Help with "06 Fusion leather seats.

L

lyonsroar

New member
My 2006 Ford Fusion has the black perforated leather seats with contrast stitching.



I'm tearing my hair out trying to find a product that'll work well on my seats.



Things I've tried:



-Meguire's Gold Class "Rich Leather"

-Griot's Leather Care

-Lexol

-Leather Honey



None of them have given me the look and feel I'm looking for. In fact I just got the Leather Honey yesterday and applied it in the heat of yesterday's afternoon. I was concerned how shiny and sticky the seats were after application, which was done by hand massage. After research online I was reassured it would "soak in" if I left it overnight. So I slept easy. This afternoon I went out and the seats looked the same; shiny and sticky. I took one of my AP MF's and tried to buff it off. Being sticky that was no small feat. After buffing off the seats look **OK** not really great, but OK. They still feel sticky though so it won't be a pleasant driving experience until it either soaks in or wears off on my clothes.



I'm sure most of the "leather" on this car is not real leather but actually vinyl...it is a domestic...lol So what's my next step? I've got all those products up there and I'm still not satisfied.



I was also wondering what the best way to clean the cream colored contrast stitching would be...Woolite and a toothbrush? My neighbors already think I'm crazy...:becky:
 
I'd use some diluted optimum power clean to clean them real well. Then try the leather masters kit. It's on the pricier side but if your only doing your own vehicle it should last you awhile.



I've had good results with the lexol conditioner. As long as I buffed it off. But if your after a certain look and you haven't found it, leather masters kit might be it.
 
The look I'd like is matte with little to no shine, but still clean looking. Like they've been taken care of. I realize that's a bit vague...
 
lyonsroar said:
My 2006 Ford Fusion has the black perforated leather seats with contrast stitching.



I'm tearing my hair out trying to find a product that'll work well on my seats.



Things I've tried:



-Meguire's Gold Class "Rich Leather"

-Griot's Leather Care

-Lexol

-Leather Honey



None of them have given me the look and feel I'm looking for. In fact I just got the Leather Honey yesterday and applied it in the heat of yesterday's afternoon. I was concerned how shiny and sticky the seats were after application, which was done by hand massage. After research online I was reassured it would "soak in" if I left it overnight. So I slept easy. This afternoon I went out and the seats looked the same; shiny and sticky. I took one of my AP MF's and tried to buff it off. Being sticky that was no small feat. After buffing off the seats look **OK** not really great, but OK. They still feel sticky though so it won't be a pleasant driving experience until it either soaks in or wears off on my clothes.



I'm sure most of the "leather" on this car is not real leather but actually vinyl...it is a domestic...lol So what's my next step? I've got all those products up there and I'm still not satisfied.



I was also wondering what the best way to clean the cream colored contrast stitching would be...Woolite and a toothbrush? My neighbors already think I'm crazy...:becky:
Click to expand...







If you could kindly show us some pictures, my help will be more specific...





Roger Koh

[email protected]
 
Here's some. Keep in mind it's not really as shiny as it seems in these pictures...the flash makes it look shinier.



IMG_0572.jpg




IMG_0571.jpg




IMG_0569.jpg
 
lyonsroar said:
Here's some. Keep in mind it's not really as shiny as it seems in these pictures...the flash makes it look shinier.
Click to expand...







Thanks for the pictures…



I think all the shine need to go, it is also distorting the cream colored contrasting stitching.



What we can do is just do the center panel for a contrasting effect.



And I believe you will be trill!



Anyway, is the perforated panel genuine leather?



Just take a close-up shot, please!





Roger Koh

[email protected]
 
It's my understanding that the perforated part is the part that is genuine leather.



I will take a close up tomorrow. It's full dark right now.



Thanks for the help!
 
I agree, deep clean with Optimum Power Clean at 3:1 (Woolite/water diluted 20:1 works great for regular cleaning) then use Leather Master's Leather Vital. I think you will be happy with the look.
 
The problem with 'conditioners' such as Leather Honey is that they are produced by people in the saddle industry which require very different products and they do not understand modern leather finishes.

Auto leather is a finished leather that has a 'painted' finish and these products cannot possibly soak through these so they sit on the surface where they leave sticky residues which actually do more harm than good as they only serve to attract more dirt. They will also tend to affect your stitching which can then be a problem.

Give your leather a good clean. If you use a foam cleaner such as Auto Aultra Foam you will get good dwell time which will help to remove these products from the surface. Used with a gentle agitation with a stiff bristled brush this should bring your leather back to it's original finish.

Using a protector wil help to keep your leather clean and will leave your leather looking and feeling like the original factory finish.

Hope this helps

Judyb
 
I’ve always been amazed that such a simple detailing task like the cleaning and care of finished leather upholstery has been made into something so complex, the only people who have anything to gain from this have a vested interest in the sale of products. The use of oils, replacement of fat liquor, oil-based conditioning or the adjustment of pH levels is totally unnecessary; the surface is a urethane that contains pigmentation (colour) it neither needs or benefits from any of the above



Modern automotive leather upholstery use a completely different tanning processes and finishing system, utilizing advanced polymers and chemicals (urethane doesn’t require conditioning or rejuvenation) and as a consequence they do not need to be treated with aftercare products containing oils or proteins



Perforated Leather - use Leather Master™ Foam Cleaner, this product contains very little moisture so it will not over wet your finish (invaluable for aniline leathers) along with a Swissvax Leather Brush that is made from durable natural bristles in optimum length, strength and rigidity and is highly recommended for cleaning finished perforated leather







“Proper Finished Leather Cleaning and Care” - http://www.autopia.org/forum/guide-detailing/136421-proper-finished-leather-cleaning-care.html
 
Hi lyonsroar,



Saw your post and wanted to help! Judyb is right, to a certain extent - some leather auto seats have a factory-applied sealer that will make it difficult for a leather conditioner to absorb, particularly on newer cars when the seats haven't "broken in." We have countless testimonials, however, from people who have used Leather Honey on their leather car and truck seats with amazing results. And we've tested it extensively to great success ourselves. So this is why you should always test ANY product in a small, discreet area before application. But it sounds like there is a larger problem here - if your seats are mostly vinyl, you don't want to use any leather conditioner on them. Luckily, Leather Honey won't do any harm to vinyl. You can simply clean it off with soap and warm water. And just to set your mind at ease, it absolutely WON'T harm or rot stitching.



I hope that is helpful! Let us know if you have any questions - you are welcome to email us at [email protected]. We are always happy to help. We also have an extensive FAQs section on our website (Leather Conditioner, For Leather Care - Leather Honey).
 
Welcome to Autopia LeatherHoney. Nice to have another opinion on leather care here.



Are you saying that once a leather seat is "broken in", that it can absorb a conditioner? Can you explain this to me further.



And also, can you provide us with your info that your company uses to test leather care products in real world situations that detailers and car care enthusiasts can benefit from?



Keep in mind that it is against the rules to promote or give support to a product or company that you are affilated with. Please keep this in mind moving forward.
 
[Are you saying that once a leather seat is "broken in", that it can absorb a conditioner? Can you explain this to me further]



I would also be interested to learn how urathene is "broken in"
 
I was lured in by the awesome reviews on Amazon. Everyone seemed to rave about it.



I guess I`ll work on removing it this afternoon. What household product can i use? Mild soap and water?



Sent from my Transformer TF101 using Tapatalk
 
lyonsroar said:
I guess I`ll work on removing it this afternoon.
Click to expand...







I suggest you show some close up pictures:



1] Perfoarated panel.



2] The stitching



3] The seam between the side panel and the seating panel.





I also suggest you just do a strip to test out the various recommendation that you think will solve your problem, less you do chemical damages to the leather structure before you knowing it.



I would think that utlimately, you would still need to topcoat refinish it to adjust to the preferred matte luster.



Roger Koh

[email protected]
 
Once the top coat has 'broken in' to the extent that the leather itself will absorb such a product the top coat would need replacing. Adding oils etc at this stage can actually degrade the top coat further and could make restoration problematic due to non adhesion of restoration products - this is a common problem that we hear about every day from our technicians where inappropriate products have been used and makes recolouring and refinishing very difficult.



Unfortunately it is a common misconception that finished (protected) leather needs conditioning. It is neither necessary or possible to do this on auto leather



Hope this helps

Judyb
 
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