Isn't that just a normal wear factor on leather?

Both are like this, but the driver side more so (for obvious reasons)

Chris

 

Never understood why folks pay for leather seats that look like garbage in a few short years. A premium cloth looks better and wears far better IMHO

 

I agree, I opted for cloth. Besides having a baby and knowing that things will get tossed around in the back seat and having a car seat digging into the seats and probably wearing out the leather, I dont like the feel of leather and how hot it can get. I know people who have the leather seats and then put covers on them. Kinda pointless. They look amazing, especially the red leather, but for me, it just wasnt practical.

 

Going back to the OP's first post, mine has it very slightly starting. I doubt the dealer would replace it under warranty but it's worth asking I guess. I use leather conditioner religiously when I first get a vehicle with leather seats which really does soften it up some and helps prevent any more of the creases and cracking from propagating. You could also take it to a reupholster shop and have them redo the seat bottom only in a nicer leather for a reasonable cost I'd think. Sorry if this does not help.


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I think it's just a product of how the seat was designed - no way around it. Mine is looking the same at 16k miles. Oh well, it's no biggie to me.

 

I condition my leather every few months and do not have any problems so far. Mine is a '14 R/T.

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Same, must condition leather to keep it supple.

Do you have the Nappa upgrade, or standard bonded leather? A seat upholsterer can easily fix a panel in a seat, or upgrade the material as others said. Its an art but there are great artists out there for this.

 

Is the leather actually cracked open? I guess I am wondering the extent. Do you have a pic? This is how the seats in my 2015 are. I thought this was just a natural thing that occurred with leather.

Chris

 

Yeah that's the natural texture of leather, specifically full-grain leather.

And that's nothing to worry about! Just keep it conditioned using quality products (Lexol is what I'm using now, but will be playing with others in the future) and it should wear great over the years.

Is the leather actually cracked open? I guess I am wondering the extent. Do you have a pic? This is how the seats in my 2015 are. I thought this was just a natural thing that occurred with leather.

View attachment 43337

View attachment 43329

Chris

Mine are the same, but red.

 

^^My 14' R/T seats look exact same.

 

I have had leather interior in all my vehicles including my RT....it must be conditioned and I would do it once per month. I usually do it twice per month, it only take 5 minutes to spray and wipe.

 

I'm not sure what kind of cloth your guys have that is more durable than leather, but I'd like to see it. Both have pluses and minuses, and their place. Sadly most people I know confuse "pleather" vinyl with real quality leather. My seating covering preference is Leather > Hybrids > Cloth > broken glass > vinyl.

From my experience:
Cloth excels at staining, absorbing odors, burning from cigarettes, ripping, fading, cheaper to buy, not burning you in the summer, not feeling like sitting on ice in the winter and lowering the resale of the vehicle. I have never found one as comfortable as a quality leather seat, but more comfortable than the hard leather seats. (Addition: I don't smoke anymore and when I did, NEVER EVER in a car or house, tar in the lungs is ok but not where people can see it LOL)

Leather excels at resisting stains, odors, rips, costing more, requiring more maintance (conditioning), better resale, burning you in the summer, getting shiny from sweat and removing body heat in the winter. (Heated and cooled seats help with the temp issues)

Yep Essentials that is like the middle road between cloth and leather hybrid that my Avenger has. Its like a woven nylon cloth thats strong like leather, odor, stain, tear resistant, don't burn you in the summer, isn't freezing in the winter....BUT on bare skin feels like a scotchbrite pad, VERY abrasive. Its so rough the girls don't like riding in it if wearing skirts, so I put cloth seat covers over my "cloth" seat covers.....

 

The leather is not cracked open, it looks like the pictures posted. I guess my question was more to the 2016, 2017 owner to see if the seats are still doing this. I had the dealer look at it and they submitted a claim the Dodge, no idea if they will do anything or even if I want them to after thinking about it. Also I do condition my leather monthly.

 

I was curious about the "nappa" leather group and if that was holding up better.


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A few of months ago, I noticed that the leather seats on the driver side of my 2015 RT (Nappa) had cracked and begun peeling. The peeling occurred on the side of the seat and not on the top surface where you would sit. I took it back to the dealership (I had owned about 90 days at that point) to get it looked at. The dealership took pictures of the seat and submitted to FCA for warranty claim. It was accepted by FCA and the dealership replaced the bottom portion of the leather seat.

 

I know it just recently done but what is your opinion of the replacement cover.

 

The quality of the replacement cover is excellent but the quality of installation (experience of person doing it) may vary. The appearance of the new cover after installation isn't as smooth as the factory installed cover. The original cover was stretched tighter and the replacement cover has a bit more give. Personally, I like the looser fit as it gives a little more and is more comfortable to sit on. I have attached a picture of the new cover.

 

The quality of the replacement cover is excellent but the quality of installation (experience of person doing it) may vary. The appearance of the new cover after installation isn't as smooth as the factory installed cover. The original cover was stretched tighter and the replacement cover has a bit more give. Personally, I like the looser fit as it gives a little more and is more comfortable to sit on. I have attached a picture of the new cover.


View attachment 43882

Looks like the upholsterer didn't know how to steam the seat.