a common issue on many cars and is often related to the size of the bolsters.
I drove a fairly new MB SLK320 that had absolutely terrible bolster wear (drivers exit side only)
It had optional sport seats with large(ish) bolsters.

From your list I would suspect the Z has larger bolsters than the others.

If you can get them replaced that would be great,
but to avoild the same thing happening again, I suspect you'll have to modify your entry/egress technique.
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      05-22-2007, 11:19 AM   #8
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I had a jacket that had a metal loop on the back for cinching the back, and it scratched my seat a couple of times.

We'll wait for your pics.
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      05-22-2007, 03:08 PM   #9
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The problem I've got with my Zed is not so much with the leather, but with the cushioning. After 6000 miles, the seats aren't as firm as when it was new. Obviously, this is normal, but I wish BMW used even firmer cushions...

I particularly noticed the difference when I sat in my passenger seat (which only gets 1/10th of the attention compared to the driver's seat).
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      05-22-2007, 03:11 PM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Rick Hunter View Post
The problem I've got with my Zed is not so much with the leather, but with the cushioning. After 6000 miles, the seats aren't as firm as when it was new. Obviously, this is normal, but I wish BMW used even firmer cushions...

I particularly noticed the difference when I sat in my passenger seat (which only gets 1/10th of the attention compared to the driver's seat).
That ain't normal dude..
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      05-22-2007, 03:23 PM   #11
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Yeah...firmer...are you crazy?

Stobbie, do you park it outside at all? UV damage can be as harmful as clothing at times. Leather conditioning is a good preventative, but I haven't noticed any unreasonable wear on my ///M seats through 7300 miles.
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      05-22-2007, 09:16 PM   #12
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stobbie....I have the same issue going on (to a bit of a lesser degree) with the bolster wearing and have spoken to a few other owners with the same problem. Seems the leather used in the Z4's just doesn't wear well. Others have complained to their BMW dealer and some have had the leather dyed, others have managed to have to seat replaced (but that was very rare). I think it might just be something we have to live/deal with

In short...you're not alone.
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      05-25-2007, 09:32 PM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by stobbie View Post
Greetings,

It’s a shame I have to start my first post off on a negative note, but I need some help. I'm the proud leaser of a new Z4 2.5SI with leather. I've "owned" the car from new since October 2006 and it has now done just over 5000 miles. ...The expert has stated that the wear to the seat is “entry and exit wear” and that they are unlikely to replace this under warranty as I will be back with the same issue in another six months.
At 5,000 miles, this would be my reply:

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      05-26-2007, 08:55 AM   #14
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This came up frequently on Z4UM. There was even a few posts by someone who worked for the company that provides the leather for BMW. Fortunately, after 13,000 miles, I have yet to see any wear problems (but I do check frequently). However, I think I am one of the "lucky" ones.

The bottom line is that this should not be considered acceptable. I have used and abused leather seating in other cars without worrying about what kind of pants I am wearing and have never seen any appreciable wear. Keep after them and I believe that they will replace the leather seat cover - they will only do this once though.
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      05-26-2007, 02:16 PM   #15
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Where the heck are those pics, stobbie?
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      05-27-2007, 01:04 PM   #16
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Quote:
Originally Posted by takedown8 View Post
Hmm...this is a tough one. You should definitely fight this one. Threaten to contact the head office if necessary. There was an issue with the //M roadster where the back of the headrest was rubbing against the area behind the seat & causing undue wear and even a hole. Some of the z4um members were having this issue (feel free to chime in) and they were able to have it replaced once for free and told by the stealers that if it happened again, they would be charged for it. Even though this was a known problem.:rocks:
Takedown is right - I was one of those people who had a hole rubbed into the back of the headrest. The stealer replaced mine but told me that it was a one time deal. It was a "specialist" dude who made the declaration that it would only be a one time deal, but the stealer was cool about it.

As for the seat wear, my 07 manual indicates specifically that seats are not covered for signs of wear. I could see a group of people getting together and possibly forcing the issue, but unfortunately don't think a one-off complaint to BMW would do much good but I wish you all the luck in getting them to do anything about it. It's impossible to get in and out of the car without some rubbing on the driver's left side of the seat, even for someone my size (5' even).

Best of luck!
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      05-27-2007, 01:32 PM   #17
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In regards to the leather wearing from entry and exit, you may want to try this:
http://www.leatherworldtech.com/Auto....aspx?make=BMW

Side bolsters tend to wear if you wear jeans or other abrasive material that scrape across the leather when getting in and out of your car. I have heard of a few people using a dye to touch-up the leather with good results, but then again, your results may vary.

Cheers!
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      05-27-2007, 07:58 PM   #18
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I had this on an old TVR. That had very aggressive bolsters which were quite big and as such were hard to avoid when getting in and out.

I noticed the other day on the Z4 that if I'm lazy getting in and out and just fall into the seat, that I'm rubbing the leather quite a bit with my jeans etc, and it wouldn't take long to wear it away like on my old car. So i've started taking a lot more care. I would hope that BMW might be a bit more generous with their warranty, especially considering the age and mileage of your car. I know that TVR wouldn't have anything to do with it, but getting anything out of them is like getting blood from a stone!

Keep at them, and you may get some joy. But if you do get replacements, then I would just take more care getting in and out of the car. It's very easy to brush against the bolsters in these cars and leather is only so strong. Likewise, I've had other cars (MX-5, RX-8) with less aggressive leather seats that lasted for ages. But others (VX220 for example) had bucket seats that also wore on the bolster after about 15k miles. So it will happen, but perhaps yours is a little premature....
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      05-27-2007, 08:29 PM   #19
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I wonder if the M seats get worn out even faster since the bolsters curve up so much more.
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      05-27-2007, 08:38 PM   #20
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I'll have to be more careful with mine and get the old leather conditioner out...but so far so good.
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      05-27-2007, 10:21 PM   #21
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I use the Raggtop leather cleaner & protectant. I don't know if it helps or not, but my leather looks pretty good so far to 20,000km. I know that right after putting the protectant on, the seats are slippery as hell....perhaps it creates a nice slippery layer to reduce friction. (providing lots of ammunition here for innuendo)

BTW, where the hell is stobbie. It annoys me to no end when people start threads, asking for help/advice, and then stop responding.
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      05-28-2007, 09:14 AM   #22
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Quote:
Originally Posted by takedown8 View Post
I wonder if the M seats get worn out even faster since the bolsters curve up so much more.
Yes they do. I hade "entry/exit" wear on a Z3 with sport seats. Driver's outside bolster had gotten bad (made even worse because seats were white!).
Now, with M seats, two things; a) careful about entry/exit, and b) follow leather care recommendations at LeatherZ.com
http://www.leatherz.com/leathercare2.htm
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