Ford King Ranch Leather reconditioning

Znig22

Znig22

New member
Joined
Jun 3, 2013
Messages
386
Reaction score
0
I have a client that just bought a ford f150 king ranch and it was poorly detailed at our local ford stealership, he calls me up wanting me to come through and do my base level detail (extract, steam, clay and seal) and so I arrived today to do just that. Upon first sight the seats and interior had been heavily cleaned with a very strong chemical. (Plastic burn marks, extremely hard leather, excessive chemicals in the carpets) after doing my routine on this I then talked with him about turning to my AG family for some much needed advice on a high end leather treatment to help bring his seats back to life. Normally I just do a 303 treatment and a mequiars gold class leather treatment but from experience this isn't going to cut it. Please give me your input and advice.

Sorry for the lack of pictures I forgot to bring my Nikon with me. Feed back please
 
i remember one member used Leatherique treatment on his King Ranch and the seats turned a complete different color and stayed like that permanently so i wouldn't use that product at least.
 
GenesisCoupe said:
i remember one member used Leatherique treatment on his King Ranch and the seats turned a complete different color and stayed like that permanently so i wouldn't use that product at least.
Click to expand...

:iagree:

From what I remember going with the ford stuff from the deanship is the best bet.
 
Nick, will these products change the color like mentioned above? To be honest the seats are supposed to be that brown color like new (hard to describe) but there a very light brown to whiteish ash color now. I don't want to discolor them any worse is my point.
 
Znig22 said:
Nick, will these products change the color like mentioned above? To be honest the seats are supposed to be that brown color like new (hard to describe) but there a very light brown to whiteish ash color now. I don't want to discolor them any worse is my point.
Click to expand...

It's going to hydrate them so yes, it will make them darker (as they're supposed to be).

When you first apply the cleaner and conditioner, it will cause the seats to look splotchy in some areas - THIS IS PERFECTLY NORMAL. Once all the oils are absorbed, the seats will return to a uniform color (albeit darker).
 
Evan.J said:
:iagree:

From what I remember going with the ford stuff from the deanship is the best bet.
Click to expand...

That's exactly right, its been PROVEN and TESTED already on those seats, no guessing on this and that and new products, not worth it. I remember that thread a while ago and that one seat looked completely different.

Sent from my SPH-M930 using AG Online
 
If you have access to steam it will help soften the leather again and will help open the pores to condition the leather again. I would try conditioning first since it sounds like they have been stripped by a harsh cleaner. This will help remove an chemicals left over in the leather, as well as purge dirt out of the poles as well. Dont do any scrubbing on the leather. Just blotting if necessary to pull any contamination out of the pores. This is another reason steam would be a big help.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using AG Online
 
I had to clean and treat the leather on a King Ranch about a year ago.
It does have its challenges for sure.
Sure wish I had what Nick offered here:)

Just be careful what you use to treat the leather, people buy the truck mostly for the interior being its so pretty but using just any kind of product can and will change the color of the leather and you'll have one angry customer on your hands. Lol

At the time I used a product called Bayer Leather conditioner and worked well.
One thing to note, after you clean it the color will change but don't worry because once dry the original color will return.
Don't over wet either.

Also, be very gentle when you clean them, nothing harsh.
 
+ 1:dblthumb2:
Specially made for the leather.
It's unlike any other type of leather I've ever worked with.

Evan.J said:
:iagree:

From what I remember going with the ford stuff from the deanship is the best bet.
Click to expand...
 
I have a friend who also has a King Ranch and the best product to use for this is from the Ford dealership. He luckily did some test spots with other products and did not like the outcome, called the dealership and asked them what they use and they suggest their leather products. Its a unique type of leather if you will.
 
ShaunD said:
If you have access to steam it will help soften the leather again and will help open the pores to condition the leather again. I would try conditioning first since it sounds like they have been stripped by a harsh cleaner. This will help remove an chemicals left over in the leather, as well as purge dirt out of the poles as well. Dont do any scrubbing on the leather. Just blotting if necessary to pull any contamination out of the pores. This is another reason steam would be a big help.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using AG Online
Click to expand...

The interior has already been steamed with my vapor system vx5000, it does normally soften leather but in this case it did not. A Soft low setting steam was performed with a plush microfiber.
 
So I did some searching around to get a better understanding of this leather and why its needs specific care and I found out some pretty interesting things to say the least and it gives me a better understanding of how the leather differs from other leathers in cars.

There is a company called King Ranch and they have a licensing agreement with for to supply the leather for the King Ranch Ford Trucks hence the name. The leather found in these trucks is more along the lines of leather you will find for a saddle that anything else. In most cars what you find is that they will have some type of coating on the leather while these seat are not coated.

The leather difference in that it is thicker than most leather you find in todays vehicles. While it is thicker and maybe tough it is still very delicate and should be treated as such.

I have found that conditioning these seats on a regular bases at 2-3 times a year is what keeps the leather in top shape and keeps the leather soft and moist. Using the King Ranch Leather condition is your best option as this conditioner was made specifically for those seats. So you will not have to worry about any staining.

Initial application of the leather will give a darker appearance to the leather it will slowly fade away as the oils get absorbed into the leather.

When condition on a regular bases then this will help resist stains and dirt build up on the seats.

I believe when you go to a ford dealership and ask for the conditioner it will be the same thing you can get from the saddle shop and its only $9.00 for a 8oz bottle.

IMO I would use what was made for that leather and only that as these seats are not your typical leather seats.
 
My wife is a GM at a local Ford/Subaru dealership and recently got me a really good deal on a 2005 King Ranch. The seats were in really bad shape and probably hadn’t had any type of conditioner since they were new. I posted on the forum and contacted several different companies. I ended up contacting King Ranch and they were out of their leather conditioner and I was told that it was made by Duragloss and that their conditioner was the same except in a different bottle. Since I’ve never tried the King Ranch specific brand I can’t say any more about that, but I did use the Duragloss Conditioner and it turned the seats a darker color until it was soaked in and dried. I also contacted Leatherique and order a bottle of their conditioner. I applied it pretty thick, like the instructions said, and it turned the seats really dark at first, I was worried that they might stay that color. I et it set overnight and went back and the color was now a lighter brown more like the seats when they were new. I have since applied several coats of Leatherique to the seats and they keep getting softer and softer. They were in such bad shape that I was told it would take several applications and that they would probably not ever be completely back to the original condition. I was amazed by the Leatherique and would recommend it for the King Ranch leather. I have not tried the new Pinnacle Black but if Autogeek recommends it I’m sure that it’s a good product and I would probably give it a try.
 
I know this is for the king ranch interior but what about the ford in general interior? I read as well some products cause it to change color and permanently damaging the leather in ford interior..anyone have any input on these?
 
AaronC said:
I know this is for the king ranch interior but what about the ford in general interior? I read as well some products cause it to change color and permanently damaging the leather in ford interior..anyone have any input on these?
Click to expand...

Normal ford leather is coated. Pretty much every leather product here on AG will not damage. When you apply and it's wet, it will be a little different, but when it dries and soaks in. It will go back to stock look assuming there are no glossifiers to give that shiny look.
 
My youngest nephew is on his 3rd King Ranch Truck. He swears by a product called Bick 5 which is actually for saddles.
He said:
Simply put:
step 1) soak them down overnight as much as it takes to get them hydrated
step 2) switch to rubbing them in by hand using lighter applications of Bick 5 until evenly covered (dries quickly so you can drive)
step 3) buff them with a microfiber if you want them to look extra nice
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top