Any idea on how to clean this?

[DaniloSilni]

I've had my car for about a year now and this seemed to just appear out of nowhere...Its from holding the leather steering wheel at that point and just generally driving like that. I've tried some stuff that would literally make most car fanatics cringe but want to know if anyone had any experiences with this and how to remove it. Thanks fellas.

[Markus Kleis]

Re: Any idea on how to clean this?

That looks like you wore through the dye, meaning it is missing the color - not something covering the color.

Do you think that is possible when you look closely at it?

[Garage Troll]

Re: Any idea on how to clean this?

That looks like you wore through the dye, meaning it is missing the color - not something covering the color.

Do you think that is possible when you look closely at it?

That was first thought even without seeing your post Mark. When I sold cars at a Ford dealership I used to see that quite a bit on the used F-series Superduty's for some reason.

Did you buy the car new? If you did I'm wondering if you could take it up with the dealership and have them replace the cover. We did have that situation on an Explorer's leather seating that was cracking after 8 months or so. We replaced it at no cost to the customer because we felt it was a defect.

[DaniloSilni]

Re: Any idea on how to clean this?

Bought it used so dealership is out of the question. I got really fed up not too long ago and decided to Goo Gone Extreme it...It kind of removed it for a bit, but as soon as you keep your hand on it again for a bit, it just comes right back to the discoloration so i am assuming that you guys are right..

[Craddosk]

Re: Any idea on how to clean this?

I have used windex in the past, with a lot of elbow grease, and it removes it. It's stain from your hands; oil, dirt, and whatnot. It's similar to why white Apple Macbooks change colour where people rest their hands. If it's really stuck on, you may have to dye/paint the wheel, but clean hands, and some good scrubbing should clean it up.

[Craddosk]

Re: Any idea on how to clean this?

On a second thought, steam cleaner may work wonders as well, but that's not from my experience. I know steaming has pulled tons of dirt of of leathers...

[DaniloSilni]

Re: Any idea on how to clean this?

Steaming is one thing i haven't tried so i'll let you know how that goes. Thanks.

[DaniloSilni]

Re: Any idea on how to clean this?

After perusing the forum some more I realized this should maybe have been put in the Interior section, so sorry if that is so.

[Tuck91]

Re: Any idea on how to clean this?

Try using APC and a toothbrush.

[DaniloSilni]

Re: Any idea on how to clean this?

Toothbrush sounds like a good idea to get in there and swirl around. Have to get my hands on some all purpose cleaner. Thanks.

[cnfowler]

Re: Any idea on how to clean this?

I'm with Mark on this one. I think you've worn the color off. That's a problem with today's vehicles: unless you buy a really expensive car, the leather is actually painted, not dyed. A ton of Fords do that exact thing. Its a shame you can spend $60K on a new F-250 or F-350 and not get a quality leather on the steering wheel (or seats for that matter).

Colin

[Bill Davidson]

Re: Any idea on how to clean this?

I'm with Mark on this one. I think the color is worn off.

I agree as well.

If you look at it closely, you'll notice that the raised surfaces are brown. If it was dirty, the dirt would be in the cracks. You can see that all the cracks are grey like the rest of the wheel. This is because the recessed cracks have not been worn. The previous owner likely had high PH sweaty hands.

I think the more you try to clean it, the more you are going to break down the finish and it's only going to get worse.

I'd look at covering it up with a leather wheel cover.
example:

http://www.wheelskins.com/

[DaniloSilni]

Re: Any idea on how to clean this?

This is a real let down for me. Could it possibly be the previous volvo/ford relationship as to why they don't wrap better quality leather on the steering wheel? Anyway, so should i try steaming/toothbrushing or could it agitate and ruin it even more...I really hate the way covers look on a car especially when my leather is awesome IMHO and yet i guess the wheel leather is ****.

[DaniloSilni]

Re: Any idea on how to clean this?

The wheel skins don't look too bad....based on my picture, if i have to go this route do you guys think i would need oak or sand to match oem? Im thinking sand looks closer.

[Bill Davidson]

Re: Any idea on how to clean this?

The wheel skins don't look too bad....based on my picture, if i have to go this route do you guys think i would need oak or sand to match oem? Im thinking sand looks closer.

Neither matches. The site does however say that they will mail out color sample swatches with 24hrs. If nothing matches then you may want to go with a contrasting color. Often this will look better than looking like you attempted to match a color but failed. This I have learned from doing flooring.