Maintaining leather seats ?

[Pentalab]

I just bought a new 2011 Fusion SEL..with charcoal coloured leather seats front and back.

What do folks suggest to use on the leather seats, if anything, to keep them in good condition ? [ IE: what specific products to use, or procedure]

I have leather furniture in the living room I bought back in 1995..and it looks like the day I bought it...and nothing used at all on the leather sofa,chair, stool, etc.

Leather In a vehicle is a different matter..esp with UV during the summer days...and cold temps at night..during the winter. Since both front seats are also heated, I'm also concerened about the

heat from the seat and lower back heaters' having an adverse effect on the leather. This is my 1st post. My car is not here..yet. It arrives in the 1st or 2nd week of Feb-2011. Candy red + moon roof + rear spoiler.

 

Thanks.

Edited January 24, 2011 by Pentalab

[akirby]

I just bought a new 2011 Fusion SEL..with charcoal coloured leather seats front and back.

What do folks suggest to use on the leather seats, if anything, to keep them in good condition ? [ IE: what specific products to use, or procedure]

I have leather furniture in the living room I bought back in 1995..and it looks like the day I bought it...and nothing used at all on the leather sofa,chair, stool, etc.

Leather In a vehicle is a different matter..esp with UV during the summer days...and cold temps at night..during the winter. Since both front seats are also heated, I'm also concerened about the

heat from the seat and lower back heaters' having an adverse effect on the leather. This is my 1st post. My car is not here..yet. It arrives in the 1st or 2nd week of Feb-2011. Candy red + moon roof + rear spoiler.

 

Thanks.

 

Simple - only use a good quality name brand Leather cleaner and/or conditioner. Meguiars, Lexol, Mothers, etc. are fine. There are also some higher end products that professional detailers use.

[hammerg26]

I use Meguiars - it works great. I tried Lexol, just did not like it as much...

[dennisw]

Any automotive leather conditioner as long as it contains aloe and zero alcohol. My last car's leather with 155,000 miles and 11 years still looks great today. I conditioned the leather multiple times a year and the seats had zero cracking and only one small wear mark on the seat back caused by rubbing during entering and exiting the drivers side that is not noticeable unless you look for it. The friend that purchased my car stated the seats looked brand new.

[Beeks]

Any good brand really - and those can be quantified as not having alcolhol in them. Avoid Armor All and similar types.

[coach81]

Thanks for the info...

[mmorri12]

look into the Connolly leather care products. I've been very pleased with their results. they cost a few $$ more than what you will typically get from your local Pep Boys.

 

I purchased mine from Autogeek, but a google search will find several other retailers and reviews of their product.

 

also, I purchased a small "fingernail" scrub brush at target (in the cleaning products isle) and it works great as a soft and leather safe agitator to really get the seats clean easier over a cloth.

[hermans]

I use Mothers Leather Tech.

[acdii]

Lexol, why? They have been in the leather business for a very long time, originally for Saddle and bridle leather. Stuff works great, but DONT use the stuff made for saddles as it will take the finish right off your seats!

[vkri2]

How often would you guys recommend conditioning the leather seats and, this is important, would the products mentioned make a difference when using them on heated seats?

 

The last thing I'd want is for a weird smell to emanate when the heaters are on.

 

Thanks!!

[fusionTX]

I had my car mini-detailed and waxed today at work. Learned my lesson with my Camry that if you don't remove those love bugs from the hood in a timely manner, they will meld into your paint.

 

They offered a leather cleaner/conditioner (leatherique). I went ahed and did that too.

Went down at lunch time to look at it, and I think I will like it. it's not greasy in any way. Just a light cleaner and conditioner, which they recommend you apply every six months.

 

Here is a link I found. http://www.leatherique.com/products.html

 

I think they used the pristine clean solution.

[neod192]

Did anyone try the Zaino Z-9 Leather Soft Spray Cleaner and Z-10 Leather in a Bottle?

[gkinla]

Ford sent me samples of Leather Master cleaner and conditioner. My Dune driver seat had taken on a blue hue from wearing jeans. I used the cleaner and it removed the blue immediately. The conditioner treated the seats without leaving the seats greasy.

 

I looked up the cost and the price nearly made me choke.

 

On ebay you can buy these kits for less than $20, some times delivered. Make sure it's for leather not Nubuck.

 

 

 

[hermans]

Same with mine, but plain water and a sponge takes the bluejean stain off, very light rubbing.

[smr2112]

With leathers in most cars today, so heavily treated/sealed/protected - are you really even doing much of

anything to the leather itself with most treatments? 20 years ago, an older Jag or MB - keeping that leather

in good condition was a much bigger deal.

 

So would this fact change anything about what products you use? Seems like most of them really

would never even reach the leather to protect it directly. You want something to protect the surface

somehow, more than the leather.

 

I used some of this product which was easy enough. Kind of a different approach as the seat

color is unchanged completely - I kind of miss making the seats slippery...

 

http://www.autopia-carcare.com/gtechniq-leather-guard.html

 

 

[acdii]

Meguiares leather cleaner seems to work good too. I got one of those with the wipes in a can, and it cleans the seats nicely.

[billford]

This threads a few years old but is still useful today. The Fusion is the first car with leather seats that I have owned. The last post here was a few years ago. Just wondering if there is any new products to maintain the leather seats and steering wheel and if there are any products to avoid. Thanks.

[acdii]

Like my last post, the meguiars wipes work really well. I also use Lexol cream. The one thing to keep in mind, car leather in the Fusion is nothing like the leather used for furniture, it has tighter pores and a tougher finish on it, so not many products can penetrate the surface, and all they really do is clean the surface. Older car leather was different and actually do soak up the conditioners.

[hybridbear]

I use the Meguiars leather cleaner to clean the seats and then I follow that up with the Meguiars leather conditioner. I decided to buy the 2 products instead of the 1 combined product since the cost per ounce difference was negligible and I expect that using 2 specialized products will work better than 1 product that was compromised to perform 2 functions. I find that the Meguiars leather conditioner seems to soak into the seats pretty good. They're noticeably softer after using the leather conditioner and they make a squeaking noise as you slide across them. I will also rub the damp cloth around the steering wheel as well to keep it soft.

[tr7driver]

I always worry that the leather conditioners will ruin my suit pants.

[acdii]

They will if you dont wipe it up. :)

[securityguy]

I have used Mothers VLR and it works great on the seats and dash. No residue and leaves a slight satin sheen. Very good product!