I see alot of concerns and question about caring for our KR leather. Some speculate on how the leather holds up over the years and use and which is the better way to maintain them. Here are some pics of my 2005 F-250 front seats with 82k miles. I didn't take pics of the back seats because they look 100% new and it would be pointless. Just before I took to pics I touched up a couple of spots on the drivers seat with conditioner on the right side of the seat back and some of the bottom so the darker spots are just where it hasn't dried yet. They have a few creases from use and some wear spots but in my mind it just gives them some character. I keep good care of the seats and really keep an eye on them. The flash from my camera may even make them look lighter than they really are and they don't look bad in the pics. Sometimes I look on eBay at KR's just to see what the seats look like and pretty much all of them are very very light because they're so dry or super dark either dirt or using the wrong conditioner. I have some techniques that I use to care for them but the only conditioner I use is the KR style with mink oil and I usually just wipe down with a wet cloth or sometimes use Connolly cleaner. I need to do a few spa treatments to the steering wheel and maybe a few parts of the seats then recondition. What do yall think? I think with regular care they will last a long long time and look great doing it.

-Kelly

 

Seats look real good, but time to clean that steering wheel

 

Ditto my man... I've done one spa treatment to it and the white cloth's turned the same color as the wheel. It's been that way since I bought it with 24k miles in 2006. The owner was a diesel mech and you could see anything he ever touched. Luckily he didn't touch the seats or center console much! But the wheel, door handle, and visor area's on the headliner were discusting when I saw the truck. I saw it the same day it came into the dealer before it was cleaned. They cleaned up the liner and door with mineral spirits but I told them not to touch the leather that I would take care of it. One day I need to just spend some time on the wheel. The armrest was black also and I spent some time with it and now it's just a little darker than the seats.

 

KRCoy, quick question. I've rubbed my wheel down several times with some super hot wash cloth's and it's just not doing anything. The leather is so rough now and it feels like sand paper when dry. It's still the same really dark brown color, almost black. The previous owner must have had some really greasy and dirty hands as the truck only had 24k on it when I bought it. The wash cloth's get some nasty really dark brown residue that comes off of the wheel. It's almost flaking off. The wheel isn't getting any lighter color. Before I do it some more I'm wandering if it is just ruined for good and would need to be replaced to get that new look back to match my seats. I sometimes use Connolly's leather cleaner along with the damp cloths to clean the leather to no affect on the wheel. Any ideas or should I just condition it back up to try to smooth out the leather and deal with it?

 

Excessive rubbing is hard on the leather, just let the damp, warm cloth saturate the leather for a long period of time, then wipe carefully. After it dries, follow up with Leather CPR or a product of similar quality.