Anyone else have fragile leather seats?

[Truck Wolf]

10,000 miles and my driver's seat is "cracking". Actually, it looks more like the thin top layer is flaking off in a couple tiny spots. I'll show the service department next oil change.

p.s. I have been using Mother's leather cleaner and conditioner, so that's not a cure-all in this case.

 

[twlhunter65]

I noticed white thread showing where the cloth meets the leather yesterday

 

[SERG09]

Sounds like a similar issue as the Gen 1 Harley trucks. The drivers seat bottom usually wears pretty crappy, wrinkles up, cracks, etc. if not taken care of properly. When taken care of properly though, its a night and day difference. I've always used Zaino Z9 leather cleaner and Z10 leather conditioner. Out of many leather products, it's the best one I've used, and search on detailing forums, it's a highly rated product. Even if you don't use Zaino polish, it's worth ordering just their leather products.

Low gloss sheen, isn't slippery, isn't slimey, isn't shiny, doesn't smell funky, dries completely to the touch, and really helps the leather stay new looking. I'll try to dig up some pics of a 00 HD with 50k miles on the drivers seat and show you all the cracks and wear marks, then a pic of my 00 HD drivers seat with 50k miles on the clock that looks almost brand new.

Even on my second 00 HD that I bought with 898 miles on it in '09 and sold just this past October with 25k miles on it, the seats still looked brand spanking new.

Between not sliding off the edge of the seat, and using Zaino leather conditioner regularly, the leather stays in immaculate condition.

Just like your paint, you can gripe that Ford didn't use a quality paintjob if it swirls and chips and looks like crap but a lot of that is on your own fault for not washing, waxing, and taking care of your paint. No different than leather, you still need to take care of it.

I guess you missed the part about this truck being low mileage and the seats maintained?

 

[Reptar]

maintainted with what? All leather conditioners aren't equal. Just like Nufinish won't protect or look as good on the paint as Zaino or Meguiars.

 

[Squatting Dog]

Just use birdmans special sauce on your seats. Lol


On a serious note, I use Harley Davidson leather care on my seats.. No cracking, wrinkles, no complaints... And at $6.00 a bottle, well worth it..

 

[SERG09]

maintainted with what? All leather conditioners aren't equal. Just like Nufinish won't protect or look as good on the paint as Zaino or Meguiars.

I use Pinnacle. This problem has nothing to do with cleaning or conditioning. I have tinted windows and use a sunscreen in the windshield to deflect the sun as well. I have owned several Fords/Lincolns and this is the first I've seen this which is why I posted. Something isn't right with my leather seats ... period. Don't know what but at 3k, for a garage queen, this is inexplicable. Interesting that a quick search here at FRF led me to others with the same suspicions.

I just turned in a MKX lease. I never care for the leases as I do my own. Seats never saw conditioner. At 32k miles that vehicle had less than half the creasing that my 2011 Raptor has with 3k and leather conditioner applied.

I wonder if Ford received a bad batch of leather from their vendor? The problem is that exaggerated. I'll talk with my dealer next time I stop in.

 

[Squatting Dog]

Let us now, maybe their seat vendor had a bad batch..

 

[Ruger]

No, no, it's not a bad batch of leather. Leather is always delivered dry from the tanner to prevent it from rotting or mildewing. The firms that turn tanned leather into finished products don't change that for the same reason. So your leather seats are as dry as paper, and that's why they are fragile. Use a leather care product (the H-D product that Mr. McManus mentions is excellent if you can find it) several times on your new seats, and recondition them every couple months and they'll last the life of the vehicle.

 

[Squatting Dog]

No, no, it's not a bad batch of leather. Leather is always delivered dry from the tanner to prevent it from rotting or mildewing. The firms that turn tanned leather into finished products don't change that for the same reason. So your leather seats are as dry as paper, and that's why they are fragile. Use a leather care product (the H-D product that Mr. McManus mentions is excellent if you can find it) several times on your new seats, and recondition them every couple months and they'll last the life of the vehicle.

The harley stuff must be discontinued because my local stealers dont have it anymore. I order it from docs harley davidson.

http://shop.docsharleydavidson.com/harley-davidsonleathercare.aspx

 

[HoustonRider]

When I first saw a Raptor on the lot, it had about 150 miles on it and the leather was already wrinkled (like a lot of wear) on the left side, as you might see after 30,000 miles.

I've had 2 F250s and haven't seen it yet..