# Leather Steering Wheel Restoration



## efunc (May 22, 2007)

Hi all,

the Leather Dye thread has been very interesting reading. I have a similar dilemma I wonder if anyone could advise me on?

I have a Passat steering wheel which looks like it's pretty low milage (still has good grain and texture):




























However It's probably been left face-down on someone's garage floor and been kicked around. The top edge of the face is severely grazed, and there are a few small nicks:




























I was considering buying some cheap dye off ebay and having a go at it. However what's the best approach? I've thoroughly cleaned the whole thing. The raw part no longer has a finish to it so I was just going to just dye that neat, but does it need to be prepared even more first? Also would it be best to sand the entire wheel to remove the finish and then dye it all? Also, does another finish/conditioner/sealer need to be applied to the leather once it's been dyed?

Second wheel: This one's an VW R32 that has done a lot of miles and is very shiny. That's its main problem. Other that that there's a tiny patch of wear where the finish has worn through:










Is there a way of attacking the shininess by sanding and dying? Or will that achieve nothing because the grain won't come back? If I want to just touch up the worn patch is it possible to do so simply, or are there problems blending-in like on bodywork?

thanks for all your advice, and thanks for reading. :thumb:


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## Ben Staerck (Oct 28, 2006)

Hi,

You need to sand the leather down. I'd use 800grit+ sandpaper, gently sand the damages to make them smooth. Then sponge colour on, then spray some colour on. Since a steering wheel is a high use area, I'd also recommend spraying a finish (lacquer) on afterwards to seal the colour in.

I would also look for a paint/coating and not a dye as you will get better results as a coating will offer a level of fill for the scuffs/cracks.


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## efunc (May 22, 2007)

OK, thanks for that. So for the first wheel I should sand the whole thing down (even though I'd loose some of the nice grain in the non-damaged area)? I'll look for some paint. Is the spraying step just done to mask the streakiness of the sponged on paint? Do you know of a brand/type to look for? As for lacquer, I've never heard of that on leather! Will have to investigate. Are you referring to general purpose satin-finish lacquer, not leather specific?

As for the second wheel, there's no real damage apart from being shiny. Will dye suffice for this one?


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## Ben Staerck (Oct 28, 2006)

Hi,

Sanding the leather genyl won't remove the grain. Anyway, all you need to do is just sand rough areas to make them smooth. Any leather that is in good condition can be left alone.

The colour is sponged on and then sprayed on for a more unfirom finsih - whilst you can get a good coat by sponge, you need to spray a lacquer on afterwards anyway, so you might as well spray the colour on as well.

You can see the products to use and how it's done here - http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=63357


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