im_cecil

Just wondering if you folks are seeing much dulling or wear on the seats, especially on the side bolsters.

Year and mileage and how often you clean & condition would help set context.

Anyone have to try restorative measures like professional reconditioning or dyeing?

gietl

While shopping mor my A6 I realized sport seats, while nice, seem to have the most wear int eh fewest miles. Naturally, dark interiors should show less wear and stains and therefore be a little easier to care fore and restore.

I have the Vanilla/Onyx interior and it is hard to keep clean, but overall I would say that I am at 50K miles but the interior is probably equivalent to that of a 20K mile car.

carbonLORD

98 2.8 had dark black that were pretty worn to begin with. I never treated them well.

the 4.2 is more of a gray then black, even though they consider it black. It started off great and still is. It seems to be a better grade and is stiched differently from the former 2.8. I have not treated it either (bad me), other then to wipe them down on ocasion. I literally get passengers in on the weekends only, and even then its 2 or 3 people for very short distances I guess I should get around to it sooner, rather then later.

Without a trip to the detailing forum what do you guys (and gal) like to use? (I dont like glossy sh*t, and I hope everyone agrees there).

GIACUser

Not very noticeable but I can see the color is going on the upper part of drivers seat. I have had car 3 years, all very short runs so I am in and out a lot. I keep the leather properly cleaned and dressed but the constant sliding in and out is causing that seat to show just a little wear, rest of leather like new.

im_cecil

I really like them -- they have a bit of a grainy finish to them, kind of like the pebbling on a football but not nearly that dramatic. The really smooth textures can look fake or cheap.

I noticed that the left side bolster on the driver's side is showing a bit of wear -- 25k. Nothing major, and not cracks, but a bit of dulling and some lines that look like they could develop into cracks if not treated. I just noticed it yesterday and didn't have time to do anything about it -- maybe a conditioning treatment is all I need.

Lexol works well, is cheap and easy to find. It's a easy 2-step clean and condition. There are some others out there too, like Mother's, Zymol, etc., but Lexol is well known among leather people (upholstery, saddlery), not just car people. Connelly Hide Food is great stuff, but it's just conditioner.

I also like the matte finish. Lexol can be a bit shiney, but I think the key is in the buffing with a clean towel to get rid of it.

I did some searching in the archives today -- apparently quite a few people have complained about quick wear. IronMike has a tech article about mixing leather dye with Lexol to bring back some colour. I found the specific dye he mentioned and talked to the local distributor. He never heard of mixing, but said "hey whatever works". I might give it a try.

saxonyron

72k miles, black leather - still looks great. Conditioned it a year ago. Time to do it again!

monkeypilot

The thing I have noticed is that my drivers seat
has seemed to get "polished" from gettting in and
out. It's noticeably shiney in wear areas and
much more "polished" looking than any of the other
seats which get pretty much no use. I use lexol
cleaner and conditioner as well...prob about every
3 months.

Sarge

melange, 70k, '99, just fine, like new...

Sarge

need replacement at some point, for sure, but the leather is very good. Of course, how well you maintain it does count for something, too.

The DJP

On my 2000 A6.. i have the frontseats replaced twice because they where totally worn out...
The armrest 3 times...
Overall it looks totally awsome but the quality was an absolute disaster.
I have the black leather now in the 04 , much better quality!!
<img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/70987/2000audi_a6int.jpg">
<img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/70987/int.jpg">