Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
My husband and I purchased a used 2011 MKZ this weekend. We are both in our early 30's with not much car experience. Our previous cars were cars we got during college and kept them almost 10 years (well I kept mine). I started my search focusing on Toyota/Honda, which I will still get later in the year, but hubby really wanted nice premium/semi-luxury car. I gave in, the price was right & it felt so nice sitting in MKZ vs. a normal commuter car. Now we have a MKZ.
I heard bad things about Lincoln from other people, not reliable..etc But I also heard that any car made in this decade can easily be reliable if treated right. I want to make sure we are treating it right. so what do we have to do or pay attention to keep the car in best condition. It has 40K mile already on it.
I know about oil change every 3K miles and tire rotation every 10K or every 2 oil change. I was able to get maintenance recommendation list online (openbay.com) which I will follow. How do I maintain the leather seating? Anything else I need to know
At 40k miles, there really is nothing too special to do. Keep up with it's recommended maintenance schedule which should be in the manual. It is likely 3K mile intervals for oil is more frequent than needed, but the manual will give you the specifics.
Mostly, just keep up on the maintenance and get any issues that may arise taken care of.
Leather care will be in the manual too. My wife's Lincoln MKC recommends using only damp towels to clean the leather, and not leather cleaning products. However, what it recommends and what your MKZ recommends could differ. Most of the cars I have owned with leather I generally use a quality conditioner on them to keep them nice, but would still lean towards the manufacturer recommendations.
Not sure there is too much else I would recommend. Regular washing and waxing will help keep the paint fresh looking. Really, modern vehicles are pretty easy to live with compared to years ago.
Leather care will be in the manual too. My wife's Lincoln MKC recommends using only damp towels to clean the leather, and not leather cleaning products. However, what it recommends and what your MKZ recommends could differ. Most of the cars I have owned with leather I generally use a quality conditioner on them to keep them nice, but would still lean towards the manufacturer recommendations.
.
The manual said to clean with "damp towels". I am guessing that means damp I water and clean. It does say use "soap/water" for heavy duty cleaning. But I thought water is bad for leather?
The manual said to clean with "damp towels". I am guessing that means damp I water and clean. It does say use "soap/water" for heavy duty cleaning. But I thought water is bad for leather?
I would never do that. Sorry but you can't always trust car care coming from a manual.
Get a leather cleaner and leather conditioner. Clean only when dirty. Condition frequency is based on conditions. I live in Phoenix without much humidity. I condition my seats every month and sometimes more. I currently use Mink oil. I have also used Meguiar's leather sealer recently which is to repel stains if they happen. My seats are light cream color so I am very OCD taking care of them. Here's a good starter product I use from time to time as well and is great quality.
If you live in the snow belt sooner or later the car will start having rust issues,to prevent this have the car oil sprayed every 2 years,heres one such chain that does the procedure for about $100= https://www.krown.com/canada/ontario/windsor/windsor/
Follow owners manual maintenance schedule and wash and wax the car several times a year and the car could potentially last a long time.
I dont see any gains to be had by 3K oil changes,i"d double that schedule to manufacturers recommendations which is probably 6K+
Not to knock the fine people of C-D, but a Lincoln forum may be a better way to get much needed info if you do run into a problem. The guys who know these cars like the back of their hand will spend most of their time here, vs browsing C-D
To answer your question...maintainece. All you can do really. Stay on top of it, get the fluids changed according to the schedule in the manual, and don't let issues drag out. If something needs to be repaired, just get it done.
I would never do that. Sorry but you can't always trust car care coming from a manual.
Get a leather cleaner and leather conditioner. Clean only when dirty. Condition frequency is based on conditions. I live in Phoenix without much humidity. I condition my seats every month and sometimes more. I currently use Mink oil. I have also used Meguiar's leather sealer recently which is to repel stains if they happen. My seats are light cream color so I am very OCD taking care of them. Here's a good starter product I use from time to time as well and is great quality.
DO NOT do a 3k oil change. Follow the owners manual for service schedules. Some have an oil change indicator that tell you when the oil needs to be changed, follow that if equipped. I've been running a 5,000 mile interval for years.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
