Leather seats flaking before first oil change

[Ares]

The inner section is vinyl. It is only leather trimmed.

When they say "trimmed" they dont mean the actual perimeter trim, its the opposite. the inner section is leather, the squares that your ass and back directly contact.

the outer parts are vinyl.

Not sure about the bolsters there, but I suspect they are likely vinyl, especially given the way those are flaking.

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[Daktari]

warranty issue for sure. Is that part actually leather? Most "leather" seats are only partially real leather (if at all) and from the photo that looks more like some vinyl or other artificial material. Dealer should order new seats or at least covers, not acceptable after such short time. (Unless you indeed had a cheese grater in your pocket... ;-) )

This might sound odd, but do you wear bug spray that has DEET in it? Ruined the dashboard in my wife's Passat that way once, came from a hike with tons of mosquitos so we were sprayed quite well, anywhere my leg touched the dashboard under the steering wheel on the drive home a thin outer layer or rubbery coating came off. Make sure to wash that spray off or wear a shirt/long pants before getting in prolonged contact with plastics. Probably not what happened here, but the photo reminded me of how the dashboard looked, also brand new.

 

[old goat]

glad I went cloth , tried and true
I did order leather with my OBX but then I changed bronco order to BB and went cloth

good luck with ford doing warranty

 

[‘21OBX]

Honestly that looks like damage from something catching them.

Carry a knife by chance?

Looks like about the height the seat belt buckle would rub. Definitely looks like something hard has been dragging on it.
And people wonder why I am adamant they don’t slide in and out in my seats. I tell everyone entering and exiting lift your azz up do not slide off my seats.

 

[Silver-Bolt]

Looks like a scrape?

 

[AK SNO RIDER]

Looks like about the height the seat belt buckle would rub. Definitely looks like something hard has been dragging on it.
And people wonder why I am adamant they don’t slide in and out in my seats. I tell everyone entering and exiting lift your azz up do not slide off my seats.

It's amazing how many people don't know how to get in and out of a car correctly.

Friend of mine was complaining about his truck seat wearing out and acted like it was a personal attack when I explained the cause.

 

[Murraydog11]

I had to train myself to step out onto the running board so I'm not sliding down the side of the seat every time I get out.

 

[mikec426]

I slide out. Never had an issue. Also never had leather…

To the OP, I agree with some others. Looks like something has been scraping against the seat other than just clothing

 

[schadenforduh]

since dealerships generally look for ways to deny warranty repairs...good luck.

 

[MadMan4BamaNATL]

@Indy Bronco, hate to break the news to you my friend, but this ain’t Mercedes quality leather; it’s cheap cow ass for a, well, Ford!

What I mean is, this is sort of high maintenance if you actually want to keep it looking decent. Take a search over to Autogeek.net; it’s a pro quality car detialing website. It’s established, they have good sales all the time, been around for many years, and the stuff they sell is the highest quality.

Head to the interior detailing area and search for leather cleaner and leather conditioner. I have a couple of favorite brands, but it doesn’t mean they’re honestly any better than what you can get from any other reputable company.

As for that rubbing damage that’s already been done, that comes from not just being cheap ass leather, but also becoming too dry; trust that it doesn’t take Arizona level heat either. You can also recover the seats from that damage and slow it down. I’d just advise accepting what’s there now as “patina” and work on keeping the leather clean and conditioned from here forward.

How often to wipe clean? Maybe every 6 weeks. Go to Amazon and get both some good quality microfiber towels, then get a pack or two of some cheap shit microfiber. Don’t use an old t-shirt or anything like that. The good stuff shouldn’t cost more than $20 for around 12-16 towels; make sure they come from South Korea and any brand should due. The cheap stuff is just that.

Condition your leather maybe 2-3 times per year; maybe add one extra pass in Summer and you should be good if you pick up good conditioner. Do not use boot oil, mink oil, or any other heavy oil or solvent based product. Only buy the natural oil based stuff that has some extra UV protectant qualities.

This is a rabbit hole topic for me, but to give you some context. I’ve driven only BMWs and Land Rover products for over 20 years and the seats were always well kept and the paint always looks good because I detail my own cars, so no car washes or whatever.

Good luck!

 

[CheekyOldMan]

Do you by any chance keep an extra tie rod in your back pocket?

 

[LSU Jonno]

You didn’t happen to wax them did you?

beat me to it

 

[Lowcountry Bronco]

Be thankful you haven’t had to change the engine before the oil…Twice, on the same vehicle. That has happened here.

New engines come with new oil right?

 

[‘21OBX]

I had to train myself to step out onto the running board so I'm not sliding down the side of the seat every time I get out.

I had to do the same but years ago after seeing what was happening to work trucks.

 

[IndyBronco]

Honestly that looks like damage from something catching them.

Carry a knife by chance?

I carry my knife in my right front pocket and nothing goes in my back left pocket which is what would come in contact with this area.

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