Please HELP! - My leather driver seat has developed "tears/rips"!!

[JustForFun]

Help!! My driver's seat has "somehow" started to tear/rip in two (2) places and I am wondering what others here think about the chance of this being covered under warranty.

I only got my car 4 weeks ago today! And it only has 1700 miles on it (I took delivery with 16 on the odometer)! The car has ONLY been driven by myself and NO animals have been in the vehicle. It has been at the dealer for service twice already for unrelated issues. The last time it was in for service was 2 weeks ago. (Maybe they did this and I am just discovering it?)

I just discovered the tears/rips tonite and am at a loss as to why/how these are there. They are located on the seatback. If you were sitting in the seat, they would be on your left side, along the edge of your body, about midway up the abdomen. They are almost directly across from the button that is on the driver's seatbelt.

I have attached two pics of the damage. They are on the right side in the pictures. I would really like your opinions on how to approach this with my dealer. Especially from those of you (aspendog, etc.) who deal in upholstery with leather.

Are these tear/rips unusual or somehow "my" fault? I admit that I have yet to apply anything to the leather in the car, but I have only had it for 4 weeks. I had planned to apply a good cleaner/conditioner this Spring.

I feel that a COMPLETE seat "replacement" is called for here and an offer of a "repair" is unacceptable. What do you all think? If I were to get a "repair", could it be done so it was invisible? Would it be durable and not fail in the future??

I have a BRAND NEW car and I feel the seats should hold up better than this!! I don't think I could have caused this. If I had "somehow" sliced/cut the seat, the tears would be very straight, not curved and jagged like they are, wouldn't they? The tear/rips look as if the leather is "cracking" or "separating". This is something I would expect in leather that was old and not cared for. This leather is only 4 weeks old!

ANY advice would be greatly appreciated. I am going to call my dealer tomorrow to get the car in for their inspection.

JFF

[DESIREE]

Take it back to the dealer. That looks like a basic problem with the leather to me, like something an inspector missed.

[jeepgrady]

I agree. Don't lose sleep tonight. The dealer should replace the leather.

I had a prblem with leather in my Silverado, when new. The dealer ordered the leather and sent it to an upholstery shop for installation. You couldn't tell that it was not original.

[JustForFun]

Man, I hope you guys are correct about this.

However, I'm not sure about having it "reupholstered" by a third-party? I would think that a complete "factory upholstered" seat would be preferred, wouldn't it?

I will know more tomorrow after talking to my dealer. I most likely won't actually be able to get the car to them to see it until Monday though.

JFF

[Northern Rider]

JFF, could be that lower right brass rivet in your shoulder holster digging into that soft grey leather....

Dang, I hate it when that happens . . .


It's a warranty claim - DC will fix it. They will most likely replace the section. don't sweat it, as others have said.

[JustForFun]

Originally Posted by Northern Rider

JFF, could be that lower right brass rivet in your shoulder holster digging into that soft grey leather....

Dang, I hate it when that happens . . .


It's a warranty claim - DC will fix it. They will most likely replace the section. don't sweat it, as others have said.

Nahhhh - no shoulder holster. I keep the Glock in the specially made DMC "Glock Holder Slotz" right in the center console.

JFF

[FAME2002]

I had an issue like this where the leather was frayed like. After going through abunch of bs the service manager replaced the leather insert and I didnt have to pay anything. Now its brand new again. The quality of the leather in this car IMO is horrible, very cheap and it doesnt take much at all to damage it. Be careful guys.

[JustForFun]

Ok everyone, time for an update - and it isn't good news.

After I discovered the initial 2 tears and before my scheduled service appt today to have them look at them, I discovered ANOTHER, even larger "hole" on the bottom section of the same seat (driver's). This is half-way along the outer edge (door side) of the seat bottom, about an inch above where the palstic that the seat sits in in is located. There is a hole that you can easily see through. I decided after finding the initial 2 tears, to give the leather a thorough inspection and this is when I discovered it. I have attached a picture of this third defect.

Now here is where this gets worse. After taking it in today, the service rep says that they WILL replace the leather for the damage on the seat back. (YAY!)

However, they will ONLY do a repair for the hole in the seat bottom! (BOO!) Is that silly or what? I told the rep over the phone that this was unacceptable, as it made NO sense to me to replace the leather for one damaged area, but not the other - on the SAME seat. He told me that a Chrysler rep was there today and personally inspected the car and that was all he would approve of. That the bottom was to only be repaired - NOT have the leather replaced.

I am not happy with this, but the service rep says his hands are tied on this, if Chrysler won't approve the leather replacement. Remember, this car is only 4 weeks in my possession and the damage was found after only 1700 miles.

So I asked for this rep's name and telephone # and was told I could not be given that information. I then asked how am I supposed to get this fixed the way I feel is appropriate, and was told to call the "Chrysler Customer Care" line.

I am really dissappointed in this response, and worried about getting the repair vs. the replacement. Could somebody please tell me how these "repairs" are done and how they last over the lifetime of the car. Are they very noticable?? I was truly hoping this would have been taken care of without much hassle, but it doesn't appear that that is going to be the case.

I think I will be making some phone calls tomorrow.

JFF

[Northern Rider]

At this point, stop your dialogue with the service advisor.

Ask to meet with the service manager of the dealership. Review the situation. If this does not get the satisfaction you want, ask to see the general manager or the dealer owner.
This is a routine warranty claim. the Service Manager should be able to put it right.

[JustForFun]

Northern Rider,

Thanks for the suggestion. I will have to go that route. Shame this has to be such a hassle.

JFF