Hello beautiful matt steering wheel - nice to see you again!

mowlas

mowlas

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Got so fed up with my shiny steering wheel and sick of feeling wheel envy when peering at new cars!

Tried leather cleaning products which only got back to a silk finish that didn’t last very long. Saw a few detailing videos that recommended using the ‘Magic Eraser’ sponge to lift off those years of oils and dirt.

You still have to clean the clean the wheel first and you have to start gently, regularly drying and inspecting your work so you don’t got too far and start attacking the leather. The sponge is smooth but abrasive and should be used wet. Oh, and please be careful not to rub the stitching - you don’t that to fray.

The results are very good and I kind of feel like my wheel was left looking as it did 14 years ago!

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JMS

JMS

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Very brave. Looks brilliant

They are addictive so be careful- excellent for cleaning stainless saucepans, outside of frying pans too.

the cheaper ones break down too quickly leaving white crumbs everywhere, so be warned
 
mowlas

mowlas

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JMS said:
Very brave. Looks brilliant

They are addictive so be careful- excellent for cleaning stainless saucepans, outside of frying pans too.

the cheaper ones break down too quickly leaving white crumbs everywhere, so be warned
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Your health warnings are important. Hence I suggested above that you go very gently and regularly stop, wipe and inspect your work. Look at what’s coming off on the sponge as it’s white and easy to inspect. Only go as far as you have to.
 
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mowlas

mowlas

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For anyone interested in further looking into this, I realised I had not taken and posted a 'BEFORE' picture of the shiny steering wheel. Rummaging around, found the following which was posted on a sticky button thread in April (see right side of picture). As you can see the'AFTER' is quit transformation with the leather grain still intact. Hitherto, was giving serious thought to having the wheel re-covered, but this has saved quite a bit.

IMG_7619.JPG
 
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mowlas

mowlas

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midlifecrisis said:
Am I mis-remembering or were 'Magic Sponges' around in the 80's? Seem to remember something like them.
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You may be right - the Melamine Foam has been around for a while well before its application as a cleaning product due to its abrasive properties. It was initially used for things like insulation and sound proofing but only used in cleaning for the last 20 years or so....

 
Maseratlee

Maseratlee

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Nice work buddy,
"Shiny's Grimey".
So good work, I too have used Majic Sponges on occasions with extreme caution, although in most cases a leather brush or MF Srub Pad.
 
mowlas

mowlas

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Maseratlee said:
Nice work buddy,
"Shiny's Grimey".
So good work, I too have used Majic Sponges on occasions with extreme caution, although in most cases a leather brush or MF Srub Pad.
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Thank you!

I agree. The need and use for the sponge should be limited and I intend to maintain with much gentler means.
 
mowlas

mowlas

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Maseratlee said:
Nice work buddy,
"Shiny's Grimey".
So good work, I too have used Majic Sponges on occasions with extreme caution, although in most cases a leather brush or MF Srub Pad.
Click to expand...
I wondered if you would recommend any particular product or coating to protect the leather and maintain the matt finish?
 
Scaf

Scaf

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It’s a very subtle improvement but well worth the effort, I have a leather steering wheel on my Jag that I keep clean and Matt.

My Strad had a slightly shiny wheel, made worse by the fact it’s Alcantara - I have made some improvement and it has its “nap” back but I have some way to go yet.
 
mowlas

mowlas

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rossyl said:
Wouldn't a degreaser be safer? Like Surfex HD.
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Perhaps but it may not work for some.

I used Autoglym leather cleaner initially. Whilst it worked an absolute treat on the seats and door cards etc. the best I could achieve on the steering wheel was a silk finish that quickly went shiny again. The level of body contact with the steering wheel is exponentially higher than the seats etc. The problem is some level of agitation is required and whilst a brush and product will work for cars with less deposits, it just wasn’t enough for my 14 year old steering wheel.
 
mowlas

mowlas

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Scaf said:
It’s a very subtle improvement but well worth the effort, I have a leather steering wheel on my Jag that I keep clean and Matt.

My Strad had a slightly shiny wheel, made worse by the fact it’s Alcantara - I have made some improvement and it has its “nap” back but I have some way to go yet.
Click to expand...
That’s great! I always wondered if ‘shiny’ alcantara was wear or just the fibres matted down. Good luck with your wheel journey!
 
Maseratlee

Maseratlee

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I agree. The need and use for the sponge should be limited and I intend to maintain with much gentler means.
Apc is too high alkaline for leather, it dries it out too much, can also damage the painted finish,
Most leather cleaners are ph6/7 so extremely mild and wipe away with the use of a damp towel. Apc won't, it tends to leave a residue behind.

Dr leather wipes are a good way of maintaining leather steering wheels and light traffic areas.
Koch-chemie Polstar is a very versatile product, as it comes in concentrated form, so dilute according to soiling, then wipe away.
It's also very good for Alcantara and textiles as it doesn't leave any residue behind.

There are a number of products on the market that all work relatively well and easy to use, like all detailing products it's personal preference, its knowing how to use the products as they can differ greatly in surfactant content and yet still do the same job.

Alcantara can be lightly sanded with glass paper, by gently wiping over the surface it removes the brittle fibres, followed up with a good cleaner Koch-chemie Polstar and MF towels you'll find the finished results are worth the effort.
 
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