Worn out seat! Anyone else?

[Caramaddy]

MG should really sort this. Without wishing to be too negative, they are cars that are made on the cheap - we can all see that by the quality of the materials. I am not making excuses for MG but should we be surprised?

 

[Burgo]

Just joined the club - side of driver's seat has split.

 

[fred12345]

Just joined the club - side of driver's seat has split.

How old is the car and how many km on the clock?

 

[Burgo]

How old is the car and how many km on the clock?

Just on one year - 11801km. I've emailed the dealer regarding a warranty claim, but not heard anything back from them.

 

[fred12345]

Just on one year - 11801km. I've emailed the dealer regarding a warranty claim, but not heard anything back from them.

chase them and MG customer services as the seats are only covered with 12 months warranty (from memory) ..

 

[luis]

My car is a ZS EV Trophy Connect, had since new from Summer 22.

Have done just 20.6k miles on it so far.

Noticed the cracks this week on the driver’s seat, right side by the door.

My first thought was cold weather and the use of heated seats - but it’s pretty poor and not for for purpose.

I will go talk to the dealers but am not expecting much. I’m bitterly disappointed.

 

[DBedford]

Sorry to say that's what happens. Makes me stop and think if buying a 'cheap' EV was the best idea!

 

[fred12345]

Mine is still fine after 50,000 miles on the clock and to be honest with all the money saved on ZS as opposed to say Tesla, I'm not complaining. Yes, I will be disappointed when it happens to me but it happened on my previous car too. On the subject of Tesla and other brands, there are articles on their seat damage too. The problem is that artificial leather is not as durable as the real thing but still, worst case scenario to have the seat repaired is still much, much cheaper then paying extra for more expensive models... (and end up with split seats regardless)

Looked up average prices for seat repairs and these are early 2024 average prices:

and that Tesla seat article and also same problem with KIA seats ...

https://www.autoevolution.com/news/tesla-owner-discovers-their-seat-is-melting-it-has-happened-before-215516.html

GT Line S Car Seat Cracking

Hi All, Driver seat has this issue. Cars in warranty still, is this a warranty fix? 2019 Gt Line S

www.kiaownersclub.co.uk

Damage front seat

Damage front seat

f80.bimmerpost.com

 

[Bfordie]

I've just returned my MG5 EV - 71 reg.
Had just under 22k miles on the clock.

The driver seat had blistered or started to wear early on, but not as quick as my ZS 71 plate. And that goes back in Jan.

For the MG5. The inspector upon returning the car today said it was a grade 1 car overall, but the drivers seat would be £450 to repair. I'm yet to hear from the finance company but I'll be pushing back on this! It's natural wear and tear!

 

[Lovemyev]

Traded in our ZS EV Trophy LR for a S5 about three weeks ago.
It had covered about 26,000 miles and was three and half years old.
I spotted tiny cracks starting to appear in the drivers seat bolster cushion about 2 months ago.
I know condition is common on the pleather seat covers, so I have tried really hard to not to sit on the bolster when getting in and out of the car, however it has made no difference really.
The material has still started to crack, regardless of how much care I have taken.
The plastic content in this material is way too high and I believe this is the cause of the premature cracking, together with temperature fluctuations inside the car, especially in the summer when it can reach nearly 50 degrees !.
However, the material should be able to sustain this temperature and therefore has to be judged as not fit for purpose.
Having splits seats on a car with less than 30,000 miles covered and only just over three years old, in a normal day to day use is not good enough sorry !.
I am 5ft 8 inches tall and average weight for my height, so it’s not that !

 

[mattdav]

From this thread and others, it seems clear to me that the problem with MG seats is due to the quality (or lack thereof) of the pleather. If you look at the photos I posted, as well as those by @metafgf, you can see how thin the plastic covering is over the underlying fabric of the seat.

We're fortunate enough to also have a Tesla Model Y. The pleather in this is a world apart from that in the ZS. It feels thick and supple, and after three years and around 27,000 miles, there are no cracks or blemishes, save for a few creases where I get out of the car. I haven't seen much mention of problems with the seats in the Tesla community and forums (that's not to say it never happens). There are plenty of examples of Teslas with over 100,000 miles, and if you look at the seats, they seem to hold up really well.

Our ZS driver's seat is a mess, but I'm going to ignore it until we get rid of the car and deal with it then. I see that many of the seats on eBay are passenger-side ones. Driver's side seats are much harder to come by.

 

[Roger]

How old is your car and what mileage? I'd say you're right, it will only get worse - see the photo I've just posted!

My ZS EV is 5 years old and only done just over 30k miles, and MG won’t repair or replace the faulty seat. I am now going through the process of making a section 75 claim. Watch this space!
I love the car, but their warranty and after sales customer care is appalling.

 

[Lovemyev]

I had considered having a trimmer make a new seat cushion base cover for the drivers seat,
by hopefully unpicking the centre section, then replace both of the bolsters in leather instead.
The original pleather on the bolsters has a "carbon effect" which is not going to be possible to match up in real leather, I know that.
Therefore I would want BOTH the drivers and passengers seat cushions upgraded to match.
These would not be the perfect match to the back of the seats backs of course, but at least it would be longer lasting and look WAY better than opening the door each day and looking at the terrible unsightly splits in the seats !.
Personally, I would find it very embarrassing to offer somebody a lift in our car, that is only 3 years old, to be told by a friend :- "Hey - Do you know you have a split in your seat ?".
Then getting into a conversation every single time, of trying to make excuses for the poor quality of the materials used by the manufacture !.
This is not acceptable tbh.
Of course there would be a fairly high cost associated to this, that has to be made by the owner.
Okay, we understand that these cars are made at a price point, that where less expensive than some of the competition, but if by using inferior materials on important items like seats, is the way to do it, then this NOT the way to go about it.
Is there anybody on this forum, who can recall looking into having to replacing the front seat / or cushion materials due premature failure, l on ANY of their previous cars in under 3 - 4 years of ownership ?.
I imagine the answer to this question will be a big fat - ZERO !.
Selling on a car that has suffered this level of wear to the seats, is not going to be easy without applying a sizeable discount on the prize.
Back in day, if I had opened the door on car for sale and it had the seats showing this level of wear on the seats, then I would walk away and consider if the car had been "clocked" as this NOT the type and level of wear you should be witnessing on a car so early in its life cycle.
Rant over ! .

 

[securespark]

Good plan, but the foam underneath will still breakdown and collapse anyway if used by wider bottoms as the bolsters aren't up to being sat on!

I have a wider "ahem" derriere.... And I haven't seen any damage yet. There is creasing though, but I'd expect that.

Good idea about "feeding" the material to keep it supple.

Edit forgot to add, 23 plate MG4, mileage 21,195.

 

[Lovemyev]

I am not 100% sure if you can actually feed / condition a man made mainly plastic based material.
Surely products made for pleather, is only going to treat the surface and will be unable to impregnate the material, given the high plastic content.
Unlike a pure natural skin like leather would do ?.

 

[securespark]

No, it won't do the same as it would for natural leather, but I feel using a moisturising cleaning product designed for fake leather will help keep it supple and stop it cracking.

 

[fred12345]

Mine is on 60,000 miles and no cracks on the seat but I do try not to rub the edges whilst getting in and out.

 

[Caramaddy]

No, it won't do the same as it would for natural leather, but I feel using a moisturising cleaning product designed for fake leather will help keep it supple and stop it cracking.

I wonder if Autoglym Rubber and Vinyl Care would do the job?
It is great for softening rubber trim.

 

[securespark]

Dunno, but this claims to be unbeaten in Auto Express tests since 2015.

Supernatural Intensive Leather Car Cleaner | Multiple Award-winning

Revive leather with the award-winning Supernatural Intensive Leather Cleaner. Removes dirt and stains while preserving the natural finish.

supernaturalcarcare.com

 

[Lovemyev]

I wonder if Autoglym Rubber and Vinyl Care would do the job?
It is great for softening rubber trim.

Maybe try it on a different area of the seat first ?.
Just in case it is sticky or slippery, it will give you an idea of the drying time also.