# Shiny leather on steering wheel



## evoke (Oct 6, 2007)

I'll be cleaning my dad's car at the weekend and he's got one of those large wood and leather steering wheels in his heap of a car! The leather part of the steering wheel is incredibly shiny and i'm not sure if it's supposed to be like that or not. The wood part is lacquered so that'll be easy to clean. It's the well-worn, very shiny leather that i'm struggling to find a way to turn into a matte finish.

Any ideas?

I have the LTT leather cleaning/conditioning kit and tons of Gliptone too.


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## johnnyguitar (Mar 24, 2010)

I read a thread on the ffoc forum (I think the poster is a member here too) who used a leather restoration kit from Furniture Clinic that seemed to work very well. If I'd seen the post before I junked mine for a retrimmed one, I'd have probably had a go. I'm almost tempted to get a scrap steering wheel for a tenner and buy a kit just to try it.

It's a bit more involved than just giving it a clean up though and the steering wheel will have to come off.


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## evoke (Oct 6, 2007)

Bought a couple of Scotch Brite Easy Eraser 'magic sponges' from Homebase in the end. They were out of stock of the JML ones but these are just as good. They cost £2 each.

These have got to be simply the best value detailing product i've ever used. It took 2-3 minutes to restore my shiny steering wheel to a factory matt finish. Just rinse out the magic sponge in hot water, rub over the steering wheel using the high-density white side of the sponge and then clean off using the blue side (which is a normal sponge material). I also cleaned the top of the dashboard to get rid of any shininess and the door cards too.


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## johnnyguitar (Mar 24, 2010)

That's interesting and something I will experiment with on the scuffs on my door cards.


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## Golf07 (Sep 20, 2010)

evoke said:


> Bought a couple of Scotch Brite Easy Eraser 'magic sponges' from Homebase in the end. They were out of stock of the JML ones but these are just as good. They cost £2 each.
> 
> These have got to be simply the best value detailing product i've ever used. It took 2-3 minutes to restore my shiny steering wheel to a factory matt finish. Just rinse out the magic sponge in hot water, rub over the steering wheel using the high-density white side of the sponge and then clean off using the blue side (which is a normal sponge material). I also cleaned the top of the dashboard to get rid of any shininess and the door cards too.


Hi - was interesting to read this, might well give it a go on my steering wheel. I have just used autoglym interior shampoo to get rid of a smoke smell from the leather steering wheel and some parts are looking a bit dis-coloured.

Just a couple of questions:

Is the steering wheel ok to use afterwards or does it leave quite a 'shiny' / 'slippy' feel?

When you said you 'rinsed out' the sponge - was it wet when you applied it to the wheel or did you squeeze the liquid out.

Thanks very much


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## woodym3 (Aug 30, 2009)

autoglym magic sponge. £1 each. dampen them and rub into your leather, you will be amazed at the finish, comes up like new.


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## evoke (Oct 6, 2007)

Golf07 said:


> Hi - was interesting to read this, might well give it a go on my steering wheel. I have just used autoglym interior shampoo to get rid of a smoke smell from the leather steering wheel and some parts are looking a bit dis-coloured.
> 
> Just a couple of questions:
> 
> ...


The finish is matt and non-slip - it feels like a brand new steering wheel!

The sponge was wet when applying it. It was drenched and excess water squeezed out, so it was still quite wet - the water is what makes the magic sponge work so it does need to be quite wet.

You then simply rinse it out when it gets discoloured to get rid of the dirt and apply it wet again.


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## Blackice (Aug 19, 2010)

Dilute APC :thumb:


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## Golf07 (Sep 20, 2010)

evoke said:


> The finish is matt and non-slip - it feels like a brand new steering wheel!
> 
> The sponge was wet when applying it. It was drenched and excess water squeezed out, so it was still quite wet - the water is what makes the magic sponge work so it does need to be quite wet.
> 
> You then simply rinse it out when it gets discoloured to get rid of the dirt and apply it wet again.


Nice one - thanks for that, will give it a go.

Cheers


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## Golf07 (Sep 20, 2010)

woodym3 said:


> autoglym magic sponge. £1 each. dampen them and rub into your leather, you will be amazed at the finish, comes up like new.


Thanks for that - will give either this or the scotch-brite a try....whichever I can find first.

Thanks very much


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## cheechy (Nov 23, 2006)

Something I know works very well is very hot water and a plain old cotton flannel. The heat opens the pores and allows the dirt out.

You can then dry off and move onto cleaners whilst the wheel is still hot. The flannel will though take most of the dirt out I'd guess - just take it out in a basin / bucket so you can rinse then go straight back on to the steering wheel.

This also works well on any other leather in the car of course!


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## robertdon777 (Nov 3, 2005)

The magic sponges are something to stay clear of. Don't use them regular as they are like really fine sand paper, so don't do the wheel every week with one. Personally a good APC gives the same result but far far safer. 

Much of the problem is that the leather has lost its grain and become worn, which in turn makes it go shiny. There is no way around this problem as the motion of your hand movements on the wheel just 'polish' the leather over time.


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## evoke (Oct 6, 2007)

^ I tried APC and a host of other cleaners but they didn't help. The magic sponge worked very well for me. However, you are correct in saying that it's not something that should be used on a regular basis as it is abrasive.


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## dooka (Aug 1, 2006)

For cleaning leather I find a steam cleaner is my friend :thumb:


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