[rogerxp]

Noticed the other day that the bolster (is that what it's called) on the drivers seat of the X3 is scuffed and wondered what can be done about it.

It looks like the top layer is scuffed so not too sure whether it's too late to repair it as such or whether we're now in the relms of cover-up.

Piccy below - any thoughts or recommendations???

[Palmnuts]

Roger - get it replaced under warranty. You should have no trouble with that evidence.

[willhollin]

Looks the same as mine, the big zips on the rear of my gimp suit catch on the bolster and causes the exact same damage Roger has.

[rogerxp]

Originally Posted by willhollin

Looks the same as mine, the big zips on the rear of my gimp suit catch on the bolster and causes the exact same damage Roger has.

F*ckin Hell Will, you crack me up sometimes

Hadn't even considered a warranty job. I'll e-mail the saleman and see what he says...

[- Paul -]

http://www.liquidleather.com/scuffs.htm

[rogerxp]

Well there's my back-up sorted incase the warranty enquiry fails...

Thanks.

[Baby Dave]

keep us informed with the warranty enqs as my front seat is in the same condition.

[rogerxp]

Well, here's the rather predicatable response from the dealer (Blue Bell being my local dealer) -:

I can see the seat edge is slightly worn, this is due to people getting in and out of the vehicle and a common occurrence on vehicles with sport seats, iam sure Blue Bell will confirm this. Unfortunately there is nothing you can do to prevent it from happening and BMW warranty will not cover this as it is deemed wear and tear and can only advise to be extremely careful when entering or exiting wearing clothing that may cause this type of damage

Thoughts??

[Palmnuts]

Try a different dealer - Sytner might be a bit more lenient.

Unfortunately when I lived in Crewe (well, that was unfortunate enough in itself!) Blue Bell Crewe were my local dealer and they weren't brilliant - totally outclassed by Sytner in Leicester in my experience.

[Dr Dave]

There is no way that can be covered under warranty!

Mines the same too.

[Bungle009]

That is not a valid warranty claim. Its fair wear & tear. No way BMW will pay up for that.

[JonD]

Roger I sympathise, my seat is the same. But this is really the response I’d expect, it is wear and tear. To make any claim stand up you’d first have to prove the covering was within tolerance i.e. it was thin to begin with, very difficult I suspect as the car is already a number of years old. If they did replace under warranty they could open a whole can of worms couldn’t they ? next people would be saying my wipers have worn, tyres etc a bit of an extreme example but you get my dift.

[rogerxp]

I didn't beleive for a minute it would be covered under warranty to be honest. It was Andrew (palmball) that put the idea in my head so thought I'd try it on. The resulting knock-back was fully expected .

[jjbirch]

my one is worst than that the wife wears jeans with zips on the back lol, fucked my seat right up

[rogerxp]

Surely not worse than Will in his Gimp Suit (see post #3)??? Suppose he can do minimal damage whilst locked in the boot.

[Dr Dave]

Originally Posted by jjbirch

my one is worst than that the wife wears jeans with zips on the back lol, fucked my seat right up

and the damage you cause when you wear her skirts and heels

[jjbirch]

Originally Posted by Dr Dave

and the damage you cause when you wear her skirts and heels

passenger side is fucked too maybe its when i pick you up dressed up like alex reid lol

[NightVisitant]

I had the same thing happening on the driver-side bolster, attributed the cause as being the stupid buttons/zips on the rear pocket of some of my trousers. After re-learning my entry method (arse-first towards gear lever before swivelling to face wheel) I've stopped clipping the bolster but I donated my trousers that have zipper pockets at knee height, the stupid things were now rubbing the leather on the steering wheel.

Dealer very kindly offered a new back rest under warranty but stressed I'd be on my own if it continues to happen, and suggested the entry adjustment too.

[mikeysix]

Roger a leather repairer will have it lookin like new mate. I had lotus white leather in an old z3, it had never been properly looked after and was pretty manky. I used a company called Trimline systems and he had them mint in no time. I think unless your actual seat was faulty BMW ain't gonna replace it.

[rogerxp]

I've got a client who supplies the 'leather restorer' & warranty, etc. for leather sofa's (for the likes of DFS, CSL, etc) and keep meaning to mention it to him as he may be able to send one of his chaps over to sort it out; surely leather is leather??

[Irnbrukid]

Did you not notice it when you bought the car?

You then could have told them you wanted it fixed before you went ahead with the deal.

[rogerxp]

Didn't notice it at the time. This does surprise me somewhat as I instantly noticed it about a week later. Reckon they just covered it over which of course rubbed off within a week of ownership.

The difficulty is of course 'proof'. The car I traded in (an '06' plate M Sport with 54k on the clock) was showing no signs of seat wear so didn't really consider this car ('56' plate with 29k on the clock) as having any issues.