Need advice on caring for new replacement leather steering wheel.. (Jeep)

[Marc Hufnagel]

HI all...



I just got an 01 Jeep Grand Cherokee last month. It came with a really bad condition leather-covered steering wheel. Otherwise the guy has taken perfect care of the vehicle, regularly waxed, garaged all the time, all maint. records you name it.



Now, the warranty we had transferred over covers failure of leather coverings and they are replacing it with a brand new OEM wheel just like it.



That being said, what should I do with it care-wise? I read on here that some say wheels are coated these days and others that say they are not.



Here is what happened to the wheel that is on it now, what went wrong?



http://home.mchsi.com/~marc.hufnagel/wheel.jpg



Since I don`t want it to end up like this again I come to the best place for help :xyxthumbs

[zzyyzx]

Find a good leather cleaner and conditioner. I like one called Lexol (I believe, comes in a spray bottle that is orange, brown or cream colored, depending on which one you get). It`s ph balanced and works well. Make sure you keep it conditioned, especially if it`s exposed to the sun or elements quite a bit.

[Marc Hufnagel]

Hi



I`ve seen the Lexol orange and brown bottles, one a cleaner and one conditioner I believe. What I was wondering about was can a person use too much and make the leather mushy? I`m thinking probably maybe every couple of months would be enough? I don`t usually every get behind the wheel with dirty hands so my wheels usually stay pretty clean.

[zzyyzx]

Clean as necessary. Even if your hands are clean, there will still be some dirt and stuff that it will pick up. I wouldn`t worry about making it mushy under most circumstance. If your car is exposed to the elements, you could probably do a conditioning every month or so. Just a couple sprays on an applicator clothe (mf or even terry for this) and gently rub it in. Should only take a minute or two.

[kompressornsc]

My guess is that a woman was the primary driver before? I`ve seen that on gf`s cars where the leather delaminates. Problem? Hand moisturizers...

[HotRodGuy]

I think it is just normal wear and tear

[Marc Hufnagel]

Originally posted by kompressornsc

My guess is that a woman was the primary driver before? I`ve seen that on gf`s cars where the leather delaminates. Problem? Hand moisturizers...



Kind of 50/50 split, sometimes wife would have driven it, and sometimes guy to work.. I can tell by the pattern that someone rested their arm on the door and used the left hand a lot to steer. no wear on the door thank goodness.



I think you just might be right about the skin conditioners,. Odd thing, we have 2 Maximas with leather wheels, they are 1997 models and the wheels look brand new with just simple hot wash rag every now and then for the oils.



This one surely went through some rough stuff. Another thread I saw suggested that too much leather conditioner could make it this way too? He was a fanatic about keeping everything clean and all.