Matte finish on leather Steering Wheel

[X54TH]

Originally Posted by Slickrick2

That's what I use. SWISSVAX

Can you share some pics after a week or of treating it.

[Kzang]

The warm water with MF trick works for a few days and then it goes back to being shiny again lol.

[SC335]

Originally Posted by P1et

So I tried something new over the weekend: clean MF with warm water. Definitely the best the steering wheel has looked in a long time.

P1et, can you elaborate as to how you wiped the wheel down? Specifically, did you apply a great amount of pressure? I would think that you would not, due to risk of removing the dye from the wheel. I have spoke to a leather specialist and they explained that they actually just use leather dye to get that clean matte OEM finish. But I figured I'd give this a try first. It couldn't hurt anymore anyways, right? nd like you, this is the wife's daily so I completely understand about lotions and makeup.

[AECDY]

For those who have rubbed off the finish I suggest looking in to getting it painted. I have not done it to mine but I am considering it. The place where I did the ceramic on the car did a steering wheel for a friend of mine and it came out looking like new. Not sure about cost but I am sure it is cheaper than buying a new one.

[Silververtu]

Originally Posted by vip

Can you post a few more pictures preferably during daytime and without camera flash?

Look forward to seeing them. And nice work on getting it cleaned!

My wife has the car doing road trip with my in-laws. I will take photos as soon as the car gets back.

[Silververtu]

Originally Posted by X54TH

I as well would like to see a few more pics.

This is after a month of driving with over 3000 miles on the clock.

[P1]

Originally Posted by SC335

P1et, can you elaborate as to how you wiped the wheel down? Specifically, did you apply a great amount of pressure? I would think that you would not, due to risk of removing the dye from the wheel. I have spoke to a leather specialist and they explained that they actually just use leather dye to get that clean matte OEM finish. But I figured I'd give this a try first. It couldn't hurt anymore anyways, right? nd like you, this is the wife's daily so I completely understand about lotions and makeup.

It already looks haggard again. These steering wheels are terrible, low quality leather. It's either live with it, which is what I'm doing, or buy a new one.

[NOVA99]

Originally Posted by P1et

It already looks haggard again. These steering wheels are terrible, low quality leather. It's either live with it, which is what I'm doing, or buy a new one.

Agree. These steering wheels are crap. My 2017 is all f'ed up, unlike every other car I have owned. Anyone try to have dealer claim warranty? Next time I am in for a service I am going to show the dealer and "tell" them to warranty it because it is obviously a defect in workmanship and material. This will probably not happen but want to hear their reaction. Glad this is lease, cannot imagine what this would look like in 5 years.

[P1]

Originally Posted by NOVA99

Agree. These steering wheels are crap. My 2017 is all f'ed up, unlike every other car I have owned. Anyone try to have dealer claim warranty? Next time I am in for a service I am going to show the dealer and "tell" them to warranty it because it is obviously a defect in workmanship and material. This will probably not happen but want to hear their reaction. Glad this is lease, cannot imagine what this would look like in 5 years.

I had a 2004 Dodge Ram 2500. Steering wheel leather started peeling, and the dealer replaced it without question. My BMW is a 2015, and again, the steering wheel is obviously not supposed to look like this. I've had other BMWs and they didn't show any type of wear even after many years of use. This seems to be an X5 issue. My SA, who's a good dude, tells me that BMW doesn't warranty stuff like this anymore. They will just blame it on use/abuse.

[AECDY]

I clean mine with a damp MF that I put in the microwave for about a minute and then softly rub it all around.

[The Libertine]

Originally Posted by AECDY

I clean mine with a damp MF that I put in the microwave for about a minute and then softly rub it all around.

Damp MF is what I use too, seems to keep the wheel in good condition.

[P1]

Saw a nice M4 cabriolet parked today and looked at the steering wheel: absolutely destroyed. Goes to show this affects more than just the X5. Very disappointed to see such low quality materials being used.

[menelaos]

Sold my stock wheel to a guy whose steering wheel leather showed visible signs of degradation.....horrible quality.

Even my MSport does not feel great. May wrap it with Alcantara to protect it.

[Kzang]

Originally Posted by P1et

Saw a nice M4 cabriolet parked today and looked at the steering wheel: absolutely destroyed. Goes to show this affects more than just the X5. Very disappointed to see such low quality materials being used.

I think the leathers used in our BMW Steering wheels are of decent quality but it may not be the best for its application. Oily/dirty hands rubbing on the leather surfaces daily would definitely make any leather "shiny"... think leather baseball gloves that are worn after many years of use.

[deutsch100]

My X5 steering wheels looked "ok", but our 2017 M6 Convertible that now has 3200 miles, had to have the steering wheel replaced at 1200 miles. The red & blue M stitching was completely unraveling on its own. Crazy! The dealer replaced the wheel, but it had to get approved by an area Rep. and then approved by a BMW Rep. in Munich! Insanity!!! A very $$$ new M6 with 1200 miles should NOT have a problem like this, and it should not have to be approved by multiple people!!

All car makers do this sh*t, but BMW and OMG...Rolls-Royce is the worst!! Rolls tried to blame my malfunctioning Infotainment screen on wiping the dash with a microfiber cloth. I lost it on them!!! LOL I don't think they've heard such fun four letter word combos before

[P1]

Originally Posted by Kzang

I think the leathers used in our BMW Steering wheels are of decent quality but it may not be the best for its application. Oily/dirty hands rubbing on the leather surfaces daily would definitely make any leather "shiny"... think leather baseball gloves that are worn after many years of use.

My old E70 and 135i had nice leather steering wheels also, and they never looked like that. Quality has clearly gone down.

[surfsalot-550i]

Originally Posted by NOVA99

Agree. These steering wheels are crap. My 2017 is all f'ed up, unlike every other car I have owned. Anyone try to have dealer claim warranty? Next time I am in for a service I am going to show the dealer and "tell" them to warranty it because it is obviously a defect in workmanship and material. This will probably not happen but want to hear their reaction. Glad this is lease, cannot imagine what this would look like in 5 years.

Nova99, Did you ever ask the dealer about your steering wheel? I cleaned my 2015 550i today with McGuire's leather cleaner and now it looks terrible.

[tntp]

I use these to clean the shiny steering wheel to get back to the original matte finish. You may have to do a few times depend on how bad is your wheel. Please use a narrow and long strip of clean rag, soak it in with the cleaner solution (but not dripping wet), then wrap around the wheel section and do a sawing motion back and forth one section at a time. This takes time if you want result. Don't rush.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[Keithwand]

I use Mr Clean bar on the steering wheel and marine vinyl on my golf cart seats. Cleans well. Spray leather conditioner on a towel and wipe down after.

[NOVA99]

Surfsalot- I have not been back to dealer yet. I do not live near one.

[jdarmstrong]

Originally Posted by X54TH

I am losing that nice matte finish on the X5's steering wheel. I so want to get this back to or close to that factory finish. The sheen is more predominate to the left hand side of the wheel. I'm wondering if the sun has caused this. I've tried the Mothers M-Tech, Autoglym, Sonax and Lexol and none of them are giving me the results I wanted. Today I went and bought 2 sets of products / options from 2 different shops saying that these products will restore the leather wheel to a matte factory finish. Don't know if anyone has had a similar issue and how did you fix it. Have you used these products and if so, what worked.

Option 1: Chemical Guys
a) Nonsense Invisible Super Cleaner - Colourless / Odorless
b) Leather Protectant Serum - Protects / Restores

Option 2: Leatherique
a) Rejuvenator Oil
b) Pristine Clean

Appreciate your thoughts.

The Chemical Guys colorless/odorless leather cleaner with the horsehair brush works great at removing the shine from the steering wheel leather and seats. It leaves the leather looking clean and factory fresh. Keep in mind though that after using the cleaner you should follow up with the leather conditioner to help moisten and protect the leather, however I only use that on my seats and not the steering wheel.

[P1]

Look at this garbage...