Leather Seats

[Gobird]

I'm sure there is someone out there that can advise me on this one. I've had leather seats in a couple of my birds over the years and have used saddle soap on them. But after a couple of years they all start getting cracks in the leather. The same thing is happening to my 97 F-150. Could this be a cheaper leather then they'er using in the New Birds or will we have the same problem with these seats in a couple of years.
Thanks for any advice on this one.

[stevem]

Do you use leather conditioner after the soap? You need to put the oils back in the leather.

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[Gobird]

No. I though the saddle soap did that.

[thenewtbird2]

There are a couple threads on the old bon that talked about leather care. The owner's manual just talks a little bit about care of the leather - mainly cleaning. I'll try to find those old threads and bring them up to the top on the old bon.
They had internet resources that give more detail on cleaning leather surfaces.

The O.M. states that there is a protective clear coat on the leather.

[Gobird]

***********2 Thanks, I just wonder how long that clearcoat will last.

[chryslertcnut]

Gobird,
As Steve says, you have to feed the leather after it has been cleaned with saddle soap. The soap dries out the leather and will cause it to dry out faster. Dot will find the info from the old BON threads and I think we have a book on taking care of the leather in my two TC's.
George - Blue/White - Full blue accent on order.

[Chief]

An observation:
Those yellow seat inserts are going to require frequent cleaning.

[thenewtbird2]

The 2 leather care threads are near the top of the old bon pages (http://www.blueovalnews.com/ubb/forumdisplay.cgi?action=topics&forum=Thunderbird&number=33&DaysPrune=10&LastLogin=)
I also have the links to the leather care product sites on my CARE page.