Bubble in headrest, Tesla might be caused by interior cleaner/conditioner

[Candleflame]

So armorall type products are a no go?

it depends on the product. The product has to be safe on plastics/vynil thats the most important thing.
Contrary to popular belief leather conditioners are completely the wrong product for modern cars (faux or real leather) as the leathers are sealed with a permanent sealant which is vynil-like. So i.e. 90s luxury cars had this really soft feeling leather - this is because it is actual leather and needs to be regularly conditioned and smoothened and this is the reason it eventually cracks. Modern leather car seats feel kind of stiff and rough and that is because they have this vynil coating on them.


So what you dont want to do is silicon based products as they can dry the vynil surface out. A good vynil conditioner would be the best.

 

[longhorn8847]

me? no - i have used seat protectors from day 1. I don't even know what my seats look like lol. Probably should take them off and have a look how the leather is holding up after a couple of years lol.

Nope, I was referring to OP. He had a recent post in MY section re his seat issue.. so I was wondering if he also owned M3 and MY lol

 

[stopcrazypp]

it depends on the product. The product has to be safe on plastics/vynil thats the most important thing.
Contrary to popular belief leather conditioners are completely the wrong product for modern cars (faux or real leather) as the leathers are sealed with a permanent sealant which is vynil-like. So i.e. 90s luxury cars had this really soft feeling leather - this is because it is actual leather and needs to be regularly conditioned and smoothened and this is the reason it eventually cracks. Modern leather car seats feel kind of stiff and rough and that is because they have this vynil coating on them.


So what you dont want to do is silicon based products as they can dry the vynil surface out. A good vynil conditioner would be the best.

Yeah, I don't really get why people are using leather conditioner on plastic seats (it's actually polyurethane AKA PU leather, which is a better than vinyl in terms of comfort and looks).

The manual says specifically:
"Polyurethane Seats
Wipe spills as soon as possible using a soft cloth moistened with warm water and non-detergent soap. Wipe gently in a circular motion. After cleaning, allow the seats to air dry."

I have some J&J baby shampoo that I got for installing PPF and it works great for gentle cleaning.

If people insist on using a protectant, at least uses something that explicitly works for polyurethane (like 303 for example), although you still need to be careful how to apply it without it becoming splotchy.

 

[Huskyfan]

I don’t use hair products. I have very short hair. I wash my hair regularly, almost daily. Yet, I’m working on my 2nd seat headrest bubble. I clean the interior often.

their is obviously a design flaw in this fake leather tesla uses. I’m concerned about the durability of the rest of the seat material, given how easily these headrests develop issues.

Anyone replaced their pleather seating with something by vendors such as Katzkin? How did it come out? I’m willing to pay to have this stuff replaced.

please don’t give me a lecture on the value of and social responsibility of not using leather. Or the durability of plastic fake leather. Lets call it what it is. Polyurethane plastic.

 

[stopcrazypp]

I don’t use hair products. I have very short hair. I wash my hair regularly, almost daily. Yet, I’m working on my 2nd seat headrest bubble. I clean the interior often.

their is obviously a design flaw in this fake leather tesla uses. I’m concerned about the durability of the rest of the seat material, given how easily these headrests develop issues.

Anyone replaced their pleather seating with something by vendors such as Katzkin? How did it come out? I’m willing to pay to have this stuff replaced.

please don’t give me a lecture on the value of and social responsibility of not using leather. Or the durability of plastic fake leather. Lets call it what it is. Polyurethane plastic.

Instead of tearing everything out, you can buy seat covers. I've seen plenty that look indistinguishable from OEM.

 

[MaskedRacerX]

It's kind of got a deranged penguin look ...

 

[CheapBastid]

Yeah, I don't really get why people are using leather conditioner on plastic seats

I pre-sprung for a pricey bottle of interior ceramic coating - what's the verdict on products like that?

 

[stopcrazypp]

I pre-sprung for a pricey bottle of interior ceramic coating - what's the verdict on products like that?

No idea, but it doesn't say it works for PU (polyurethane), only keeps mentioning leather. It does say to try it on a inconspicuous spot first, so maybe you can try and return if there are issues. If you search the Q&A it says they recommend Gyeon Preserve instead for vinyl and plastic surfaces (although again you would have to check if it works for soft PU or if they only meant hard surfaces).

But personally I wouldn't try products that didn't explicitly say they work with soft PU (polyurethane) surfaces.

 

[CheapBastid]

it doesn't say it works for PU

It does specifically say it is for 'vegan leather' in the description though.

 

[TexasTezla]

I think Tesla recommend nothing more than an occasional good clean with mild soap and water. I've been doing that about once every 2 months for 2 years in my white interior and still looks brand new.

 

[stopcrazypp]

I think Tesla recommend nothing more than an occasional good clean with mild soap and water. I've been doing that about once every 2 months for 2 years in my white interior and still looks brand new.

Yep, I linked to that above. I have regular cloth seat covers on my black seats now, but even when I had them bare, that was all I did (mild soap and water).

 

[RipVanFinkle]

It does specifically say it is for 'vegan leather' in the description though.

"Vegan Leather" means anything that isn't made out of cow hide. I wouldn't risk it. Damp microfiber cloth is all you need really.

 

[Candleflame]

Surprised the vendors haven't come out with a low-cost cover to go over the headrest that can be easily discarded and replaced when it wears out. The fake leather is pretty cheap, so they should be able to make a nice fitted cover with the same stitching that blends in for a small fraction of a replacement headrest.

you can just ask the chinese resellers for them.

 

[Huskyfan]

Gonna just replace the entire fake leather with real leather. i would have paid for that option from Tesla. That being said, real leather, professionally installed and provided by an OEM leather seat manufacturer is only 2000 bucks. Tired of the way the seats look like plastic. Tired of the way they get bubbles on them. Worried about the long term durability.

 

[RipVanFinkle]

Gonna just replace the entire fake leather with real leather. i would have paid for that option from Tesla. That being said, real leather, professionally installed and provided by an OEM leather seat manufacturer is only 2000 bucks. Tired of the way the seats look like plastic. Tired of the way they get bubbles on them. Worried about the long term durability.

Real hand stitched leather would be amazing. This petroleum-based plastic seat material is terrible.

 

[JohnSnowNW]

I don’t use hair products. I have very short hair. I wash my hair regularly, almost daily. Yet, I’m working on my 2nd seat headrest bubble. I clean the interior often.

their is obviously a design flaw in this fake leather tesla uses.

If this was a design flaw in the material WAY more people would have this issue. You've gotten 2 separate headrest bubbles and you "clean the interior often."

We've owned our Model 3 with black interior since 2018, and a Model Y with white interior since 2020, neither has been cleaned often, and when cleaned we use baby wipes. My wife has curly hair and uses a ton of hair products to keep it under control, yet still no issues.

I don't know what the problem may be, but seeing as you've apparently had two such instances I'd suggest it may be something you're doing. Could also be a QC issue with the material and you just got unlucky. However, nothing points to a design flaw with the material as a whole.

 

[ODWms]

I’ve had it also, on the front passenger seat headrest. Tesla replaced it free of charge, under warranty:

.

 

[Huskyfan]

update on my bubbly seats. Replacing with real cow leather. Top grain hides. thanks Tesla. I bet they will change their vendor or the process they use to make this plastic leather. Somehow i doubt “vegan leather” is better for the environment compared to real leather. PU is made of oil based products and is non biodegradable, except i suppose by human body oil. . Seriously though, the backing material and the PU cannot be broken down over time. Obviously it can delaminate in weeks though.

 

[Arizone]

My car is only three months old and this happened just after I took a couple road trips for the first time, meaning my head was resting against it for 1-2 hours a few times. It's been winter and a mild spring, so it's not like it's sat outside in particularly warm sunlight; in the garage the majority of the time. No products have been used on the interior and the only hair product I use is shampoo, which is washed out. So at best they replace it under goodwill and I can be worried it will just happen again? Terrible.

 

[jjrandorin]

I have had my model 3 performance since 2018, it has 30k miles on it, and while I dont always rest my head on the headrest, I dont "not rest it there" either. Mine still looks brand new.

I have a bald head (I shave my head) so if its actually oils from the head, mine should be completely wrecked, and it isnt.