There are many threads already on this same subject with good info. For painted leather most recommend Lexol, Meguiars with aloe (not what you buy in local stores) or Leather CPR.
I use the stuff you get from the ford dealership. If you have a King ranch the leather cleaner conditioner is amazing. Restores it and also gives you the new car leather smell back. If you have the Lariat leather they sell a cleaner conditioner for it as well, made by motorcraft its cheap like five bucks a bottle. The king ranch is 11 or 12. I wish i had the king ranch just for the smell of that stuff.
Heard the leather seats are treated with plastic protective coating and that you shouldn't use leather conditioning products, including on Platinums. I have a new 2010 Platinum. Any truth to this?
Heard the leather seats are treated with plastic protective coating and that you shouldn't use leather conditioning products, including on Platinums. I have a new 2010 Platinum. Any truth to this?
Not sure about the Platinums, but I found out that for the FX4 that is exactly true - plastic coating on the leather - do not use leather products!
Is that for any FX4? I just bought a 05 and treated the seats with the Meguires cleaner/conditioner. Should i get the stuff from the dealer instead?
Mine is an '09 FX4 with LUX package - the seats are called "sport leather".
We had a conversation similar to this sometime back in the '09-'10 section - this is where I found my information.
I took a closer look at my seats - if you push down on the seat bottom near the seems, you can actually see the plastic coating where it meets the seem.
I guess this is why it doesn't feel like "real" leather.
I now just clean with my normal interior detail cleaner, and treat with 303.
Edit to add - here is the thread I was talking about - especially read post #19:
Well ****, that blows. I just got an '09 FX4 (love it!), and was going to condition the seats. Well I guess since the FX4 is the "off road" package, you wouldn't really want really nice leather seats that'll get messed up when you "off road". I guess there is some logic behind it. So you say just clean with normal plastic/dash cleaner then eh?
From what I read it is _not_ a plastic coating... but they are painted. The paint is flexible and it permeable. There is leather underneath that needs to be conditioned. As such, you _should_ use a leather conditioner... just one that treated painted leather.
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2006 F150 FX4
Luxury Package
20" Rims
3.73 Limited Slip Axle
Audiophile 6 CD Sound System
Heated Leather Trim chairs
XM Radio
I'm stunned there isn't more info on this from Ford. I asked my dealer's service department about the "clear protective coating" and they were like "protective what?" They had plenty of Maguiars for sale -- but nothing from Motorcraft for leather. I would have gotten the Maguiars had these guys shown any sort of knowledge about the interior of their company's vehicles.
My manual advises against "household cleaning products, alcohol solutions, solvents or cleaners intended for rubber, vinyl and plastics, or oil/petroleum-based leather conditioners." But the cleaning products I have seen don't tell you what is in them so you can be sure NOT to a use an oil/petroleum based product. Maybe the Motorcraft stuff is the way to go for leather and the 303for the rest.
By the way, in my Platinum, I would like to know what is and what is not leather.
Maybe like a lot of other things, Ford is just saying that so you buy only their Motorcraft stuff. Dunno, all seems a little over the top. Leather conditioner, cleaners for painted or not, whatever, I get a headache trying to deduce all the crap. You'd think someone would know.
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