Recaro Leather Cracking
 

Hey all,

What is the ideal way to keep these seats in top condition? The Recaro seats in my 2017 Nismo are starting to look worn / cracked.

Currently I just give them a regular wipe with a anti bacterial fabric wipe.
Any other tricks out there to get these looking like new?

Thanks!

I like Meguiar's leather cleaner and conditioner.

That's probably your main issue right there. Your anti bacterial fabric wipe probably has alcohol or some sort of drying agent in there which sucks the moisture out of the seats. Here's what I do. Best of luck.

1. Avoid sitting/putting pressure on the bolsters. Create a process for getting in and out.
2. Use a gentle soap and water mix in a spray bottle. I suggest castile soap. Apply the solution to the seats and wipe off dry to clean the surface.
3. Buy a good quality leather conditioner and manually apply with a polishing pad. Just follow the directions on whatever you're using. I use Lexol.

I think these recaros are particularly known for, not necessarily cracking, but wearing. Mine have some creases in them, but I maintain them with cleaning/polishing. It's just a characteristic of leather. So long as you continue to use the seats they will never look the same as the day you bought them. Just take care of them and they will last :)

It helps that I put the seat all of the way back before I get out. Of course, I didn't figure that out til damage was done.

Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk

Recaro Leather Cracking
 

I’ve found that Autoglym leather balm is the best product out there for leather seat protection and cleaning. You should never use antibacterial wipes on any leather product.

https://www.autoglym.com/leather-cleaner-balm

PS: I would try taking it into the dealer for a warranty claim if your seat leather is cracking. Not normal for a ‘17.

pics?

:iagree:

But don't mention anything about the wipes you used or they will use that to deny your warranty claim.

I'm a fan of Zymol's leather products. I used them with 20 year old cars and the interiors stayed in great shape.

:iagree: However, just as stated before, Never use anything with alcohol!!! To clean use a mild soap & water and wipe clean and dry with clean cloth. Then use a conditioner on the leather part ONLY!! The Alcantara areas have to be cleaned a much different way.

Hey, sorry I should be more precise with my wording. The wipes im using are not anti bacterial wipes. They are specifically for leather and suede for cars. (They just look like antibacterial wipes lol)

Hmm, shame the seats do not have an electric memory function. Would be a pain to have to adjust the seats every time.

Just to be clear, the wipes are specifically for car leather and suede. They are not anti bacterial, just my terrible description of them.
I have posted some pics below of the seat.

See the below post.

Hey, sorry I should be more precise with my wording. The wipes im using are not anti bacterial wipes. They are specifically for leather and suede for cars. (They just look like antibacterial wipes lol). Also can this kind of thing even go against a warranty claim, would they not just say its wear and tear?

Its not an anti bacterial wipe, its a leather and suede wipe, it just looks like an anti bacterial wipe. I use these to clean the seats.

Pictures below of the driver side seat:

For reference the car is a 2017 Nismo. I have had this car for approx 2 months. I usually wear joggers and never jeans with buttons or zips on the back that can catch. And I always go out of my way to fall in to the seats rather than slide over the bolsters. Same with the way out but that can be difficult sometimes.

Looking at the images below, it also seems like the top level of leather appears to be peeling off? Is this normal wear guys. Are these seats really that delicate.

https://i.imgur.com/BZEEjOR.jpg
https://imgur.com/cISb3Sh.jpg

You say you bought the car 2 months ago? How was the leather wear at the time of purchase?

Even used it should still be under warranty. That side bolster wear definitely looks abnormal to me. I would absolutely take it to a dealer.

Recaro Leather Cracking
 

When you said “cracking”, I thought you meant actual tearing and/or breaking of the upper layer of the leather. What I see from your pics is normal wrinkling that happens with most leather seats. Mine also show some wrinkling to a lesser degree.

Actually, I’ve had wrinkling happen with all my past cars with leather interiors. My Corvette was the absolute worst.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I agree the type of wear looks normal. But what seems abnormal to me is the amount of wear for the age of the vehicle. Leather shouldn't crack that much that quickly. I know of a number of Zs with touring seats that haven't cracked like that in 5 years with a lot more miles.

Can you show inside passenger side bolstering? And same with driver side? Or is it unique to that portion of leather?

Also hope it wasnt your passengers doing the seat a dirty

Ups... those Recaro seats seem to have serious reliability problems....

This is what my 2016 looks like. The damage was done before I noticed. https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...7218ae2faf.jpg

Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk

Recaro Leather Cracking
 

I will admit that I’m not too impressed with the general quality of the leather on these seats. It could’ve been much better considering the cost. I work hard at not damaging my seat every time I get in and out of the car. So far so good.

I think it’s an issue with Recaro who build the seats and not NISSAN. But maybe NISSAN imposed a cost restriction on the supplier and thus Recaro used a thinner leather? Who knows.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Looking at an older pic it seems like the cracks were their, just more faint.
Additionally a few days after I bought the car the passenger side seat got a nasty scuff on it. But only a small handful of people had sat in it and they were all careful. I highlighted this at the dealer and they said it is just normal wear and tear.
See below images


I don't understand how these are getting worn so quickly, it almost looks as if the top leather of layer is coming off in some places!

Driver Side Seat bolsters:
https://i.imgur.com/1Ua0tlI.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/qAX5ytL.jpg

Passenger Side Scuff that appeared days after purchase:
https://i.imgur.com/CqTfDdU.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/jGbdASi.jpg

Take it in, based on warranty. I have the exact same car, but as a 2016 with 25K miles. No cracks or tears like you have. I've been using Lexol. Good luck!

I don't have a Nismo, but my drivers seat started showing wear after about 2 years of ownership. I brought it to Nissan's attention; they took some pictures to send to Corporate for warranty determination, and was denied.

I ended up getting the seat repaired locally for about $300...

These seats should not wear as fast as they do, so now, I slide the seat all the way back when I get out. Seems to work for me...

^^ Great repair job!!!

My driver side is doing it, not nearly as bad as these pictures, but beginning stages. 2016 about 25k miles. Probably wear getting in/out. Should probably see about warranty....

Mine still look new and my 2017 is 2 years old bought Oct 2016...

I use nothing on them as far as wipes.

Looks great did they replace the entire leather strip?

Nothing was replaced...somehow, they repaired the leather, matched the color and resprayed what they fixed. After a few years, it's still holding up pretty good.

Stealership gave me grief and I was in a hurry so didn't fight but saying it was normal wear.

Normal wear with, How many miles on the car? :ugh2:

Hi there .... i've got another problem, not the leather itself but also a Recaro only problem.
Since nearly 1 year my Recaro driver seat is squeaking from the back or maybe the seat hinge. I know from 3-4 other Nismo Owner in Germany, that they have the same problem.

Does anyone in US recognize the same noise?

https://drive.google.com/open?id=12q...W2yVrwBKyMp_Cl

Thanks OP for posting this. My 2019 Nismo is starting to do this on the drivers side in the same place. Im going to treat the leather more often, hoping it doesnt get worse. I would say this is a result of poor quality. I installed some katzkin leather seats in my tacoma 6 years ago and they havent shown any wear like these seats. I condition them once a year.

mine is cracking on the left bolster just like in one of the pics on the previous page

cheap sh!t

i ended up putting skidmore's leather treatment on it and it looks somewhat decent when it's lubricated but i just gave up on it at this point

The best thing to do to help prevent this is to not slide down in the seat. Sit on the seat without hitting the bolster and then swing your legs around. This happens on Corvette's also. It's nothing new. Make sure you don't have stuff in your back pockets. Take your bill fold out if you have one.