Premature seat wear - example

[Quacker]

Originally Posted by Wobbly

Here’s a cut & paste from the Volvo website:

Volvo offers a comprehensive product, Volvo Leather Care Kit/Wipes, for the cleaning and treatment of leather upholstery. When the product is used in accordance with the instructions, it preserves the leather's protective coating.

Open to interpretation, and mine is that there is a protective layer which should be protected. Volvo’s videos talk about conditioning fluid being left to soak in (I’m paraphrasing), but I note that the car being treated in the video was the last model XC60 and could be very different to a more modern leather on the SPA cars.

It certainly soaks in to the seemingly very porous nappa soft leather. Other glossy leathers never have absorbed much, apart from where creases appear, as they do with all leathers eventually. The creases need feeding or they will soon start cracking.

[DangerMUK]

Originally Posted by Chief inspector

Its all like that now, , you wont see that layer, most of it evaporates, but it will be there. I learned the hard way with leather wear a few years back and done the research essentially modern car leather has a couple of coats of ‘paint’ and a clear coat and needs cleaned, but not fed.

Have a look yourself round the web, most of the rather cleaners are really out of date. Detailing world has a few experts and there are great articles on Dr Leathers site about the standards and care of modern leathers.

Came on here to recommend this and someone already did, he's also right modern leather isn't like that anymore in any of the modern cars at least the main aim is to keep the clear outer coat clean and free of debris as its a protective coating conditioning it wouldn't do anything. Keeping it clean though with either wipes or something slightly more heavy duty is what I'd also recommend.

Some good stuff to read over on detailing world if you want to know more about in car leather care the guys over there take it quite seriously! Dr Leather is one of a small handful of recommended products there but in essence they all suggest the same cleaning method.

Yes my vote for all the real leather in the cabin would be just the Dr Leather wipes/spray and a microfibre to wipe off residue.

[GuidoBrunetti]

This thread shows how ridiculous it is for leather to be the dominant seat covering in so-called premium cars. Much of the leather used is of such poor quality that it stands no chance of lasting more than a few years before it starts wearing and cracking. I would love to have the option of selecting some other type of seat covering and not necessarily an organic material such as wool. Our next car may be an XC40 and I’ll be looking seriously at the basic Momentum cloth trim because I’m so fed up with leather (SAAB, Jaguar and Volvo).

[Quacker]

Originally Posted by GuidoBrunetti

This thread shows how ridiculous it is for leather to be the dominant seat covering in so-called premium cars. Much of the leather used is of such poor quality that it stands no chance of lasting more than a few years before it starts wearing and cracking. I would love to have the option of selecting some other type of seat covering and not necessarily an organic material such as wool. Our next car may be an XC40 and I’ll be looking seriously at the basic Momentum cloth trim because I’m so fed up with leather (SAAB, Jaguar and Volvo).

I find leather and leather/vinyl combinations to be the easiest to clean and hardest wearing seat material. Far superior to cloth, especially in harsh environments. Cloth absorbs moisture and muck and dust and becomes musty and nasty during wet weather periods, while it all wipes off leather seats easily and quickly. Its not quite durable enough for steering wheels though and eventually starts disintegrating.

All materials require some little respect and maintenance of course. Some are better than others in quality also. I don't rate Volvo's current seats or the Nappa soft leather as being the very best of their kind, but I've had worse. They certainly don't match the quality and comfort of my Land Cruiser Amazon's and maybe not quite up to my Honda CR-V's either, although the Volvo leather is softer. Perhaps that is its problem? Leather too soft and not enough padding in the cushions?

[nu11eaf]

I dont think its an issue with the actual leather quality but more an issue with the colour coating thats applied, (especially with the blond nappa) it seams to be a too thin and wears off very quickly. It does not seam to be penetrated deap enough into the leather.
Where the colour wears away the leather is usually still good but bear.

[Northeastguy]

It seems this is common, my inscription Napa leather drivers seat back bolster is likely to be replaced under warranty at 24 k miles. Looks terrible, stripes in colour and the surface appears to be wearing away.

2018 car, mainly only drivers seat used.

[Kenp8257]

Originally Posted by Northeastguy

It seems this is common, my inscription Napa leather drivers seat back bolster is likely to be replaced under warranty at 24 k miles. Looks terrible, stripes in colour and the surface appears to be wearing away.

2018 car, mainly only drivers seat used.

I have a MY17 S90 R-Design D4.

The bolster on the driver seat has worn completely on the edge, all grey and rough, not the black soft leather.

Only 18K miles. (I think the 'cheaper' leather used in the Momentum trim looks like it would be far harder wearing, but IMO doesn't look as nice).

Anyway, car was in for a steering wheel button replacement this week and whilst there I said about the seat.

Dealer agreed it was bad, but had to get Head Office agreement for a replacement.

Fortunately they've agreed and new seat being replaced on Monday.

Ken

[WhatNext?]

Agree with above.

My Momentum leather (14 000 miles) seems to have aged better than the R Design leather on a recent loan vehicle (just over 2000 miles). Still not perfect though

[Kenp8257]

For reference, attached should be a picture of my driver seat bolster that is being replaced under warranty on Monday.

18K miles.

MY17 S90 R-Design D4

Ken

[Bendolfc]

Originally Posted by Kenp8257

For reference, attached should be a picture of my driver seat bolster that is being replaced under warranty on Monday.

18K miles.

MY17 S90 R-Design D4

Ken

More wear on that than my 2005 S40 with 208K on the clock, they have certainly messed up with the design or spec of the materials in the seats on these new cars.