Mad Maximus

Hey all,

Picked up a used 2000 SE Maxima with just over 40K miles on it. Great car, but I noticed something today that really upset me. The leather seems to be cracking/peeling prematurely on the drivers seat on the side bolstering (drivers door side of seat). This is the first Nissan I've owned, and have heard great things about the car, but is this normal? Hell, I know it's no Bimmer or Benz for quality of leather, but this is pretty bad for such a new car. God, I can only imagine that within the next couple years, it'll only get much worse.

I drove by the local dealer lot as I know they've got a couple 2000/2001 Max's on the lot. Only one had leather, and I noticed it had the same wear only much worse (cracked/split leather) on the same location of the drivers seat (side boltsering). The car had 60K miles on it. This didn't give me any reassurance of what my seats will look like in the near future.

My car is still under warranty. Any chance Nissan will correct this problem?

butchbr73

depends... sounds like you would have an extended warranty, and there are typically more exclusions. I had a Pathfinder do sort of the same thing with the leather on the seats, and had that corrected at 34k miles under the original 3yr/36k warranty.

If they won't cover it, get some good leather cleaner and conditioner, and keep it clean and conditioned regularily to help it age better.

takkar

bought my 2001 a couple of months ago and i have the same thing..didnt notice at first but on closer inspection, found a small 1/4 inch rip close to the stiching on the front seat bolster....all i can say is keep the leather well conditioned...do it 2-3 times a year so that it doesn get worse.

jessefrank

iTrader: (1)

Before I start, I apologize for the length of this post.
I'd first check on the warranty.
If you don't end up getting it replaced, keep it well conditioned.
The leather wear is bound to happen. Leather isn't indestructible and it wears accordingly to time and use. The best leather conditioner I've used is a product called Lexol. They make a cleaner, conditioner and a plastic/rubber conditioner. These were recommended to me by a friend that owns a detail shop. Lexol cleaner/conditioner has also worked the best of all the brands I've tried, which had been most of the common ones on the market. I know Pep Boys carries it and if you have a leather shop or a quality pet store that carries equestrian products; these places carry it in bulk and a great price (@ Pep boys it is $7.99 for a 14oz bottle).
The side bolstering is usually the first to wear out on the driver's side on any seat because it is always being rubbed against when getting in an out of the vehicle. Along with time and use the sun and climate also play a part in the wear. Tinted windows not only help keep your interior cool but they also block UV rays that help to damage your leather over time. Also if you live in a dry climate it is best to condition your leather more often. How often you condition your leather plays a big part in how long it will last and stay soft and supple. I try to condition it at least once a month and use the cleaner when ever it gets a good film of dust on it (2 months).
Just for comparison:
'93 Mazda MX6 w/ leather bought in 1992-Been in may different climates including CA (sun) and CO (sun and dry). Finally got a wear crack in the driver's side bolstering this winter with regular maintenance of the leather.
Friends '98 Jeep Grand Cherokee (base on how well the rest of the interior was cared for I'd say the leather got little attention) Many cracks in the leather, mostly on the driver's seat where the seat stresses. Also the leather in the front (vehicle has tinted windows in the rear) is much more brittle than in the rear.
I had a '96 Jeep GC with leather that had some wear cracks when I bought it used. By conditioning it approx. every month the leather showed little to no wear a year and a half later when I sold it.
Hope this helps answer your question.
-Jesse

ticko

i got some rips and cracks too. its a 2001.

Ammi

iTrader: (26)

Isn't there something that can be applied that keeps the leather from cracking further?

ticko

I heard you can go to a leather shop and get it welded or someting. At like walmart they have these leather patches, I never used them so i dont know how good they are.