freshfrompacificrim

the leather has gone from soft and matte to hard and shiny.....sometimes even slips out of my gloves, so aesthetic gripes as well as a safety concern...

is there anyway to change the leather on the steering wheel (non-aftermarket)?

chuckee98

You can put on an aftermarket leather cover (looks cheesy in my opinion), or you can have an aftermarket company rewrap the leather on the OE steering wheel, or you can get a new steering wheel and swap it out. I would first try cleaning the steering wheel with a high quality leather cleaner - my recommendation is Leatherique. The shininess is a build-up of body oils, grime, and dirt over time. That needs to be removed to get back to the original leather surface. Once there, wipe down the steering wheel with a damp cloth every week or two to keep it clean.

freshfrompacificrim

i've cleaned/conditioned with every product i could find (lexol,zymol,zaino, etc) it doesn't seem to do anything which leads me to believe that the damage is permanent. I hate aftermarket covers, that'll make my audi look like a cavalier lol.
I've looked at replacing the steering wheel with oem/s-line/s6 ones, but they are costing around $800-1200US on OEM online Audi sites. I little much considering i just want to replace the leather.
Am I out of options?

chuckee98

Try the leatherique first. I've used it on cardboard leather in my '89 Acura Legend and it did wonders. Lexol and the others don't even compare. You need to let the Leatherique Rejuvenator oil sit and absorb into the leather to work all the contaminants out.

http://www.leatherique.com/

Do a web search and read up on all the results with Leatherique.

As a last resort, you can try woolite with a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser, but BE VERY CAREFUL. The Magic Eraser is NOT recommended by any leather restoration company, but some people have had good results with it. It works, but it is an abrasive, and can ruin the leather if done aggressively.

If you want to rewrap:

http://www.american-stitches.com/

I've had them rewrap my GMC steering wheel with a combo wood and leather wrap. it was about $400 or thereabouts five years ago.

freshfrompacificrim

I'll try out the Leatherique, hopefully it'll cure this, thanks!
If not I guess I would have to fork out the grand :O.

CvilleAudi

That looks like some serious stuff; what quantity did you need to do your Acura project? (and what exactly did you apply it too...)

chuckee98

I started off with the 16 oz. sizes of the Rejuvenator Oil and Prestine Clean. After seeing the results of a couple of applications on the Acura, I ended up getting the 32 oz sizes. I must have done over half a dozen applications on all the seats in an attempt to soften the cardboard leather. The first couple showed small improvements, but the as the oil soaked in, it got astonishingly better. The Acura is a 1989 Legend Coupe with 142,000 miles. I have since replaced the leather when a seam finally gave way on one of the seats.

I used to use Lexol on my then new 2001 GMC Yukon XL, but after my experience with the Leatherique, I have no longer use it. I found the lingering stickiness of the Lexol annoying to deal with after treating the leather. The Leatherique left a non-sticky, non-shiny, supple feeling after treatment. The key is the Prestine Clean after the oil, and then damp towels to rinse. My S6 has only seen Leatherique. I tried small areas with Lexol and Griots, but wasn't happy with the results.

For the Rejuvenator Oil to do its job, it needs to be extremely warm inside the vehicle - I typically do the treatment in the summer in the sun with the windows up and the temps hitting the 100's inside the cabin. The stuff that floats out in the time is pretty disgusting, but once clean, the feeling is amazing.

mikegilbert

Another one for Leatherique- wouldn't even think of using anything else.

The_Mizarc

Leatherique is like nothing else. You will love the results

CvilleAudi

Great, I think I'll give it a try on my wife's explorer. Years of hauling the kids around have taken it's toll.....