refresh Model S seat wear

[nikh]

Anyone else seeing rapid wearing of the front seats on a refresh Model S? The car is 8 months old and both front seats have these wrinkles, and there's already tearing in the center of the driver seat (visible near the seam to the right of the shadow).

I'm the only driver, no dogs or other animals, and I wear normal jeans, so no unusual material or clothing accessories that might be causing the center tearing.

 

[DerbyDave]

Very natural looking. Almost looks and wrinkles like leather.

 

[glide]

Very natural looking. Almost looks and wrinkles like leather.

That is not what leather looks like after less than a year of ownership.

 

[phonetele226]

That is not what leather looks like after less than a year of ownership.

Tesla has not used leather in their seats since 2016. They are using synthetic leather also known as vinyl.

 

[DerbyDave]

That is not what leather looks like after less than a year of ownership.

Replace it if the OP doesn't like it. It is not defective. Edit: my Audi A8 had leather on the seat that wasn't tight. It wrinkled almost immediately by sitting on it. This is vinyl with a scratch the OP put on the seat bottom. Looks good.

 

[nikh]

I don't think it being wrinkled like this after 8 months is normal or acceptable, but to be fair I'm asking here because I'm not totally sure what's expected for even leather.

As for the tear I also don't think is acceptable. I wear normal jeans, every single day. No dogs or kids, and I baby the entire car. If this is what they look like after 8 months of normal use I worry what they are going to look like after another 8 months.

 

[zoomer0056]

You gotta clean your seat. Use a few spritzes of Simple Green on a microfiber towel.

 

[nikh]

I should clean the seat more, but I'm not sure how that will prevent the wrinkling or the tearing. Also, the white powder seen here is leaking out of the seat itself. (edit: white powder is just accumulating over time from not being cleaned, not coming from the seat)

 

[DerbyDave]

The white powder isn't normal, and there is a bunch of it, everywhere. Looks like a salt or sugar packet broke. If not, I can't imagine what in the seat would create the powder.

 

[drunkenbuda]

Does your jean pockets have buttons? I think you should clean and wipe your seats more often. Maybe leather conditioner might help.

 

[Unclepaul]

Worth taking to service center for an opinion. Maybe a known issue that they can address.

Maybe caused by OP sliding across the seat getting in/out, large person, not using a vinyl cleaner to occasionally clean and condition the vinyl. Jeans can be pretty abrasive.

 

[phonetele226]

The white powder isn't normal, and there is a bunch of it, everywhere. Looks like a salt or sugar packet broke. If not, I can't imagine what in the seat would create the powder.

Keep that baggie of coke out of your back pocket. Problem solved.

 

[nikh]

Does your jean pockets have buttons? I think you should clean and wipe your seats more often. Maybe leather conditioner might help.

No buttons, they are fairly standard jeans. It should get cleaned more often but I don't think that's going to help with the wrinkles and tearing. There's only dust on the seat.

Worth taking to service center for an opinion. Maybe a known issue that they can address.

Maybe caused by OP sliding across the seat getting in/out, large person, not using a vinyl cleaner to occasionally clean and condition the vinyl. Jeans can be pretty abrasive.

Yes, I think this is just wear and tear from getting in/out. I'm 5' 8" 140 lbs. Seats don't need conditioning to not wear down after 8 months. Never had this problem with the Model 3.

I have a service appointment next week, so we'll see what they say.

 

[ferventcoder]

I have a service appointment next week, so we'll see what they say.

What was their response?

 

[nikh]

I had a work trip come up so I had to reschedule. New appointment is on this upcoming Monday (the 12th).

 

[Jayy178]

For some perspective, my car is 6mo old and has black seats as well. I don't have any of such creases or white scuffing on there. It seems to be a defective material or really abrasive pants you have.

 

[nikh]

For some perspective, my car is 6mo old and has black seats as well. I don't have any of such creases or white scuffing on there. It seems to be a defective material or really abrasive pants you have.

Thanks, appreciate this. I can see the passenger seat is starting to show mild creasing too, which is interesting because it very rarely has someone sitting in it.

 

[Ziddy]

how much does it cost to replace a seat on the refresh?

 

[nikh]

If nobody here knows, I'm sure I'll learn the price at my next appointment and will update.