Hi gents;

I have posted about this before, but now the damage is beyond a simple re-dye. The leather parts of my steering wheel have holes at this point.

The leather parts (I have a wood/leather wheel) have perished. I tried, successfully, to re-dye a while back, and that lasted until now. My X type is a daily driver and she has swirl marks and a couple of dings, and I even run her thru a car-wash, but it’s a very nice driver. This steering wheel is really making my interior look ragged and worn down.

Has anyone tried and replaced the leather parts of the steering wheel with said steering wheel in place?

I found a video online of a company in California doing it on a similar steering wheel on a Lexus :


but if anyone has done this on a X type any tips would be appreciated.

 

How about a steering wheel cover ? Not sure where this one came from but like yours mine too is in bad shape so I just left this cover on it

 

Chris Fix has a very good video on reupholstering a leather steering wheel.

 

thanks for your reply.

Wheel covers won’t do. I would honestly prefer to leave it in its current dire state.

 

yes, but the whole wheel comes of . I would prefer to do it in situ as the video I posted shows. I do wish the whole steering wheel was wood

 

With so little leather on our type wheels, I don't think redoing it in situ would be all that bad. A bit of contortions probably. Just make sure the key is turned in case you need to spin the wheel for a better angle and have a couple of different darning needles including the curved one. I'd lean toward using 2 in an overlaping cross stitch or a baseball stitch so you could snug up the seam with pulling the 2 threads would be easier than pulling on one to tighten it up. I think a little bit of non staining (like used on headliner) spray adhesive on the flat surfaces would help too holding it in place while stitching it.

 

If the problem with the wheel of the OP is that the leather dye has been removed, the easiest and most original repair can be done in 15 minutes by simply redyeing (using a brush) with any one of a number of water-based polymer colourants such as Surflex by Color Plus, or the Leatherique colourant or similar products by other manufacturers. I have used these finishes numerous times on multiple Jaguars on the seats and armrests and steering wheels where necessary. The results are always Concours-perfect.

 

The OP mentioned he had done that (more than once)

 

Thanks, yes this certainly worked well at first, but the leather is too far gone. It has literal holes in it and there is just no bringing it back at this point. It does not help that the X type is a DD for me and I suffer from hyperhydrosis is my hands, so it’s really perished rather than just lost its colour.

 

Apologies...if there are holes in the leather then that is an entirely different matter.

 

I rewrapped a vintage MOMO wheel a few years ago using a universal kit purchased off of Ebay (leather, thread and needle) that came out nice. I would highly recommend removing the wheel from the car to do it..

 

Ive done this a while ago on mine. Use a razor to cut all the old seams and thread. Peel off all the old leather but dont rip or tear it. Once off, use it as a template and trace it over a new piece of stock leather (from an art and crafts store). Try to get a piece of leather as thick as the original. Cut the new pieces out and use some leather glue to bond them to the steering wheel. Might have to trim some excess leather and of course wipe any excess glue.

I didn't end up stitching, since the glue held up pretty well. But if you end up stitching, I would suggest getting a hole punch and making the holes prior to gluing.

 

WOW - thanks for replying! Did you cut all the seams, including the ones on the rear area of the steering wheel to get it out?

 

I think so (did it a long time ago).

If there is thread there then it should be cut.

EDIT: i think the 2 plastic pieces on the steering wheel that cover the buttons have to be popped off too. Otherwise it might be tough to tuck the new leather in there.