Leather creasing and what to do?

[Packerbacker]

This is is my own vehicle and I am hoping someone here can help. I’ve done a lot of reading and searching but my novice level as it relates to detailing and terminology might be the problem. I recently bought this truck, it’s a 2016 RAM Longhorn, with the nice full leather seats. I know there are opinions on the effectiveness of leather conditioners on top coated leather and I do not wish tondebate that here. What I’m wondering, is there a way to stop these more lwrmenant dresses or cracks through the top coat from happening. This is how I purchased the truck used. I understand leather will crease and that’s fine, I just worry that this will get worse. Can I condition those cracks so they do not spread? Is there a product you recommend and why? Can I make this seat better than it is? Thoughts? I all ears.

Im not sure if I should be searching for crack, creasing, splitting, etc. I don’t think these seats need a dye job or anything like that. It’s all just on the driver side seat bottom bolster. The rest of the seats are in excellent condition.

[Mike Phillips]

That's natural.



I see it in my own leather seats. I don't think you can prevent it as long as you're using the car.


It's the nature of the beast. Maybe by keeping some form of leather softener applied to the leather could help but from what I've seen over the years, this is normal.



And since this is your first post to our forum....


Welcome to AutogeekOnline!

[Packerbacker]

That's natural.



I see it in my own leather seats. I don't think you can prevent it as long as you're using the car.


It's the nature of the beast. Maybe by keeping some form of leather softener applied to the leather could help but from what I've seen over the years, this is normal.



And since this is your first post to our forum....


Welcome to AutogeekOnline!

Thank you!!

Yea I know it’s the nature of the beast, just want to put forth good effort and do what I can. The leather seats in my wife’s Odyssey still look, but that might be a little cheaper yet more durable style leather, I am not sure.

So maybe that’s what I need then, a softener. Now that the protective top coat is worn through or cracked in this area I wondered what product to apply over the cracks as I think the would absorb into the now unprotected leather, right?

Product suggestions for a softener?

And then what cleaner and conditioner could I use in conjunction with the softener to maintain the seats as best as possible.




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[ejaf]

Here you go:

Forum Specific Google Search for Leather Cracking

You can change the search string to whatever you want, and get ready for a s***-ton of information to read through!!!

This helped me wade through the forums, in which sometimes the actual forum search wasn't giving me what I was looking for.

Helped me on my 2016 Ford Escape Titanium leather.

Eric

[Eldorado2k]

I honestly think the reason this eventually happens in just about all vehicles with so called leather seats is due to auto manufacturers using the cheapest excuse for leather they can come up with. If you take a close look at a leather seat once it’s cracked and ripped you’ll notice how incredibly thin it is. You’ll also find that it doesn’t feel much like real leather at all. There seems to be more of the artificial backing than there is leather and the leather side feels more like vinyl than anything else.

Compare the typical leather seat to a high quality leather coat and tell me if your leather coat has ever degraded the way automotive leather seats do? I’ve got a leather coat I purchased from Wilsons almost 20yrs. ago and there’s not a single crack or rip in it and you probably couldn’t create 1 if you tried. I’d be willing to bet a dog couldn’t make a rip in that coat!

IMO there’s “leather seats” and then there’s real leather seats... I’ve sat in some vehicles with real leather seats and they feel nothing like the typical so called leather seats in most vehicles. If the seating areas were actually real they’d look and feel nothing like the vinyl bolsters that surround them.

I don’t understand how auto manufacturers get away with such bold lies when it comes to this because real leather seats are soft and pliable, not hard, not coarse, and not perfectly smooth either. Real leather seats feel almost like skin, and it’s very rare to find a vehicle that’s equipped with them.

[Packerbacker]

This is the tag that comes in the seats, at least it’s as good as what they make in these trucks. It is nicer than some of the other leather seats they use.




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[Eldorado2k]

I’m not saying the seats in your truck aren’t good quality, because I haven’t seen or felt them irl, but I’m always wary of made up terms when it comes to automotive leather and wood trim.

They call it “Full grain Natura Plus” Genuine Leather... Wouldn’t it be better if it could simply be “Genuine Leather”?
Remember “Fine Corinthian Leather”? It didn’t turn out to be anywhere near as fine as it sounded. It never seems to turn out as fine as they make it sound once they’re done playing with words and made up terms. There must be at least a couple dozen different terms for automotive leather these days but none of them seems to be plain old Genuine Leather.

Once again, I’m not discounting the seats in your truck.

[vobro]

I would do research to see if these seats are indeed coated, I remember people having issues of applying certain products to the King Ranch seats

[Mike Phillips]

This is the tag that comes in the seats, at least it’s as good as what they make in these trucks. It is nicer than some of the other leather seats they use.

Thank you for sharing the tag. As a guy that wrote label copy and "directions" for car care products at Meguiar's, when I read the directions telling >you< how to take care of the leather I call that,

Bubba-Proofing


They tell you to use water on a microfiber towel. That's as simple as it can get. Water is safe and so is a microfiber towel. That's bubba-proofing.

[Packerbacker]

I am certain the leather is top coated. The only truck seats I know of that are different are the kind ranch seats.

I guess my question is will a conditioner act differently in the places where the top coat is creased or opened up? I assume so as it won’t soak into the top coat but will soak into the crease, right?

So what is best for the creases?


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