So my steering wheel is only 18.5k old and has fading spots all over. Mostly where I rest my thumbs when I drive with two hands and at the bottom where the middle spoke is. Anyway, between the sun, sweat and sunscreen from my hands, my steering wheel isn't as shiny as it should be. I want to clean it and brighten it up, but am not sure what to use. Any suggestions?

Also, I searched and nothing came up. Thanks!

 

Try Lexol cleaner and conditioner - two step process. It won't restore the colour if it is worn but it will clean and condition. You can purchase dye for the wheel if you want to dye it black. I think it is leatherique or leather masters that sells leather dye.

I had a badly worn part on my wheel when I got the car from the past owner who must have worn a lot of rings on their fingers. I touched up the area with black shoe polish and it worked great, but it wasn't an area of the wheel that I had to rest my hands on regularly so I don't know if the show polish would wear off onto your hands if it was in an area of constant use.

 

I already have leather cleaner and conditioner for seats, I believe 303 or ragg top. Would that do the same thing?

Thanks for the reply.

 

Any proper leather cleaner and conditioner would be good to use on the wheel, they may not correct fading or wear problems though but definitely worth using. I never heard of 303 or Raggtop being made for leather, they are vinyl products and typically used on the softop aren't they ? . Something like Lexol, Leather Masters, Leatherique would be my preference, if you can't find those Meguiars makes a decent leather product that you can buy over the counter at most autoparts stores.

 

It's by Raggtop, I just checked and it's their lethal cleaning and protecting kit. I'm gonna give it a go tomorrow and I'll let you know the results if you'd like. Thanks again!

 

Both brands make more than just one product:


Though 303 doesn't seem to have leather care products.

 

oh cool, let us know how it works.

 

Mine didn't come with black pads, just one white one -_- Not fair.

Anyway, just did it today along with my seats and it seems to have helped quite a bit. Haven't seen it in full sunlight, but I don't see the faded spots anymore.

Any other interior tips as in where else I can use the leather care? Is that piece near the center console, where your elbow rests, leather? Also what part of the door is leather? The part in the middle with the stiching?

It's so hard to keep my interior clean since I have the top down 80% of the time and it's my daily. The seats in my AP2 just never seem to shine as much as I think they would considering they're leather, but I think I read that the AP2 seats (06+) are made with less or a different type of leather.

 

The perforated parts are all leather, so the elbowpad and the door inserts, I think the shiftboot could use some treatment as well. All of the parts that touch your body on the seats are leather, it's a heavily finished leather though. The sides and back part of the seats are not leather, I use 303 vinyl on those parts.

 

What do you use on the rest of the door and dash? I've used armor all all purpose cleaner on the dash before and its left spots on it, which didn't make me happy to say the least.