Seat cloth issue on brand new car

[Tommus71]

Hi,

New to the forum.

Picked up a polo edition 50 on 6/12/25 lat in the day.

Noticed the cloth on the seat wasn’t totally flat on the side bolsters on the seat, it’s rippled on both passenger and drivers side.

Dealer saying warranty won’t cover it and they won’t do it either at their cost.

Been on to vw customer service manager but don’t seem to be getting anywhere at the minute. Personally I don’t think I will.

Any ideas on what to do if they say no to repairing/replacing the cloth? Was thinking of posting pics on their social media pages as this shouldn’t be like it on a brand new car.

Pics attached so you can see what I mean. Am I being too fussy??

[SRGTD]

Hi @Tommus71; welcome to the forum.

Apologies for the long post that follows which is a bit of a brain dump but will hopefully be of use to you.

From your pictures IMHO I don’t think they look too bad; I could probably live with them and I’m pretty OCD with my cars. I’ve had what I’d consider to be much worse quality issues on new VW’s on collection day - e.g. uneven panel gaps, paint defects, dents scratches, damaged trim). However as you’ve said, it’s a new car and should be perfect so if you’re unhappy with the rippled cloth on the seat bolsters it’s best to push for rectification now while your car’s still new.

VW’s new car factory warranty only covers such issues with seat covers for the sooner of 6 months or 6,500 miles so you’re well within those limits; after that, seat cover issues are considered to be wear and tear, as the way seat occupants get in and out of the seats might cause similar rippling over time. VW’s new car warranty t&c’s at the link below. However, I am aware on other forums over the years of owners getting other ‘wear and tear’ seat issues resolved under warranty beyond the 6 months / 6,500 miles limitation.

https://www.volkswagen.co.uk/en/owners- ... terms.html

I personally wouldn’t start posting on social media until you’ve tried - and exhausted - other options, as that might just antagonise VW and your dealership.

• Check out interior shots of other current shape Polos in the Approved Used section on VW’s website to see if your seat covers are the exception or the norm. I’d focus mainly on nearly new cars, but also the seats of some older current shape Polos that have had some use. You can then use those pictures (if appropriate) in further conversations with your dealership. If your dealer has any new Polos on display in their showroom, have a look at the seats in those cars to see how they compare to yours.

• Who did you raise the issue with at your dealership? When I’ve had issues in the past that couldn’t be resolved with the sales or aftersales teams, I’ve gone to the dealer principal / dealership manager (or whatever they’re called these days) to increase the chances of a successful outcome.

• If your dealer isn’t willing to help, you are free to use any VW dealership for warranty issues in the same way that you might for servicing and repair work, so it might be worth trying a different dealership.

• You could get the opinion of an auto-upholstery trimmer if there are any in your area to see if simply removing and refitting the seat covers might remove the rippling, along with an estimate of the cost of doing this and use that information in discussions with your dealership. If the cost is ‘reasonable’, the dealer might agree to cover the cost even if they’re not prepared to submit a warranty claim to VW.

I’d also keep a record of any discussions / meetings (names of contacts and details of discussions) and if appropriate, follow up with an email to avoid the situation of the person / people you deal with denying discussions took place.

Good luck. I hope this issue is resolved to your satisfaction. Please keep this discussion topic updated with developments and the outcome for the benefit of other forum members.

I’ve also included a link below to an article on your legal rights under the Consumer Rights Act 2015;
https://www.whatcar.com/news/your-legal ... -car/n3307

[Tommus71]

Hi there

Thanks for your reply.

I have been dealing with the service manager who is new to the dealership and finding him a bit arrogant, with a matter of fact attitude.

He’s saying that warranty have said they won’t cover it as it is deemed ‘user error’??? Seems odd on a brand new that nobody has been sat in!! They are also saying it’s a ‘characteristic of the cloth’ that old ‘characteristic’ chestnut which I’m not accepting.

I had a polo style before this one with the exact same seats and they don’t look half as bad as this after 3.5 years of ownership!

They had another edition 50 in the showroom when I picked up mine, I went back to check out the seats on that one and they were perfect. With hindsight I should’ve taken a photo but I didn’t think this wouldn’t get sorted under warranty.

I am waiting to hear back from vw customer services as the dealership have put an actual claim through now rather than just contacting warranty. I think this is just to get a no in writing from them. Customer services can’t overturn a warranty decision apparently.

I’d like to know who is responsible for sorting any factory defects if warranty are saying no to it.

I will contact the branch manager/business manager next and see what they have to say. I can’t see it costing much to replace some cloth, it’s not like I’m asking for new seats!

This is my 4th brand new car from that dealership and it seems that loyalty brings no reward now.

I had a great relationship with the old service manager who would sort any issue I had without fuss. If I was happy with something he would just replace it. All under warranty so I don’t know if something has changed with what’s covered under warranty