well i knew when my uncle traded in his 04' F250 KR and got an 08' F350 KR that i would be having some fun with this beast. I cleaned the interior for him the other day. Pretty new still so mainly just dust. Bad news was i was pretty much out of everything and the auto stores were all closing, but i got my hands on some carquest window cleaner WITH ammonia, rain-x and armor all cleaner. Couple questions and thoughts:

A) Couldn't remember but ammonia is some rough stuff right? Discoloring paint and turning tint purple? guy at the carquest store told me it wouldn't.

B) Didn't want to buy the armor all, but it wasn't to bad, i made sure to make a final pass with dry MF and it came out clean and matte looking. We'll see how it does repelling dust. I would prefer Megs Interior QD. Any concerns with interior cleaners and KR leather accents and seats?

C) How do you guys go about cleaning the weather boots? I just power washed them and they come out pretty clean but it seems that this would wear them out pretty quick. They are also a pita to vacuum little fuzzies off of. Any recommendations on cleaning these?

D) I just wiped the leather with a warm wash cloth, i didn't want to condition with it being cold out. This spring i will make sure they get conditioned as his last ones didn't. Lexol is basically just cheaper than the dealer KR leather kit? Is there a lexol car or auto and lexol saddle conditioner? (he has a horse farm and i told him how people use lexol, but he didn't like the outcome, possibly because they werent conditioned in a couple years or not properly cleaned) If money is no object which is better, lexol or dealer stuff?

E) His steering wheel got crappy on his old truck too. What can i do to prevent this? Anything to prevent the staining from blue jeans and belts?

sorry for the lengthy post, im sure there are other things ill come up with.

 

Your not suppose to use any cleaners with ammonia on tinted windows. It will discolor and weaken the tint making it crack over time. I think the glass cleaner 'invisible glass' doesn’t have any ammonia in it. I’ve used that in the past.

 

King Ranch makes a special cleaner/conditioner for the leather. Im sure someone will chime in with what it is. Also post some pics of the Beast!

 

You *do not* want to use an ammonia-based glass cleaner on the glass if they are aftermarket tinted.

KR leather is analine -- no coating. It's a different beast and, as such, should be treated differently to preserve it. Check the KR Forum. Lots of info there... trust me.

What's a 'weather boot'?

Again, check the KR forum. Boatloads of information that has been compiled there.

Personally, I use Lexol on my KR Castano seats. The 08' Super Duty KR came with Chaparral leather (again, an analine leather). There hasn't been much said about this particular breed of leather as this is the first year for Chapparral leather versus Castano. That said, I wouldn't hesitate a single second to use Lexol on them if it was mine. I should caveot this by saying that I've had a KR F-150 since 2001 when it was FIRST introduced... When I traded my 2001 KR in on my 2005 KR, the leather looked nearly brand new -- and it had around 67k on it.

Old truck? Explain a bit here. We're not talking about the KR anymore, right?

Prevent? No.

-RP-

 

They do. It's sold by the King Ranch Saddle Shop - not Ford. The dealerships buy it from the Saddle Shop and then resale it. It *is not* a Ford part.

www.krsaddleshop.com

Search leather conditioner and you shall find it.

It's only a conditioner... not a cleaner.

As for cleaners, I will say to positively avoid the LEXOL pH BALANCED CLEANER (orange bottle). Trust me here; I have experience with the product and it's simply not good for a high-quality analine leather. Lexol Conditioner (Brown) is a-o-k. I've used it for years with NO negative results.

 

okay so:

leather: dont use lexol cleaner. what cleaner can i use? It should be cleaned right? would you just suggest cleaning with a baby soap and then conditioning with the KR Conditioner or lexol?

no ammonia on tint. got it. sorta knew that but forgot. lol

fox weather boots are badass. lol as ocd as you are RP i thought you would have them. I also thought i read many people using them on here but maybe not. They are molded plastic floor buckets. you could poor a five gallon bucket of water on it and the water would all run out the door. they are pricey but well worth the investment. http://www.foxweatherboots.com/

the old truck i was referring to was an 04' F250 KR. was sorta a fast truck with true duals, CAI and edge. Anyways as far as i remember the steering wheel got darker sorta black from the oils in his hands, should i tell him to clean it more often??

anyone have any concrete evidence that ammonia screws up tint? I'd like to take it back to carquest and get my money back. I specifically asked the guy if it was safe on tint and he said yes he uses it on his car. That ******, i want my $5 back. lol

 

Its safe to use on the FACTORY tint. Not aftermarket tint.

 

he should have told me that.

 

Not a bad plan. I'd try going even more mundane with the cleaning to start with -- maybe just hot water and several clean 100% cotton terry towels. Be patient - it will not come clean immediately and, it will darken the leather (it will return to the normal look - no worries).

Yep. Like Zaair said.

Factory tint is *in* the glass. Aftermarket isn't, obviously.


I haven't seen that particular flavor. I have Husky Liners - have for years now - Similar product, same concept. My factory mats have yet to 'feel' feet on them.

Sure. Don't expect the leather to 'totally' come back from the dead after having the oils and such ground into it for so long. You can make it better but, it probably will never again look 'new'.

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