Hi everyone -

I'm a new KR owner - bought a very clean 2005 F150 about a month ago and have been reading your posts regarding leather care.

The previous owner said he used only Kiwi Saddle Soap, and the seats look in perfect condition.

I noticed the center console and the top of the steering wheel were looking a bit dark the other day and tried the saddle soap on the wheel. It cleaned it quite well but left it feeling a bit "dry".

Next, I tried Leather CPR on the center console and it didn't seem to do much at all. I went over the area with saddle soap and it cleaned it as well as the wheel (but left the leather looking a bit "flat" and feeling dry, where the dark color had been).

I just received two bottles of KR conditioner and I tried a bit on the center console, it didn't seem to do a whole lot to improve the dullness. In fact, I really didn't see any difference after the product had dried out.

I have a bottle of Fiebing's Leather Balm with Atom Wax (available in most leather hide stores like Tandy's) and tried that on the steering wheel. It has restored the "shine" that is still present at the bottom of the wheel. I can just buff it now with a clean cloth and it removes the handprints.

One of your other members posted a link to Black Rock Leather 'N' Rich (which is a clear wax product) and said he'd had good results with it.

My question, after all this long-winded preface, is: Has anyone an opinion on saddle soap as a cleaner (vs a product like Leather CPR) and does anyone besides me think it might be a good idea to put some kind of wax on this leather to help protect it from absorbing stains?

Thanks in advance for any advice.

- Jack

 

Jack..I used "Guardsman" leather cleaner and conditioner on mine when I first bought it..I'm real happy with the results. Joe

 

Thanks Joe -

I've not seen any mention of Guardsman on these forums - but perhaps I just missed it. I'm happy to try any product - where do you get it!?

- Jack

 

bump for location

 

Well..when I bought some furniture, the sales guy threw in a couple of bottles..here's their web site..
http://www.guardsman.com/guardsman/f...y.jsp?cat_id=2

Look around the web for cheaper prices..I'm really happy with the results in my KR..it made the learher soft and didn't change the color..Joe

 

Lowes might sell that product since they are part of the Valspar family. I have had my KR for a month now and have started thinking about a preservative to keep it new. Did you use the cleaner, conditioner or both?

 

Search the threads;this subject has a multitude of "suggestions".

 

"Did you use the cleaner, conditioner or both?"

Both...I see it's at "Bed, Bath and Beyond"...and "Linen and Things"...

 

lexol is another great one for leather, cleans and conditions it.

 

The reason I asked about where you got it Joe, is that I wondered if it were available locally or if I had to order it. Thanks for the input on BB&B - I'll check for it there.

I'd read ALL the posts on leather care here and was simply not impressed with either Leather CPR or with the KR Conditioner I tried. One of the things I noticed about this leather is that it absorbs water just like tooling leather, real fast. That also means it absorbs anything else that's liquid too, like sweat, ink, soft drinks, etc. So, it made me think maybe some kind of wax or waterproofing product would be helpful. We have Grandchildren. They're pretty careful, but, accidents do happen. And, when we go camping in the boondocks, we can't always be squeeky clean when we climb into the truck.

Guardsman says it waterproofs, so I'll give it a try.

- Jack

 

I've always had good luck with Leather Master products - alot of high-end furniture mfgs reccomend their products as well.

I've tried their Waxon product on my 2002 KR - this will indeed repel any types of liquids spilled.... just a matter of keeping up with it and re-applying..... I put it on a couple of times after using their conditioner - it worked quite well.

http://www.leatherworldtech.com/cate...?categoryID=24

 

TTcchh...You just can't get rid of some people !!!!

 

***Do not use Lexol Cleaner on KR leather.***

Orange bottle bad, brown bottle good.

 

My mother started trying when I was 3 yrs old....

 

Hi Mike...

Nice to see you are still around !

I'll be back over there in October, but maybe not too much more after that !
Going to try selling the property but I understand the market is not too good over there.
Had enough of Homeland Security....
I've been travelling to the States for 27 years and I'm getting really sick of being made to feel like some sort of criminal every time I come into the country !!
You'd think they'd be grateful for the hundreds of thousands (Conservative estimate!) of dollars we've put into the economy over the years !

Hey Ho !!