Do Heated Seats Cause Dry Rot

[BMWTurboDzl]

Has anyone noticed or heard of Heated Seats causing Dry Rot ?

It's possible that the heating element loses flexibility at it ages and that loss of flexibility causes wear of the surrounding foam when the seat is occupied.

 

[PF52]

You mean you guys don't unbolt your seats and bring them indoors during extremes of temperature?

 

[raaizin]

I will say I think it is more of an issue of the quality of the leather used. I had a 12 year old Audi A6 with 150k miles leather was perfect. Wife had a 10yr 100k 2008 BMW X3 leather perfect when we traded it. My daughter still has a 2008 Jetta with 180k and drivers seat just starting to crack, not leather its the VW imitation leather. I condition the sets once a year or so, my daughter never does hers. Friend had a 5 year old MDX seats look like crap. I had a 9 year old Maxima same thing. The germans seem to give you a better interior

 

[swampdodo]

I balance the dry rot with moist farts.

Hope your seats are brown...

 

[researcher]

Not sure about dry rot, but they do get hot. Here in the southwest, summer temps can run 115+. I fired the leather seats that came with my car, and I ordered aftermarket seats with fabric center inserts. It‘s made a world of difference in comfort with no sweaty back or sweaty ass after six years of use. The fabric is holding up very well.
View attachment 143666

what brand of seats are those?

 

[SaberOne]

what brand of seats are those?

RECARO ErgoMed is the brand/model .

 

[gregk24]

I will say I think it is more of an issue of the quality of the leather used. I had a 12 year old Audi A6 with 150k miles leather was perfect. Wife had a 10yr 100k 2008 BMW X3 leather perfect when we traded it. My daughter still has a 2008 Jetta with 180k and drivers seat just starting to crack, not leather its the VW imitation leather. I condition the sets once a year or so, my daughter never does hers. Friend had a 5 year old MDX seats look like crap. I had a 9 year old Maxima same thing. The germans seem to give you a better interior

Yes, Honda / Acura leather has never impressed me. The seats in my Accord look good but that’s because I baby them.

 

[PimTac]

Hope your seats are brown...

They are now.

 

[hrv]

Eating too many White Castles can cause both dry and wet rot....

 

[researcher]

RECARO ErgoMed is the brand/model .

thanks for that info! I want to look into those, they look very comfortable.. then again Recaro was always the best!

 

[TiGeo]

Not when they are cloth.

 

[userfriendly]

I balance the dry rot with moist farts.

Blame the dog.

 

[JHZR2]

Properly take care of the leather and condition it and it shouldn't be a problem.

I could see it possibly drying out the leather further in situations where the leather is neglected and not conditioned properly.

Hard to actually condition plastic coated leather…

 

[vavavroom]

Hard to actually condition plastic coated leather…

That’s not a real problem because the thin coating develops countless micro cracks over time. I have old coated leather jackets that get squeaky after a while because the dry leather fibers rub against each other. After conditioning the coated leather the noise goes away. If the product didn’t get into the leather the noise woul persist. With coated leather seats I let the product rest for half an hour on the seats before wiping down the surface.

 

[userfriendly]

Hope your seats are brown...

Your post got me thinkin'

That new car smell.
That new car smell with a leather interior.
That ___ ____ smell of a Cadillac at an estate sale.

OK, we'll go with wet dogs.

XXX

 

[antonmnster]

My seat heating levels are 100, 112, and 120deg f respectively. They get way hotter in the summer sun.