Recliner Fabric Cracking

[Gypsy2023]

Hello Everyone -
Has anyone else seen this with the factory recliners installed in their Imagine Series trailers? We have a 2021 Imagine 3110BH that we purchased lightly used in Feb '23. We noticed the fabric in the upper portion of the chair backs beginning to crack about 2 moths ago and it is gradually getting worse. We have read some posts in other forums from owners seeing similar issues.

[TucsonJim]

Good morning Gypsy. This is a very common problem. Since it's a used rig, it's hard to tell if someone may have cleaned it with an unapproved product. Normally, the furniture lasts about 4-5 years before cracking. Some longer, some shorter.

You can call Lippert about the issue, but normally all they offer is a reduced price for the same furniture. Other options are to purchase different kinds of furniture. We actually replaced the furniture in our 2017 GDRV with cloth furniture from RecPro. Another option is to have your furniture recovered with new material.

Jim

[JBill9694]

Other options are reupholstering, slip covers, and what is undoubtedly the cheapest, leather repair patch self adhesive.

[Gypsy2023]

John/Jim -
Thanks for the Info. That was pretty much what I expected. This is our first RV and we are really liking it so far !

Happy New Year
Rick

[markandkim]

Almost looks like dog damage.

[Cate&Rob]

Not dog damage . . . we've been through this twice (and we own dogs!). Hey . . . we've had this Reflection for nearly 10 years!

This is just poor quality material chosen by LCI for their furniture . . . which is assembled in Indiana, BTW. The first round was really bad and about 2017 LCI announced that they were changing fabric suppliers to solve this. Round two of our recliners (2018) lasted a little longer, but began to deteriorate like in the OP pictures by about 2021. Same problem as originally but not as bad. We are on round three of similar LCI furniture . . . don't know how long this vintage will last. We have been able to "twist LCI's arm" to offer reasonable discounts for replacements, but perhaps we should have just paid full price and gone with Rec-Pro.

There does seem to be some affect by hair oils/products (and maybe sunlight?) since the centres of the headrests are the first to show this, but the degradation migrates down the back and eventually appears all over the furniture.

Rob

[JBill9694]

IMHO, hair (even what little some of us have left) acts like sandpaper on the real artificial leather, which is why wear shows up on the headrests. Add fairly coarse cloth for jeans or pants, or zippers or buttons on the back pockets of some pants, and there is abrasive action on the seat. I thought about sitting around nude, but SWMBO vetoed that idea. Also, it wouldn't solve, might even add too, all the hair abrasion problem.