Napa Leather Issue

[Beemer12]

I have a 2011 Z4 with 18000 mi. with the optional Napa leather interior with sport seats. The leather is wearing on the driver's side left bolster half way between where the seat belt crosses and the seat cushion. We can't tell what is causing it other than getting out of the car. Currently BMW says it is normal wear and tear. Anyone else experiencing this issue.

[nicknaz]

First thought is... try another dealer...

two guesses:
- rivets in your jeans?
- light colored leather?

[jparnes1]

Nappa is a more delicate leather than the standard BMW upholstery. As such, it tends to discolor and wear more easily. That's the trade off for having that supple feeling. My wife's Volvo is the same.

[ManiacGT]

Photo?

[Beemer12]

Maniac GT, I was in Manchester a couple of weeks ago for the ManU West Bram game. Even though Man U lost, I enjoyed the experience of seeing Manchester and Old Trafford.

[Beemer12]

Spoke with BMW Customer Service and the problem has been turned over to a "consumer resolution team". I suspect nothing favorable to happen. This "team" may be just another name for letting the customer vent his spleen and still not solve the problem. Even though the dealer was supposed to send photos of the problem to BMW, nobody above the dealer has seen the problem in person. My wife doesn't wear jeans, studs, belts, etc. in the car. Living in southern FLA, shorts like clothing are the norm. As I said to the BMW folks, I would expect the from KIA (I apologize to KIA using it as an example) but a $63K car should not have this problem and the company should back its product.

[ManiacGT]

No matter what you pay for a car, leather still wears.. its leather and as a natural product will wear over time. How seriously it wears depends on the type of leather and how its treated by the factory and you. As already mentioned on this forum and others, if you can post a picture we may be able to offer an opinion or information that will help you.

[mbetoni]

This is something I learned to avoid through experience, and is not a 'malfunction' or poor design, but simply a by-product of having supportive seats covered in leather. Key here is 'supportive' seats, it's the bolsters that get you, but they also keep your butt in place in the twisties.

On my first E85 with M-Seats, over 3 years of ownership that side bolster wore like crazy. By the end I couldn't believe how it looked, but I also realized what was causing it - my entry/exit habits.

By my second E85, same seats, I had consciously learned how to get in and out of the car without rubbing the side of the seat. The former involves putting your right foot in first, pivoting and sitting squarely in the seat; the latter involves using the steering wheel to pull yourself up and out of the seat on exit. With that car, over 5 years and near 17,000 miles my seat looked as new as the day I picked it up.

This has now become my habitual way of entering and exiting all cars of this nature, and I don't expect any seat wear on my E89 because of it. However, I recognize that my relatively small size (5'4", 130lbs) allows me to monkey around more than someone larger than that, and this may not work for everyone .

[nicknaz]

OP take some pics and send em to BMW directly

I personally try to get out of the car with minimal rubbing of the bolsters but I disagree what severe wear on leather is to be expected in the first few years.

There are many (high quality) leather products out there are experience much harsher conditions (i.e. bicycle saddles, equestrian saddles, motorcycle armor etc etc) and say un-cracked and beautiful for decades

There is normal wear and tear, and then there is manufacturing defect, and I bet if it is really that bad and you complain to the right people you can get this put in as manufacturing defect

[Alpha_Zulu]

Originally Posted by nicknaz

OP take some pics and send em to BMW directly

Not to beat a dead horse...this. Pics otherwise we're going on nothing here.

Originally Posted by nicknaz

I personally try to get out of the car with minimal rubbing of the bolsters but I disagree what severe wear on leather is to be expected in the first few years.

There are many (high quality) leather products out there are experience much harsher conditions (i.e. bicycle saddles, equestrian saddles, motorcycle armor etc etc) and say un-cracked and beautiful for decades

There is normal wear and tear, and then there is manufacturing defect, and I bet if it is really that bad and you complain to the right people you can get this put in as manufacturing defect

I agree and disagree at the same time. This is coming from someone that works at the dealer and I see cars come in all the time.

90% of the time customers cars are dirty, especially the leather seats, steering wheel, and the leather on the door. If I were to show you guys a picture of a typical customer's seats you'd recoil in horror.

Most people don't take care of the exterior of their vehicles as well as the interior.

Regardless of how much driving I've been doing in a week, I always make it a point to clean my interior at least once a week, sometimes I let it slide to 2 weeks. But that's tops. My interior leather looks exactly the same as it did the day the car came off the truck ( I know because I was there).


OP did you get the car new or used? That should also help with some insight. Regardless, the leather really should be covered under the warranty. Sounds like the dealer is jerking you around.

[Eltee]

I guess I thought pretty much everyone has this problem with bolster scraping. I've had 3 used Z3s and they all came with this problem. My 2009 Z4 purchased new now is scraped too.

I think you'll find numerous other threads on this topic. I believe one person posted that he was able to get the dealer to warrant it but most people are not this lucky.

Certainly worth a try. Let us know if you get satisfaction from the dealer. Mines still under warranty and I just might give it a try in the spring.

[BMWZ4RIDER]

I (unfortunately) do not have the sport seats, but non the less, my Black Kansas Leather had the drivers side bolster show some wear from the 1st owner -26K miles.
Before my purchase I requested the dealer to have this repaired.
As this was a high end sports car dealer, they had a leather expert come and recondition the leather and restrain it black. It looks very OEM original only showing a little higher gloss factor vs the rest of the seat but after 1 year and my use of the Zaino system for leather looks great and un-noticeable.

This is not covered under warranty but may be worth the discussion with BMW if the Z is still under warranty.
My 2 cents