Has anyone gone through the TSB process and had their faded seats repaired yet? Or has anyone had them outright replaced?

Mine are fading and for an $80K car, this is not okay.

 

They cleaned them for me once. The second time i complained they said its normal ajd my seats need to be cleaned.

it makes sense, nothing official regarding seat cover replacement has come out of jlr. The instances where customers have had the entire upholstery replaced is at the dealers discretion….

i wish my dealer provided that level of service

 

Annoyingly, the fact that they are fading is not 'normal' at all - the seat fabric was not sealed properly at the factory hence why we're dealing with this fading so early on. It's the only thing on the car I really have a beef with - fading seats on an $80K car? Not cool.

I'll request a cleaning from my dealer and see if that works - otherwise I'll update on whether they approve replacement material (I'd prefer Robustec over full leather as that cracks and creases very quickly).

 

The seats were the only thing we were hesitant about. We hadn't had a non-leather seat in a car in decades. We SPECIFICALLY asked how durable they were and how easy they would be to keep clean if the kids spill on it. We were assured multiple times they were durable and stain resistant. Only then did we agree to order the damn car.

It is the ONE thorn in the side in our ownership experience so far.

It is the ONE thing that MIGHT keep my wife from ever buying another JLR product if we can't solve/find some bliss.

I would friggin install a set of Katzkin leather seats if they made a kit for the Defender just to heal this wound.

But I expect no help from my dealer. I already got push back the first time I asked them to clean it (while having them service it early) and I had to mention the TSB before they'd even do it.

I am not optimistic.

Meanwhile I'm shopping 60K Jeeps instead of a D90.

 

I feel your pain - I'm holding out for my dealer to do the right thing. As an absolute last resort I'll have a custom interiors service replace the fabric on all the sets if necessary. I'm seeing several custom brands on social media that do some really nice interior/upholstery upgrades, such as Heritage Customs in Holland.

 

OOOOH, please let us know what you find.

Meashile, I'm going to contact Katzkin directly and let them know there may be a market worth producing a kit for here. I'm also going to contact a custom shop that I've used here before on a few other vehicles (including two Katzkin installs that were better than OEM quality when finished by my determination).

I'll report back if I learn or do anything.

 

Fearful that my base defender seats would stain easily, I immediately used 303 Aerospace Protectant spray liberally on my seats/trim/dash (spray then wipe with a microfiber cloth). After 2 months of use including a beach trip, dusty off road trip and boating (wet shorts) - my interior still looks brand new. Whenever I do see a mark on the seats, I can just wipe it off with a cloth. I have a reminder to "reseal" my interior every 5 weeks...takes all of 5-8 minutes. Worth it!

Here's a link to what I ordered on Amazon US:

 

I just checked Katzkin's website - this looks like its ripe for a Defender option. I'd do that option in a heartbeat if the price was right.

Heritage Customs provide the entire interior upgrade - and it looks like its about 8500 Euros - $9300 approx - but I'm pretty sure they don't provide for the US market. Looks like we need a better US option.

If I find a custom shop that will do the work I'll keep you posted.

 

I also bought some waterproof sealant but as the seats have stained already (due to the TSB issues of not being sealed), the fabric needs to be wet vaccumed before a sealant can be applied. Once I get the seats cleaned I'll apply my product but defintiely kicking myself for not doing this process when the cart was new! I also was not aware of this issue when I bought the car.

Do you have the neoprene material on the dash/door trim? Does that take a good seal using the 303? I'm seeing minor stains on my door panels that need to be removed.

 

definitely glad I checked this forum before ordering my car, as I would have been miffed to see staining on a high-end car like this! i believe the dash and door trim is the same on my car as other defenders. the 303 spray works great at keeping those bits clean and protected. when they do stain, I can easily wipe off the marks.