New car - defective / damaged car seat (Alcantara)

[Scarum]

Hi all

I've owned my Polo 1.2 for 6 weeks / 2000 miles and I ordered with the Alcantara seat upgrade and the driver seat is showing this defect / damage in several areas. Has anyone else seen this kind of thing before?





Thanks for any feedback.

[SRGTD]

Can't see the pictures Scarum.

[geo stronach]

Sorry but your pictures are broken no one can see them

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[Scarum]

Thanks, looks as though Dropbox doesn't link IMG to forums anymore, so here goes...

[RUM4MO]

Well, put it this way, if I had paid what you probably paid for that upgrade, I'd expect perfection. (I really really did want to spec that on my wife's Polo 1.2TSI 110 SEL back in April 2015 when I ordered it, but I found the cost unacceptable to me, especially as the leather is not even leather). Don't get me wrong, I do like Alcantra trim, I had it on my previous Passat 4Motion and after 13 years it was still "as good as new" along with the leather side bolsters, and I have it on my current S4.

[SRGTD]

I wouldn't be happy with that.

Looks as if there was a problem with the machine used for stitching the seat cover or the quality of thread used. I'd get it back to the dealer as soon as you can, as seat covers are only covered under the 3 year new car warranty for the first 6 months / 6,500 miles. After that, VW class this type of defect as wear and tear (see below).

Good luck. Let us know the outcome.

Extract from VW's new car warranty terms and conditions, taken from VW's website;
Items where the lifetime of the component is or can be influenced by driving style and external factors will only be considered under the terms of the warranty for a period of six months or 6,500 miles (whichever is soonest). Beyond that limit, the defects must be classified as wear and tear and will not be covered by the vehicle warranty unless a clear manufacturing defect is identified.

Components subject to wear and tear include, but are not limited to:

Brake linings and disc pads
Clutch release bearings
Clutch pressure plates and centre plates
Tyres
Wiper blades (wiper rubbers have no warranty owing to their conditions of use)
Seat and backrest covers
Floor coverings
Spark plugs
Batteries for key fobs and alarms
Light bulbs
Shock Absorbers

[derkie54]

Having paid Thousands I would go back, I bet none of the showroom cars have pulls in the stitching..........so why has yours !
I assume they must be able to replace the seat covers (not replace the whole seats) it's not unreasonable to complain about that, but do it soon before they say you've done it.

[Scarum]

I visited a VW dealer (not the one I bought the car from) and the rep there told me it is not a manufacturing defect and has been caused by outside influence. He told me to go contact the VW dealer I bought the car off.

I have since emailed the original dealer complete with photos and am waiting for a response.

[geo stronach]

That's warranty

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[Scarum]

The dealer who sold me the car is arranging to replace the seat cover.

The question that bothers me is what caused this (me getting in to and out of the seat?), is this a design fault or was this a bad batch? Will the passenger seat do this in the future?

Thanks for your responses.

[SRGTD]

Good outcome!

Where abouts on the seat cushion is the area of faulty stitching? Is it in an area that you make contact with when you get in and out of your car? Do you wear jeans with studs on the pockets or trousers with buttons/zips on the pockets that could catch on the stitching in future?

I was always a bit wary in my mk6 Golf GTD of potential premature wear on the side bolsters on the front seats. The bolsters were quite prominent and the natural tendency was to brush against them getting in and out of the car. Some owners on one of the Golf forums did have premature wear issues, so I changed the way I got in and out of the car so I didn't brush against the bolster. Nearly 5 years later when I sold the car, they showed no signs of wear and looked like new.

[Scarum]

The stitching is coming away around the lumbar area of the backseat. I drive the car for 90% of time for work, I wear chinos to work (no studs, zips or the like) and during the winter months I've work jackets (they are made from soft materials). A lot of the other times I wear sport gear, all very soft and non abrasive materials.

The last VW I owned (Golf MK IV) had lovely sport seats and they were like new when I sold it in.

[SRGTD]

The stitching is coming away around the lumbar area of the backseat.

Ah, I can see the orientation of the picture is looking down above the seat backrest down to the seat cushion, and the stitching is on the backrest (initially I thought it was the seat cushion). I'd say that where the stitching is, it's highly unlikely to have been caused by external influences (i.e. you getting in and out of the car) and points to a manufacturing defect and IMO the dealer is right to agree it's a warrantable repair.

Will the passenger seat do this in the future?

Hopefully not, but you could ask the dealer when you take your car in for repair where you stand. I suspect they'll say that if the same thing happens to the passenger seat after 6 months / 6,500 miles, then it wouldn't be covered under warranty. However, based on what's happened to your drivers seat, if the same does happen to passenger seat cover it could be argued it came from the same defective batch and the dealer or VW may offer some form of goodwill and repair it for you either free or contribute towards the cost. Pure speculation though, and hopefully your passenger seat will be fine!