I searched and didn't find this issue posted, so thought I'd start a new thread. I've got a new 458 and didn't notice it until I got home after a long drive from picking it up and driving it across country. The issue is with the side of the bottom portion of the seat (bolster?). It appears that the leather has pulled out of the retention feature in the seat. I also notice there is a small area about 3/4 way up the side of the seat as well. Has anyone else had this issue? What was the fix. How is it affixed from the factory? I took it to an upholstery shop and they said if it is just glued back in it will pop out again. He recommended stapling. I'm not to keen on stapling the leather to the CF. I'm afraid it would crack...if it was the right way, you'd think Ferrari would have done it. I'd like to get it fixed asap because you can see the cushion bits under the seat. The "strings" in the second picture is some sort of glue. Are the glued from the factory?...or were these repaired in the past. The last pic is what it is supposed to look like on the passenger side. Thanks - Mark Here are some pics. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
I pulled the seat out to get a better look and attached the pictures. I'm going to take it to an upholstery shop tomorrow. Any thoughts or recommendations before I do? The leather (sewn around a plastic rod) appears to just be tucked into the CF retention lip. The only place I've seen adhesive is in this area, so I'm thinking this was attempted to be fixed once before. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
I got the seat fixed today. The shop did an amazing job! I hope it holds. The foam was split at the edge of the seat. He bonded it back together and used some burlap on the seat side (not leader side) to keep the foam from splitting again. He then use a special adhesive that should keep the leather in the groove of the seat. Mark Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
I got the all the foam shrapnel cleaned up and reinstalled the seat. It looks like new! Can't be happier. Well, if it turns out to be a permanent fix, I'll be happier Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Looks good! Looks like the shop did a good job there. I was going to say that usually in a case like that, you can use a contact / bonding glue with pretty good results. They make upholstery glues (sort of similar to Dap contact cement) which work amazingly well. You apply the glue to both sides, then once it's becomes tacky, you press them together. Some of those glues bond so well, you can't ever get them undone, short of tearing the material apart. My guess is that's the sort of approach which was used and most likely it will hold for many years to come. If it makes you feel any better, much of the car is glued together Just remove any part of the dash and you'll see that all the leather is rolled over and glued down all over the place. And then there is the F40, where glue holds half the car in place. So you should be good. Ray
Thanks to you both. I love the seats as well. I'm so glad they were able to fix this one. I essentially bought the car online. Pictures of the interior were shown, but I didn't notice the seat issue (it was there in the original pictures). I visited the out of state used car dealer and inspected/test drove the car. I still didn't notice. It wasn't until I got home did I notice something wrong because part of the foam became exposed. Brainstorming with the upholstery shop, we figured adhesive of some sort was the best option, even though it didn't appear the factory used any. We surmised the leather has started to shrink some and that it was pulling harder than the retention system could handle. We talked about a silicone glue, polyurethane or a special hot glue. We decided against polyurethane because it would never be removable (think windshield glue) if work was needed in the future. He decided on the hot glue because it could be injected easily and remove (pealed off) in the future if needed. LOL about the liberal use of adhesives! They've come along way since the F40. Pretty amazing structural adhesives available nowadays holding all kinds of important stuff together! Crossing fingers that the repair holds and I'm hoping this post helps someone in the future. Mark
FWIW, I wonder if the prior owner(s) were not careful on egress/ingress. Ferrari interiors - specifically their leather areas that come in contact with frequent human contact - do not wear well. I find a little extra care goes a long way in maintaining new appearing/long lasting leather condition. I have the race seats in my 458 and I do the following: Before attempting to exit the vehicle I slide the seat aft to its maximal position. I then put right hand on steering wheel for balance and put left hand on door sill. I then transfer weight up out of seat onto my left arm and exit the car. In getting in I do the reverse. It allows me to just come down into the seat. This completely avoids me "riding" the bolster getting in and out of car. My seat edge looks like the day I took delivery. "Philnothill" a frequent Fchat contributor has the standard/Daytona seat if my memory is correct. His seat started wearing on that same edge. I believe he took some steps to avoid this constant wear issue. I did the same in my 360 and 430 and the bolsters looked fantastic despite years of ownership. If you have the chance to see any 360s/430s up close you will see the driver's side outside bolster is usually trashed. In most cases this started within a few months and just worsened over time. Best, Randy
I wish I had a dollar for every time I had to reattach leather in my Ferraris. So welcome to the club Hot glue might work okay. It depends on which glue stick they used. I have a professional 3M hot glue gun here, which I use to seal up shipping boxes, and the glue is pretty darn strong. I also have a gallon of upholstery adhesive floating around here some place, if you'd like to buy it off me. I had originally purchased it to glue back down some alcantara on my 458 dash, but never got around to it. But from the research I did, it's super strong contact glue. Ray
I use this same procedure for getting in and out of my 458. On my 430 I did the same and the bolsters looked brand new. If you are not careful, not only will the leather start to get scuffed, the stitching will start to come apart. Treat the leather on the seats with leatherique and use some Sonax Alcantara cleaner for the middle. You'll be surprised at how much better the seats will look.
Thank you for the recommendation. I kind of found myself using a technique like yours automatically just because of how low the car is. I still "fall" into the car getting in. I'm going to be more deliberate going forward as well as instructing my passengers. My seats still look pretty good after 8 years, but there is some wear. I don't want it to get worse. I'm not sure of the compound, but it was specifically for upholstery. Thanks for the offer, but I'll leave the gluing of my seats up to the professionals. I could see myself getting it all over my hands and then the leather/alcantara... It is interesting you mention cleaners/conditioners for the seats. My upholstery guy said spray a clean cloth with water and wipe to clean leather and alcantara. Do not spray directly on the leather or alcantara. He was adamant to use cleaners sparingly and not regularly. He said to NOT use conditioners. Stating they there are more that clog the pores of the leather and cause issues over time than ones that don't. They also change the smell and you lose the new leather smell after a while. I'm sure this will be controversial...it goes against what I've thought all my adult life. "Clean and condition leather or it will wear and crack"... Humm..
