Leather seats seem to be cracking?

[Thai]

Originally Posted by MichaelC

That would never happen on my seats because they are cloth ones. That's just a bad design. Even if they replaced that part of the seat it would just happen again unless you stopped folding the seats down. I'll be interested in what the service rep has to say.

There is more to the story....

[Huskeru]

This is my first car with leather seats, how often do you guys suggest conditioning the leather?

[Thai]

Originally Posted by Huskeru

This is my first car with leather seats, how often do you guys suggest conditioning the leather?

Never. Cleaning is good to avoid having things in there that will scratch things (small rocks pebble). But with the manufacturing of car leather these days, conditioning leather is wasting money...kinda like changing oil very 3k miles!

[Novablue]

Originally Posted by Thai

Never. Cleaning is good to avoid having things in there that will scratch things (small rocks pebble). But with the manufacturing of car leather these days, conditioning leather is wasting money...kinda like changing oil very 3k miles!

This one is spot on.

It is also possible to "over condition" leather. Use cleaners now and again but conditioners are a waste to use more than even once a year. I would say that it would be more like changing oil every 500 miles "just to be safe" and deciding to use ATF "because it has more detergent." Most cleaners have enough oil in them to condition the leather anyway.

Fyi, leather is one of the things I clean for liv'in. Leather is awesome and properly maintained can out last even you.

[OBnube]

Originally Posted by Novablue

Fyi, leather is one of the things I clean for liv'in. Leather is awesome and properly maintained can out last even you.

Is there anything to clean/condition leather that doesn't stink? I kinda like the new car smell.

[aggreX]

So what's being said is don't condition and definitely don't over condition leather seats. What is a good maintenance plan to keep the leather soft and crack-free as long as possible in the harsh environment of the car with hot sun, humidity, cold winters along with regular wear and tear? Just good cleaners that contain some oils? Please suggest some. Dealer replaced my rear leather seat covers on a 3year old Pilot due to cracking and flaking of the colored surface under warranty last year.

[Rapper]

I have cloth seats. They showed signs of wear within 3,000 miles. The dealer agreed this was premature and I had the front cloth replaced under warranty.

[bruce_van]

For those who say don't do anything to your leather, I'm pretty sure your leather seats will look faded and cracking after a few years compared with someone who has conditioned their leather.

Leather is not a care free material by any means. Trust me on this, I've done the research and have conditioned my leather seats regularly in the cars I've owned and they look great after years of use.

If you think it's a waste of money and time, I'd like to see your seats in a few years.

[OutbackUFO]

Originally Posted by bruce_van

For those who say don't do anything to your leather, I'm pretty sure your leather seats will look faded and cracking after a few years compared with someone who has conditioned their leather.

Leather is not a care free material by any means. Trust me on this, I've done the research and have conditioned my leather seats regularly in the cars I've owned and they look great after years of use.

If you think it's a waste of money and time, I'd like to see your seats in a few years.

We have had leather in our cars for 30 years and always maintained it by conditioning the leather at least once a year. Used sparingly conditioner helps to keep oils in the leather preventing it from cracking. Not all leather is the same and the older cars seem to have the better stuff. Our '84 BMW 733i had great leather and looked like new after 7 years and 260K miles, whereas the '98 Ford Explodition had major issues after less then 30K miles in 3 years.

[Thai]

A good read: Auto Leather Conditioner is a subject full of much bad info; read up!

"The leather of today's cars are made to withstand much wear and tear. Just as your cars paint has a protective layer of clear coat, so does modern day leather within your car have a transparent protective layer.

Any conditioners you might be applying, would not be penetrating the natural leather material.

The key to getting leather to last and stay nice is to keep it clean; consistently."