How much seat wear / worn leather is normal

I was surprised to see that a car I'm seriously considering buying has significant wear on the left bolster on the driver's seat. There are a number of cracks. It seemed to me the cracks are just on the surface, but the result in black (or some other very dark color) breaking up the color of the leather (red). The seats are comfort seats with the standard (not supple) leather. The car supposedly has a bit under 50k miles. I understand standard leather may not wear as well as the supple leather, but is this normal? Or should I be worried about whether 50k is really correct. (My car has leather that looks and feels much like Porsche supple leather, and fairly large side bolsters too, but with almost 85k miles, no such wear.)

It all depends what the driver wears and how much of an entrance they make on the way into the car. If the driver wears jeans or belts it can scuff the leather. Jeans have rivets while belts are a little rougher. And some drivers just plop themselves into a seat while other glide into it. My car has over 120k miles and the wear is quite minimal. But I also think certain colors show it more than others and I'm fortunate to have a beige that doesn't. If the car is a good deal then repainting the seat shouldn't be a big deal.

65k miles on mine and faded, torn, tearing at seams etc... So yes, drivers side bolster is a mess. I think if you have the soft leather or option they wear worse as my buddy has same miles on regular leather and his are way better. Also, sport seats vs. regular seats make a difference. Finally, yes, jeans and belts are the no 1. culprits.

Mine, with 63k on it has "creases" in the seat bolster leather but not cracks. (By comparison, my 2002 Lexus RX developed cracks in the sides of the seat bolster area in the 150k range with little care.) What does everyone use on their leather? TC

Leather needs to be maintained, I see it as an inticator as of po's habits, it needs to be oiled to replace the natural oils that diminish evaporate over time. If they have not maintained the leather what else have they not maintained? The type of oil used on leather saddles will work

My seat on the bolster was somewhat scuffed when I got it at 45000 miles. I have been using leather cleaner on them every month and no significant wear since then. Black interior.

It is all in how you get in and out of your seat. I drove a BMW with a black interior for 8 years and 140000 miles and the seat looked new. That being said, I place my hand on the bolster when I get in, dragging my body over my hand instead of the bolster. Also, when getting out, I put my hand on the bottom sill of the door and "rotate" out of the seat, never dragging my body across the bolster. I like nice interiors and could not "live" with a torn up seat. So, I do what it takes to preserve the seat as long as possible. The bottom line is that seats are like any other item on the car - if you use proper technique and care for them properly, they will last. All the best. Ray

You might find some interesting info on this subject in a recent thread of mine concerning the leather bolsters in my two Porsches: https://rennlist.com/forums/996-foru...y-leather.html

Replacing a few panels rather than the whole seat is not as expensive as you might think. I had a very good shop replace the bolsters, one support side panel and the seat panel on my old XK8 for around $600. Matched perfectly too.

Quotes source post: 10767166

I'm sure you're right, and I'm not really worried about repair cost. I am, however, worried that it could be a sign that I should not trust the odometer (which says about 48k miles) ...

Trust your odometer as mine was worn at 45000 miles.. Well that's if my odometer is correct haha.

My leathers still in really great shape at 70kmiles. looks like its been maintained

I wouldn't doubt the odometer. I recently inquired and got some pictures of a 99 with around 50k miles. Bolster had insane wear on it.

At 68,000 miles, the bolsters on my '99 are pretty worn. Thinking of doing a DIY refinish on them...

At 120k miles mine are still in pretty good shape. Somebody at the track the other day commented they looked better than his with 50k miles on them. I think it has a lot to do with care and upkeep. Regular cleaning and conditioning goes a long way.

I am glad you posted this. I am at 205k and 10 years... I've owned since 2006 and put 185k on the car. My left bolster is creased from rolling out of the car, but still in good shape. The seat is shiny from my fanny. I typically wear slacks during the week. There is a little wear through, really just a scuff on the edges of the seat cushion where it meets the thigh bolster... Probably from the outside of my leg while driving, but not unsightly. Related issue... I've got the standard leather too, meaning the taught covers with perforations. The perforation holes have mostly "... collapsed" for want of a better term. Meaning the leather surrounding the perforation is depressed... It is no longer a neat pin hole, more like a sink hole with the perforation in the middle... Or dished out. Does this make sense? What is the cause? Not enough lubricant/hide food or too much? Too much Sun? Both seats have gotten wet but never really soaked in rain (from leaving the sunroof open or anything like that). Just typical drink spills every now and then and nothing sopping wet. I am going to have them recovered soon and would like to avoid this happening a second time. Thanks in advance, JKC

Quotes source post: 10769846

Are you sure it's the leather around the holes that has collapsed and not the foam under it? It could be that the foam deteriorates faster when it is more exposed to air, moisture, etc. (Particularly if the pinholes go all the way through the leather, though I never looked closely enough to know.)

This might be comparing apples to oranges because of the difference in build era, but my '01 C4 cab has supple leather and shows some wear and "worn creases" on the drivers seat, whereas my '90 944S2 cab showed essentially no wear whatsoever when I sold it a few months back. The 944 had similar miles, but was 11 years older, and it had the standard perforated leather used back then.

Spokayman and RS10, Thanks. I am sure it is the leather. I can take a PIC but it basically looks like someone took a nail head and compressed the leather around the pinholes. From the top... So, I don't think it is foam. What it really looks like, and what I am thinking, is that the pin holes have allowed lubricant and/or water in on the edges, where they are unfinished and then the surrounding leather has "... collapsed" or drawn tight, while the leather further out has stayed thick. This is probably too much detail and I am being ****, I suppose. Point is, if I recover, how do I prevent from happening again? I don't want to spend the money and have it look like crap again. JKC

And also, I had 944s and 951s and 968s and I don't remember seeing this issue with those cars... I also seem to remember the leather felt like a cheaper grade, but I never compared them side by side. JKC

Dark blue leather in my car and my seats are comfort seats with supple leather. The outside bolster is a bit worn as this car is my daily driver so I have plopped in the seat many a time. being a wide individual doesn't help either. Sport seats are a non starter for me. The Bolsters on these seats don't get the benefit of supple leather even if you have that option. They are going to wear. These cars are at best 9 years old now.