Cracking Individual leather seat - normal wear?

[cromarty]

2018 X5 with Individual Criollo Brown leather. Just about to hit 10k miles. Although I clean and condition the leather every 3-4 months, I've noticed hairline cracks start developing in the driver's side bolster. I took it into the dealer to see about a replacement, but my SA said it was normal wear and that cracks should be expected.

I think the seat looks pretty rough for <10k miles but before I escalate it, I wanted to see if any of you had experienced something similar? I searched past postings but couldn't find anything approaching what my seat looks like.

[Kraftwerk AG]

I've seen much worse compared to yours. Could prolly get the cover replaced under warranty, if you escalate the claim further. But...be prepared for a reoccurring seat wear replacement sooner or later. Just do a search...

[P1]

I don't think, at this stage, that would warrant replacement.

[turboawd]

You have the upgraded seats so the side material is actually leather, when most seats are vinyl on the sides, abs those really crack. There is a big thread on here about this.
Best bet is to be careful and not slide off your seat.

[König]

A number of questions and/or theories:

Could be that the leather was overworked/stretched from the manufacturer and that particular piece is showing the effects?

What part of Texas are you in? Is it overly dry? You could need to condition even more frequently than 3-4 months and take another look at whatever product you're using.

Ultimately, not sure how long the warranty covers seats for?
IMO, ride it out (no pun intended) until it gets bad or until your warranty is about to run out and then escalate to get it handled showing a history of you pointing it out to the dealership. No matter what, the upgraded seats are part of an expensive upgrade.. hold them accountable.

[cromarty]

Originally Posted by König Schultz

A number of questions and/or theories:

Could be that the leather was overworked/stretched from the manufacturer and that particular piece is showing the effects?

What part of Texas are you in? Is it overly dry? You could need to condition even more frequently than 3-4 months and take another look at whatever product you're using.

Ultimately, not sure how long the warranty covers seats for?
IMO, ride it out (no pun intended) until it gets bad or until your warranty is about to run out and then escalate to get it handled showing a history of you pointing it out to the dealership. No matter what, the upgraded seats are part of an expensive upgrade.. hold them accountable.

I'm in Houston, so definitely no concerns with humidity. And I use Lexol, which seems to be the preferred leather conditioner on here. Love the car but I waited 3 months over a standard build for the Individual leather and to have it wear this quickly is disappointing. If it gets any worse, I'll push for some kind of resolution. Thanks, everyone!