undercarriage care

[jtclassics56]

All:



Has anyone heard of the dye coming off when cleaning leather seats in a Ford? This only happened to the drivers seat. Vehicle is 3 years old with only 30,000 miles.



Thanks!

[DETAILKING]

eom

[YoSteve]

did it come off on to you, or did it fade off

[jtclassics56]

I`m not sure. I will ask the guy that did the work and post tonight.

[YoSteve]

like with any leather cleaner/conditioner you should test it in an inconspicious spot.



Test to see if you leather color can rub off. Take some kitchen cleaner and a white towel and rub up in under your seat (where no one can see) or another spot where no one can see, rub 10 times and look at the towel. If your towel is the color of the leather, then it may be susceptible to rubbing off. Apply a conditioner to "feed" the leather. I would try something that people have used that works well, like Lexol conditioner.



Since it only happened to your drivers seat maybe there had already been some damage previously not exposed until the cleaning.



hope this helps-certainly not a leather expert

[Ron Ketcham]

1. Was it bought new or a used vehicle?

2. What model of Ford product? (3 years old, so a 98,99 or 97, could make a difference)

3. What, if any cleaning, "conditioning" of the leather are you aware of?

4. The person who drives the vehicle for the most part, what do they do for a living and are they a "large` person, stature wise?

5. What color is the leather, and is it showing more of a wear "pattern" in some areas than others?



Let`s see, could just be one of those things where the hide was not properly coated by the supplier to Ford or Lear.

[jtclassics56]

Yosteve,



It was Lexol which was used and the color came off onto the rag. This was not the first time this product has been used on these seats. I am trying to figure out what may have caused this because the seat wasn`t even very dirty and I know nothing has ever been spilled on it.



Thanks for the suggestion.

[jtclassics56]

Ron,



To answer your questions:



1- It was purchased new]



2- 1999



3- The only other cleaning/conditioning was done at the same detail shop using the same Lexol product (about once a year). An occassional wipe down with a damp rag as well.



4- This is my truck and I weigh about 200 lbs. the truck is used to drive to an office and for recreational weekend activities. It never gets more than a little dusty.



5- The leather is tan. There is no wear pattern at all. The other seats look new. The left side of the drivers seat was a little more shiny than the rest of the cushion.



If the hide wasn`t coated properly, is there a way to prove it for a warranty claim? The dealer is saying it looks like someone spilled something.



Thanks for your help.

[Ron Ketcham]

Interior parts are not covered beyond 12,000 or 12 months normally.

The year and model of the vehicle is well known for the leather coating, as well as the leather it`s self failing early.

The use of the Lexol did not help this condition, it broke the clear, but it was going to go anyway.

Suggest you go over to blueovalnews.com and check out some of the areas,(I think that is the url), if, not email me direct and I will forward it to you. There are many who had this issue and there may be a "silent" recall or warranty fix on it.

ketchacar@lycos.com or ketch@autoint.com or ketch@supern.com

Will do what I can, but that is your best remedy.

[Cybercowboy]

I noticed that my driver side seat (also tan) in the Expedition was looking a little mottley after cleaning it the other day. Just in the area of the lower to middle back. Of course both of the outer bolsters are getting "wrinkly" (passenger and driver side - passenger worse actually.) So I`m interested in this also.



1. New.

2. 1997 Expedition - 4-1/2 years old, 41000 miles.

3. Not much ever done to seats in the past, cleaned with Zaino products this last week. A friend of mine detailed it in the past a few times - I`m sure he was careful as he is very good for someone who swears by Meguiars.

4. I am 6-5", 215 lbs. I am large enough. Just ask the cat I stepped on today. I do not get very dirty as a rule, but have drove home from the Y pretty darn sweaty.

5. Tan. And the wear pattern, as mentioned above, is the lower back to mid back area. Kind of losing the dye, it seems.



What the heck. If Ron can help me out on this it`s worth typing this in.

[Ron Ketcham]

Our bodies emit some really acidic oils, was in the cosmetic industry for a few years.



Look at the pattern, you are a big guy, sweat contains not only acids, but other corossive elements, such as salt, proteins, etc.



There is no real answer for stopping this, as we never know today the actual quality of the leather used or the even application of the clear on leather.



The passenger seat is an example of this, it usually gets less seat time, but the leather may not be of the same quality as the drivers side.



The other issue is the amount of UV`s which may strike that seat and degrade the coating.



Both Zanio and Mequiar`s make good products, they don`t use damaging oils in their forumulations, to my knowledge. Doubt very much that they would have any effect on the issue.



All I can offer is for all here, clean the seats of body oils regularly, using a mild, non-butyl cleaner and then wipe with a water dampened towel to remove any residue of the surfactants in the cleaner from the leather.



If you wish to "dress" them, use a water based PDMS, and there are many good products out there for you to choose from.



The damage to your seats is done and there are no miracle products to correct it. Of course, just like our ladies, we could apply some "make-up" but that won`t cure the concern, only cover up the concern.



For those who would like to understand the "body oil" issue, go to a friends vehicle that is never cleaned on a regular basis and apply a water based cleaner to a white towel and just wipe and rub a bit where they rest their arm below the window on the drivers side, that is all.



Look at the towel, the "soil" is something else.



You don`t really notice how much the oils have built up on the area, but just look at the towel.



Oil-crude, makes up most of the coatings, fabric etc used today in vehicles.



If you wish to return the substrate to it`s natural state, just subject it the compound which created it, "oil". From your body or a product.

[YoSteve]

is all oil bad oil, ron?



many leather products contain oil and say that the oils in it help "condidtion" the leather (might this be good oil then?)



some people using a water based PDMS product are having problems with the appearance being too dry



Thanks

[Turbonator]

I`ve got a few customers that have the same problem on their Expedition and an Explorer/Mountaineer. Both have tan interiors. It seems to be a problem with the tan interiors on fords. Another friend of mine had it too on his F-150. I`ve also seen this in Toyota`s.

[Cybercowboy]

My seats were dirtier than I thought when I sprayed the Zaino leather cleaner on them. It wasn`t until a couple of days after I did the leather treatment that I noticed the mottling (how do you spell that???) Anyway, I never really deep cleaned the leather interior before this. My detail buddy surely used something, and I`ll ask him in a politically correct fashion soon. I have been working out alot the last 6 months and that may have accelerated the process as I drove home from the Y to take a shower. It`s not too bad, and the leather may not be the best anyway. A Ford thing.

[ISLANDSBEST]

There appears to be some contradictory opinions regarding use of leather conditioners containing oils on modern leathers. Most modern auto leathers have "top coats." The top coats are formulated to create a variety of benefits, including protection of the leather.

The theory advanced is that leather conditioners containing oils will damage the top coat. On the other hand, leather conditioners such as Hide Food contain oils and are widely endorced.

Leathers in US cars are made by the Big Three tanners. Eagle Ottawa is one of the Big Three. They make top coated leather for auto makers. Tanner`s Preserve is made by Eagle and recommended for use on all leathers. It is oil based.

I posted the above contradictory info on the Edmunds site and asked TraderAlex1 for his views. I posted his responce on this site. Here is the post: http://216.147.22.29/forum/showthrea...5&pagenumber=2

For more post by TraderAlex1 on the subject of auto leather, top coats, the Big Three, etc., go to www.edmunds.com, the Townhall section, Maintainance sub-section, then select the Leather Maintainance forum.