Okay so heres my problem. .



I've been using Lexol Cleaner and Conditioner with a simple rag to apply the product but its not working as well as I think it should. Can anyone help me out and give me some advice?

One last question: I've only had the truck a year, doesn't the leather seem really loose?

 

I thought we might lure you in up here...

I, for one, am not a huge fan of the Lexol cleaner... the conditioner, on the other hand, is pretty good stuff for analine leathers... unfortunately though, the leather in your Lariat is non-analine...

So, with that in mind, let's start back at step one...

Here's how I would approach it...

1. Nearly hot, damp, microfiber towel. Use this to get the top layer of 'goop' that is obviously on your seats off. No need to press in a huge downward fashion, just let the MF towel do the work here.

2. New MF towel... hot, damp. Using a VERY SMALL DAB of Johnson's Baby Soap, work in a circular fashion across the entire area of the seat... as usual, test this in an inconspicious place before trying (that's my liability waiver caveot)

3. Wipe with another damp MF towel. Follow with a dry MF towel to remove all of the soap. Pay very special attention to not leave much 'moisture' behind on the threads as that will be the place that will, most likely, cause problems due to moisture (rotting etc).

4. Meguiar's Rich Aloe Leather Cleaner (blue gel). Follow directions to the 'T' and repeat until you get the results you're wanting. I *DO NOT* recommend brushes or heavy downward pressure on your leather! The clear coating on the leather is too thin to withstand much 'agressiveness' so, better safe than sorry.

5. So, at this point, they're hopefully clean... keep in mind that you're not going to work a miracle here but, you can definitely get them looking better than what I'm seeing in that picture (btw, what do you do? Often times I can distinguish the types of 'goop' that are rubbed into the leather by hearing the owner talk about what they do for a living... for example, a mechanic or similar will probably have 'grimey' types of dirt (oily, greasy) where as a contractor will have more of a 'dirty' (mud, dust etc) type of problem -- depending on the type of grime, I may vary the attack).

It's time to condition...

There are oodles of great products out there. Lexol is a fine conditioner but, again, I find that it works better on analine leathers... Feel free to use up your Lexol Conditioner (brown bottle) but, if you're not achieving the results that you want, maybe it's time to switch products.s

Meguiar's Rich Leather Aloe Conditioner (white gel) is a very good product in my opinion on both analine and non-analine (I use it often in my KR). To apply, blob about a quarter-sized blob in your hand (yes, your hand), and massage it into the leather. Because of the fairly aggressive attack (chemically) that we took to clean the leather, I'd recommend doing this a few times (let the seats dry before application -- buff excess off between applications -- then repeat). After your last coat, VERY lightly wipe off the surface. You should have a slight 'glow' to the seats -- almost as if they're looking 'new'.

6. Protection -- You're going to want to keep this from happening again so, always check your dirty butt before you get back in the truck. An ounce of prevention is worth a mile of cleaning (or something like that) so, pack a couple of towels around in the truck for just such an occasion. Toss them on the seat before you plop your buttocks down on that clean leather so that you're not having to do this very often.

RP

 

Leather is skin... keep that in mind. Skin stretches. Unfortunately, the leather that goes into the lariat isn't really 'top tier' stuff so, the stretching may be accelerated due to leather thickness and quality... it's one of those things that you really can't solve.

You can, however, make a case to FoMoCo in that you think it's stretched out far too much and maybe play the 'warranty card' if you think it may work. I, for one, have a pretty good stealership that, I think, would buy in if I showed up with a leather problem like you're showing. It's a roll of the dice that is VERY easy for them to say 'normal wear' but, on the right day with the right service advisor (and the right case of their flavor of frosty beverage -- LOL!), you might score.

RP

 

Its a dirt, mud etc type of condition. Im going to try what you recomended. I have a Meguiars foaming product to clean and condition the seats, I believe. I don't really know since I got it for Christmas. However, the dealer is going to be replacing this seat and more than likely both fronts so they match correctly. I just want to get it looking better until I can get the time out of my schedule to have my truck down there for the work.

Thanks a ton RP!

 

You got it... no problem... Side note: I'm not a big fan of the 2 in 1 products (cleaner/conditioner in one bottle) but, they're okay for day to day cleaning. In short, with the level of grime you're showing, I doubt it'll make a significant dent.

RP

 

RP - good advice....but a bit of a warning in the Meguiers (white gel) - I used this product on my black leather "perforated" Corbin m-cycle seat and the gel dried white in the perforations......finally after many different attempts at scrubbing, recleaning, etc. - I had to "repaint" the seat with black shoe polish to cover all the white filled perforations.....I used the Lexol after that with no ill effects. My Lariat has the tan leather - so that's probably OK with the Meguiers - but I'd never apply it to the black perforated leather surfaces of my '05 Mustang.....

On another note, why does Ford charge such a preimum price for non-preimum leather....IIRC - my Lincoln LS had that high quality "buttery" leather (everywhere not just seating surfaces) and the leather option on it was about the same as what Ford charged for my GT and Lariat? And you can tell on both vehicles it is cheap leather....."bulk roll" leather can't be that expensive can it?

 

Great point there... I had recommended it knowing that he had no perforations in the leather but, any type of product like this conditioner (a gel or similar) can cause problems with perforated products in that it can setup and be hell on wheels to remove.

A liquid product, like Lexol Conditioner, may be a better choice on perforated styles...

RP

 

The Meguiars product I have is a foam.

 

I have used Lexol religeously with great results. If you read the cleaner bottle it says use a sponge to lather up a foam when cleaning. This helps get into every nook and cranny of the leather. If you just put it on a towel and wipe it on and off it won't work (this is from experience). Make sure you have a nice lather going on your applicator when using the Lexol cleaner and it will clean that right off. I noticed someimes with new jeans it will rub off on the seat and as of yet the LExol has always gotten that off.

 

I haven't tried that one but, I haven't heard much good about it honestly...

Give it a whirl and, if you're finding that it sucks out loud (as I suspect you may), chuck it and make a trip to your local Pep or AZ.

RP

 

It was apart of a package that my parents bought me for Christmas. I did like the Tire Shine that it came with though! I still haven't been able to get a hold of some baby soap so Im holding off on trying anything more until I can do it right. I'll keep you updated.

 

Let us know keyhole...

 

I too have used Lexol..


It is, by far, the best leather cleaner I have ever used, Any descent boot shop (western store) will have it, as well as many expensive shoe stores..

the Cleaner works great (even gets oil based paint off!!!)

and the leather conditioner keeps the leathers soft and crack free

 

I followed your advice RP and I think it came out pretty good.

 

Looks great!