I used this, after cleaning the seats. It brings back that great leather smell.

Leather Balm

 

This. Use whatever you would use on any other leather seat. The main difference is that the plastic coating is much thinner which leads to cracks, at that point switching to lanolin based conditioner that gets into the cracks will protect the actual leather. I have been using Duragloss cleaner and conditioner and has been doing a good job. The one part of the seat not coated is the heavy dark brown leather on the top of the seat back, that is true saddle leather, no different than the leather on my Western saddle.

 

Just read through the current Super Duty OM and it has this to say:

“With King Ranch Edition
Your vehicle has seating covered in premium, top-grain leather that is extremely durable, but still requires special care and maintenance in order to preserve longevity and comfort.
Regular cleaning and conditioning maintains the appearance of the leather.

Scratches
Because the leather in the seat comes from genuine steer hides, there may be evidence of naturally occurring markings, such as small scars. These markings give character to the seating covers and are considered to be proof of a genuine leather product.
To lessen the appearance of certain scratches and other wear marks, apply conditioner on the affected area.

Conditioning
• Clean the surfaces using the steps outlined in the cleaning leather and vinyl section.
• Make sure the leather is dry then apply a nickel-sized amount of conditioner to a clean, dry cloth.
• Rub the conditioner into the leather until it disappears. Allow the conditioner to dry, then repeat the process for the entire interior. If a film appears, wipe it off with a dry, clean cloth.
For additional information, visit:
www.krsaddleshop.com”

It doesn’t say anything about being urethane coated, but that doesn’t prove it isn’t. It does say that leather conditioner should be used though, which would seem to argue against a urethane coating that conditioner wouldn’t penetrate.

So needless to say I am just as confused as ever.

 

Yeah I was too, until I got one. I have horses so am quite well versed in leather care. Up to 2011 models, the above was 100% On the MONEY! You should see how that leather can suck up conditioner. The leather in the KR is still real leather, like the leather in the other trims, but twice as thick and not taken from the prettiest parts of the hides, hence the part about the markings. Starting in 2011, they put a light coating on it, very light, to help protect against fading, because the sun was cooking these seats something fierce. They now have a UV coating to help them stay the color they are. The coating is very thin so over time it wears through, cracks, etc. but, new, the conditioner doesn't soak in. I tried it on the unworn areas and it just lays there. Where the top coat is worn, that is where the conditioner soaks through and you can clearly see the leather darken.

So like I said, brand new, just use the regular leather cleaners until the coating starts to wear. When the leather starts to darken when you clean it, now you can switch to the more expensive conditioners where they can do some good, up til then, you just waste it.

I have a 2012 KR, and after 10 years, the leather is quite worn and cracked, but nothing like the earlier years, and the surfaces still have a gloss to them. However, if anything is spilled and site, like laundry detergent, kiss that leather goodbye, it WILL ruin it. When I got the truck it had been color matched, IOW a company comes in and covers up any blemishes with a paint on coating. When I went to clean the seat with the leather cleaner for KR, it removed whatever it was used, and the leather is hard. I now have a dark spot in the middle of the back seat. It smells like laundry soap. I removed the cover and tried to clean it and was able to soften it up a bit, but whatever coating Ford uses on top of the leather is gone. Thats the main difference starting in 2011, the original KR leather was Aniline dyed, which goes through the leather front to back, the new KR leather is not dyed that way, but coated. I was looking for pics, but can't find them.

 

I read that too when I got my truck. It struck me as strange that Ford has left that in the manual, when it clearly hasn’t been accurate for 10 years…. Made me worry a little about the rest of the content…. Are they that poor at editing the owners manual???