Mercedes Benz using cheap material on their seats that year even before car is out of motorplan!

I am feeling somewhat done under by Mercedes Benz. My wife and I purchased a Mercedes Benz C220d from Mercedes Culomberg in the year 2019, as a Demo vehicle with 12 000km on the odometer. Car came with what is said to be a leather interior.

In the month of July 2022, I noticed that the leather on the driver's seat is tearing and this got me totally baffled because in my experience, between my wife and I, and what we have seen with the Mercedes benz that our parents owned/still own, we have never had a Mercedes Benz with leather interior that gets torn so quickly.

I took the vehicle in for service, and also asked them to check the leather on the drivers seat and let me know what we can do. The service advisor then called letting me know that the car is out of warranty so that puts a spanner in the works because with it being out of warranty, it will create a challenge in terms of repairing that. She then went to speak to someone senior within the Menlyn dealership and the feedback that I then got was that there would be a cost of +/- R12 000, and they would make partial payment and the balance of almost R6 000. Now here is where my issue lies. Mercedes Benz has now gone and put leather material in this vehicle that is of an inferior quality. I have compared the interior between my vehicle, and my fathers vehicles, a C43 Mercedes Benz, same shape as mine, purchased in early 2019, a few weeks before mine, and an E280 Mercedes Benz purchased in 2008.

The leather in those 2 vehicles is still impeccable. How is it that a vehicle purchased in 2008, still has the interior intact, and yet a vehicle purchased in 2019, already has leather tearing on the drivers side? I find it totally unfair that I should be the one to fork out that part payment of R6000, to fix that driver's seat when Mercedes Benz took a decision to put in material of inferior quality, that tears in such a short period of time. I have written to Mercedes Benz South Africa with the initial complaint and a follow ups and the only response I got was the below, and nothing else after that, from Sept to date: Good day Mr Malumane Mercedes-Benz South Africa Limited would like to take this opportunity to thank you for bringing your concerns through to us. Please quote the following Case Number:*** in any further correspondence regarding your case. Email Address: *** Your case manager is Malvin.