I've read almost every post imaginable about Castano leather, but I didn't find an answer, so here goes. I picked up some 2002 King Ranch seats from a wrecker and put them in my 2000 xlt. Love the seats even in crappy condition. I don't think they have ever been conditioned so the leather is extremely dry and hard feeling. I'm very realistic and not expecting miracles but is there any product that would put the oils back in without turning the leather really dark? I've thought about neatsfoot oil but i've heard thats a real no no.I did the "spa treatment" to get some of the dirt off and worked quite well. I did pick up some Leather CPR and that stuff is amazing. Used 1/2 of the tube on the passenger seat alone, but it still seems quite dry feeling. The drivers seat bottom was quite dirty and I had to scrub lightly to get the dirt off, now it has a kind of suede look to it. I know they will never look like new again but I want to restore them as best as I can. I'm open to suggestions so if you guys want to experiment with new treatments I'm not worried about ruining the seats (they are still pretty rough looking)
ps I did notice when cleaning the seats compared to the side bolsters that the leather in better condition has a sheen to it compared to the worn leather. I thought this was raw leather without a protective coating on it.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

It takes time to get the seats to soak in the conditioner. Main thing is not to over condition the seats at once. Give them a good conditoning ever couple weeks and then you will start to see a difference. The main thing i would concentrate on it to keep doing the "spa treatment" to get the seats as clean as they will get. After you get them satifactory then start worrying about the conditioner. Post some pics and that will help us see what you are talking about. One thing i would recommend is getting them as clean as you can then think about dying them to the original color. Just a thought, Good luck with whatever you decide to do.

 

I suggest trying Fiebings Saddle Soap on one seat in a small area...and I wouldn't recommend this to most, but since they are in pretty bad shape i would definitely consider trying Fiebings 100% Neatsfoot Oil on that same spot. It is known to darken leather but i tried it on one spot on my seats and once it dried it is the same color as the rest of the seats, just don't over-do the amount of neatsfoot oil you use.

How i went about doing this process was:

First off, i got 100% cotton soft cloths along with another 100% cotton cloth that had a small amount of texture to it and of course the Fiebings saddle soap and neatsfoot oil.

Saddle Soap:

Neatsfoot Oil

(Soft) 100% Cotton Cloth


As for the (Textured) 100% cotton cloth just find one with a texture similar to a bath towel.

Then I got a bucket of warm water to damp the cloth for applying the saddle soap.(Damp the cloth, don't soak it.) I rubbed the (textured), damp cloth into the saddle soap and then rubbed it into the leather in a circular motion, allowed it to sit for a few minutes, then wiped excess away with a clean (soft) cloth.

I did not let the leather completely dry before applying the neatsfoot oil in an attempt to lessen the amount of saturation it would allow.(I don't know what results you would have if you applied the neatsfoot oil to the leather if it was 100% dry, but the results with the way i did it worked quite well in the end.) I held the (soft) cloth over the end of the neatsfoot oil jug and tipped it upside down to get a small amount onto the cloth and then wiped it onto the seat (I did not use a circular motion for this application) allowing it to sit for a small amount of time and then wiped excess off with a clean soft cloth.

At this point it is going to look quite dark, but that is only because you have just gotten it wet with the saddle soap application as well as with the neatsfoot oil application. Let it dry 100% and then follow up with a good coat of Leather CPR.

Again, this is no guarantee in good results, but i did this to a portion of my seat with no problems.

 

Here is a link to some pictures of the progression when i did it.(note i only did the saddle soap and neatsfoot oil on the one are of the bottom portion of the seat, you can tell what spot I'm talking about by how it got darker, and i don't have a picture after it all dried but i will guarantee you could never tell it is darker than the rest after i put a coat of leather cpr on all of them.)
https://www.f150online.com/forums/4110638-post64.html

 

Ive used Fiebings Saddle Soap from tractor supply and Kiwi Saddle Soap and i liked the KIWI better but they both did a good job. Just try different things out until you find what you want your seats to look like

 

Good to hear Coy, i only used Fiebings because it's easy to come by and has a good reputation. I'd read good things about it too. Kiwi Saddle Soap should be just as easy to come by though.

 

One suggestion, do not "Rub" while doing the "Spa Treatment". That is what roughens up the leather and makes it look and feel like suede.