White interior issues after 3 days

[Jan83]

Hi all,

We received our Tesla X with white interior beginning of June. We were persuaded into the white due to the fact ventilation seats were not possible anymore and according to Tesla the white seats are the easiest to clean and maintain.

After a few days, we started having the first problems (alarm going of ten times a day for no reason, liters of rain coming in the car when opening FWD, FWD opening for no reason, danger icons on the dashboard when normal accelerating and reg braking, no DAB, no map, 17inch screen staying black...). I will start another topic for that because Tesla is not very helpful either with these issues.
The white seats also started to show 'black dots' which I can't remove, hence this topic.

I remember when I fetched the car, the seats were having smudges. There was like an 'oily' substance coming from the stitches and when you touched it your finger was black. They cleaned it on the spot during delivery and I did not see the substance any more.
Also, when I rub my finger a couple of time on a white spot, the white just comes of and you see the black dots appearing. It is like the seats are painted and the white just disappears.

We asked Tesla for a response, after a few weeks, the first response came from the Tesla Service center who got some feedback based on the picture I sent them (you can find them attached).

He said literally: YOU ARE WEARING THE WRONG CLOTHES.

I could see he did not agree with it, but this was the first feedback. I asked them to put this in writing and this is unacceptable. I am very careful with the seats and the issue is also on places where I do not sit (back of headrest, doors...)

A while later, they changed their story and say they ordered 2 new front seats but also mentioned they did something not according to Tesla policy because they got no approval. I again explained them the issue is on the whole car, not just the 2 front seats.
I also again repeated my demand for them to put in writing that they will treat this as a production issue. I explained them I do not need a fix within a month or 6, I just wanted to be assured this not normal and they will replace or do whatever to get the white interior as new.

6 weeks after the first complaint, I received an email from the service center manager stating they will 'engage themselves to make sure I will experience the quality Tesla stands for'. I replied this is not sufficient and requested a statement they treat this as a production incident on writing.

Today, again a week later, I got an email with just saying I need to consult page 4 of the warranty. No statement about the production issue, nothing about the other parts that are affected (they never respond to that fact).

Is anyone else having issues with the white interior?
This cannot be normal wear right? If the seats look like this after a few days and barely touching it, how will they look after some year?

My insurance provided me with a lawyer, since they will also cancel my insurance because the alarm does not work. My leasing company states they get a ton of complaints about this service center (they are the leasing partner of Tesla in my country).

Pictures attached, I also have a video rubbing the interior and the white just 'falls' off.

I think it is clear I am very disappointed in Tesla, I expected issues but the way they are treating me is beneath everything. I'll add the full list of issues in another topic. I waited 2 months to share my experience so I gave Tesla enough time to just state this is fully under warranty and they will fix it.

So be aware if you take the white interior.

Cheers,
Jan

 

[bartheungens]

Hi Jan,

I have white interior for 11 months now, and it is still all clean and white. All I needed to keep it clean is sometimes some wet wipes, that's it... The black spots you have I never noticed, the only 'issue' I have is the blue from my jeans...

Kr,
Bart

 

[Jan83]

Hi Bart,

Thanks for your reply. I also noticed a blue shine on 1 of the seats, during the first week already. Can you get rid of this?

What kind of wet wipes are you using, just water on a cloth? I don't dare to clean or rub the white interior given it degrades already when rubbing with a finger.

I added the video to YouTube as well, this is the exact same video shared with Tesla:

Cheers,
Jan

 

[travwill]

Your issues is definitely NOT typical for almost all of us that have white - and a lot of us have white! At most, mine have some dirt/dust on them at times from garage sitting or driving with windows open. I've also gotten grease on them before but even that just wiped right off. I've used leather wipes on mine, wet clothes, have rubbed hard/soft, and no issues. They seem very durable. Jeans haven't showed, etc.

Sorry you are having to deal with this but Tesla should/will make it right. Definitely escalate the issue in your warranty area of the app/myTesla site, etc.

-T

 

[Mark Z]

I have sat on a towel or pillowcase since 2012 with all my Tesla vehicles. Keeps the light leather looking good. The synthetic was supposed to have no color transfer.

Has anyone tried a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser to check if it removes the spots mentioned? It was the only way for me to get ink off the leather. The abrasive nature of Magic Eraser means it should only be used occasionally. Test a hidden location to be safe.

 

[cstromme]

I have this exact same issue on one of our seats.

 

[365gtb4]

4 months and 4k miles and our white ventilated seats are still perfect. I'll follow this thread to see the resolution of the issue. A sample of the seat colored seat material needs to go under microscope for a close examination. Is it surface wear, staining or something coming out of the material?

 

[rainforest]

I have had no issues whatsoever. I find the seats very durable.

 

[dmd2005]

I have had no problem with my white seats so far. I have two little kids who eat in the car and the stains wipe off with a wet microfibre cloth. My wife occassionally gets makeup (concealer or foundation) on the headrests and they wipe off easily too.

I am sorry to hear you are having problems with your white interior. Hopefully, Tesla does the right thing by replacing the seats. It looks like the dye is rubbing off or the top layer of material is sloughing off and exposing the underlayer.

 

[SocalMS]

Hi all,

We received our Tesla X with white interior beginning of June. We were persuaded into the white due to the fact ventilation seats were not possible anymore and according to Tesla the white seats are the easiest to clean and maintain.

After a few days, we started having the first problems (alarm going of ten times a day for no reason, liters of rain coming in the car when opening FWD, FWD opening for no reason, danger icons on the dashboard when normal accelerating and reg braking, no DAB, no map, 17inch screen staying black...). I will start another topic for that because Tesla is not very helpful either with these issues.
The white seats also started to show 'black dots' which I can't remove, hence this topic.

I remember when I fetched the car, the seats were having smudges. There was like an 'oily' substance coming from the stitches and when you touched it your finger was black. They cleaned it on the spot during delivery and I did not see the substance any more.
Also, when I rub my finger a couple of time on a white spot, the white just comes of and you see the black dots appearing. It is like the seats are painted and the white just disappears.

We asked Tesla for a response, after a few weeks, the first response came from the Tesla Service center who got some feedback based on the picture I sent them (you can find them attached).

He said literally: YOU ARE WEARING THE WRONG CLOTHES.

I could see he did not agree with it, but this was the first feedback. I asked them to put this in writing and this is unacceptable. I am very careful with the seats and the issue is also on places where I do not sit (back of headrest, doors...)

A while later, they changed their story and say they ordered 2 new front seats but also mentioned they did something not according to Tesla policy because they got no approval. I again explained them the issue is on the whole car, not just the 2 front seats.
I also again repeated my demand for them to put in writing that they will treat this as a production issue. I explained them I do not need a fix within a month or 6, I just wanted to be assured this not normal and they will replace or do whatever to get the white interior as new.

6 weeks after the first complaint, I received an email from the service center manager stating they will 'engage themselves to make sure I will experience the quality Tesla stands for'. I replied this is not sufficient and requested a statement they treat this as a production incident on writing.

Today, again a week later, I got an email with just saying I need to consult page 4 of the warranty. No statement about the production issue, nothing about the other parts that are affected (they never respond to that fact).

Is anyone else having issues with the white interior?
This cannot be normal wear right? If the seats look like this after a few days and barely touching it, how will they look after some year?

My insurance provided me with a lawyer, since they will also cancel my insurance because the alarm does not work. My leasing company states they get a ton of complaints about this service center (they are the leasing partner of Tesla in my country).

Pictures attached, I also have a video rubbing the interior and the white just 'falls' off.

I think it is clear I am very disappointed in Tesla, I expected issues but the way they are treating me is beneath everything. I'll add the full list of issues in another topic. I waited 2 months to share my experience so I gave Tesla enough time to just state this is fully under warranty and they will fix it.

So be aware if you take the white interior.

Cheers,
Jan

Sorry to hear about the issue w/ your seats...

Tesla's attitude to your problem is PATHETIC.

Get an appointment w/ the service dept and get the service manager involved.

Be assertive about the fact that your seats have ISSUES.

Lower your expectations about Tesla's service process... and remain calm...

I hope the other aspects of the car outweigh the negatives... good luck..!

 

[Freedom101]

I'd say that's definitely not normal. I've only had my white seats for a few weeks now but they are prestine still. Everything has just wiped away super easy with a damp microfiber cloth. I'd stay professional polite but would accept no less than those seats being replaced.

When someone referred to wipes they were likely referring to baby wet wipes (huggies/pampers/. I've used these as well and they do work great.

Has anyone tried a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser to check if it removes the spots mentioned? It was the only way for me to get ink off the leather. The abrasive nature of Magic Eraser means it should only be used occasionally. Test a hidden location to be safe.

I'd stay away from magic erasers. You'll remove the protective coating on the seats and cause way more problems than you solve.

 

[ahkahn]

I'm in the upholstery business and have written a lot throughout the forum about vinyls and the white seats. I have them in my car.

Curious: What (if anything) have you used to clean them?

 

[skilly]

Hi all,

We received our Tesla X with white interior beginning of June. We were persuaded into the white due to the fact ventilation seats were not possible anymore and according to Tesla the white seats are the easiest to clean and maintain.

So the white seats are beautiful, but is this a language thing? What I mean is, are you actually saying that of all of the choices in the color of seats that your Tesla representative claimed the white ones would be easiest to maintain and clean, or are you saying that more generally, the non-perforated seats were claimed to be easier to clean? The later sounds believable but the claim that white seats would be the easiest to keep just sounds like a misunderstanding. I can't imagine anyone thinking or saying that.

In the pictures, they kind of look like the outer coating has failed due to incorrect manufacturing or improper cleaning materials.

 

[evster]

So the white seats are beautiful, but is this a language thing? What I mean is, are you actually saying that of all of the choices in the color of seats that your Tesla representative claimed the white ones would be easiest to maintain and clean, or are you saying that more generally, the non-perforated seats were claimed to be easier to clean? The later sounds believable but the claim that white seats would be the easiest to keep just sounds like a misunderstanding. I can't imagine anyone thinking or saying that.

In the pictures, they kind of look like the outer coating has failed due to incorrect manufacturing or improper cleaning materials.

Having owned a car with the White ventilated seats in a P100D and previous to that I had the black leather in a 90D (with NextGen seats and Premium package) I can for sure tell you that the white seats are easier to maintain. So easy to whipe off with a damped microfiber cloth. The material is in my view excellent and I prefer the Ultrafabric way, way above leather. Both from a wear perspective and the white seats never get wrinkles or anything and also feels less sweaty than leather. Seems like the Ultrafabric material breath more than leather does.

For me it was excellent news that the Ultrafabric material now is introduced for cream and black as well. I like the white seats, but in my next car it will be black. If it still was the case that the black was leather and white in Ultrafabric I would have chosen the White seats, only for the durability and feel.

 

[rjdoc74]

I have UW ventilated seats in my MX. I LOVE them, imho one of the best parts of the car. My back no longer hurts on long drives. They are easy to clean with regular wipes. Having said that, since I took delivery in 3/16, FOUR seats out of seven were replaced for unprovoked tearing.

 

[boaterva]

So the white seats are beautiful, but is this a language thing? What I mean is, are you actually saying that of all of the choices in the color of seats that your Tesla representative claimed the white ones would be easiest to maintain and clean, or are you saying that more generally, the non-perforated seats were claimed to be easier to clean? The later sounds believable but the claim that white seats would be the easiest to keep just sounds like a misunderstanding. I can't imagine anyone thinking or saying that.

In the pictures, they kind of look like the outer coating has failed due to incorrect manufacturing or improper cleaning materials.

Tesla used to have language in the Design Studio that they recommended them (the white seats) as the most durable, easiest to clean. Their example was on their own demo cars. That seems to have disappeared with the new 'all colors are the same premium material' lineup (except for the base seats). So, I'm nor sure why you think this is a shocker. It was their own statement for at least a year!

 

[ahkahn]

In the pictures, they kind of look like the outer coating has failed due to incorrect manufacturing or improper cleaning materials.

That's exactly what I'm thinking. That's why I asked the question that was never answered........

Tesla used to have language in the Design Studio that they recommended them (the white seats) as the most durable, easiest to clean. Their example was on their own demo cars. That seems to have disappeared with the new 'all colors are the same premium material' lineup (except for the base seats). So, I'm nor sure why you think this is a shocker. It was their own statement for at least a year!

They do say that, and they did say that. They're right - Ultraleather is extremely cleanable, provided you use a mild soap and water. You use a harsh solvent (think big burly guy rubbing solvent or even gasoline on them saying "that'll clean em!") is a prescription for removing the topcoat which will eventually (days to weeks to months) allow the material to deteriorate. It will clean it, but some point later the material will fall apart.

That's my best guess looking at the material in the pics....

 

[skilly]

Tesla used to have language in the Design Studio that they recommended them (the white seats) as the most durable, easiest to clean. Their example was on their own demo cars. That seems to have disappeared with the new 'all colors are the same premium material' lineup (except for the base seats). So, I'm nor sure why you think this is a shocker. It was their own statement for at least a year!

I think it tells you that they believe in their claim in making their demo cars white seat examples - this is typical Tesla and why I am a second time owner.

My shock comes from every other fabric on the planet that is finished in white and making the connection that, as much as one tries to keep it "new", it never stays that way. And, if it does, it tends to take much more care; not less. So even if Tesla says so, I would tend to not believe it.

 

[MikeQ]

Is the white really Ultrafabric's Ultraleather? We had this in our motorhome and it didn't last long. I think at about 4 years, the "leather" layer began separating from the cloth backing. It was mainly on the passenger's and driver's captains chair. Pretty much the entire seat area began peeling and flaking off. We ended up replacing the upholstery before we sold it.

 

[skilly]

Is the white really Ultrafabric's Ultraleather? We had this in our motorhome and it didn't last long. I think at about 4 years, the "leather" layer began separating from the cloth backing. It was mainly on the passenger's and driver's captains chair. Pretty much the entire seat area began peeling and flaking off. We ended up replacing the upholstery before we sold it.

It reminds me a little of the same fabric used in marine applications. Which would speak to the durability at least; even that fails using the wrong cleaning fabric though.