I have a 2016 Mazda CX-5 with Leather seating and 12k miles. This is my first time having leather, so I wasn’t sure if the below is “wear” or excessive? This is on the outside driver’s seat side bolster.
I would just like to get your opinion, as I never noticed this on any of my previous cloth interior vehicles.
Thanks!
I don’t see ANY seat wear. I have a 108K on mine and there is some wear on the drivers seat where you pivot entering and exiting.
Looks like spill damage to me,
I thought those were shadows, if not yes looks like a spill or cleaned with wrong cleaner.
I don’t eat or drink in my car though? 
I’ll see if Mazda will do anything about it.
Try using a leather cleaner on it and see if that removes the “stains”. It has the appearance that you bottom and left leg left a stain of some sort. It seems your right leg I should off the seat attending to the gas pedal.
I couldn’t really tell but it looks like there might be a little scuffing in that top side panel. Is that where the seat belt might be chaffing it? I’d be sure to put some leather conditioner on it though if there is any question. Should be done a couple times a year anyway, especially the driver’s seat. The other thing is though, nothing against Mazda, but the quality of leathers can vary quite a bit from one model to the next so might not be the same as what you would find in another model.
I’ve had cars with leather for long periods and I always wished they would have made spare seat kits available. When they are available when new, you can get a whole set of skins for under $1000 to use to reupholster some day. I’ve had new inserts sewn in and really it would be cheaper and easier just to replace the whole skin if they would be available. Same labor whether you sew a panel in or the whole thing. Just to go off the track a little.
I didn’t even notice the shadows as I was looking at the wrinkled side bolster where OP stated the wear was located.
Side bolsters wear primarily on how the driver enters and exits the vehicle, some have no wear and with some the foam collapses completely.
The manufacture may consider your example to be normal wear. For some applications the foam cushion is available and the cover is reused, the repair is not very expensive to the manufacture.
Yeah, that’s just shadows. I was wondering if the wear on the side bolster looked like normal wear or not.
Normal wear , causes - seat design - material - the leather seats are not completely all leather , sometimes it is just the seating surfaces - the way a person enters and exits the vehicle will make a difference - you are still under warranty so ask all they can do is say no .
