E90 Fragile Leather Seats!

[armi]

Hey All,I've posted this in another thread before but just wanted to share and get advice.A few days ago, my driver's side leather seat was scratched on my E90. I've also noticed where the seat belts touch the seats, the leather paint seem to have come off. Is this a common problem with leather seats? I've had my E90 for a year now and cant believe that it's this fragile.I did pay a visit to a leather upholstery shop (CV in Kepong) and he said that he needs to repaint the entire seat and charging 250 RM. As for the scratch, it will still be noticeable but much better after repaint. Any advice?Additionally, he said the leather pattern on the E90 CBU cannot be found anywhere in Msia, not sure if this is true.BTW WeColor not opened for business temporarily (not sure if totally closed for business).

 

[KL2DC]

Well its certainly no secret that the Dakota leather BMW is not the best (not just in the E90). As a result, proper maintenance (i.e. routine cleaning and conditioning with quality products) is a must to keep it pliable enough to be durable. You can't avoid the inevitable creases that will develop though.

Having said that, so far, it looks like black leather is the most durable. I'm curious, what color is your leather. Beige? Grey?

Here's an idea, is your car still under warranty? I'll have that side seat belt wear checked out, it might be a warranty issue as its premature wear.

As far as the big scrape goes, the best you can do is refinish it on your own dime as they will tell you its your own fault.

So no real help here, just some insights.

 

[armi]

Thanks for the advice. My leather is black . It's ok to refinish it myself but just quite unbelievable that it's this fragile. I wonder what it will look like after 4-5 years.

It is normal to re-leather it after a few years?

 

[KL2DC]

Thanks for the advice. My leather is black . It's ok to refinish it myself but just quite unbelievable that it's this fragile. I wonder what it will look like after 4-5 years.

It is normal to re-leather it after a few years?

Armi, I'd look into swapping out your leather mainternance materials (conditioners and cleaners) to another brand and conditioning the upholstery in closer intervals. I'm no leather expert but perhaps the color and the heat are combining to excaberate the leather's dryness.

What cleaners/conditioners are you using and how often are you applying them? Also do you have UV tints?

I don't think its normal to reupholster the car in less than 5 years. Sure you'd have some creases and cracking but that's all you should see. Anything more isn't really acceptable.

 

[Schwepps]

Armi, natural leather isn't as hardwearing as synthetic fabric car seats. They need tender use and care. Generally, the softer and prettier the leather, the more prone it is to cracking, scuffing and discolouration. The hard, thick and rather ugly leathers of Mercs and some lux 4x4s are the hardest wearing. Unfortunately most other contis use soft, thin leathers which are very nice only when new, including BMW.

I use the Autoglym range of leathercare products - expensive and hard to find, but I reckon the best. I oil the seats once a month and the steering wheel once a week. I can't stand a scuffed leather steering wheel!

 

[armi]

It seems from talking to the upholstery guy in Kepong, he said scratches are totally unavoidable. His advice - don't wear jeans and use every ounce of your leg muscle to slowly land your butt carefully onto the seat.

I believe re-leathering is probably required every 4-5 years. I am interested to know if anyone has re-leathered their UDM before. Wonder what condition a 4-5 year old UDM leather seats is like.