Matte finish on leather Steering Wheel

turboawd · 08-11-2018, 10:24 PM

You got some rough hands!

P1 · 08-11-2018, 10:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by turboawd

You got some rough hands!

If that's the case, how come my other steering wheels look great?

X54TH · 08-18-2018, 03:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by P1et

Look at this garbage...

My son's 2016 M235 looks identical to yours. We are going to call BMW Canada and hopefully they hear us out especially when we are trading in our X5 for the new one in a few months.

Emilim · 08-24-2018, 06:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by X54TH

My son's 2016 M235 looks identical to yours. We are going to call BMW Canada and hopefully they hear us out especially when we are trading in our X5 for the new one in a few months.

Just adding my take. I have a M Sport steering wheel too and have the same issue. These wheels are incredible new and feels like powdered baby butt but turns into an oily mess very quickly. I have cleaned them gently like I do with all my previous cars and these were the first to have their finishes rub off. Incredibly fragile things.

The first time it happened (a small grey blotch on the left hand side of the wheel near the buttons) I only had the car for a few months from delivery and I was convinced it was a defect and took the car into the dealer and they actually agreed to replace it (as a side note, the first replacement they received had pock marks from the delivery process and they had to order again. Again, fragile things).

At first I was glad to have my powdered butt matte wheels back again and vowed to never touch them with soiled hands or anything harsh. Now, 2 years later I am fortunate to not have any visible rub off yet but the sheen is there. I am convinced though that trying to restore them is futile because #1 the only way to get them matte again is to remove the oil, which only opens them up to become oily and shiny again, so you'd need to repeat it often which means more chance of rubbing off the finish and #2 the slightly powdery/rough feel is only there on brand new wheels and once you go over them enough times they smooth out and that feeling is gone forever.

At this point I'm only focused on keeping the wheels clean and not excessively oily. If it starts to flake out again I might just replace it with another material altogether.

P1 · 08-24-2018, 07:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Emilim

Just adding my take. I have a M Sport steering wheel too and have the same issue. These wheels are incredible new and feels like powdered baby butt but turns into an oily mess very quickly. I have cleaned them gently like I do with all my previous cars and these were the first to have their finishes rub off. Incredibly fragile things.

The first time it happened (a small grey blotch on the left hand side of the wheel near the buttons) I only had the car for a few months from delivery and I was convinced it was a defect and took the car into the dealer and they actually agreed to replace it (as a side note, the first replacement they received had pock marks from the delivery process and they had to order again. Again, fragile things).

At first I was glad to have my powdered butt matte wheels back again and vowed to never touch them with soiled hands or anything harsh. Now, 2 years later I am fortunate to not have any visible rub off yet but the sheen is there. I am convinced though that trying to restore them is futile because #1 the only way to get them matte again is to remove the oil, which only opens them up to become oily and shiny again, so you'd need to repeat it often which means more chance of rubbing off the finish and #2 the slightly powdery/rough feel is only there on brand new wheels and once you go over them enough times they smooth out and that feeling is gone forever.

At this point I'm only focused on keeping the wheels clean and not excessively oily. If it starts to flake out again I might just replace it with another material altogether.

Glad to hear I'm not the only one. I saw a late model M3 recently and when I peaked inside, saw that the steering wheel looked just as awful as mine did. What a shame.

I tried talking to my SA, but he says BMW has gotten strict (at least, in the US) about replacing "wear and tear" items. He's a top guy and has truly helped me out in the past, so I took his word for it and decided it was a battle I didn't want to fight.

Emilim · 08-24-2018, 08:42 PM

As an addition, I use BMW's own leather cleaner picked up at the dealership and it works great for everything in the car and does keep the wheel clean.

For comparison, I actually took pics of the wheel on showroom cars:

Compared to what mine looks like now:

So yeah can't really win. Still better than most of what I see on other people's M Sport though.

X54TH · 08-24-2018, 08:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by X54TH

My son's 2016 M235 looks identical to yours. We are going to call BMW Canada and hopefully they hear us out especially when we are trading in our X5 for the new one in a few months.

They replaced my son’s M235 wheel under warranty.

X54TH · 08-24-2018, 08:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by P1et

Look at this garbage...

My son’s M235 had the identical issue as yours (top). The dealership replaced it under warranty.

menelaos · 08-25-2018, 08:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by X54TH

My son’s M235 had the identical issue as yours (top). The dealership replaced it under warranty.

Ugly indeed. I applied Ceramic Pro w/the hope of avoiding this.
Was thinking of putting Alcantara cover.

X54TH · 08-25-2018, 09:51 PM

I like the look of Alcantara Wheel but I would be concerned about its durability.

The leather on 2016 X5 and 2016 M235 look like hell but my daughter’s 2017 which is about 14 months old looks like new. Maybe the leather used in 2016 was of poor quality and not as durable. I hope the leather used on the G05 X5 is of good quality.

P1 · 08-26-2018, 12:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by X54TH

I like the look of Alcantara Wheel but I would be concerned about its durability.

The leather on 2016 X5 and 2016 M235 look like hell but my daughter’s 2017 which is about 14 months old looks like new. Maybe the leather used in 2016 was of poor quality and not as durable. I hope the leather used on the G05 X5 is of good quality.

Curious: is one heated vs. not heated?

X54TH · 08-26-2018, 08:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by P1et

Curious: is one heated vs. not heated?

All of them are heated.

jo2134 · 08-26-2018, 09:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by X54TH

Quote:

Originally Posted by P1et

Curious: is one heated vs. not heated?

All of them are heated.

This is incorrect. Heated is only standard on 50is.

You can spec M-Sport on a 35i without heated steering wheel.

LocksmithNick · 08-26-2018, 10:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jo2134

This is incorrect. Heated is only standard on 50is.

You can spec M-Sport on a 35i without heated steering wheel.

I think he meant all of his are heated..

P1 · 08-26-2018, 11:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LocksmithNick

I think he meant all of his are heated..

Yes, reason is that mine is heated and my the steering wheel on my wife's 6-series isn't. Her steering wheel still looks great. Mine looks awful. Which made me think that heated steering wheels are more prone to failing?

X54TH · 08-26-2018, 11:31 AM

I think the material leather is different between 2016 and 2017. I also believe the sun had something to do with it. Most of the time I’m cleaning both the X5 and the M235 in the sun. The 2017 230 is usually in the garage and the last car in the day I clean. Also, I don’t clean the interior as much on 2017 230 as we do the other other cars.

LocksmithNick · 08-26-2018, 11:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by P1et

Yes, reason is that mine is heated and my the steering wheel on my wife's 6-series isn't. Her steering wheel still looks great. Mine looks awful. Which made me think that heated steering wheels are more prone to failing?

My 15 has a heated wheel and it still looks great. I don’t clean it with anything special. It doesn’t have much of a matte finish towards the top half, but it doesn’t look bad. Def doesn’t look like yours.

X54TH · 08-26-2018, 11:47 AM

One thing to note, the right hand lower part of the wheel (X5 and M235) still looks new. I think the leather get beat up on the parts constantly in the sunlight (Top and Left).

LocksmithNick · 08-26-2018, 12:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by X54TH

One thing to note, the right hand lower part of the wheel (X5 and M235) still looks new. I think the leather get beat up on the parts constantly in the sunlight (Top and Left).

True. Mine lives in a garage.

rg73712 · 09-01-2020, 02:18 PM

Has anyone tried ColourLock?

https://www.amazon.ca/COLOURLOCK-fri...ct_top?ie=UTF8

P1 · 09-08-2020, 07:57 PM

So out of sheer desperation, I attempted to breathe some new life into my haggard steering wheels. I am a big 1Z fan, but hadn't used their leather cleaner/conditioner yet. I am actually quite satisfied with the results.

Before:

After:

speedracerM4 · 09-09-2020, 03:06 PM

Purchased this. Planning on doing this weekend and will post pics if successful.

Black Leather and Vinyl Repair Kit - Furniture, Couch, Car Seats, Sofa, Jacket, Purse, Belt, Shoes | Genuine, Italian, Bonded, Bycast, PU, Pleather |No Heat Required | Repair & Restore https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07VX1X573..._RvtwFb5F2Q285

08-11-2018, 10:24 PM	#67
turboawd Banned 1636 Rep 2,995 Posts Drives: 2015 X5 35i Join Date: May 2015 Location: United States iTrader: (0)	You got some rough hands!
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08-24-2018, 08:42 PM	#72
Emilim Dust Bunny 98 Rep 189 Posts Drives: 2016 F31 328i xDrive M Sport Join Date: Jul 2015 Location: Vancouver iTrader: (0)	As an addition, I use BMW's own leather cleaner picked up at the dealership and it works great for everything in the car and does keep the wheel clean. For comparison, I actually took pics of the wheel on showroom cars: Compared to what mine looks like now: So yeah can't really win. Still better than most of what I see on other people's M Sport though. __________________ 2016 328i XDrive Touring M Sport EBII
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08-25-2018, 09:51 PM	#76
X54TH Member 899 Rep 2,032 Posts Drives: 2019 X5 40i M Sport Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: GTA iTrader: (0) Garage List 2023 BMW M2 (HEA) [10.00] 2021 330i xDrive [0.00] 2019 G05 X5 M Sport [0.00] 2017 Jeep Grand Che ... [0.00]	I like the look of Alcantara Wheel but I would be concerned about its durability. The leather on 2016 X5 and 2016 M235 look like hell but my daughter’s 2017 which is about 14 months old looks like new. Maybe the leather used in 2016 was of poor quality and not as durable. I hope the leather used on the G05 X5 is of good quality.
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08-26-2018, 11:31 AM	#82
X54TH Member 899 Rep 2,032 Posts Drives: 2019 X5 40i M Sport Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: GTA iTrader: (0) Garage List 2023 BMW M2 (HEA) [10.00] 2021 330i xDrive [0.00] 2019 G05 X5 M Sport [0.00] 2017 Jeep Grand Che ... [0.00]	I think the material leather is different between 2016 and 2017. I also believe the sun had something to do with it. Most of the time I’m cleaning both the X5 and the M235 in the sun. The 2017 230 is usually in the garage and the last car in the day I clean. Also, I don’t clean the interior as much on 2017 230 as we do the other other cars.
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08-26-2018, 11:47 AM	#84
X54TH Member 899 Rep 2,032 Posts Drives: 2019 X5 40i M Sport Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: GTA iTrader: (0) Garage List 2023 BMW M2 (HEA) [10.00] 2021 330i xDrive [0.00] 2019 G05 X5 M Sport [0.00] 2017 Jeep Grand Che ... [0.00]	One thing to note, the right hand lower part of the wheel (X5 and M235) still looks new. I think the leather get beat up on the parts constantly in the sunlight (Top and Left).
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Matte finish on leather Steering Wheel

09-01-2020, 02:18 PM	#86
rg73712 Registered 0 Rep 2 Posts Drives: 2018 X5 F15 Join Date: Sep 2020 Location: Burlington, ON iTrader: (0)	ColourLock Has anyone tried ColourLock? https://www.amazon.ca/COLOURLOCK-fri...ct_top?ie=UTF8
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09-08-2020, 07:57 PM	#87
P1 Lieutenant General 11572 Rep 11,136 Posts Drives: 2004 3/4 ton Duramax Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: United States iTrader: (1)	So out of sheer desperation, I attempted to breathe some new life into my haggard steering wheels. I am a big 1Z fan, but hadn't used their leather cleaner/conditioner yet. I am actually quite satisfied with the results. Before: After:
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09-09-2020, 03:06 PM	#88
speedracerM4 Private 57 Rep 79 Posts Drives: 2015 M4 Join Date: Oct 2016 Location: Baltimore iTrader: (0)	Purchased this. Planning on doing this weekend and will post pics if successful. Black Leather and Vinyl Repair Kit - Furniture, Couch, Car Seats, Sofa, Jacket, Purse, Belt, Shoes \| Genuine, Italian, Bonded, Bycast, PU, Pleather \|No Heat Required \| Repair & Restore https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07VX1X573..._RvtwFb5F2Q285
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