Any suggestion on Artico Leather issue?

[Tordeben]

I just bought a new GLB 200 AMG Premium Plus 7-Seater in August.
Everything was done online and I never saw the car until it was delivered.
The delivery driver came and I inspected the car and signed all documents.
Within 2 weeks, we noticed some white spots at the backrest of the driver's seat but thought it was something that can be easily cleaned.
Working from home, I did not use the car a lot and therefore did not get the chance to clean.
In the 3rd week, I decided to clean the car and when I tried cleaning the spot it does not appear to be something that can be cleaned.
It appears to be from the leather and also the spot seems to be bigger.
I took the car to the local garage and was told it is cosmetic and should take it back to the garage that I purchased it from.
The garage that I purchased from said since it was NOT reported at the time of delivery, they will not even assess the issue. I can take the issue to "The Motor Ombudsman"
Any experience with this? What should I do?

 

[Blobcat]

Hello and welcome

Any pictures?

 

[Tordeben]

Hello and welcome

Any pictures?

Thanks. Here are 2 pictures.

 

[V6Matty]

Looks like damage from keys or something, maybe try cleaning with a toothbrush or similar and see if it shifts at all

 

[Blobcat]

Looks like damage from keys or something, maybe try cleaning with a toothbrush or similar and see if it shifts at all

Does Artico scratch to white? or is is dark all the way through?

Looks like paint to me, I'd be tempted to clean / apply some boot polish

 

[Tordeben]

Looks like damage from keys or something, maybe try cleaning with a toothbrush or similar and see if it shifts at all

Thanks Matt!
I strongly believe it is a problem from the leather. The car has been barely used. Nothing happened to the spot. I tried using warm napkin but no difference. It is not the bottom of the seat but the back rest. The picture I sent somehow zooms the spot. It is barely visible unless you look close at it. And I am afrad it may spread and damage the seat in the near future.

Ben

 

[V6Matty]

Does Artico scratch to white? or is is dark all the way through?

Looks like paint to me, I'd be tempted to clean / apply some boot polish

I think it does look white when the top coat separates from the backing, but I’m not sure if it’s the case here, pictures don’t really give enough detail?

 

[V6Matty]

Thanks Matt!
I strongly believe it is a problem from the leather. The car has been barely used. Nothing happened to the spot. I tried using warm napkin but no difference. It is not the bottom of the seat but the back rest. The picture I sent somehow zooms the spot. It is barely visible unless you look close at it. And I am afrad it may spread and damage the seat in the near future.

Ben

I would try giving it a clean with a nail brush or toothbrush as I said, it may be some ground into it and will take a bit of work. Take it gentle on one spot first and if it doesn’t improve or does start to get worse then you at least know it’s damage and needs replacement

 

[Tordeben]

Thanks All! I will give it a try and see what happens.
In case it is a damage from the leather, any idea whether MB has responsibility or the 3-year warranty does not cover things like that. This cannot be considered as wear and tear, being a new car with less than 300 miles driven.

 

[V6Matty]

It could go either way in reality, if they say it’s damage from something like keys or similar then it probably isn’t covered, it’ll be up to you to prove it was damage before delivery

 

[dry run]

Looking at the pictures, the white contamination is also on the red stitching, so I'm inclined to think that it is on the surface (like paint) and should be able to be removed. Good luck

 

[Timeandleisure]

Hello and I hope you manage to clear up the marks.
This link describes your consumer rights for information:

How to reject a car: the Consumer Rights Act 2015 | Carbuyer

What is the Consumer Rights Act 2015, and how can it protect you if something goes wrong when buying a new car? Here’s everything you need to know

www.carbuyer.co.uk

 

[mioba]

looks like a few scratches to me from say a zip, shoe buckles, etc,
Wear and tear caused after purchase would be argument from seller.

I would be inlined to get some black leather dye and spot it on the said spots.

Is it a scratch on the surface coat revealing the white underneath, or is it something white on the black surface, hard to tell.

Artico is akin to lino, a blend of plastic and rubber

 

[kotecki]

What a mess and sadly is this going to be something you might have to bite the bullet on?

You spent a tidy sum on a very expensive car and dare I say you sadly missed those marks on the seat.

Playing devil's advocate, how on earth could you even begin to prove they were there when you bought the car?

You say they were

The dealer might say it was not there?

Who is telling the truth?

What a bummer and that must surely ruin the whole new buying experience of having a new car?

I wonder what the base colour of Artico leather\vinyl\plastic is, beneath that top layer. Can it be white? (I have NO idea)

I am guessing you might have tried cleaning by now but if it were me, I might have first been tempted to either look at it through a magnifying glass or take the best picture you can and then expand it.

The last thing you want to do is try and clean it and then make the situation worse!

Fingers crossed that your light cleaning might have done the trick

I think Dry Run hits the head on the nail. I have also looked at those images and concur with what he is suggesting

 

[Misterdog]

I wonder what the base colour of Artico leather\vinyl\plastic is, beneath that top layer. Can it be white? (I have NO idea)

It is.

https://www.carbuyer.co.uk/tips-and-advice/172913/what-is-mercedes-artico-leather

 

[kotecki]

Here is what Dry Run and I picked up on. Note that white 'blob' on the red stitching.. Rules out damage to the vinyl



This is a job for CIS or whatever the acronym is. On the full picture, it looks like this 'splatter' looks like it has been 'applied' in different directions??? How on earth could it have got there?

I have no firm ideas but could this be dried polish of some type? Splattered on by an electric polisher.

Cannot give a firm suggestion but that 'splatter' has been dumped in differing directions.

Fingers crossed that this will be an easy clean.