I conditioned my seats on the weekend and they look better but the front ones are still pretty faded looking. I suspect that the previous owner did not condition them enough. I was wondering if I should give them another conditioning right away to darken them some more or wait for a few months? I don't want to overload the leather with conditioner and make it look worse.

 

Sight unseen and not felt, I think it'd be safe to apply another coat. What kind of conditioner are you utilizing? Are you cleaning prior to application? If so, with what?

 

I can't go more than a month without conditioning or they look dried out. I don't know how you guys in Florida and Texas make it.

They are not completely washed out, but the front seats are noticably lighter than the back. I think it is because the back windows are factory tinted and they also get shaded by the roof. I am going to tint the other windows and get the seats redyed.

 

Yep.. my front seats are noticeably lighter than the back also. I am using the KR conditioner and think I have enough to re-do the front seats again.

 

Are you cleaning prior to application? Obviously, the front seats are getting more wear and tear than the rears and thus, this being said, they're also going to accumulate the most grime, oils, and other 'gunk' that generally cause the leather conditioner to not be as penetrative (if that's a word -- Lenny?). Cleaning may be the answer...

MikeF150 has posted about the Leathermaster system being the best he's ever used -- and he's one of the ORIGINAL King Ranchers' here at f150online. Like several of us, we've run a good portion of the gamut on conditioners but, few of us talk about cleaners... in my opinion, this is a CRITICAL step that is often overlooked which can bring a problem to higher and more difficult level to overcome.

I look at it this way -- if your arm was dirty but very dry, you'd clean off the dirt and then apply a lotion. Same is true with this analine leather.

 

MMmmmm......

I suppose it could be said that I've had my penetrative moments .


(!!)

 

Oh man... I'm not going down that road. LOL!

 

Wipe the seats with a damp cloth, let it dry, condition. They have never seen dirt or grime, just riding to the office each day. I can't imagine dirt has anything to do with my problem. I did notice from a previous thread that some people use their hands to apply the conditioner. I have noticed that the towels that I use absorb more than than the seats do. I am going to try wearing surgical gloves and using my hands next time.

 

I just used the KR conditioner on my KR after 6months. I don’t know the tread but one of the KR owners used his hands. I was using a clean cotton cloth in the beginning of the process and it seems not to spread out the conditioner very well. Absorb more than what was being applied to the leather. So my daughter and I used our hands and massaged the conditioner into the leather. Went on nice and smooth and look great when dried. Wipe down and look like new. Looks good and smells good too! Haven’t have the fad on the front seats as of yet but then I have tint all around and a sunscreen on the front window. Lot of good advice given here! Have a great day folks!

 

How about good old Saddle Soap? It's been around forever and I've used it for various leather goods but never tried it on the seats. Anyone tried this?

 

My 8-year old daughter helped me a couple weeks ago - we used our hands, and it definitely works way better than with rag or towel.

You could use gloves if you want to, but I don't see any real need for it.

 

I decided to look into the LeatherMaster products mentioned in this thread.

If you do a Google search, be careful what you click on - apparently, "leather master" has a special meaning in the gay/BDSM world...

 

Just did mine tonight, used bare hands. Worked great...looks great! I did not clean though, other than a quick wipedown with a soft dry towel. Is the damp cloth sufficient for cleaning (if you keep the truck relatively clean)?

 

I got some Connolly cleaner and KR conditioner for my '05 KR superduty. I cleaned the seats first and conditioned after and the very dark armrest and steering wheel lightened up a bit. My question is I think i rubbed to hard on the steering wheel and it has a rough texture to it now, is there anyway to fix this. I understand suade is made by roughing up leather, is this a permanant mistake?

-Kelly

 

If you do a search on "Saddle Soap" you will see that it is NOT recommended for the leather in our trucks. Following the recommendations that FORD put into each truck is the way to go - and/or reading the suggestions / results of other forum members as to their personal choices for leather cleaning / care.

I for one have used Leather CPR to condition the leather since I purchased my F-150 4X4 KR and it has done what I expected and desired (you can visit my gallery to see what the seats in my 2001 look like).

Regards.