Cracked leather at the shift boot!

[fini]

So, the leather that surrounds the shifter has a crack in it... My friend's 3 is just as old as mine (2 yrs) and has the same problem. We keep the car out of direct sunlight and are pretty good at taking care of the car.. Are we the only ones that have this????

Does anyone know what to do or have any suggestions on how to stop or repair further propogation of the crack!?!

I'm sad :(

[Go_Habs_Go]

ooh that sucks! that happened on my integra but it was over 10 years old!

Not sure what the best way is to treat it but have you tried speaking to your dealership and seeing if they would cover it under warranty?

[Noisy Crow]

The boots are actually vinyl, and not leather. Not sure whether they are covered or not under warranty... I think "seat fabric" is excluded...

In any case: You could consider picking up a short-shifter and boot from TWM... or hitting up the ppl who have installed a short shifter boot to see if they will sell the one they replaced.

[fini]

Yaargh... Seeing that rippy looking hole is an eye sore.
Anyone know if it will be covered under warranty or how else to fix the problem?

[Shawn]

Try the hole in the body routine. Dangerous gases / safety issue.

[Noisy Crow]

Try the hole in the body routine. Dangerous gases / safety issue.

Good try, but that wouldn't work, as it just covers the shift-lever mechanism which is entirely inside the cabin.

Best bet: read your warranty booklet.

Edit: which I just did. Basic warranty is 3 years/80,000 km. Pretty much everything covered except A/C charge, tires and battery, all of which have some qualifications. However, 'normal wear and tear' is excluded. I would strongly argue that the boot cracking in only two years would too soon. FWIW, I've had boots go ten years without tearing. Creases yes, holes, no.

[fini]

Thanks for the input guys. I have an oil change scheduled this coming saturday. Looks like i need to talk to them about this shift boot thing and squeeky seats as well.

i wonder how much it would be to replace it with the MS leather one?

[yearoftherat]

Get leather one from RedLineGoods (http://www.redlinegoods.com/).
You can customize one to your liking.

[fini]

was seriously contemplating ordering one of these.. especially if i couldn't get it replaced.

Update: I took it into the deal (Mazda Brampton) and they replaced it under warranty for me. So if anyone else is having this issue, it is definately covered under warranty!

On another note... my gas cap broke now.. UGH!!! well, it's just the plastic tether between the cap and the metal cover .. but still!!! :(

[mazdas3sporte]

u walk into a mazda dealer and then u grab one out of one of their floor cars, I JOKE , dont do that lol, iam pretty sure it should be coverd under warranty , and even if its not it could not cost that much to repair, also TWM has so really good deals on short shifter kit, major diffrence between stock and the one TWM is selling , good luck, i cant say i maintain mine but u can dust it with the armor all cleaning/shine wipes once in a while, it might help keep it moist