Hello everyone,

I am a new KR owner 6 days so far. I love the truck and this board is great I have read evey post on it.

The leather in my KR has been neglected and after reading all the posts about leather cleaning I decided to brave it. Armed with my baby bath, Zymol leather cleaner and a bottle of Lexol I went to work.

I used hot water first and then tryed the baby bath. The baby bath did not do much so I Lexol'd the passenger seat. Later in the day I got my hands on some Zymol and that worked great. I put another treatment of lexol on and have not touched them for about 12 hours.

Couple of questions/ comments
1. They look better and much darker that they were. The leather seemd very thristy. They are as dark or darker than the seats in the back that have little wear.

2. The seats were smooth but not they have a bit of a napp to them kinda like suede. Is this normal? Will they become smooth over time?

3. Will more Lexol get them smooth again? As I stated the seats were so dry it kept soaking up the Lexol. Did I put to much on?

4. Not all the leather had this respone. The center console and the steering wheel feel smooth after treatment, but I did not apply as much Lexol to them?

Thanks for the help.

Brian

 

First and foremost, welcome to f150online.com!

I can only give you a personal opinion based on my own observations when using Lexol as I've never tried the Zymol cleaner.

1. Lexol does have a tendency to darken the leather slightly however; after about a week (or less), you'll note that the suppleness will remain but the darkening will fade to match the rear of the seats. Don't fret. It's normal.

2. The nap sounds exactly like what Lexol cleaner did to my steering wheel. For this reason, and this reason alone, I don't recommend Lexol pH Balanced Cleaner. I can't tell you what to do about the nap... My steering wheel was replaced under warranty fortunately.

3. I don't think that the Lexol Conditioning product will return the leather to its original state. I don't have any nap to deal with though to proove or disproove this theory.

4. Hmm. Not sure. I'm assuming that the nap is on the driver's seat? I would suspect that this leather would recieve the most daily abuse (abrasion etc) and thus would be more apt to split and cause the suede look. In short, I doubt the console and other areas experience the rubbing and general abrasion that the bolsters and seat bottoms experience and thus, aren't as worn.

Again, we're really glad to have you aboard! Please feel free to post additional questions/observations as I know everyone here is always interested in tricks/hints with leather care.

RP

 

RP,

Thanks for the info. It is the passenger seat that has the suede look to it, but not the entire seat. On the drivers seat it is just the left side of the seat the raised part near the door.

Your theory about the abrasion is probably might be right. I have a couch that is the same leather and it is all smooth and I ordered a love seat to match a year later and it is rough with aq nap sinilar to suede. The furinture store said that different lots of leather will look different.


What is the best thing to buff the leather with?

Who covered the warranty issuew on your steering wheel? Ford or Lexol? Just thinking ahead if the seat's condidtion does not improve as to seeing if warranty is a possible solution.

Last question...Can you put to much Lexol on the seats?


Thanks for your help.

Brian

 

 

Mike,

That would work fine for me but something tells me unless she has a brother for when my wife drived the KR it won't fly!

 

I purchased a 2001 KR 4WD a month ago (eBAY purchase - the truck was in Houston) and the seats were NOT taken care of very well; some of my earlier posts mentioned how "thirsty" they seemed. The abrasion areas (where the previous owners slid out rather than stepping out of the truck) had me bothered also. I found a product called Leather CPR and today my front seats look more like the back ones. I am very impressed with the product. I cleaned them using nothing but a warm cotton towel (white) wrung out the best I could and gently rubbed a small area at a time; it took me 3 evenings to do the front seats and an additional evening for the steering wheel and it DID take a long time for the "human oils and stains" to come to the surface - but today it looks like a well conditioned 3-1/2 year old steering wheel. I recommend Leather CPR as it is very easy to work with and the results are fantastic. You can find it on the 'net (Google).

 

cjw3cma...

Thanks for the info. I've tried several things, including baby soap, Lexol and the KR cleaner and still seem to be losing ground. Perhaps Leather CPR is the answer.

Dave...

 

cjw3cma,

Thanks for the tip about Leather CPR. Did your seats have a suede feel to them from the previous owners wear? If so did Leather CPR help this?

Brian

 

Both front seats had that rough abrasion look and feel to them in the locations that you mentioned (from sliding off of them rather than stepping out of the truck) - like from too much denim
Leather CPR will not only clean and condition but this product made my seats look sooooooooooo much better than I thought they could look based on how they were when I got my KR. I'm hooked on it. My living room sofas are both natural leather (with baseball stitching) and Leather CPR has made them look 100% better also. My home office chair is black leather and it cleaned and softened it too. So far I have used 24 ounces of the product which yielded 4 applications to the front seats, 2 to the rear seats (and I used it liberally) and once each to the sofas and office chair. Get my Leather CPR at the local Restoration Hardware store, but it's available on the internet also.

 

cjw3cma,

Thanks for the reply. The Leather CPR sounds like it does a good job. I will have to pick some up.

I was looking at the seats I did yesterday and they now seem smoother than they were 12 hours ago. Iguess it takes time for the Lexol to work in. I think I am just going to leave them a lone for a couple days and see what happens.

Brian

 

Yes, they do look better color wise after a couple of hours; the leather absorbs and the absorption equalizes over time. As you re-apply the cleaner / conditioner it is absorbed better since the leather is now moisturized. I think that after a month or two I should see a pattern of application need appear. Remembering that I spent multiple evenings cleaning the leather before applying any product, I am pleased with the results.

On another note, today I located a brand new / unopened King Ranch logo tonneau cover. $299 plus freight to San Diego. Can't wait to see it installed; I've read that the OEM KR covers leaked but not much to worry about while I'm in San Diego, but up in Northern California I've got mountain weather so will see how it does over time.

 

I've been using Lexol for the three years I've owned my KR. The three seats that never see any use still have the rough appearance, as do the less used surfaces of the driver's seat. The seat bottom, back, and hip cushions on the driver's seat are all very smooth, obviously with wear. When I do condition, the driver's seat gets much darker than the others, I am guessing due to the wear of that seat over the others. After about a week or so it matches the rest of them though. My biggest gripe is that the seat bottom of the driver's seat has stretched with use so it is not taut anymore when sitting unused. I will have to continue my search for the seat bottom cushion so I will have a full seat replacement. I already have the seat back, which doesn't get the wear of the bottom.

 

Found this on ebay - check it out:

01-03 FORD F150 F-150 KING RANCH LEATHER SEAT COVER. 6 days to go and priced now at less than $15.00

Hope this helps.