Questioning GM Interior Quality

[Dennis DiNorcia]

I have a 2006 DTS Luxury II package car with 30,000 miles on it. My discussion is on the quality of the leather seats in this car. Being a Luxury II model it has front bucket seats and I am really disapointed at the way the both front seats on the outer edges of the seat bottoms are showing terrible stress lines in them. The inner portions do not show this. I have looked at numerous models like this with even less mileage and they are all showing that same wear. What is going to happen when these seats have 60 or 70 thousand mile on them? I also noticed that the center cushion area tends to show a wave in in after sitting in it that does not come out after the seat lays for a while. Any one else agree on this type of flaw in GM's quality control on a $45,000 car?

[Chris Conklin]

I'll throw in one of the usual scapegoats - the hides cannot be treated and dyed like they used to due to EPA concerns.

[Barry Norman]

I had a 98 STS--got rid of it at 56K miles. Noticed the driver's seat really showing it's wear, though I took great care of it. While on the newer interior topic, WHY CAN'T WE GET RED LEATHER ANYMORE ?  Now, I'm calm .

[Chris Conklin]

WHY CAN'T WE GET RED LEATHER ANYMORE ?

Here's a pic of as close as you can get. Seems that if you can dye the cloth red you can dye the leather red!?

[Whit Otis, 1188]

Well, I traded a Lexus in on a new GMC Duramax.  After a year and 3 months, the bolsters are beginning to show some creases and I also have the same wave on the inner seat panel where you sit...... 150,000 on a Lexus and the leather never looked anything like this... yeah, there were a few creases in the drivers side leather, but the rest of it looked like brand new..... I don't regret the trade.......yet........ but they also left out one of the vent panels in the back of the cab..... great unions we got that understand what satisfying a customer is all about.

Whit Otis

[John Morris #23947]

Haven't leather seats always done that? Every leather interior I've seen from way back has that "patina" of creasing, just like an old mans face. 

[Gary McKinney]

I have a 1999 DeVille Concours that I purchased new.  It came with black perforated leather seats that look the same today as they did new.  The car has about 78,000 miles on it presently.  I've conditioned the leather a few times through the years which may have helped.  All my cars over the past 25 or so years have had perforated leather except one Lincoln, and in my experience the perforated leather holds up better than the "plain" leather.  The leather in my non-perforated car showed wrinkles and a bit of wear after 50-60,000 miles. 

[jeff1956]

Leather does wear this way and most of it has every bit to do with how you get in and out and sit in a seat....ie if you drag your backside across the leather stretching it everytime you get in and out of the car...the creases happen when pressure is applied and the cushion gives way letting the leather form a crease.  I do not believe it's a build quality issue.  If you don't like how leather ages...buy a cloth interior... or don't drag yourself in and out of the car   It seems everyone these days expects a 45K car to be better than a 25K car and the simple fact is that it probably is not going to be.  This is why I only own vintage cadillac cars these days...I cut my losses with new luxury brands several years ago.  A chevy sedan with cloth is perfectly fine with me because frankly it will get me there just as well as a new cadillac DTS and it gets 38mpg to boot!

Just my two cents....

Jeff

[Davidinhartford]

My 2005 Jeep Grand Cherokee has the same problem with the leather bolster on the drivers seat.   It is from your leg hitting it getting in and out.   From what I've read on the Jeep message boards it is a common problem.    Sounds like it is a design issue in addition to perhaps the leather being supplied nowadays is finished differently.   Still kinda disappointing nonetheless.