Just curious...the wood stain color on my steering wheel doesn't match the burl veneer stain color on the dash (it's (the wheel) is a much darker shade. I assume the wheel is original ('98 XK8 w/40k mi)...is this unusual or were the wood colors not normally matched at assembly?

 

You could have a replacement wheel. But remember, the dash panels and the steering wheel inserts are very different shapes and depths of wood. That could very well fool the eye and cause the visual discrepancy. I wouldn't worry about it....

 

On every car I have seen this is the case. The wood on the steering wheel is different and darker.