[OpenAir]

So, this is my first BMW but it is not my first car with "sports" seats and leather. I am familiar with the care needed to not wear on the bolsters as you get in and out of the vehicle.

Needless to say, when I stop my seat goes all the way back and I exit, and when entering I usually sit butt first and rotate, but not always.

I've had this ride for almost two months and the seat is already worn through the grain. BMW said they would not replace the leather so the dealership kindly loaned me a 535 M Sport while they "touched up" the seat. Upon inspection today, it looked great! I was thinking, "maybe I shouldn't have made such a stink about a brand new car and worn leather.

After arriving home, guess what...it's back already and I can assure you that I never rubbed the outside bolster while getting in nor out of the car. It's also on the underside of the bolster so I don't know what is rubbing it...my fat A$$? Trust me when I say that this is going to get ugly real fast!!!!!

Has anyone else had issues with BMW leather?

[MrBimmerM235i]

Could be your belt? A button on your pants? ...

[OpenAir]

Originally Posted by MrBimmerM235i

Could be your belt? A button on your pants? ...

I wear a suite to work...even still, after less than 60 days? On the underside of the bolster...

[MrBimmerM235i]

You're the only driver? Sorry but that's NOT normal wear and tear. You or someone did the damage.

[OpenAir]

Originally Posted by MrBimmerM235i

You're the only driver? Sorry but that's NOT normal wear and tear. You or someone did the damage.

I am the only driver...I noticed it after a service visit. I'm not saying they did it, that's just when I noticed it. I originally thought it was grease, until I tried to clean the seat and saw that it was damaged.

Regardless, I just broke 2000 miles as I've had several trips up and down the east coast.

[MUFCbmwbear]

You could make a claim at the dealer for a replacement, thats too quick

[Cyberdemon]

Not sure if the Oyster has worse wear properties than others, but are you sure you don't own a single pair of jeans with rivets on the back?

That looks like something clearly grabbed and tore the leather, not just abrasion.

I had minor discoloration on my coral red seats after 3 years, but it was to be expected from someone who wears blue jeans every day and didn't condition the leather more than once a year.

[Cyberdemon]

Originally Posted by OpenAir

I noticed it after a service visit. I'm not saying they did it, that's just when I noticed it. I originally thought it was grease, until I tried to clean the seat and saw that it was damaged.

In that case is there a service tech with a pair of JNCO's around?

[krhodes1]

This is 95% of the reason my '16 will have Oyster Sensatec.

Even without sport seats and only 35K miles, the leather in my '11 wagon is getting worn on the bolsters. The sport seats wear much faster.

Though that said, that does look like more than just normal wear. It doesn't take much - I let a friend of mine drive one of my Saabs on a several hour drive and some sort of buckle or something on his coat wore a spot like that in the seat back.

[OpenAir]

Originally Posted by MUFCbmwbear

You could make a claim at the dealer for a replacement, thats too quick

Already did...BMW rejected it and the dealership "repaired" the area. This is how it looked by the time I got home (25mile drive).

[OpenAir]

Originally Posted by Cyberdemon

Not sure if the Oyster has worse wear properties than others, but are you sure you don't own a single pair of jeans with rivets on the back?

That looks like something clearly grabbed and tore the leather, not just abrasion.

I had minor discoloration on my coral red seats after 3 years, but it was to be expected from someone who wears blue jeans every day and didn't condition the leather more than once a year.

I don't own 1 pair of jeans!

[OpenAir]

Originally Posted by Cyberdemon

In that case is there a service tech with a pair of JNCO's around?

JNCO's? Don't know that term...

[OpenAir]

Originally Posted by krhodes1

This is 95% of the reason my '16 will have Oyster Sensatec.

Even without sport seats and only 35K miles, the leather in my '11 wagon is getting worn on the bolsters. The sport seats wear much faster.

Though that said, that does look like more than just normal wear. It doesn't take much - I let a friend of mine drive one of my Saabs on a several hour drive and some sort of buckle or something on his coat wore a spot like that in the seat back.

I wonder if anyone carries "aftermarket" Oyster Sensatec? I went with VW's version of this in my EOS for just that reason and had no issues wearing the same clothes I do now for 2+ years. And those seats are smaller. This time I figured BMW used really high-quality hyde, and they may, so I didn't really think it was an issue...

[david.orr]

Originally Posted by MrBimmerM235i

You're the only driver? Sorry but that's NOT normal wear and tear. You or someone did the damage.

That's exactly what I thought when I first saw the pic...... looks more like a rip rather than 'wear'. I can understand why you're in a bit of pickle if dealer sees it this way but is nevertheless doing the right thing by trying to fix it without admitting liability to replace. Goodluck with the fix mate.

[Cyberdemon]

Is this Sensatec or leather? Sensatec is synthetic, not leather - not sure if I just misread the earlier post.

It's hard to say - if they repaired it (likely with leather/fabric paint) and it wore off that quickly it seems that something is rubbing it. Bolsters are notorious spots for rub damage (when I was Corvette shopping it was nearly impossible to find one that didn't have a tear in that exact same spot on the bolster peak). But I have not had any issues.

You may need to wait for it to get worse to see if BMW will consider replacing it. Otherwise they may just keep painting over that spot.

[Zooks527]

Originally Posted by OpenAir

JNCO's? Don't know that term...

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=jnco

[Pray for Mojo]

The zipper on the armpit of my winter jacket did something similar to my seat. Didn't realize how sharp the edge was.

[CreativeFuel]

I can assure you that I never rubbed the outside bolster while getting in nor out of the car.

Not saying I don't believe you, but...

The crease under the worn part tells me something has been pushing down on the bolster in that area. If whatever was pushing down and/or rubbing in that area was rough or jagged, that would point to the perpetrator of said damage. #SherlockHolmesOfCars

[BMWZ4]

This happened to me recently on my '15 X3, but not as big as your spot and it was right on the seat (bum area). In my case, it's possible I damaged it, but I don't know for sure. I spoke to the SA and they flat out said no warranty so I opted to pay the $75 to have it fixed.

The repair is now holding at 2 months.

[Merc for hire]

You guys need Panda seat covers

[alexc93]

Possibly got damaged during the service you mentioned.

Does not look like normal wear and tear. My coral red seats after 4 years don't have one mark looking like that..

[stulio2181]

Look at the wear pattern in the leather grain to the right of the stitching, something is definitely rubbing up against this then snaggin the boundary where the damage occured. I would guess it's your a$$ getting into the car.