Flexsteel Driver/Passenger Seats Deteriorating.

[docj]

Originally Posted by RonaldNC

Your certainly allowed your opinion. However, Monaco has never upholstered their furniture (I called them when mine went bad).

I never said that Monaco upholstered their own furniture. I said that Monaco probably spec'd the fabric or simply gave the chair manufacturer a price point to meet.

I agree that lots of the stuff in RVs is "private label"; all the original furniture in my Beaver was made by small private label companies.

I think what we disagree over is why Flexsteel would use cheap fabric and still put their name on it. What I'm saying is that Flexsteel isn't and never was a "high end" furniture company. Yes, they make some decent stuff (I just bought some) but their product line spans a huge cost range. So making some cheaper chairs to meet Monaco's spec isn't outside their normal business model.

IMO for a MH at the price point of your Caymen it's unlikely that a manufacturer would allocate the $$ to provide top-end furniture upholstered in premium Ultraleather. Building a MH is a zero sum game to get to a desired MSRP. If you put the $$ in furniture then something else has to cost less. Many RVers are interested in "flash"; a cheaper chair will look good initially and will last through its warranty. That's all that seems to matter for many manufacturers. Sad, but true.

[jettyjock]

I have cloth seats that need recovering. Went to local shop and he quoted me $1000. for each of the front seats and $1200. for the recliner.
I can buy brand new seats cheaper.

[MRUSA14]

I have owned two Class A's and both came with Flexsteel furniture and UltraLeather. I owned the first coach (a 2003 Beaver) for 10 years and then traded on a 2013 Entegra. In both cases the UltraLeather wore like iron. The only place I had any problems at all was wear on the armrest of the Beaver. It was easy to get a new cover made in that case.

I think this validates the idea that not all UltraLeather is the same quality. Some manufacturers (mine) specified the better material and some did not. In my case I would much rather have UltraLeather than real leather. The real leather in my cars' driver seats wears badly, and the leather requires a lot of care to keep it from eventually cracking. My Ultraleather has held up great (10 years!) and required no care whatsoever except a very occasional wipe down with a damp cloth.

[RonaldNC]

Originally Posted by docj

I never said that Monaco upholstered their own furniture. I said that Monaco probably spec'd the fabric or simply gave the chair manufacturer a price point to meet.

I agree that lots of the stuff in RVs is "private label"; all the original furniture in my Beaver was made by small private label companies.

I think what we disagree over is why Flexsteel would use cheap fabric and still put their name on it. What I'm saying is that Flexsteel isn't and never was a "high end" furniture company. Yes, they make some decent stuff (I just bought some) but their product line spans a huge cost range. So making some cheaper chairs to meet Monaco's spec isn't outside their normal business model.

IMO for a MH at the price point of your Caymen it's unlikely that a manufacturer would allocate the $$ to provide top-end furniture upholstered in premium Ultraleather. Building a MH is a zero sum game to get to a desired MSRP. If you put the $$ in furniture then something else has to cost less. Many RVers are interested in "flash"; a cheaper chair will look good initially and will last through its warranty. That's all that seems to matter for many manufacturers. Sad, but true.

I agree.

My disappointment with Flexsteel is that they gave some of people that complained earlier free replacement skins... then, when they realized the problem was more widespread, stopped replacing them. Oh well... not my first, or last, disappointment with RV products... don't get me started on slide outs and jacks!

[Mason Dixon]

Well I have the same issue with my seats and sleeper sofa. I've looked at www.shop4seats.com and considered replacing them verses recovering. I currently have sheepskin covers on the front seats and I like them so not sure if recovering them would be any advantage. My DW would like a foot rest on her seat. Anyone have experience adding a foot rest to the passenger seat?

[diggermik85]

I am also having this problem.Call Flexsteel customer service (Lisa) i have ordered all the skins i have needed so far to replace all the failed areas on my furniture.Its not cheap but you can get replacement skins

[bruce91]

Originally Posted by diggermik85

I am also having this problem.Call Flexsteel customer service (Lisa) i have ordered all the skins i have needed so far to replace all the failed areas on my furniture.Its not cheap but you can get replacement skins

Our coach is presently at Classic Coach works in Ormond beach, Fl having both chairs and large couch with attached recliner recovered due to the same problem.

Not cheap but DW got to pick out a different color and DH got a much better quality ultra leather. I personally wouldn't spend all that money and possible get a material that this could happen again. We get the coach back on 12/2 can't wait.

[CaymanPilot]

Originally Posted by diggermik85

I am also having this problem.Call Flexsteel customer service (Lisa) i have ordered all the skins i have needed so far to replace all the failed areas on my furniture.Its not cheap but you can get replacement skins

diggermik85,
Would you mind sharing the cost of the skins for the driver and passenger seat at Flexsteel? I think replacing the entire chair is way beyond what I want to spend and would not be happy just putting a cover over the bad stuff. In our Cayman the driver seat, passenger seat and the love seat were the only items covered with the cheap leatherette. We took the love seat out and replaced it with a recliner because it just wasn't comfortable to sit in. So, I'm hoping the skins for the two chairs might be a reasonable compromise if I do the labor myself. I'n addition to the cost of the skins, I'm wondering Flexsteel gave you a choice of higher or lower quality material?

[flynnwalter]

CaymanPilot
As for the cost for new covers, below is a reply from Flexsteel's Lisa Bauer:
We don’t sell much real leather. We sell the most Ultra Leather, which is the highest quality product we use. Complete covers in Ultra Leather would be $375.00 for the driver and $395.00 for the passenger, plus applicable sales tax and shipping.

Lisa Bauer
RV Customer Service Advisor
Flexsteel Industries, Inc.

T: 563.585.8356 | F: 563.583.2712
A: 3400 Jackson St. | Dubuque, IA 52001
Flexsteel | American-Made Furniture for Home and Business

Ms Bauer confirmed our original and free replacement covers were vinyl and not Ultraleather. We have an order in process now.

[CaymanPilot]

Originally Posted by flynnwalter

CaymanPilot
As for the cost for new covers, below is a reply from Flexsteel's Lisa Bauer:
We don’t sell much real leather. We sell the most Ultra Leather, which is the highest quality product we use. Complete covers in Ultra Leather would be $375.00 for the driver and $395.00 for the passenger, plus applicable sales tax and shipping.

Lisa Bauer
RV Customer Service Advisor
Flexsteel Industries, Inc.

T: 563.585.8356 | F: 563.583.2712
A: 3400 Jackson St. | Dubuque, IA 52001
Flexsteel | American-Made Furniture for Home and Business

Ms Bauer confirmed our original and free replacement covers were vinyl and not Ultraleather. We have an order in process now.

Frank,
Thanks for the price info. Now I know about what it would cost for new driver and passenger seat covers in real Ultraleather material. I did message Flexsteel Customer Service a few days back and just got a reply from Lisa. She said to pick out a fabric from here www.ultrafabricsllc.com and then she would send a swatch for comparison. She recommended choosing from the following brands:
Ultraleather Original
Brisa Original
Brisa Distressed
Uf2 Primera

So, if anyone is planning to get new covers for their seats, select the fabric using the info above and message your choice to Customer Service department on the Flexsteel website and Lisa will respond.

I am planning on replacing the seat covers myself and I don't think it will be that difficult. It will be a good winter project that I can accomplish in the warmth of my home shop and the result should look great, match the love seat in the coach and last a long time. I think this will be the best solution for me.

[cponline]

I recently purchased my "new to me" Monaco Diplomat. Thought I could live with the seats - no tears, no separation, just really grunge and a couple of blue ink stains. Well, I couldn't. I wasn't cheap, but I got the covers replaced by Dave and LJ's (just north of Vancouver, WA) and they look great. The cover kit include some new foam too.

They specialize in refurbishing and modifications. They've also done cabinet work for me and you couldn't tell it wasn't factory.

Highly recommended.