Pauly001

I would be surprised if Audi would NOT replace the seats. Keep us posted.

VK_S4

I appreciate the positive responses. I am currently fighting with the dealer to fix my humming noise and they cannot seem to identify the cause which might need escalation to AoA first. I feel like I am on their annoying customer list even though I have been very nice this whole time. This issue will have to wait until I fix my annoying hum noise first before this.

I suspect the deal themselves using harsh chemicals to clean the interior but to be honest I have not seen such leather failure before from harsh cleaners. I will try to find a good upholstery shop in the area but that will be challenging since I live in a very small town. Thanks for the help everyone, I will keep this thread updated.

VK_S4

My local Audi will submit a claim to AoA before purchasing replacement covers for approval. I guess they do not replace the seats but just the covers.

Today I noticed the coating coming off in an area of the back seat where it was never touched. Definitely looks like a defect to me.

KevinGary

Fingers crossed that AOA approves.

nims_s4

I recently hit 22k miles and noticed a small area on the driver's side right seat bolster where this is happening. The car was garage parked one year, outdoor parked with OEM sunshield for another 8 months, and then back to indoor. Also, the seats were cleaned weekly with meguiars gold class leather cleaner. I'd like to know the results of the warranty claim also.

Burrcold

Whoa weekly cleaning with a leather cleaner? That's so excessive. Regardless of the quality of the cleaner/conditioner it should never be used that often.

VK_S4

Can you please post a picture of what yours looks like?

My coating keeps getting worse and worse. The dealer blames it on user error where someone sprayed another coating and is not helping. It is time for me to submit a claim at AoA.

ghostrider990

Audi prides themselves on Rugged Leather and the longevity of the seating surfaces.

I've never seen anything like this - and (not blaming you) but if I were the Svc. Manager of that store, I'd look at those seats, and say SOME caustic chemical was applied to all of the seating surfaces. It's the only explanation for the consistency of the malady.
The fact that you say you used a leather cleaner (albeit a reputable one) to clean your seats, and got a towel with RED color transfer, is a BIG red flag.
Not saying it was YOUR fault, or due to negligence, but it could have been a bad batch of cleaner, or perhaps the towel was previously contaminated.

I personally only use Lexol products in my car, and have never seen any red dye come off my seats. Realistically, these seats don't need to be deep cleaned, and water and microfiber is usually more than enough.

The ONLY other explanation would be factory defect. But the way the leather and covers are made, they are treated in batches, not individual vehicles or seats during assembly. There would have to be bad BATCH of leather that went through the facility that assembled these seat covers. Not just Yours.
But a complaint to AoA might get somebody to research the batching of Leather that was installed in your car, and others, during assembly. But that is a long shot.

Detail shop types at the dealerships tend to use towels that have been used previously to clean ALL surfaces with ANY cleaner on them for whatever is in their immediate reach. Seen that done 100 times. And one of the reasons I never allowed the clean-up monkeys to detail my car.

I feel for you on this, but I don't think anybody else here has reported the same issues, and I really think you're going to have a tough time getting AUdi to warranty claim this one. But, it most certainly can't hurt to ASK.

gr

**One other possibility, is that during Delivery prep initial inspection at the dealership, it is possible that the seats were contaminated with some substance that caused this issue. Also, check to see if your car was ever TREATED with some sort of leather protectant by the dealership as an upsell. This could have happened if the car was previously sold, and returned, or treated with a product for showroom demonstration.**

Sykokilla

This is happening with my center armrest. Truly a pain. I live in rural South so a leather shop/upholstery shop is non-existent.

​​​​ It's a 2018 with 45,000 mi. Haven't used any APC on the leather of course. Just wondering how much it would cost to take it to the dealer and get it fixed.