Leather Seats

[steveo1960]

Any ideas on protecting the "leather" so maybe it doesn't wear quite as quickly? One thing to consider is rivets used in jeans. I once had a Ferrari / Lamborghini dealer as a client and they would let me play around with the cars in the showroom. The rules were nothing in pockets and no jeans with rivets or other decorations. For obvious reasons, I miss that client

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[Bikeman315]

Any ideas on protecting the "leather" so maybe it doesn't wear quite as quickly?

The side bolsters are pleather, not leather. So anything you put on will sit on the surface and not be absorbed.

 

[Stangerous]

After three months of ownership, I'm VERY disappointed in @Ford Motor Company 's poor choice of 'leather'. On another social media platform, the complaints are quite frequent. I wear khaki's and jeans daily for work, gym shots on the weekends (nothing at all that is abrasive) - there is no way the "wear and tear" should be this abysmal on the driver's seat. I can't fathom how bad this will be in three years. Anyone else having this issue?

Are you a concealed carry left hander? Those look like some pretty abusive wear marks with what looks like a rip on the upper right. Not normal wear and tear from entering/ exiting a vehicle in only three months time. Are you wider than the seat and fall into it, because they look like downward wear marks instead of what you'd see if you were sliding in/out of the seat.

 

[steveo1960]

The side bolsters are pleather, not leather. So anything you put on will sit on the surface and not be absorbed.

Yea.. I couldn't think of the name for it so I put leather in quotes.
Thanks for jogging my memory !!

 

[Bikeman315]

Yea.. I couldn't think of the name for it so I put leather in quotes.
Thanks for jogging my memory !!

No problem. For recommendations I would suggest checking with our resident detailing expert, @DFB5.0

https://www.mustang6g.com/forums/threads/whats-in-dfbs-cabinet.175925/

 

[DFB5.0]

This is very much an abrasion issue.

A couple of notes after reading through this thread -

- As others have mentioned, the actual "leather" part of the seats is the perforated sections. The rest is vinyl. This is not unique to Ford, every car company does it, even Jaguar.

- Not a Mustang, but the concept is the same, these pictures show what is leather and what is vinyl.

- To repair this issue is actually pretty simple, you just need to be patient. I'd look into ColourLock Leather Fresh, which is a product the re-applies the dye on those damaged sections. Plenty of videos on Youtube of this being used.
Ford - Leather Fresh Dye | black | 150 ml | 11008-us-FO-004 (colourlock.com)

- ColourLock also make a product that protects against abrasion during the first three years of the cars life. Leather Shield is super easy to apply and helps limit dye transfer and abrasion. Apply every 3-6 months depending on vehicle use. It also doesn't leave a hideous oil slick behind compared to a lot of "leather conditioners", clean and protected leather should never be shiny.
Leather Shield | 150 ml | 11012-us (colourlock.com)

For those who want a more detailed guide on dealing with modern automotive "leather", I have a thread on the topic here -
(3) Cleaning and Protecting Automotive Leather | 2015+ S550 Mustang Forum (GT, EcoBoost, GT350, GT500, Bullitt, Mach 1) - Mustang6G.com

 

[Chuck319]

Are you a concealed carry left hander? Those look like some pretty abusive wear marks with what looks like a rip on the upper right. Not normal wear and tear from entering/ exiting a vehicle in only three months time. Are you wider than the seat and fall into it, because they look like downward wear marks instead of what you'd see if you were sliding in/out of the seat.

All good points.

• Conceal carry on my right, so that's not it. That side of the seat is perfectly fine.
• The part at the top right that looks like a rip is actually a thread coming un-stitched.
• I'm about 6 foot and 220, so I'm not small...but not wider than the seat.
• I have the option enabled that puts the seat all the way back to make it easier to enter/exit the car.
• I wear jeans (no rivets), khakis, or gym type shorts - none of those should be damaging this material.

I'm headed to the dealer this morning, so we'll see what happens...

 

[Chuck319]

This is very much an abrasion issue.

A couple of notes after reading through this thread -

- As others have mentioned, the actual "leather" part of the seats is the perforated sections. The rest is vinyl. This is not unique to Ford, every car company does it, even Jaguar.

- Not a Mustang, but the concept is the same, these pictures show what is leather and what is vinyl.

- To repair this issue is actually pretty simple, you just need to be patient. I'd look into ColourLock Leather Fresh, which is a product the re-applies the dye on those damaged sections. Plenty of videos on Youtube of this being used.
Ford - Leather Fresh Dye | black | 150 ml | 11008-us-FO-004 (colourlock.com)

- ColourLock also make a product that protects against abrasion during the first three years of the cars life. Leather Shield is super easy to apply and helps limit dye transfer and abrasion. Apply every 3-6 months depending on vehicle use. It also doesn't leave a hideous oil slick behind compared to a lot of "leather conditioners", clean and protected leather should never be shiny.
Leather Shield | 150 ml | 11012-us (colourlock.com)

For those who want a more detailed guide on dealing with modern automotive "leather", I have a thread on the topic here -
(3) Cleaning and Protecting Automotive Leather | 2015+ S550 Mustang Forum (GT, EcoBoost, GT350, GT500, Bullitt, Mach 1) - Mustang6G.com

Wow! THANK YOU!

Great article and I'll certainly put it to good use.

 

[DFB5.0]

Wow! THANK YOU!

Great article and I'll certainly put it to good use.

No problem at all.

Leather is one of those subjects of car care that can be quite confusing, mainly because of most of it is synthetic, and the stuff that is real leather has a polyurethane topcoat applied to provide durability.

So, do you treat the "leather" part as leather, or account for that PU coating being synthetic itself? This where a lot of people go wrong with leather, slathering on traditional leather conditioners that have no ability to absorb into the surface being treated, real or synthetic.

This is where ColourLock and Geist come into the equation as they take into account the variables of synthetic and PU coated "leather". NV Nourish and Koch Chemie Leather Star are good options too, but I prefer ColourLock because they have a specific product for abrasion and dye transfer protection.

Care Products | www.leathercare.com
Care & Protect (colourlock.com)

Koch-Chemie - Leather Star | The Rag Company
Nv Nourish | Interior Leather Cleaner and Protectant – Parks Car Care

Also, I don't recommend applying a ceramic coating to leather. While companies like Carpro, Gyeon and Gtechniq offer leather ceramic coatings, if you look through the ColourLock and Geist websites, you will notice that these dedicated leather brands don't offer them. That says it all.

 

[Zig]

No problem at all.

Leather is one of those subjects of car care that can be quite confusing, mainly because of most of it is synthetic, and the stuff that is real leather has a polyurethane topcoat applied to provide durability.

So, do you treat the "leather" part as leather, or account for that PU coating being synthetic itself? This where a lot of people go wrong with leather, slathering on traditional leather conditioners that have no ability to absorb into the surface being treated, real or synthetic.

This is where ColourLock and Geist come into the equation as they take into account the variables of synthetic and PU coated "leather". NV Nourish and Koch Chemie Leather Star are good options too, but I prefer ColourLock because they have a specific product for abrasion and dye transfer protection.

Care Products | www.leathercare.com
Care & Protect (colourlock.com)

Koch-Chemie - Leather Star | The Rag Company
Nv Nourish | Interior Leather Cleaner and Protectant – Parks Car Care

Also, I don't recommend applying a ceramic coating to leather. While companies like Carpro, Gyeon and Gtechniq offer leather ceramic coatings, if you look through the ColourLock and Geist websites, you will notice that these dedicated leather brands don't offer them. That says it all.

‘Rilly Big Shoo’

 

[Bikeman315]

This is very much an abrasion issue.

A couple of notes after reading through this thread -

- As others have mentioned, the actual "leather" part of the seats is the perforated sections. The rest is vinyl. This is not unique to Ford, every car company does it, even Jaguar.

- Not a Mustang, but the concept is the same, these pictures show what is leather and what is vinyl.

- To repair this issue is actually pretty simple, you just need to be patient. I'd look into ColourLock Leather Fresh, which is a product the re-applies the dye on those damaged sections. Plenty of videos on Youtube of this being used.
Ford - Leather Fresh Dye | black | 150 ml | 11008-us-FO-004 (colourlock.com)

- ColourLock also make a product that protects against abrasion during the first three years of the cars life. Leather Shield is super easy to apply and helps limit dye transfer and abrasion. Apply every 3-6 months depending on vehicle use. It also doesn't leave a hideous oil slick behind compared to a lot of "leather conditioners", clean and protected leather should never be shiny.
Leather Shield | 150 ml | 11012-us (colourlock.com)

For those who want a more detailed guide on dealing with modern automotive "leather", I have a thread on the topic here -
(3) Cleaning and Protecting Automotive Leather | 2015+ S550 Mustang Forum (GT, EcoBoost, GT350, GT500, Bullitt, Mach 1) - Mustang6G.com

It’s like rubbing the magic lantern. I post a link to one of your pages and you magically appear.

 

[Stangerous]

All good points.

• Conceal carry on my right, so that's not it. That side of the seat is perfectly fine.
• The part at the top right that looks like a rip is actually a thread coming un-stitched.
• I'm about 6 foot and 220, so I'm not small...but not wider than the seat.
• I have the option enabled that puts the seat all the way back to make it easier to enter/exit the car.
• I wear jeans (no rivets), khakis, or gym type shorts - none of those should be damaging this material.

I'm headed to the dealer this morning, so we'll see what happens...

Man, good luck brother! I hope they can come up with a solution for you. I'm gonna keep a closer eye on mine now. Let us know what they do for you.

 

[jboogie1289]

I am not happy with the scratches and wear patterns. They are not terrible, but shouldn't look like this after just 2 months. I have an appointment with the dealer tomorrow and will bring it up

Keep us posted cause I noticed yesterday that I have a small spot on the seat back and I actually turn and get in the seat instead of foot in first. And get out the same way. “Tool” is on the right hand side of my waist (inside) and there are no “wear patterns” on that side. Don’t want to buy seat covers just yet but may have to. Had the Red Interior in my S550 and for 4 years and never noticed any wear.

 

[Chuck319]

@jboogie1289 , @Stangerous , and others - so I just left the dealer. I showed them the seat and the service advisor said it shouldn't be an issue to replace the sear cover. Said he's seen it before, not to worry. When the car is done (1st oil change/tire rotation), the SA tells me that he needs @Ford Motor Company to approve the seat cover replacement and he'd let me know next week. LOL! I mean - it's a seat cover on a $56K+ car...the cover probably cost Ford $25... So...the saga continues.

 

[Dave2013M3]

To be frank Ford's quality of leather is s***. I moved on to Katskins with my 2020 S550, much better quality of leather. Another reason why I went with the BMW M2 the leather quality is light years above the Ford.

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