Is this normal wear?

[gregk24]

Here are some pics of the left bottom side bolster (driver seat) from my 2012 Accord EX-L. I did my monthly cleaning / conditioning and decided to snap some pics and get some opinions. I decided to take the seat covers off at least for a little while so I can enjoy actually having leather seats . Anyway from a distance all you see are wrinkles, which I consider to be a normal occurrence for most leathers in high traffic areas. When you get closer you can see actual cracks, although small they are present. These cracks are present on other seats as well. So here are the pics, again from a distance (standing outside the car looking down) they just look like wrinkles or "wear lines", you have to get closer to see these smaller cracks. Do any of you notice these on your leather seats? The car only has 37K miles so its still pretty young, I want to keep it in great shape and don't want these to get any worse!

closer...

closer...

other sections of side bolster...

 

[Noey]

Greg, do you have a good therapist? Talk it over with him, you worry way too much.

Leather is animal skin, so, even though it is tanned, it retains it's skin like qualities, which means it will respond to the natural aging process by creasing and eventually cracking, just like human skin! And, just like our skin, things like heat and sun exposure speed this process. Living in the Sunshine State obviously doesn't help.

If you don't want this to happen, you should have gotten vinyl seats. Take the covers off and enjoy what you have, it's just a car, and when this one wears out or you cannot tolerate the imperfections of life, Honda will gladly make you another, just like this one, brand new and sparkly fresh! In the mean time, try using a preservative like Leather Honey, which should slow down (but not eliminate) the process, and keep the car out fo the sun as much as possible.

 

[Shellguy]

Yep ,no getting away from that...just keep it clean and like Noey said... just get new with they are no longer tolerable...

 

[KrisZ]

I'm waiting for the question if tire wear is normal.

 

[Carbuff]

As stated, the leather will be OK.

I think the cracks are in the clear-coating that most auto leather comes with since the mid-1990s.

Our '99 Acura developed those but they didn't get worst up to 185K miles/14 years.

 

[aquariuscsm]

Keep it conditioned with a good leather conditioner. My fave is Armor All Leather Care. Cheap,easy to find,smells really mild and leathery,and blew away the other expensive ones I've tried. The one in the white and brown spray bottle is the one I use. Been using it since the 90s.

And the main thing about protecting your leather,NEVER slide across the bolster getting in and out of your car.

 

[gregk24]

Originally Posted By: Carbuff
As stated, the leather will be OK.

I think the cracks are in the clear-coating that most auto leather comes with since the mid-1990s.

Our '99 Acura developed those but they didn't get worst up to 185K miles/14 years.



These are experiences I am looking for. Yes, they appear to be on the painted vinyl section, not going through the leather. When did those cracks develop on your Acura?

 

[iahawk]

back in my days in the car business we'd have a guy airbrush paint onto badly cracked leather seats to get the cars ready for sale on the used lot..they would look brand new

I'm not completely convinced a lot of colored leather isn't merely painted on..

 

[abycat]

great advice everyone! leather repair guys can fix leather nowadays for very cheap and with perfect results. wait til it seperates and get it fixed

 

[gregk24]

Originally Posted By: iahawk
back in my days in the car business we'd have a guy airbrush paint onto badly cracked leather seats to get the cars ready for sale on the used lot..they would look brand new

I'm not completely convinced a lot of colored leather isn't merely painted on..


That's basically what modern leather is...split leather with a vinyl coating.

 

[HerrStig]

Loose some weight?

 

[01rangerxl]

That seat is about to bust open. Looks like the seat in the 1998 GMC Savanna box van at work.

I thought you had some nice covers for this car? Why not put those back on and don't worry about it? Upholstery is replaceable. The car will not go to the junkyard because of some cracks in the pleather.

I think you will enjoy your car more if you just drive it and not worry about every micro crack in the seats.

 

[Doog]

Originally Posted By: HerrStig
Loose some weight?


+1 how much does the OP weigh......?? If your BMI is above normal....time to diet

Check it here: http://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/tools-quizzes/Body_Mass_Index_Calculator

 

[dparm]

No amount of conditioning and cleaning will prevent the creasing. It's a normal part of owning leather anything (gloves, shoes, car seats, furniture, belts, etc).

Conditioning and cleaning will slow down UV discoloration, color transfer from clothing, etc, but in the end it will still wear down. I'd much rather take leather than cloth -- leather is very difficult to stain and is actually repairable.

Try Leatherique once or twice a year.

 

[AZjeff]

Is this post deja vu all over again?

 

[demarpaint]

Looks pretty normal to me considering every time the car is driven that seat is in use.

 

[Vern_in_IL]

If you want your seats to last, loose weight and wear khakis.

Denim jeans will wear seats down.

 

[SatinSilver]

Probably the fat guys at the tire repair place put some extra crinkles in the seat.

 

[dishdude]

Originally Posted By: SatinSilver
Probably the fat guys at the tire repair place put some extra crinkles in the seat.


Did we ever see a picture of the damaged wheel?

 

[Mr Nice]

No way a Honda should be bought with leather. Its lower quality than nicer more expensive cars.