What's up with my '97 black leather seat? The driver's side "pleather" (sewn to the leather) is starting to peel and look horrible... It is the entry side of the seat, which is sewn to the actual leather skins... Totally sucks... I have a totally clean car, but I am embaressed to let other people see that side... Any others with the same problem? (I saw '96 Max with a similar problem, but not as bad as mine...) Anyone have any experience with it? Changing it or having a new piece made and sewn? How much? Anyone else with the problem?

You should apply some leather condition and cleaner to you cars leather. That will make the life of it last longer. Also it prevents cracks and such since its exposed to the sun often throughout the day.

Yeah thanks, but the car is always garaged, and gets a coat of Meguiar's Leather Conditioner every month. I am pretty good about the upkeep of my car... The problem is not the leather, but more like the pleather beginning to skin itself... My leather feels and looks brand new. Soft as hell...

i thought the whole surface was real leather. It's this way in my mom's 99 se, is it different for 97?

Hmm, from what I have read, the seats are the same and interchangeable... And on my seats, the main skinned areas are real leather (the whole bottom cushion, and the area where your back goes and the headrest). But there is pleather on the sides of the seats, as well as (if I recall correctly without looking) the whole back of the seat... You have to really pay attention to see it. They did a great job of fooling alot of people.

oh i thought you meant the side of the seat as in the side that your butt touches, not the actual side. Yes i think that is vinyl. There is also vinal in the back above the middle seat. It has a better leather to vinyl ratio than most cars though. Lexus for example only puts real leather on the middle of their seats. :smash:

I have the same problem, but on the right side of the drivers seat on the side. I believe that this is vinyl, and the leather conditioner won't help at all(I've already tried).

I think the drivers seat leather is just plain weak -- The more you sit on it, the faster it will deteriorate -- I don't carry passengers much -- and all the other seats look just fine --

I did all the leather cleaning, conditioning, etc -- Doesn't work --

ME TOO!!
 

That vinyl sheet ain,t worth ad amm! Mine is doing it to. As soon as I can afford it, I,m going ALL AROUND leather for the front seats. 95 GLE BTW.

Medicsonic your car looks soo hot...

Really, you should see the paint up close, you wouldn't be saying that. ALOT of scratches. But thanks for the compliment.

leather seating
 

Nissan terms the leather option as "leather seating surfaces". So only the parts where you actually sit are leather. The rest are "leatherette". I would imagine any all purpose treatment solution for vinyl will do. I use Lexol on the seating surfaces, and Finish2000 on everything else.

Speaking of leather seats, has anyone checked the tops of the rear seating faux headrests? Mine have become VERY stiff! I started applying conditioner to them every month now, and it isn't really softening them up much at all. I wonder if there's a special ointment you can use for this?

http://www.cvs.com/assets/images_pro...rge/020543.jpg

now, now
 

Not too much rivalry here, K? :angel:

Thats why i bought off ebay seat covers designed for maxima in order to preserve my leather, since I use car for everyday driving and for show off i will take covers off, and for everyday drivings covers are back on.

Also other way is to buy seats from wrecked maxima, they are pretty cheap from junk yards.

Where's your picture, Sprint? Visine gets the red out, but nothing can get your ugly out.

someone is a tad bit upset :laugh:

where you drive in NYC? brooklyn? wana to see your ride! especially your 2000/2001 se wheels

I live in Stamford, CT, but am all over the place doing stuff(just like Sprints mom and sister). I think I'm going to the meet on the 3rd.

I don't have a sister? :gotme:

Oh, yeah, and his grandmother. But she only has one leg and her customers call her Eileen.

my grandmother just died last year :(

Did yo mama roll over and crush both of them?

no she seriously died last year

:smash:
WTF is happening in here??? Calm down now... Take it to the off topic area... :)
Anyways, regarding the back bench seat leather, yeah mine is doing the same thing. Like I said, I am really good about conditioning my seats, and I even 'soak' the headrests of the rear seat in that lotion stuff... Still seems hard and stiff. I guess it is from sun always hitting it (though my car was always garaged).

Also, to make it clear in case it may not be already, the side of the seat where it is messing up is not the leather... But it is instead the vinyl actually peeling. Conditioner should work well on it if it hadn't started doing that... Any ideas on the replacement piece costs?

Sorry:angel: about that. And my back seat has a 3 by 2 spot of cracked leather that looks horrible. I'll take a picture of it and you can see what no conditioning does to a car.

leather
 

Looking at all the Maximas that is in NYC, I have been quite curiou, but it seems that the darker color leather--black and grey ones seem to hold up a bit better than the light color leather (beige). I have the beige leather in my car and it okay--given that my car is 97--so 5 year old...but I do wish the leather can hold up better.

Here they go. And yes, that is Sonic the Hedgehog on the rear deck.

http://members.aol.com/medicsonic/driversseat.jpg
http://members.aol.com/medicsonic/backseat.jpg

Whoa Sonic... That sucks...I have it easy compared to you...

I'm gonna live with the driver's seat, but the back seat is DEFINITELY getting replaced.

the cracked part
 

Medsonic,
you have the beige interior, correct? The reason for my inquiry is that the photo makes the leather look greyish...and I wasn't sure.
But the cracks you have in your picture--that section is leather, and not vinyl, correct?
And how did it get that way? is it from your rubbing on it over time or it happened because of the heat?