So I just picked up a '16 Ford Focus ST with the leather Recaro seats and have to say I'm quite impressed. However, I have concerns. On any other car I've ever owned or worked on with leather, the coating or sealant from new on the material was very apparent. Not so much on this car (seats nor the steering wheel). Very very soft, matte finish. When cleaning, the product appears to soak in a bit (for lack of a better description) vs wiping off/across the surface on leather that's coated. It would appear these seats nor the steering wheel are costed and/or sealed. Seems unlikely in a new car, but that's how it seems. Anyone else messed around with one of these that can confirm similar results?
Anyways, doing some homework on a bunch of forums pretty much unanimously revealed a recommendation to stay clear of conditioners on coated or sealed materialis as they sit on top and don't do much besides provide a substance for dirt and aggressive particles to stick to, which is the biggest enemy of leather surfaces anyways.
The only thing that's has touched my car is Adam's leather cleaner (no conditioner use yet). My top, #1 priority is maintaining that matte finish as long as possible. I want to avoid that shiney polished look you see on surfaces and especially steering wheels. We all know abrasives is what actually polishes something with a matte finish and makes it shiney.. Heck, after only 3,000 miles, I'm already starting to slightly get a polished spot on the outside bottom of the drivers seat from getting in and out...another indicator that's makes me think these surfaces aren't coated.
So I guess my questions are these...since I'm bordrline paranoid about keeping it super clean, is the leather cleaner that safe to use full strength all the time (e.g. Weekly), or more intended to clean less occasionally? Should I dilute? And then what's the recommendation on the conditioner if the research is true about staying away from them on coated surfaces? And then anything else generic you guys want to share?
Question
galaxy
So I just picked up a '16 Ford Focus ST with the leather Recaro seats and have to say I'm quite impressed. However, I have concerns. On any other car I've ever owned or worked on with leather, the coating or sealant from new on the material was very apparent. Not so much on this car (seats nor the steering wheel). Very very soft, matte finish. When cleaning, the product appears to soak in a bit (for lack of a better description) vs wiping off/across the surface on leather that's coated. It would appear these seats nor the steering wheel are costed and/or sealed. Seems unlikely in a new car, but that's how it seems. Anyone else messed around with one of these that can confirm similar results?
Anyways, doing some homework on a bunch of forums pretty much unanimously revealed a recommendation to stay clear of conditioners on coated or sealed materialis as they sit on top and don't do much besides provide a substance for dirt and aggressive particles to stick to, which is the biggest enemy of leather surfaces anyways.
The only thing that's has touched my car is Adam's leather cleaner (no conditioner use yet). My top, #1 priority is maintaining that matte finish as long as possible. I want to avoid that shiney polished look you see on surfaces and especially steering wheels. We all know abrasives is what actually polishes something with a matte finish and makes it shiney.. Heck, after only 3,000 miles, I'm already starting to slightly get a polished spot on the outside bottom of the drivers seat from getting in and out...another indicator that's makes me think these surfaces aren't coated.
So I guess my questions are these...since I'm bordrline paranoid about keeping it super clean, is the leather cleaner that safe to use full strength all the time (e.g. Weekly), or more intended to clean less occasionally? Should I dilute? And then what's the recommendation on the conditioner if the research is true about staying away from them on coated surfaces? And then anything else generic you guys want to share?
Sorry for the novel...
Link to comment
Share on other sites
11 answers to this question
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now