The leather on the top section of my steering wheel is not shiny like the bottom part. I tried some cleaning products I trust and it made it worse. I did the Leatherique treatment over a period of 5 days and just cleaned it with Pristine Clean. Lots of black came off, but the leather is not shiny and now appears to be losing some color. Anyone have this happen to them? Is there a fix (besides the 360 wheel )? Does leather dye fix this issue? If so, what is best?
It sounds like it needs to be re-dyed/sealed, similar to a worn seat. Leatherique offers a kit to condition, sand, dye, and seal. If it is quite worn, the process may end with a notable reduction in the visible leather grain on the surface wear areas. The alternative would be to re-upholster the steering wheel with new leather, or replace. As an aside, in the course of cleaning a steering wheel, probably one of the worst things that someone could do is use something like 'magic eraser' to scrub dirt and contaminants from the surface, as it abrades the top finished surface and greatly accelerates wear. For the best longevity, use regular leather cleaner and conditioners, especially if your body oils are particularly acidic (get some gloves!).
Here is a pic of it. Looks worse in the picture than in person...but still. ...and yea, the center dash is out to replace the F1 indicator and the plastic parts are gone for de-sticky Image Unavailable, Please Login
These are my ex "tan" straps used up front to hold the tool box. They got stained by antifreeze/coolant when the front pump went out. There was no way I was going to get them back to "normal". I cleaned them as best I could, wrapped them with some absorbent material for a few days and ...... dyed them with Kiwi leather dye and then black shoe polish. They need to be reinstalled, figured they are hidden and out of the way so nobody will ever notice ...... except some F chat guy if I ever tried to sell it on here. Not certain if you want to try this with a steering wheel, in plain view, in the sun, and hands all over it. Image Unavailable, Please Login
Just refinished this old Momo. Gliptone dye process. Looks a treat and a better outcome than expected.
Nice work! Yes, the Gliptone works great, not sure if it's available in the US or not, just like the better then factory rubberized re-coat product for the sticky problem.
My 355 wheel had gone 'shiny' due to natural wear and I wanted the matt original look back. I gently ran a damp magic eraser over the wheel then a cloth over the top and it has taken it back to original look. There are a few videos on this online and I was quite amazed at the result.
Heck it's leather. Did you try black shoe polish? Works OK for me on small stuff. Maybe some salt staining too from sweat. Try saddle soap.
I have just discovered Claphams leather conditioner, and although I have used Leatherique and others (Zaino restores the original leather scent like nothing else) over the years, they do leave a fairly matt, natural finish (which most seem to want). After leatherique, I tried a bit of this (it was on clearance at a health food store), and was quite surprised. It made my older slightly faded/patinated black leather really pop with a sheen, must be the bees wax in it. I did the whole interior, and buffed it after it sat a couple of days, and I think it looks spectacular (maybe a tad shiney for some tastes, but the slight fade is eliminated, so on the whole a decent trade. Reminds me of my black Corvair vinyl interior slathered with Armor All from many years ago. Surface when cured doesn't seem slippery, so I did the steering wheel too. For the price of a small container, its worth a try, if no luck will be good for shoes. Welcome to www.claphams.com Leatherique is definitely the gold standard for reconditioning the leather. I have not tried their dyes, looks like a bit of work and I presume you need a sprayer to apply it, but others seem to get get great results after lots of prep work. From what I see of your wheel, my bet is the Claphams will get it to a level that you will probably be happy enough and not need to do the dye.
I sprayed it Mike. Ive been doing all the interior including the black leather so it was an opportune moment to do the wheel as well. I normally run the standard wheel but I may use this for a while as its easy to swap back. Looks good in the car.
Few shots here. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Few more shots of the dye work. Gliptone is very easy to work with but as usual the prep needs to be right. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Thanks for the info, Nick. The leather refinishing work looks like it's done to your usual awesome standard. Your car probably looks nicer today than when it was brand new. Beautiful job! BTW, if you have high res images posted somewhere could you post of PM me the link? Thanks again.
Sure Mike. Im just sorting out my pics. Far to many. I will post a link when Ive done it. Ive resprayed the car too since you last saw it. New screen black sills etc etc. Not far off the finish now.
Nothing beats brand new soft leather fitted by a master trimmer Spraying leather.......i don't know if that looks right or smells right or feels right And you spray the stitching...that can't be good
Exactly. Who would want their leather to look like the leather in Nick's car? Nick, if we were in the same country I'd beg you to let me send you the panel below my glove box for refinishing. There was a waxy/gooey spot on it that I'm still in the process of trying to remove completely, but it looks like the dye is being affected in the process. I'm out of my depth when it comes to leather so trying to figure out the most expedient way to renew the factory look on a non-wear piece. So I'm watching your excellent results with great interest. Thanks for sharing!
Many people have used the sponge method for applying the dye. If you can't spray it its another option. It takes a fair bit longer and you don't have the same control over dye consistency though. I try to use as little dye as possible to get the finish and I can achieve this by spraying at lowish pressure and flow rate in a few light coats. The last one being slightly more flow and wetter for feel. Ive seen some good results with sponging too all said and done. I wouldn't have known unless told. I expect there are a lot of negative views about dying your interior out there but if done right its not a bad option and you can retain the original leather if decent. Works for me. Im $7000 dollars better off.
Thanks for the tip, Nick. Sounds a bit like spraying paint, at least in that regard. I'm sold on the process, especially for no-wear areas like my dash piece, but I'm not confident in my ability to achieve the desired result. Are there any online resources of tips/tutorials/info that you'd recommend?
This issue with dying and spraying and sponging just reminds me of the movie " death becomes her " where Streep and Hawn were spray painting each others dead corpses , eventually the inevitable happened and the truth could no longer be covered up with paint , they fell to pieces. Same for painting seats , its a nice cover up for a while , but it just isn't a long term fix.
This is worth a read Mike. Probably this is the product you would use. Google dying leather. Lots out there. Including vids. Different manufactures use different processes to be honest. Some use a sealer over the dye others not etc.etc..... Air brushing is also an option as you can see in the steering wheel vid I posted. Its all leather. N. Customer Wipe Dye input | Leatherique Restoration Products
