Steering Wheel Very Worn Need Covering

[cobalt & lexus]

My steering wheel is very worn, 215,000 miles :o and it needs to be recovered or replaced.

Has anyone replaced or found a great option for a covering that actually matches?

[cduluk]

My steering wheel is very worn, 215,000 miles :o and it needs to be recovered or replaced.

Has anyone replaced or found a great option for a covering that actually matches?

If you want to re-dye the leather yourself, you can purchase a bottle of leather dye from magicmender.com and spray it on. What color interior do you have? If it's the tan (same for all 99-03 Rx300's) the upper dash/steering wheel color is "dark taupe #13". Not sure about the gray or black though.

Or you could just buy another steering wheel on ebay. They go for about $50 the 99-00 versions and $200 for the 01-03 wood/leather ones.

[cobalt & lexus]

the leather is worn through at this point. I had heard of the ability to fix and build it to new with certain polymers or compounds. I dont recall where I read it. I have had the unfortunte experrience pulling a steering wheel off another make and it didnt go well. :)

[bainzey]

My steering wheel is very worn, 215,000 miles :o and it needs to be recovered or replaced.

Has anyone replaced or found a great option for a covering that actually matches?

If you want to re-dye the leather yourself, you can purchase a bottle of leather dye from magicmender.com and spray it on. What color interior do you have? If it's the tan (same for all 99-03 Rx300's) the upper dash/steering wheel color is "dark taupe #13". Not sure about the gray or black though.

Or you could just buy another steering wheel on ebay. They go for about $50 the 99-00 versions and $200 for the 01-03 wood/leather ones.

CDULUk, I've seen the work that you've done on yours, well done btw. I've got an 04 RX and also have a discoloration issue of the steering... Do you think that the "dark taupe #13" you mentioned above would be the same. Second question is it pretty easy to work with, is it really just a matter of taping of the rest and spraying and waiting to dry, or are there other steps that should be followed?

Cheers

[cduluk]

Hm, pretty sure the dark taupe 13 will be a match to the 04-09 Rx330/350 tan dash/steering wheels too.

It's not as simple as spraying it on, there's a little prep work that needs to be done first. The first step like you said is to mask off the wood parts. The next step is to wetsand (yes, wetsand, like on paint finishes) the entire leather surface, with 800grit sandpaper and water. This scuffs up the factory coating and allows the new dye to stick better. Then soak a cotton rag with rubbing alcohol, and vigorously rub the leather. This will clean the leather and allow it to dry out so the new dye will absorb into the surface, like a sponge.

Then let the leather dry about an hour, then spray the dye on, maybe 1-2 thin coats (never apply to thick). You "can" just brush it on, but the finish won't come out as smooth as if you were to airbrush it on.

For a small mark, you can probably get away with applying the dye with a paint brush. If you have a few areas that are worn, just redye the entire surface using an airbrush. Craft stores have airbrushes from $50-$200. And you'd need a compressor. Both handy tools to have!

After you've applied the color dye, i would then add a coat of the dye clearcoat, either matte or gloss (matte is what i use, makes it look brand new). This adds protection and gives the leather a more natural appearance.

The key is in the prep work. If you're only going to brush the dye on a small area, just sand the area that's going to be dyed, and rub the alcohol on the same area. Wherever alcohol touches the leather, you must dye. Alcohol removes the color from the leather and if not re-dyed, will age quickly.

I would remove the wheel to have the work done, only because if not, you'll have overspray all over the interior and exterior, and it's a pain to remove once dried. The first time i ever dyed a wheel (on my rx300) i tried masking off everything, took me about an hour to mask everything off... Would've been easier to pull the wheel and do it right.

The first time i pulled the rx300 steering wheel, took me a while... After pulling it and putting it back on maybe 5 or so times (re-did the wood and leather quite often) i could do it in my sleep. When i got the rx400h, it took me 15 mins to get it off. First step is to remove the neg terminal on the car's battery, since you'll need to unplug the airbag and the computer gets confused if the battery's attached. Then just re-attach after everything's installed.

As soon as you have the steering wheel in your hands, it shouldn't take more than an hour to re-dye the leather. The dye takes a day or so to "fully" cure, but you can still use it, just be careful...

[bainzey]

Hm, pretty sure the dark taupe 13 will be a match to the 04-09 Rx330/350 tan dash/steering wheels too.

It's not as simple as spraying it on, there's a little prep work that needs to be done first. The first step like you said is to mask off the wood parts. The next step is to wetsand (yes, wetsand, like on paint finishes) the entire leather surface, with 800grit sandpaper and water. This scuffs up the factory coating and allows the new dye to stick better. Then soak a cotton rag with rubbing alcohol, and vigorously rub the leather. This will clean the leather and allow it to dry out so the new dye will absorb into the surface, like a sponge.

Then let the leather dry about an hour, then spray the dye on, maybe 1-2 thin coats (never apply to thick). You "can" just brush it on, but the finish won't come out as smooth as if you were to airbrush it on.

For a small mark, you can probably get away with applying the dye with a paint brush. If you have a few areas that are worn, just redye the entire surface using an airbrush. Craft stores have airbrushes from $50-$200. And you'd need a compressor. Both handy tools to have!

After you've applied the color dye, i would then add a coat of the dye clearcoat, either matte or gloss (matte is what i use, makes it look brand new). This adds protection and gives the leather a more natural appearance.

The key is in the prep work. If you're only going to brush the dye on a small area, just sand the area that's going to be dyed, and rub the alcohol on the same area. Wherever alcohol touches the leather, you must dye. Alcohol removes the color from the leather and if not re-dyed, will age quickly.

I would remove the wheel to have the work done, only because if not, you'll have overspray all over the interior and exterior, and it's a pain to remove once dried. The first time i ever dyed a wheel (on my rx300) i tried masking off everything, took me about an hour to mask everything off... Would've been easier to pull the wheel and do it right.

The first time i pulled the rx300 steering wheel, took me a while... After pulling it and putting it back on maybe 5 or so times (re-did the wood and leather quite often) i could do it in my sleep. When i got the rx400h, it took me 15 mins to get it off. First step is to remove the neg terminal on the car's battery, since you'll need to unplug the airbag and the computer gets confused if the battery's attached. Then just re-attach after everything's installed.

As soon as you have the steering wheel in your hands, it shouldn't take more than an hour to re-dye the leather. The dye takes a day or so to "fully" cure, but you can still use it, just be careful...

Wow, now that's some detail, I appreciate it... I'm going to give it a whirl (once I get my dye) I'll let you know how it goes. Thanks.