Greetings All,

I don't know why or how but the leather on the steering wheel is splintering or cracking. I've used various leather products that supposed to "seal" leather etc.
Whatever I can find @ Autozone and the others.

What is happening, and how can this be resolved?






Thanks, I have read about leather care in the forum but have not yet seen this issue. I saw +1s for "Hide Food". What is up?

 

I must add, the car is covered both at home and at work. It's very rare for it to sit in the sun.

 

Any one got some tips for this?

 

No tips, but I have the same exact issue with my XKR. Doesn't bother me yet. You can probably redye the steering wheel, which is essentially painting the wheel with leather dye. However, most of these leather dyes don't seem to be very waterproof and eventually wear away.

 

I think you have the option "Snake Skin" covering...

 

I use the Zaino leather products. I got and tried some hide food, but it is not suitable for our leather.

It could be that the leather was not properly treated in its early years and left to dry out. (Assuming you aren't the original owner...if I am mistaken please accept my apologies)

I treat my leather once every three months, and simply wipe it down with a damp cloth in between. Haven't seen this on my XKR or the previous XKR I owned.

If it were me, I would first get some leather cream and rub it down well to recolor it. Then I would get some lanolin and put it on and let it stay overnight. Wipe it down afterwards and then treat with something like the Zaino leather treatment. So basically you're trying to recolor and then rehydrate the leather and seal it.

You can also take it to a good upholstery shop and they could take care of it for you...

 

Do you wear a cell phone or anything else on your belt? I have some pretty nasty scrapes in my steering wheel caused when entering the vehicle.

 

Thanks for all the advice. Everything is helpful and I will continue to monitor this thread for changes.

I do have a HID smart card that lets me into the office. I sometimes wear it on my belt. I need to check if it isn't scraping the wheel... Good thought.

 

Problem solved?

Jaguar XKR, XF Black Leather Steering Wheel Genuine New with Airbag Cradle X150 | eBay

 

I'll just bet that somebody tried to clean that steering wheel with an alcohol based product at some point in it's life. That or lacquer thinner.
It's not uncommon for dummies to go nuts over greasy paw prints on dirty steering wheels.

 

Careful, ad says, "some marks on the leather rim from being stored." You might end up with something that looks worse! That steering wheel seems to be very cheap for an "R" type original leather wheel. If it seems to good to be true........
Vector

 

have you taken the issue up with the dealer, they maybe willing to help you out there.

 

I strongly recommend Lexol products for cleaning. The cleaner is mild, and the conditioner has a lot of nutrient. It leaves the leather soft and moisturized without any residue.

As for restoration, I restored the Ivory seat in my Range Rover (the driver's side bolster near the door was just starting to crack) as well as fixed a nick on the leather cowl in my 175. In both cases, the leather looks absolutely brand new, and nobody believes me that the leather was restored.

Here's where to buy the appropriate restoration products: Furniture Clinic - Leather Care Cleaner, Furniture Repair & Restoration

The leather filler will fix the cracking on your steering wheel, leaving it just as soft and pliable as real leather. The colorant can be pre-tinted to match our Jaguars and LRs (look for the color code in your car). It's a perfect match once dried and if applied correctly. The supplied sealant will make the repair water-proof, and you can use a finisher to match the finish (matt, semi-matt, gloss, etc.).

In my experience, the Lux leather in Range Rovers is matt, and the dashboard in the Jaguar is semi-matt.

EDIT: I should add that, should you decide to restore your steering wheel, you'll definitely want to remove it first and mask off the controls, etc. To get the best finish, you really need to use a Preval or hobby-sized spray gun. You can start with a sponge, but the finish layer needs to be free of paint/sponge strokes.