(nt)

I have a a 98.5 2.8QMS, brilliant black with opal grey leather. I have about 4K on it right now, and the car has been flawless (except for a tiny oil drip).<p>A few weeks ago I noticed something I hadn't even seen before. On the driver's seat, right bolster, about 2 inches below the armpit height, is a thin spot in the leather. It is the same color and almost the same texture as the rest of the seat, so you don't see it when you glance at the seats. I just happened to come across it when I happened to be running my hand across the bolster (see how nice the leather feels....). This spot is about the height of a dime and the width of a pencil. You notice it when you feel it, as there is a slight indentation. When you press the leather around it, then the spot, you can tell that this spot is quite a lot thinner than the rest of the seat. I can put pressure on the leather in a good spot and slowly move my finger toward the thin spot, and it is apparent that this area bends more easily and is fairly thin.<p>Now, I'm not trying to be anal. If it stays exactly the way it is, I could care less. My concern is that right after 3 years or 50K miles (whichever comes first), this spot will develop a hole, and I will be SOL due to a flaw that existed in the car as delivered from the factory. Although the spot it is in is not real high wear (like the seat bottom or back), it IS on the driver's seat and it IS on the bolster, where I sometimes lean during a left turn (it's the right bolster; the side of the seat I favor due to it's proximity to the shifter). <p>So this bugs me perhaps more than the triviality of it would seem, as I have this vision of my >$1K option for leather that I paid costing me in leather repairs or seat reupholstery.<p>My latest best idea is to wait for the 7500 service, mention it to the dealer for them to check (and ensure they put it on the service order). I'm sure they'll say it is nothing, but that way if I ever have a problem I will have some documentation that it existed from the start. I actually would not prefer they do anything now if it is never going to crack open, as I would rather not have them messing with my seat unless it is really necessary.<p>I'd be interested in some of your opinions. Thanks!

Have your local leather shop look at it and tell you if it's going to turn into a hole. If it is, go to your Audi dealer with a letter from the leather place that says...<p>1) that a hole will likely develop in that place before any other place on the seat<br>2) that the seat does not appear to be, when examined by a professional in the leather-upholstery field, reupholstered or changed from its original state<br>3) the signature of the person who looked at the seat and that person's full name<p>Ask the dealer to replace it, and ask for a copy of the service order and ask that it be recorded in the dealer record folder for the car.<p>If the upholstery person says it won't be a problem, just mention it to the dealer in passing and see if you can get a new seat out of the deal.<p>Cameron<br>

1. It was raining
2. I went really hard off a side road onto the main road - in other words, I was accelerating in a tight curve.
The result - 4 wheel drift with the wheels spinning, for about 1-2 seconds. It stopped after I let off the gas, then it really pushed me forward.

I'm not sure it was that much fun.