# Shiny Black Leather Steering wheel



## westie (Mar 28, 2007)

Any ideas to restore my steering wheel back to its original matt finish, it has gone all smooth and shiney.


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## Por911t (Sep 24, 2008)

Ahhhh - keen to find out some anwsers on this one .....


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## Spirit Detailing (Mar 29, 2007)

Hot towel treatment. Few drops of APC in a basin of hot water. Dip the towel and ring it out til its damp. Then wrap it around the steering wheel and leave it for a minute. You should find the grime lifts pretty easily from it. 

That should help if it is smooth and shining from grime and not just worn away. A soft body-brush might help the situation... I use one from Boots and it works very well to lift dirt from the grain of leather.


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## TOGWT (Oct 26, 2005)

*Leather covered steering wheel*

Steering wheels have an extra coating of protective finish on the already finished or coated leather. Perspiration and dirt are absorbed readily into the dry leather, and combined with the ultra violet (UV-B) radiation of the sun a chemical reaction occurs that degrades the finished leather. All of us have seen this wear on steering wheels

Using leather oil-based conditioners on finished leather may cause delamination from the leather substrate. As the oils will permeate the leather via the stitching or any micro-cracks in the surface, once oil gets between the urethane and the substrate it causes loss of adhesion (_See also Oil and Oil based Products) _

Most manufacturer's advice against using oil-based conditioners on steering wheels as it makes the surface slippery and could be dangerous if you lose control of the vehicles steering

1.	Clean the wheel's leather surface with a leather cleaner (Leather Masters™ Strong Effect Cleaner ) or a de-greaser (P21S Total Auto Wash) diluted 5:1 with warm distilled water in a spray bottle; dependant upon type and extent of soil or stain
2.	For oil or grease stains use Leather Masters™ Leather Degreaser (check for colour fastness) this aerosol product is ideal for cleaning this type of stain as it dissolves the oils and transforms them into a powder that is more absorbent than the leather. This powder is what is wiped off, cleaning and degreasing the leather. Allow the white powder to dry fully. If the powder is drying to a yellow colour, it means that there are still a lot of oils in the leather.
3.	Using a Medium / hard horse hair brush, or a soft sponge, spray and work the cleaner into a foam, lightly scrub surface and immediately wipe with a terry towel to remove excess moisture, especially around stitching (you may need to repeat this process).
4.	Then use vacuum extractor or compressed air nozzle to dry
5.	Once wheel is thoroughly dry apply Leather Masters™ Leather Protection

_Do not use a harsh abrasive on the surface as you'll remove the protective topcoat _


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## Furniture Clinic (Sep 2, 2010)

The thing with steering wheels is that as they have a lot of contact from your hands they can become contaminated over the years - basically a build up of natural oils from your hands. This can cause colour fade / discolouration, change in finish, and even become sticky from time to time.

To fix this you should firstly degrease the wheel using a degreaser, this will lift the contamination from the leather.

After doing this you can look into apply more colour if needed and then finish, or it might be the case of just applying a new finish. Both can be accomplished very easy, with maximum effects, making the wheel look new again.

Adding colour can be done with a Colourant Kit

Applying a new finish can be done with a finish kit

Hope this helps

Adam


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## Chufster (Nov 21, 2010)

Mine was looking a bit jaded, shiney and smooth. I just used Dr Leather wipes and it came up a treat. Back to being matt and tactile.


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## Dr Leather (Sep 8, 2010)

Yep the wipes are good at this job in truth. In Australia the issue is worse because of the heat/sweat so many people used to comment on their ability to return steering wheel leather back to its original state. If it is a large build up it make take a few wipes to get all the crud off.

Cheers,

Dr Leather.


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## Spirit Detailing (Mar 29, 2007)

TOGWT said:


> *Leather covered steering wheel*
> 
> Steering wheels have an extra coating of protective finish on the already finished or coated leather. Perspiration and dirt are absorbed readily into the dry leather, and combined with the ultra violet (UV-B) radiation of the sun a chemical reaction occurs that degrades the finished leather. All of us have seen this wear on steering wheels
> 
> ...


I'm going to be trying Dr Leather's wipes on this sort of issue :thumb:

......but in case people are wondering why TOGWT is suggesting a cleaner like P21S TAW, its because it is a Citrus based cleaner (DiLimonene) and would be a good idea. Actually, it would be very good with the hot towel - better than a few drops of regular APC.

Good call, TOGWT.:thumb: I forgot about P21s TAW! But still, very warm (hot) water has a state-altering effect on oils that make them easier to clean.


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