Wear on front seats?

[renton]

Are any of you suffering with wear on your front seats?

 

My MY16 Plate vrs has the normal seats (Not leather) and the fronts look to be in a bad way already ( only  17 months old)

 

there is signs of wear on the faux leather and also the big one for me is the stitching is showing though on the center bits?

 

Have any of you suffered with this and been successful in getting skoda to sort it?

 

 

[renton]

How do I put photos on here now that photobucket it broken. 

[Auric Goldfinger]

4 minutes ago, renton said:

How do I put photos on here now that photobucket it broken. 

 

I find it's easiest to drag the photos onto the desk top the drag them into the thread/post 

 

 

Edited 18 September, 2017 by Auric Goldfinger

[renton]

The top image shows the base of the seat and how it's faded in places. 

 

The other pics show the stitching that is fraying and also how the leather has all creased. 

[toni8b]

You could have fed the leather with some conditioner occasionally, maybe it would have stood better.

[renton]

7 hours ago, toni8b said:

You could have fed the leather with some conditioner occasionally, maybe it would have stood better.

It has been treated. Once a month with proper leather conditioner. 

[Stonker]

I've noticed a similar issue with the seats in my car, there the alcantara leather and suede kinda trim.

 

The RHS FR seat base bolster cushion like yours is a bit crinkly where my phat back side has slid across it getting in and outa the car.

 

Is there a recommended leather conditioner to use or just use a decent branded leather conditioner off the shelf?

[ahenners]

Mine are very much the same OP, I think it's just the quality of the leather for the wear/creasing there and poor quality cloth/stitching for the centre bit.

 

My BMW had Black Dakota Leather (hardly BMWs finest) but even at 90k the wear was pretty good. My leather (pleather?) in the VRS is starting to show wear signs at 30k.

 

[Banjaminion]

Same as mine, its those annoying little rivety type things on jeans that catch on the side of the seat.

[Stonker]

My pet hate about this car is the seats, they look nice but they don't allow me to sit "in the seat" I have to make do with sitting on it. Unlike in my previous car, a mk5 golf GTs the seat bolsters in that car actually held you in the seat. I know my 1.6 SEL estate is not as sporty as the golf but the bolsters in the seat base could be more supportive/rigid. Maybe then the pleather wouldn't wear as bad as quickly.

 

From my Toyota days, I remember talking to a guy from Johnson Controls, they made the seats back then for the Avensis and the Corolla, he was saying that "pleather" is much harder wearing than actual leather and this is why it's almost used in all sections of the seats, only a small area was actually real leather as it wasn't a hard wearing part of the seats.

[Firkindolloper]

Did you manage to sort out the faded seat?  I have the same problem on my 66plate vrs.

[silver1011]

Complaints with Skoda's seats are common place, they simply aren't very good, or certainly not as good as they used to be.

 

It is also very hard to be successful with warranty claims, it is very easy for Skoda UK to blame wear and tear.

 

Collapsed bolsters etc. are easier to claim for as they're more likely to be attributable to a manufacturing defect, but pulled stitching and worn bolsters, especially on sports seats where the bolsters are caught every time the driver gets in and out of the car are much more difficult.

 

Skoda UK also put a 6 month / 6,500 mile limit on their 3 year / 60,000 mile warranty for wear and tear...

 

 

Proving the wear is down to a manufacturing defect will be extremely difficult.

 

The only real long term solution is to have the seat/s re-trimmed by a specialist using higher quality materials. Not cheap, and arguably not something you should have to do on a three year old car, but you're not alone.

 

That's not to say you shouldn't complain, and at least ask your dealer to take pictures and submit them to Skoda UK for consideration. We all have a duty to let Skoda know when we believe their continuous cost cutting is going too far.

 

One final point, it isn't always the fault of the seats. The fact we're all different shapes and sizes (and weights), wear different clothes, keep different items in our pockets, wear zips, buttons and studs, eat in our cars, smoke in our cars, work as a courier, operate as a taxi, fidget a lot or perhaps simply enter and exit the car differently than others can all quickly accelerate the wear we see on the seats.

 

Edited 1 April, 2020 by silver1011

[Firkindolloper]

I agree with your points about the wear and tear  and difficuty proving defects.  My local dealer has done some warranty work on my car and it took a bit if persuading to get them to play ball.  I doubt if they will be interetsed but I will have a go.  Skoda Customer Services are probably the worst I have dealt with.  They fail to grasp the problem, then they do nothing about it.  I am disappointed that a car with only 31k on the clock has had so many problems.

 

The seat is an eyesore so I have just bought a can of spray fabric paint and I will go for it if Skoda don't want to know and post the outcome here.

[silver1011]

44 minutes ago, Firkindolloper said:

My local dealer has done some warranty work on my car and it took a bit if persuading to get them to play ball.  I doubt if they will be interested but I will have a go.

 

You are at least in the right mindset.

 

I often feel that the dealers try to get a feel for how persistent you're going to be. If they think they can get away with fobbing you off so that you go away and they then don't have to deal with the hassle of taking pictures and submitting a claim then that's exactly what they'll do.

 

If on the other hand you can arm yourself with a bit of knowledge, convince yourself the seats are substandard, be prepared to dig in and even raise your voice a little, then they'll eventually do what you want them to do. You don't have to be unpleasant with it, just be a little more authoritative, persistent even?

 

Good luck!