Vinyl Seat Issues

[AlfaEric]

I`m pretty new to this forum but have been reading it for a while... I finally have broken down and have to ask the pros... I`m not sure if this is the right area to post this - maybe Proper Car Maintenance And Repairs but I think this area gets more visits. :dunno

Here`s my problem (one of many). My pleather (vinyl) seats are going down hill fast. I sat in them a few weeks ago when the temp was in the single digits and I heard a loud CRACK! My side bolster cracked. I felt the area and the vinyl was hard. They normally are quite flexible but with the temp they appeared to have frozen. The area that split looked like it had a white haze on it. I originally wrote it off as bad luck but then earlier this week it was freezing again and I reached over to grab the ice scraper from the passenger floor and CRACK - the leg support of the passenger seat cracked! I barely touched it. I didn`t put any weight on it. Is there something else I should be using to treat my seats? Does anyone know of a repair process/product? Am I using too much product/too little? The crack is around 2-3" long and the seats are black. They aren`t really noticeable (except to me) but I would like to fix them or find a way to stop things from getting much worse.

Thanks,

---Eric

[CharlesW]

Hi Eric:
Welcome to DC!
Sounds like you might have some recourse with the manufacturer unless the car is very old.
I have had quite a few vinyl seats and have never had your problem. The only things I can think of would be a strong cleaner that has dried them out or prolonged exposure to the sun. The sun problem usually wrecks a dash rather than the seats, but I guess it would still have some effect.
303 protectant is what I use on the vinyl seats in our boats, but while it might protect from the UV, I`m not sure it would do anything about softening up existing hard vinyl.
You might want to go to an upholstery shop and get some expert advice.
Replacing just the seat cover might not be terribly expensive and might be another alternative.

Charles

[AlfaEric]

Hi Eric:
Welcome to DC!
Sounds like you might have some recourse with the manufacturer unless the car is very old.
I have had quite a few vinyl seats and have never had your problem. The only things I can think of would be a strong cleaner that has dried them out or prolonged exposure to the sun. The sun problem usually wrecks a dash rather than the seats, but I guess it would still have some effect.
303 protectant is what I use on the vinyl seats in our boats, but while it might protect from the UV, I`m not sure it would do anything about softening up existing hard vinyl.
You might want to go to an upholstery shop and get some expert advice.
Replacing just the seat cover might not be terribly expensive and might be another alternative.

Charles

I think the manufacturer is in the clear on this one... My dash is cracked in several places but I have a new one waiting to go in someday. The seats are in a 1991 BMW that was poorly maintained IMO by the previous owners. There were a couple cracks in the passenger bolster when I got the car (about 5 years ago) but I never added any new ones until this season. Normally the seats are soft it just seems like they are freezing.

---Eric