Ford King Ranch leather interior

[DaGonz]

I will be detailing a 2005 Ford F250 King Ranch edition in August 2010 detailing it for the owner who will be using the truck to haul a horse trailer for equestrian competitons. This is a big vehicle, full 4 door cab w/8 foot bed and will probably be a two day+ detail



The leather interior is in dire need of TLC. Ford calls it "Castano leather"... the interior of this F250 is faded.



The Ford dealer told him he should only use the Ford King Ranch leather conditioner.



Has anyone here detailed a KIng Ranch interior, and if you did, what did you use on the leather?

 

[imported_paintxpert]

Around a ranch I would not use anything greasy. The soil will stick to it even worse. I would scrub it if it is cracked now there isnt much that can be done. The best conditioner for leather is Connelys hide food. While pricey it is the BEST nutrient out there. I use it on million dollar Ferraries. The owners pay for the conditioner. It has to be applied in the warm sun and worked in after cleaning. Just what I would do. That leather can be cleaned and scrubbed with a soft brush and your favorite cleaner. I dont want to state what I use ....you may not agree. Its a kick *** method that has proved very successful over the years.

 

[imported_paintxpert]

You cant correct fading in Leather other than Repainting it. Which is an entire trade in and of itself.

 

[gmblack3]

Interested in King Ranch Leather Care? You Have Come to the Right Place! CLICK HERE! - F150online Forums

 

[mblgjr]

Leatherique...rejuvenator oil/pristine clean.

 

[judyb]

King Ranch leather is one of the few leathers that is an aniline style leather in a vehicle. It has little or no finish on the surface of the leather which means that any spillages, body oils etc will soak into the leather itself. These cannot be 'cleaned' out as you can only clean the surface of leather and not out of it. There are some good aniline cleaners on the market which do not contain surfactants so will sit on the surface and clean what is there. Any 'wetting' cleaner will not be of any use as it will soak into the leather taking any surface dirt with it.



There is no need (or point) in using 'feeds' 'conditioners' especially if they contain oils and waxes. Although these will be absorbed by the leather they may upset the balance of the 'fatliquors' already in the leather and cause problems. The important thing is to keep the moisture balance good and this can be doen with simple water based products. The important thing to do is protect them (as you would with fabric) with a 'scotchgard' type protector which will inhibit dirt and body oils etc from being absorbed into the leather in the first place, these can then be cleaned off the surface easily.

Unprotected aniline style leather

Protected aniline style leather



Aniline leather fades at a quicker rate than protected (pigmented) leather. Most good protectors contain some UV protection (but be aware that just because they say they UV protect does not mean that they work as a stain protector too - we have been very surprised in tests that we have done) but fading will still occur.

You cant correct fading in Leather other than Repainting it. Which is an entire trade in and of itself

Redying aniline leather is a simple process compared to recolouring a pigment coated leather and certainly has the wow factor when done. It is done with aniline dyes which soak into the leather and effectively restain the leather. If you used pigment (paint) you would change the nature of the leather completely.



So

Clean (with a non surfactant cleaner)

Protect (with a strong tested leather protector)

Maintain (with a non surfactant cleaner on a regular basis)

Redye when faded



These steps will keep the leather in good condition and looking good too.



Hope this hleps

 

[BGavinG]

King Ranch leather is one of the few leathers that is an aniline style leather in a vehicle. It has little or no finish on the surface of the leather which means that any spillages, body oils etc will soak into the leather itself. These cannot be 'cleaned' out as you can only clean the surface of leather and not out of it. There are some good aniline cleaners on the market which do not contain surfactants so will sit on the surface and clean what is there. Any 'wetting' cleaner will not be of any use as it will soak into the leather taking any surface dirt with it.



There is no need (or point) in using 'feeds' 'conditioners' especially if they contain oils and waxes. Although these will be absorbed by the leather they may upset the balance of the 'fatliquors' already in the leather and cause problems. The important thing is to keep the moisture balance good and this can be doen with simple water based products. The important thing to do is protect them (as you would with fabric) with a 'scotchgard' type protector which will inhibit dirt and body oils etc from being absorbed into the leather in the first place, these can then be cleaned off the surface easily.

Unprotected aniline style leather

Protected aniline style leather



Aniline leather fades at a quicker rate than protected (pigmented) leather. Most good protectors contain some UV protection (but be aware that just because they say they UV protect does not mean that they work as a stain protector too - we have been very surprised in tests that we have done) but fading will still occur.







Redying aniline leather is a simple process compared to recolouring a pigment coated leather and certainly has the wow factor when done. It is done with aniline dyes which soak into the leather and effectively restain the leather. If you used pigment (paint) you would change the nature of the leather completely.



So

Clean (with a non surfactant cleaner)

Protect (with a strong tested leather protector)

Maintain (with a non surfactant cleaner on a regular basis)

Redye when faded



These steps will keep the leather in good condition and looking good too.



Hope this hleps

Sorry to bring this thread back up to the top. Judy your advice is great... but can you provide some examples of "non-surfactant cleaner"? That's the part I'm a bit confused about. I have a 2009 King Ranch (which uses the Chaparral leather instead of the Castano).



thanks.

 

[togwt]

[Sorry to bring this thread back up to the top. Judy your advice is great... but can you provide some examples of "non-surfactant cleaner"? That's the part I'm a bit confused about. I have a 2009 King Ranch (which uses the Chaparral leather instead of the Castano)]



I'd be interested to learn more about the the reasoning for using a cleaner that doesn't contain a surfactant

 

[togwt]

Sorry to bring this thread back up to the top. Judy your advice is great... but can you provide some examples of "non-surfactant cleaner"? That's the part I'm a bit confused about. I have a 2009 King Ranch (which uses the Chaparral leather instead of the Castano).



thanks.

If you're stuck for a cleaner you could use this process; ‘Spa Clean’ - use a clean, fairly damp, white terry cloth towel that has been heated in a microwave; this opens the micro pores of the leather and lifts the dirt out. You may have to repeat this process, use clean, distilled water to obtain satisfactory results.



This article may be of some help http://www.autopia.org/forum/autopi...iline-leather;-cleaning-care.html#post1455011