Lariat Leather Cleaning, Deodorizing, and Conditioning Questions

[Turbodonkey]

Are the seats in the Lariat actual leather? I have a '23 Lariat ER and am not a fan of the overall interior odor. What can I clean and condition these seats with to help and not damage them? I'm 800 miles in...

I drive the truck with Uber/Lyft and typically carry febreeze for between and after stinky passengers and usually use a vent air freshener. The seats have their own odor though that is disagreeable to me and I would like to clean them with something and condition as well. I drove a series of Chevy Bolt EV's and EUV's in the past and the seats smelled like leather so I didn't run into the issue I'm in now which is the natural/factory seat material odor isn't very pleasant to me and I want to use a cleaner to help but not damage the seats.

Any thoughts/advice or actual knowledge about the material? Couldn't find the answers from Ford.

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[3121]

Just get some chemical guys leather cleaner and conditioner. That conditioner will make it smell like a Wilson's leather outlet.

That stuff is great to have on hand. My wife likes it for cleaning her handbags and boots too.

Most car leather has some synthetic coating or stuff in it for elasticity and durability. The Ford leather is leather but also has some other stuff too.

 

[ctuan13]

The Lariat Lightning does indeed have real leather, but it's like almost all modern leather car interiors, it's what is known as painted leather. Although the substrate beneath is actual leather, the surface you're constantly touching is in fact a polymer paint layer, similar to vinyl. This is why it can crack and split with time and UV exposure.

A best practice is to clean all the leather surfaces in the vehicle on a regular basis with a good interior cleaner using microfiber cloths and then follow it up with a light wipe down of a plastic and vinyl protectant and UV inhibitor like 303 Aerospace protectant. Do this on even a semi-regular basis and your leather interior will last far longer than it would otherwise.

This procedure can also be applied to any plastic surfaces in the vehicle like the door panels and dash to impart the same cleaning and UV and oxidation protection.


Interior Cleaner: https://amzn.to/3MPSlCN
303 Aerospace Protectant: https://amzn.to/46f4jN6

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