andyross Posted March 28, 2021 Share Posted March 28, 2021 On my 2011 SEL, the pleather on the center armrest and door armrest has developed hard spots and even cracked. I think it's probably a bit of body oils baked in, and maybe even some leftover coolant oil from work if I don't fully wipe down my arms. I found a replacement genuine new Ford center armrest for $40, so that was an easy and cheap replacement. Trying to find a replacement door panel is harder and much more expensive. It isn't quite as bad, so I'm seeing if I can try to fix it first. I have the old center armrest to experiment with. Regular leather conditioner doesn't really work, since it's not real leather. Some Googling seems to imply various remedies such as Vinyl restorer, mineral oil, and baby oil. Anyone have experience with any of these, or any other ideas? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbf2530 Posted March 28, 2021 Share Posted March 28, 2021 2 hours ago, andyross said: On my 2011 SEL, the pleather on the center armrest and door armrest has developed hard spots and even cracked. I think it's probably a bit of body oils baked in, and maybe even some leftover coolant oil from work if I don't fully wipe down my arms. I found a replacement genuine new Ford center armrest for $40, so that was an easy and cheap replacement. Trying to find a replacement door panel is harder and much more expensive. It isn't quite as bad, so I'm seeing if I can try to fix it first. I have the old center armrest to experiment with. Regular leather conditioner doesn't really work, since it's not real leather. Some Googling seems to imply various remedies such as Vinyl restorer, mineral oil, and baby oil. Anyone have experience with any of these, or any other ideas? Hi Andy. As you have surmised, it is vinyl, not leather. Any good quality vinyl protectant/conditioner will help. But don't expect miracles, especially if already cracked. I prefer Meguiar's products, but there are plenty of good brands, such as Mother's and many others. Good luck. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mountaingimps Posted March 31, 2021 Share Posted March 31, 2021 Yep, its vinyl and once its cracking all you can do is treat it to slow down the process.. From my understanding mineral oil will actually make it worse over time. I second Meguiar products. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.