Leather Seats - while under warranty

[mbenne]

Having used the van more we have noticed how impractical the seat covers are i.e tendency to attract dirt and water staining!
We originally placed an order for seat covers and cancelled the order as it took too long. Since then we've been looking at getting all seats trimmed in leather. I wanted to know if we have any work done whether this will affect the warranty? I asked this because I'm aware that any re trimming could affect the heated seats and airbags. I asked this specific question and and this is one reply we had.......

Re trimming wont affect the operation of the heaters or the airbags as we use air bag thread when re trimming seats with air bags in But.I think you will find any re trimming of the seats will affect your warranty with Volkswagen, you may have to wait till the warranty has expired, might be worth a check with them.

I've emailed the dealership this morning and don't expect to wait long for a reply but thought I'd raise it on here to see what your experiences have been. Sorry if this question has been raised before - I will post the formal response once it is received.

 

[Loz]

You have this risk with any modification or addition to your vehicle where a VW may use damage caused by association as a way to forfeit a claim, however, they would still have to argue that damage done was caused or caused by something you changed.
In the case of heated seats you are more likely to damage the heated seat element if you stand on the seat and whether it was cloth or reupholstered they may still argue that you stood on it.

 

[MartG]

Seat related issue - you'd probably be in trouble, anything else - should be ok.

Seat covers not an option?

 

[mbenne]

Thanks for your replies. The response from VW was......
the warranty on the seats will become null and void as the specification will have been changed from original build production to enhancement
So I guess We'll be looking at seat covers again

 

[MartG]

They are stating the 'warranty of the seats' so if you were willing to take the risk, there is probably not much that could go wrong with them, although you'd have to ensure the airbag safety is maintained...
My 'leather' slip on covers from the club shop are excellent but I know not to everyone's tastes, and you can easily revert to standard or re-cover if damaged or needing a change.