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Abnormal Leather Wear: 2012 S60

7K views 37 replies 14 participants last post by  rumyn 
#1 ·




The beige leather in our 2012 S60 is starting to wear. Badly. And the car doesnt even have 40k miles yet! Ive seen cars 10 years older with nicer leather! Is this normal now? My dealer pointed it out but said he couldn't do anything.

Would safe and secure cover this? Should I try a different dealer?
 
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#2 ·
We read about that and confronted the dealer about that here before buying, they said that Volvo has changed the leather being used as this was a known issue. I think it's the heat... I see you are in FL. You might want to try to find some good treatment, so that you can prevent any further damage
 
#3 ·
We invested in a sun shade for now. But we actually bought this car, and lived in NJ with it for nearly 2 years.

It just really sucks because we love the car. Its just not the kind of quality we expected
 
#4 ·
Check out this thread: forums.swedespeed.com/showthread.php?224100-Seat-material-quality-problems&highlight=leather+wear

Apparently there is a TJ advisory for premature leather wear and you may be able to get a replacement under warranty.

I recently managed to get my driver side seat base replaced under warranty because some of the stitching had split. I do notice that the new seat base has a slightly different feel/texture than the original seats, and it does feel more durable (particularly the part of the seat base that shows the most wear in your photo).
 
#5 ·
What leather treatment do you use on the seats?

The wear on the driver side outer bolster can be limited by not sliding or rubbing on the bolster when you are getting into and out of the car. I usually move my seat back a few inches and it makes it a little easier to get out of the car.
 
#6 ·
The beige leather in our 2012 S60 is starting to wear. Badly. And the car doesnt even have 40k miles yet! Ive seen cars 10 years older with nicer leather! Is this normal now? My dealer pointed it out but said he couldn't do anything.

Would safe and secure cover this? Should I try a different dealer?
Do you condition them? It's important to keep these seats clean and conditioned.
 
#7 ·
We use leather care wipes, mostly the Meguiar's Gold Class. Maybe we dont use them as often as we should...
 
#11 ·
Sweat and sunscreen residue combined with sun kills leather no matter the quality. Needs to be cleaned bi-weekly if bare skin touches leather.

Volvo's smooth leather variant looks and feels very cheap. Durability is poor for leathers. At 15,000 miles I have some color rubbed off on a bolster seam, and at 7000 miles the leather was bunching / wrinkling on the drivers seat area. Car is parked underground 98% of the time.

Interior care products that promise one swipe clean and condition have no credibility offering only a clean smell and a silicon layer.

Give me Mercedes MBTex seating material any day. Looks and feels like leather and is indestructible.

If Volvo not going to replace that seat cover you can always get one for a few hundred, or just get a whole seat from a recycler like car-part.com and swap it.
 
#12 ·
I agree with above, that the wipes are garbage. Use the Volvo leather conditioner kit, also sold at IKEA for much less but not lableled Volvo and you will be fine. I will post pics later of our drivers seat with 70k miles on it. We have used the Volvo leather treatment since day 1, and they look great.
 
#22 ·
We've had leather in plenty of other cars: Saab 900 Convertible, VW Passat, and an Accord. All of them lived in Florida their whole life, and we never maintained it, not even with wipes, never had these issues. Im just not used to high maintenance seats like this.
 
#14 ·
After 3 years leather in mine looks nearly brand new. And I didn't take care of it at all. No leather maintenance whatsoever.

Sent from my LG V10 using Tapatalk
 
#29 ·
Wow, s6013t5, those beechwood seats are awesome. Heat and sun kills leather, as does getting and leaving them wet--that's the way it is. And wearing pants with edges/rivets/belts/etc. that cut into it when you get in and out can't help...

I've always used those cheap Weiman leather wipes and never had an issue. I've learned to put them in a plastic sealed bag to keep them from drying out, I use them so infrequently. Tinted windows and covered garages help a lot.

That said, these beige leather seats on my V60 could be a challenge--will use the Volvo cleaner/cream soon (been driving the car for almost 2 years without doing nothing and they look fine) and then probably switch to the Lexol 3-in-1 pads...YMMV.
 
#30 · (Edited)
Wow, s6013t5, those beechwood seats are awesome. Heat and sun kills leather, as does getting and leaving them wet--that's the way it is. And wearing pants with edges/rivets/belts/etc. that cut into it when you get in and out can't help...

I've always used those cheap Weiman leather wipes and never had an issue. I've learned to put them in a plastic sealed bag to keep them from drying out, I use them so infrequently. Tinted windows and covered garages help a lot.

That said, these beige leather seats on my V60 could be a challenge--will use the Volvo cleaner/cream soon (been driving the car for almost 2 years without doing nothing and they look fine) and then probably switch to the Lexol 3-in-1 pads...YMMV.
Thanks!

I didnt expect the compliments from everyone, but thanks. I posted the pics because everyone's opinion of what "like new" looks like is different so hoping it helps the OP. Our car spends as much time in the sun as anyones during the day, so Im skeptical that heat plays a major factor, when the seats are properly protected. I agree about pants with ridges, thats the culprit for the wear on the left side bolster I suspect. Clean, protected leather should be fine in the heat, IMO. Every leather is different, and so is the care for it. I personally think the leather is high quality, and requires more than simple wipes. Theres a reason the leather kit is recommended in the manual, they know how to care for it, they sourced the leather. I dont remember Audi having a specific requirement in the manual like Volvo, and that leather was not great (pleather in the backseat I think).

EDIT: I pulled the '09 A4 manual and it does not specify a specific product, just to clean it with a UV protectant cleaner and cream. Maybe the Volvo kit has the UV protectant and some other products dont....
 
#31 ·
Lexol has worked great for me. I use the cleaner for stains and discoloration (usually from dark jeans) and then the conditioner. I had around 50K miles on my mazda when sold and the seats were pristine. The leather on the volvo is a bit softer, so we will see what happens over time.

I have also had excellent experience with Katskins as replacement leather. You can select color combinations and details that will look better than original equipment, and the fit is perfect.
 
#32 ·
A couple of thoughts on this...

The outer bolster on my Audi's leather seat cracked. If I could levitate over the outer bolster as someone suggested I would do that, but since I cannot what I do instead is apply Lexol, which I heard about here, more frequently to all the outer bolsters than I apply it to the rest of the leather.

Also, I used the Volvo leather care kit, and I think its cleaner is superb, but the other component appears to be a stain protector which makes no claims about keeping the leather supple, which is why I now use Lexol after cleaning, instead of the stain preventer.
 
#33 · (Edited)
As I'm too lazy to go take photos myself, here are some from my lease end inspection report (35K miles) and ~ 35 months of use.

I'll get close ups later on, if I don't get a call to come get my new car on Monday :)







Sent from my LG V10 using Tapatalk
 
#35 ·
^ they look great! I can see similarities between your seats and the OP's. When you zoom in, you both have a more defined leather pattern then our seats, almost like skin cells on yours, where ours is smoother. I think the OP's use of wipes only and heat is causing the leather to crack prematurely.
 
#36 ·
Yet I haven't done anything to care for the leather, other than just wipe it clean with water once in a while... I know I'm bad...

The new sport leather in my next 2016 S60 will be different (different pattern). All smooth, no texture. I wonder how it'll hold up.
 
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