Defect Prompts Upholstery Replacement in Cars.com's 2015 C-Class
Soon after Cars.com's 2015 Mercedes-Benz C300 long-term test car joined our fleet in December 2014, we noticed a nasty discoloration of the MB-Tex imitation leather upholstery. An oily, white residue would come and go, leaving splotchy, ghostly patterns on the front and rear seats. At other times, the seating surfaces would appear greasy and wet even though the seats were dry to the touch.
Even stranger, the mystery patterns disappeared as soon as the interior warmed up and the phenomenon didn't happen at all on warm days. Our car was far from the only C-Class with this problem. Online Mercedes discussion forums documented the issue among owners of 2015 C-Class sedans, plus the automaker recognized the problem and issued a statement.
"Daimler AG became aware that, in a small number of individual cases, it is possible for temporary spots and/or shiny patches to form on the man-made leather surfaces of the 2015 C-Class in sub-freezing temperatures. No accidents or injuries have been reported, and we have no reason to believe that there are any hazards to customers," the automaker said.
Mercedes' supplier updated the upholstery to address the condition, and cars built after Jan. 5, 2015, have the fixed upholstery, according to a Mercedes service bulletin. The bulletin also attributes the staining to a production deviation that resulted in seat-sealing material sweating to the surface in temperatures below 32 degrees F and in certain high-humidity conditions.
For owners like us with cars made before Jan. 5, 2015, Mercedes offers a retrofit kit to re-skin the MB-Tex surfaces with the updated material. The kit includes replacement covers for the MB-Tex front and rear seats as well as head restraints and a few accent pieces. The upholstery is held in with an assortment of clips and rivets; technicians install it over the original seat and backrest padding.
A local Mercedes dealership inspected the car overnight to verify our concerns; we also showed the service consultant pictures of the gnarly seats. This particular dealership, however, was still a week away from receiving their first kits and ours would be the first covers they had the fortune of installing.
The dealership provided a 2015 Mercedes-Benz CLA250 loaner while the work was completed, which started on Monday; the car was ready for pickup Wednesday afternoon. Two days to complete the service was just the right amount, because that's about all the time I can spend in the rough-riding CLA250 before needing to realign my spine. The work was covered under warranty with no out-of-pocket cost to Cars.com.
With the exception of a thigh support flap that needed to be slid into place, the upholstery replacement is seamless. Unfortunately, the fix happened after freezing temperatures left the area so we haven't had a chance to test the new upholstery in chilly conditions. We'll be hanging onto the C-Class through the early part of next winter and will report if the sweating seats reappear.
https://www.cars.com/articles/defec...ement-in-carscoms-2015-c-class-1420680553504/
