Hoping someone may know the answer to this perplexing question. I have a loaded 2008 Highlander Limited(non hybrid) purchased brand new. I am having some issues with the leather seat wear and puckering and I brought it up with the dealer. They told me that my highlanders VIN number states that I had cloth and that the leather was not installed at the factory. I have the 3rd row seat option as well. Are they blowing smoke at me or what? I understand that leather as an option can be installed at the port for non limited versions but I have a limited and I thought that comes from the factory with leather. The dealer also said that it would be a "trim" item as well and likely not covered by my toyota extended warranty even it it were from the factory.
Hoping someone may know the answer to this perplexing question. I have a loaded 2008 Highlander Limited(non hybrid) purchased brand new. I am having some issues with the leather seat wear and puckering and I brought it up with the dealer. They told me that my highlanders VIN number states that I had cloth and that the leather was not installed at the factory. I have the 3rd row seat option as well. Are they blowing smoke at me or what? I understand that leather as an option can be installed at the port for non limited versions but I have a limited and I thought that comes from the factory with leather. The dealer also said that it would be a "trim" item as well and likely not covered by my toyota extended warranty even it it were from the factory.
Anyone have any insight?
Thank you all in advance!
Greg
Sounds like BS to me. When I bought my 2009, there was not a 4 cylinder option available in Canada, and the Limited was only available with factory leather. The 2008s were like this as well, as I was shopping while the 2008s were out. It could be different in the US, however. Is yours a V6?
__________________ 2009 Highlander Limited
2005 Corolla CE, Canadian Edition, Silver with grey interior, automatic transmission, CD changer, cruise control, rear bumper protector.
I had dealer option leather installed also. I was told it was the same leather that Toyota uses at the factory but someone in another thread said it is not the same.
Anyway, I have a few puckers or what appears to be looser leather right on the seat where you park your keister.
One way to tell the difference between the dealer installed leather and the factory leather, at least when I was test driving the 2008 models, is that the seat heating controls on the factory installed leather seats are located just under the climate control system. The dealer installed leather seats have these controls installed right on the side of the seat.
__________________ 2009 Highlander Limited
2005 Corolla CE, Canadian Edition, Silver with grey interior, automatic transmission, CD changer, cruise control, rear bumper protector.
One way to tell the difference between the dealer installed leather and the factory leather, at least when I was test driving the 2008 models, is that the seat heating controls on the factory installed leather seats are located just under the climate control system. The dealer installed leather seats have these controls installed right on the side of the seat.
Thank you all for your insight and answers. I do believe I have factory installed leather ( I do have the controls for the heated seats just below the climate controls) and the dealer is absolutely mistaken in claming that I had cloth according to the VIN #. I don't even know how they can tell that with the vin but I have the orginal window sticker I saved and it clearly shows leather as well.
Now as far as them calling it "trim" and claiming that it is not covered under the warranty.... how can I argue that with them? I think the definition of trim means exterior and interior mouldings and the like.
I also brought it in for the passenger rear door armrest splitting and I know that the whole panel needs to be replaced to fix this but will they call that "trim" too and deny warranty on that? I think I may need to go to another dealer. The other 3 door armrests are starting to show signs of stress buckling in that plastic.
Last edited by thegman230; 02-25-2011 at 11:00 AM.
I honestly don't think you can argue much about leather seats being covered under warranty. Leather, like any other surface is a subject to wear and tear and is generally only covered for manufacturer defects and not against wear.
Just like your shoes - they are guaranteed not to come apart at the seams, but are not guaranteed to stay shiny and maintain shape after you've worn them for a while.
VIN is attached at the factory after the car has been speced and gone into production with specific options. Most of the options are encoded into the VIN (not as a single item, but as packages most of the time). The window sticker on the other hand can be reprinted at the dealer and adjust at will. In fact, they could copy it from a similar model with the leather from factory.
The armrests should be fixed if your car is still under warranty. If it is not - you should argue that it is a manufacturer's defect, but then again - you are at mercy of the dealer. Good one will take care of this, bad one will give you a run around.
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