Gents
I'm sure I'm not the only one that has this issue but on my wheel the upper and lower leather areas are wearing out. I've noted said areas in this very complicated OEM drawing:



As you can see by the arrows those are my affected areas. Is there a way or a kit you can make those areas "wood". As in the below:



OR what is the PITA factor in swapping steering wheels?

 

The easiest method is obviously going to be to just find a well conditioned XJR or VDP wood trimmed wheel and swap the whole wheel out. I haven't seen any rebuild kits for these wheels either, so it may be your only option.

 

Give a call to Rick, the owner of "Elite Auto" in Sun Valley (close to you), and ask him for a wheel from a VDP, or XJR (he has DOZENS of them!). If not,....just watch Ebay, or have yours redyed by an upholstery shop.

P.S. No "pita", pretty easy swap (search, and you WILL find the instructions).

 

youre going to have to introduce me to Rick because I called up there about a XJR grill and after he told me the price to which I asked "Is that in USD?". It wasnt far off retail.

 

MCM....there are two ways....you can recolour and revitalise the original leather wheel or as has been suggested, replace with half wood wheel.
I did this five years ago.
Here is a link to the proceedure ;o)

XJ8 HALF WOOD WHEEL CHANGE Photo Gallery by Max Heazlewood at pbase.com

 

My experience with Rick was always good. I found his prices to be at about 50% off retail. I bought the COMPLETE interior for my VDP in PRISTINE condition for $500.

He is MUCH better in person, than on the phone (gets hundreds of phone calls every day,....irritating sometimes). The more "stuff" you buy from him (at once), the more he is willing to deal (he likes to "package" things, and gets rid of some stuff that moves a lot slower).

Advice: Go see him in person. tell him that Daniel from the Jag Forum recommended him, and see what you can find in his place.

Example: One front seat (complete with track, motors, switches, head rests etc.) he sells for $250.-

Two seats for .......you guessed it! $500.-

If you "package" the back seat, ALL door pannels (with speakers, lights, trim,.....COMPLETE!), plus the center console (without the lid, which is a HOT item!), OTD price was $500.- (plus some freebie gifts, like center caps, fuel door, climate control, clips, odds and ends).

He LOVES cash, likes to negotiate, and knows Jags inside and out. Phone orders (and the web) are usually charged on CC (and a lot of fees for him to pay). Be there in person, have the green in hand, and you WILL walk out with a good deal,.....guaranteed.

XJR grilles are fast moving, and hot (some people put them on XJ8s). Steering wheels not so much (he quoted me $150.- for the wheel, but we couldn't find my color in his inventory). IF you find the wheel in the color you want, factor in the cost in the upholstery shop to redye the leather (most of them have worn/scratched spots in the leather). And the price will not include the airbag (another "hot" item).

Anyway,.....I am in no way associated with his business, have nothing to gain if you buy from him or not. Just trying to help.

 

Ya- get a new steering wheel easy peazy to replace. Most folks will haggle when cash and a live person is involved- I plan on making a trip up there in the next couple of months for some odds an ends stuff as I had the same $$ experience over the phone with him, but got the feeling he was open to negotiate if I was real in person and cash in hand.

 

Let me know when you head up and I'll roll with you. I'm literally a 5 min detour for you