Sides of front seats splitting

[Jazztones]

We have the seat trim cracking problem in our 2020 Jazz SR. I'm going to try Honda customer service to see if they'll make a goodwill gesture but it's out of warranty. Our local dealer quoted £600 to replace and refit the necessary seat parts.

I wondered if anyone had found a suitable product to patch it up with (it's the dark grey colour), or any other economic way of repairing it.

[Lincolnshire Rambler]

Its started to happen on my 21 plate SR jazz too . On my last Nissan Note it did same thing , as the side panel is synthetic’leather’ . I ‘ repaired ‘ that by buying some black ( artificial alcantra - not spelt correctly ) from Amazon and gluing on a cut out strip. Folded the top edge and looked tidy .

[Lord Voltermore]

Its started to happen on my 21 plate SR jazz too . On my last Nissan Note it did same thing , as the side panel is synthetic’leather’ . I ‘ repaired ‘ that by buying some black ( artificial alcantra - not spelt correctly ) from Amazon and gluing on a cut out strip. Folded the top edge and looked tidy .

I've seen 4 way stretch   'spandex' leather effect material on-line ,intended for making clothing.   Its about half the gsm weight of traditional leather pvc so should be more flexible and easier to sew or glue in place. And probably less liable to crack or split.    And also 'sticky back', suede effect .   It might even be possible to 'rivet' a repair  panel  over the damaged area  using  neatly spaced  cap rivets etc. 

For those without the necessary patience or skills  a car upholstery specialist may be able to do the job at reasonable cost. 

It would be interesting to see photos of any successful repair projects  or indeed disastrous ones 

Actually I am currently sitting in a rather creaky office chair that could do with replacing.  The leather is still in good condition and quite flexible 

Of course we shouldnt need to be talking about upholstery repairs  . But with older Mk4's  its increasingly likely a repair under warranty will be refused  as  'fair wear and tear' and  owners less willing to spend mega bucks on quality air bag compliant seat covers. (or pay dealers £600 for a repair)   

[Kremmen]

Don't forget the law :

Product quality - what should you expect?

As with the Sale of Goods Act, under the Consumer Rights Act all products must be of satisfactory quality, fit for purpose and as described. 

The rules also include digital content in this definition. So all products - whether physical or digital - must meet the following standards: 

    Fit for purpose: The goods should be fit for the purpose they are supplied for, as well as any specific purpose you made known to the retailer before you agreed to buy the goods.
    As described: The goods supplied must match any description given to you, or any models or samples shown to you at the time of purchase.
    Satisfactory quality: Goods shouldn't be faulty or damaged when you receive them. You should ask what a reasonable person would consider satisfactory for the goods in question. For example, bargain-bucket products won’t be held to as high standards as luxury goods.

One aspect of a product being of satisfactory quality is durability, in other words how long it lasts.

I've seen successful claims up to 6 years where any of the above have been broken

[RuthieB]

Now beginning to think along the lines of Trade Descriptions Act as the only brochure version available at the time falsely described all SR and EX internal trims as “ Leather/Fabric” which we all now know that it isn’t!
Had this material been leather (as described in the Oxford English Dictionary) then we wouldn’t be having the failures that owners are experiencing (I don’t have this problem with leather on a 2020 CRV)
As such the material is not as described or fit for purpose with latent defects.
I’m wondering if Honda UK can be sued through Money Claims ( formerly Small claims) under relevant consumer legislation,

Seatskinz provide full seat covers in  the region  of £650
Any sensiblle feedback or if any body is thinking this may be a possible avenue of pursuit please feel free to contribute posts…….TIA.

[Lincolnshire Rambler]

Traditionally luxury cars had leather seats and still do of course . Bentley or Rolls Royce include such things within the cost . You can bet the leather will last many decades of use as you have probably paid as much money for seats as we paid for a complete Jazz . In many normal cars the leather is going to be a very thin skin bonded to a fabric and more so to be vegan plastic or other synthetic clever stuff . Im sure you can buy optional leather on many ‘ normal cars but i would like to see a material sample to view its thickness !

[RuthieB]

I have a 20 plate CRV EX with leather and haven’t had a problem with any of the seats falling like this the Jazz does..
When I read leather in the trim description of the published brochure I expect leather (as defined in tge Oxford English dictionary) not some kind of rubbish man made material that’s not fit for purpose 😡😡😡😔👎

[Kremmen]

When I think back, my 1968 Mini 850 I had for quite a few years had plastic seats and they never split

What's changed

I suspect that hard bit of plastic that is restricting movement and making it bend more

[Bristol_Crosstar]

There is quite a bit of "leatherette" in the Sport interior, I haven't seen any sign of cracking to date and the car's nearly two years old, maybe they've addressed this problem in the refresh models?

[JB]

I also have a sport registered October 2023 no sign of cracks.

[coldstart]

...
But with older Mk4's  its increasingly likely a repair under warranty will be refused  as  'fair wear and tear' and  owners less willing to spend mega bucks on quality air bag compliant seat covers. (or pay dealers £600 for a repair)
...

So - at least that's my impression - I might buy your life or soul for less or up to £600? 
If so, I'm truly in for a bargain!

On a more resonable thought: Why (on earth!) would a crack or two in the side of the driver's seat present such an enormous problem?
I'm not a resident so I don't actually know for sure. However, I rather doubt passing MOT depends on the driver's seat not having any cracks.

[Jazzik]

I really have a serious problem! After a thorough inspection, I also found a (small) crack!
But... here's the real problem: not in the driver's seat, which is still perfect. No, in the passenger seat!!!
Since there's no topic about passenger seat wear, I'm posting it here, but that's obviously not right!

[RuthieB]

My wife’s Jazz is showing deterioration on the passenger bolster, not as bad as the driver’s seat, see pic attached…..

I suppose we could just go over the splits with a black permanent marker and pretend there’s nothing there. (Black marker is also good for the near side wheel rims as SWMBO likes to run the wheels along the kerb!)

[Lord Voltermore]

I'm not a resident so I don't actually know for sure. However, I rather doubt passing MOT depends on the driver's seat not having any cracks.

Its a question of how soon in a cars life you willing to tolerate aesthetic imperfection on its  the upholstery. Small splits like this, in this location,  are never likely to fail an MOT or other   technical inspection.  But it may affect its resale value.

 But I have heard of a very  high mileage  foreign registered van  being  seized by the police  whilst transiting through Austria  because they considered its upholstery was in such poor condition it didnt hold the driver secure and was dangerous.  (maybe the seat was virtually collapsed with loose foam rubber stuffed into gaping holes etc) .

But it is possible to fail the UK MOT  (and probably other countries) if the seats are insecure, or have broken metal frames etc. So maybe the seat condition was actually worse than the driver claimed on a forum when he sought  sympathy and the condemnation of  over zealous police. (although Austria do have a reputation for strict traffic  enforcements and large fines. )
 
Speaking of disguising cracks with marker pen etc has anyone  found a flexible  sealant that might be a good colour match for filling cracks. . Years ago I had some black acrylic filler (not silicone)  in a squeezy tube that might have been suitable.

[Kremmen]

Any repair that needs to flex is unlikely to work long term ?