Passenger side seat leather is cracking in the middle were your @$$ goes, will my warranty cover this?? the dealer said when I go back next week they are going to take a pic of it and send it to FORD to see if they'll approve it. what do you guys think my chances are?? I bought the truck new a year and a half ago. heres some pics

 

Ford will tell you to go pi$$ up a rope...They wont do anything. That is one of the ways they are trying to increase their revenue, by decreasing expenses (warranty claims). They will tell you it is a "wear" item and as such is not a defect in material or workmanship. In other words, you caused your own problem. The Dealer has nothing to do with it, they couldnt fix it for you under Warranty if they wanted too...Ford would tell them the same thing, and then charge them back for the repair or not pay them at all in the first placel. For what it's worth, the only way to fix that is to replace the upholstery panel. It cant be "fixed".. Good Luck!

 

Preciate the info , my dealer said that they are gonna send it to ford next week to see if they will or not. The guy seems pretty cool and said "hell we might as well try." He's on my side but said that he cant do anything unless FORD approves it. So im just gonna hope for the best. its not to bad but it shouldnt be cracking with it only being 1 1/2 years and not that much use on that seat I condition them once every 2months so i dunno. well i'll post the final verdict next week hopefully.

 

What do you use on the seats when you clean/condition them?

 

armor all leather treatment.

 

Now,, I'm not a pro by any means, but I've learned a few things from this website. Mostly from Rockpick. Here's what he has to say about cleaning/conditioning leather.

that's not to say you're going to get it back to showroom... keep that in mind.

That said, I'd recommend going with a 3-step process. Some of the steps may need to be repeated to really allow the leather to shed the built-up body soils and general crud that are giving the surface a dingy look.

The steps I would follow are as follows:

1. Gross Contamination Removal - Using a hot, wet 100% cotton terry cloth, remove the 'gross' contamination from the seats. Don't 'scrub' but, don't just allow the towel to coast across the top of the leather either. The objective here is to prep the leather for the next cleaning step. Rotate the towel frequently and keep it 'hot'. If you note that your towel is overloaded, obtain additional towels. I would recommend doing this on ALL seating surfaces -- remember, the only 'leather' part of Ford's seats are the flat bottom and flat back -- ie: the surfaces that would touch skin; the others are vinyl. (I should note, though, that you may treat the vinyl areas like the leather as it will not be detrimental to those materials).

2. Leather Cleaning -- Using a dedicated leather cleaner (not a combo product (clean/condition)), follow the directions explicitly. I would recommend Meguiar's Rich Leather Aloe Cleaner (a blue gel) (here's a link). Again, use 'several' towels if necessary and repeat this step until you get it where you want it. Also, I'd treat ALL surfaces in front and back (you'll never realize how dirty the back actually is until you clean it).

Another product that I like on COATED LEATHER is Lexol pH Balanced Cleaner (orange bottle). I will say that you SHOULD NOT use this product on aniline leathers (uncoated -- ie: your $5000 leather couch). I find this product to be very effective on high-grunge seats.

Both of the aforementioned products are available at Pep Boys and, sometimes, other 'chain' auto part stores. Call for availability.

3. Condition -- A very critical step. Some will argue that, since the leather is coated, you need not condition. WRONG. That coating is VERY porous and thus, allows the conditioner to work into the leather. Further, not conditioning that coating will lead to cracking and other failing features as it needs necessary emollients and such to maintain it's pliability.

Start with another wipe down of the surfaces with a HOT, damp towel. HOT is the key. Do one seat at a time immediately prior to conditioning.

Remember, leather is skin. Moist skin soaks up more 'lotion' when you have dry skin -- on your arm for instance -- leather reacts the same way.

When conditioning, and to avoid product waste in a towel, I'd recommend putting the product directly on your hand and massaging it into the leather. Use an ample volume and don't be afraid to leave a thin coat on top of the leather. At the end of the procedure, you can come back with another 100% cotton terry towel and remove the excess that didn't get pulled into the leather. I wouldn't recommend treating vinyl surfaces with the leather conditioner but rather with a high-quality water-based vinyl treatment like 303 or Vinylex.

The key points:

Don't move forward unless you've got the step you're working on done and done to your satisfaction.

Don't be afraid to use the hot, damp towel. The moisture helps open pores in the coating and/or leather and will aid in removal of ground in crud.

Don't be afraid you're going to over condition. You're not going to. Remove any excess product with a towel as mentioned.

Do all of the surfaces with cleaning steps and only the seating surfaces with the conditioner. Don't neglect or 'spot clean' as you'll realize that your surfaces probably all have some grime and could use some loving.

Ask any questions that you have! We've got a nice cross-section of detailing professionals here on our site. If we don't know the answer, we'll point you to someone who does!

Enjoy!

-RP-

He also reccommends Meguier's Aloe Leather Cleaner and Meguier's Aloe Leather Conditioner.

The steps above are for getting stains out of your leather. And I don't know if it would help remove the cracks in your leather, but it's definately better for the leather than the Armor All.

Best of luck..

 

Thanks for the info, thats awesome. Ill def start cleaning it this way, im new to leather so I needed this info

 

My bet is that it'll probably get snubbed in the warranty claim process but, I've seen stranger things go through -- like a transmission on an Explorer that was outside of the 3/36 warranty.

If it does, the seat cover isn't crazy-expensive to replace it but, it's still going to feel like salt in the wound...

 

Nah. It won't remove them. Leather isn't like paint in that you can 'buff' out some of the surficial imperfections. Further, it won't really even conceal them.

The perforated leather is kind of a booger to work with in that it collects cleaners and conditioners in those little 'perfs' thus making the seats a bit difficult to treat.