Steering wheel leather failure

**4u2nvinmtl** · 05-21-2015, 08:27 PM

I noticed after many long weekends of racing that my steering wheel was starting to get sticky/tacky where I grip it (3 / 9 o`clock). I assumed it was grime/sweat from my hands, so I hit it with some Meg`s D101 at 1:10 strength (like I`ve seen on detailing video`s). I didn`t even let it sit just sprayed on my towel and wiped over the area on one side (as a test) and it didn`t come out looking pretty...

Megs D101 test spot (this side was worse than the other to begin with)

The other side

Anything I can do to restore it or should I start hunting the junk yards?

**Ccrew** · 05-21-2015, 09:57 PM

Time to put a Challenger SRT wheel on it

Honestly though, can`t say that that will work. My Challenger as a load more buttons on it. Does the Jeep SRT use a different wheel than the non-SRT? Because the button/airbag/clockspring combo all has to be right. Column and lever placement look like standard corporate Chrysler though.

**4u2nvinmtl** · 05-21-2015, 11:03 PM

Not sure never been in any of the non-SRT8 WK1`s but I would assume it`s the same steering wheel as the limited. It has media buttons on the back of the steering wheel...

**The Guz** · 05-21-2015, 11:20 PM

Looks like the coating is gone. Could just be wear and tear and the APC exposed the problem. Wheelskins might be an option.

**Mastercraft241** · 05-22-2015, 12:02 AM

Different then the limited and the wk1 is expensive, I think it was $450 for just the wheel when I replaced mine. That was 2 years ago though in sure you can find one much cheaper at a junk yard.

**4u2nvinmtl** · 05-22-2015, 09:50 AM

So there`s no way to refinish the leather (shoe polish, leather press, anything)? I was thinking of using a razor at like a 75-degree angle to gently cut the bumpiness (very carefully), and some shoe polish or something to dye/stain it back to gray.

I wouldn`t ever buy a new steering wheel at retail price (I got a list of mod`s waiting to be purchased, cam/tranny/turbo). I also noticed my leather is stamped with a carbon fiber pattern that`s only on the SRT8`s...

For now I can live with or start wearing driving gloves so it doesn`t bother me. I also found out that I could just get the leather work redone by a leather worker (about half the price of a new steering wheel and I could get it done custom).

Wheel skins look so-so but definitely solve my problem

**PA DETAILER** · 05-22-2015, 10:22 AM

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**PA DETAILER** · 05-22-2015, 10:23 AM

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rObCWlUqocQ

**Audios S6** · 05-23-2015, 12:37 PM

Originally Posted by 4u2nvinmtl

So there`s no way to refinish the leather (shoe polish, leather press, anything)? I was thinking of using a razor at like a 75-degree angle to gently cut the bumpiness (very carefully), and some shoe polish or something to dye/stain it back to gray.

I wouldn`t ever buy a new steering wheel at retail price (I got a list of mod`s waiting to be purchased, cam/tranny/turbo). I also noticed my leather is stamped with a carbon fiber pattern that`s only on the SRT8`s...

For now I can live with or start wearing driving gloves so it doesn`t bother me. I also found out that I could just get the leather work redone by a leather worker (about half the price of a new steering wheel and I could get it done custom).

Wheel skins look so-so but definitely solve my problem

There is a way to dye and restore it. Leather Doctor has a kit for that, it`s way more affordable than a new wheel, but not cheap.

You`ll need to sand the whole thing down and dye it to insure an even look. Best to remove it from the vehicle if possible and mount it on a work bench for access to the nooks and crannies. There are several steps and you can expect it to take a couple days potentially with all the downtime.