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How's the wear and tear on your steering wheel after a couple of years?
Thanks
It gets gross. I got BMW to replace my 3-year old M car's yucky, matted alcantara wheel under CPO warranty, had the choice of another alcantara or leather. Chose leather and it still looked great when I sold it several years later.
Mine is still in good shape, shows a little wear at the top where I rest my hand but in good shape otherwise. On a side note, my car is not my DD and it is garage kept. I don't know if that would change things or not but just wanted to throw that out there just in case.
I don't have a current pic right now since I am in Afghanistan but here is a pic that I do have access too.
Mine is still in good shape, shows a little wear at the top where I rest my hand but in good shape otherwise. On a side note, my car is not my DD and it is garage kept. I don't know if that would change things or not but just wanted to throw that out there just in case.
I don't have a current pic right now since I am in Afghanistan but here is a pic that I do have access too.
It's probably a combination of personal tidiness and how oily your skin is as to how it hold up. Previous owner of my BMW failed on both counts😄
I prefer a non porous steering wheel surface for ease of cleaning in order to decrease dirt transfer. Question: How do you reasonably get a rough surface really clean? Answer: You don't. I find that my steering wheels get surprisingly dirty, and I am not a slob.
agree with above two posts. ratty alcantara is nasty and the steering wheel is going to be the worst place to put it, unless you always wear gloves. my center console is track matted alcantara. blechh. it's on "the list" lol
If you drive your car a lot then I would steer away from an all Alcantra steering wheel. They get worn down and then look like crap. I have alcantra only on the bottom center of the wheel and where my hands go is leather. Still looks nice and the alcantra piece looks good.
I prefer a non porous steering wheel surface for ease of cleaning in order to decrease dirt transfer. Question: How do you reasonably get a rough surface really clean? Answer: You don't. I find that my steering wheels get surprisingly dirty, and I am not a slob.
Not really the case... Automotive grade Alcantara holds up really well and is quite easy to clean (contrary to popular opinion). It can be washed with water and very mild soap, rinsed, dried and then sand to recover the rough surface. The stuff is magic.
i would like to try and clean some alcantara. how would one clean it without fully removing it from whatever it is covering? or would that be an ( obvious ) requirement. i can't easily unwrap my center console, but i would sure like to carpet fresh it. ugh.
Use a damp cloth (not soaking wet) and lightly rub the area you want to clean. If you totally soak it, you could cause a loss of adhesion. It is not a good idea to try to remove the material. Just clean in place. If you are going to use some type of carpet cleaner, I would mix it in the water to dilute and make sure you test somewhere it won't be visible to make sure there is no color change.
Edit: Always finish by wiping with a clean damp cloth with no soap. Let dry and use sandpaper to scuff up to match the other material.
Just clean in place. If you are going to use some type of carpet cleaner, I would mix it in the water to dilute and make sure you test somewhere it won't be visible to make sure there is no color change.
Edit: Always finish by wiping with a clean damp cloth with no soap. Let dry and use sandpaper to scuff up to match the other material.
thx for that. I'm actually going to have my detail guy try it. I'd like to say I couldn't make it any worse on my own, but I'm not sure that isn't so. a very light solution of some carpet cleaner. if it works i'll be very pleased. thx.
02-11-2015, 11:13 PM
