dockt

Hi,
I was thinking of changing to an alcantara (at the 9/3 position) C63 steering wheel. For those w/ one of these wheels, how has the wear been on the alcantara part? Are you constantly babying it? Any problem w/ stains eg if my wife wears lotion on her hands? I plan on keeping the car for a while...

TIA!

mrc63jg

Ughh lotion is the devil... I had a girl that had some sort of lotion on her skin in my passenger seat a couple weeks ago and the next day I noticed little waterspot looking lotion residue spots on the arm rest. She never drove the car so I couldn't tell you the effect lotion has on alcantara, but I wouldn't want lotion getting on my clean alcantara steering wheel.

KEMA

No first hand impression from C63 since I went with the standard option however, my CLS63 had the alcantara steering wheel and if I had to order it all over I would not take it.

Looks fantastic and the wear is actually not bad but after 20.000 miles when it started to wear slightly (not bad visually) it would get slippery. It's a bit hard to explain but I would simply not have the grip that you have with a standard leather option. If for instance I would do one handed U turns resting the palm of my hand on the alcantara part (but not gripping the wheel) my palm would slide off the alcantara part and rest on the leather section.

Two thumbs up for looks but in practical terms it didn't do it for me.

Ken

bhamg

To tell the truth I don't really care for it, visually or texturally...it really does nothing for me. Sometimes I find myself instinctively avoiding the alcantara portion when my hands are sweaty, which is a double PITA because then I'm using the wheel unnaturally. I've taken to carrying a damp facecloth in a sandwich bag and throwing it in the console storage bin so I can keep the hands clean.

sprins

Alcantara is an artificial material, like plastic. Unlike e.g. suede (or leather) you can clean alcantara with any soft detergent back to it's original state.

So alcantara is better to maintain than leather on e.g. a steeting wheel.

Some reading: http://www.alcantara.com/en/experien...icazioni.shtml

rantarC63

Had an Alcantara steering wheel on my M3. I bought the car used with 10K miles and the steering wheel lasted only 2K miles more before looking like a worn out rag. I was very careful with it but the natural oils in your hands just attack the material. I got the dealer to replace the wheel under warranty and used driving gloves to keep the wheel mint after that.

Bottom line is that it requires more maintenance than a leather wheel and will wear out sooner. You could use gloves but that somewhat eliminates the point of having an Alcantara wheel. I would not choose an Alcantara wheel as an option even though I like the look and feel.

dlbello

Mine is like new but i only have 4.5K miles... I like it, its pretty cool

I guess you can rip the suede apart, only if you grip it like a Gorilla

bhamg

Thx for the link although the maintenance info is only marginally useful. Re. long term durability, I'll stick with smooth natural leather on a steering wheel as being both more durable and easier to take care of.

DaGS1800

I love the alcantara wheel, I have about 15,000 miles now and mine still looks brand new. I also take very good care of it however, I always wash my hands before driving or use sanitizer before touching the wheel....

AFR AMG

What was the lotion doing on her skin in the first place?

drmike5000

Old thread, but I searched this because my Alcantara wheel is wearing out, and I wondered where others got a replacement.