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So it seems alcantara on my steering wheel is flaking off. I have never seen or heard of this. It feels as if the left hand side is worn down/burnt. It feels very uncomfortable against the hand but the right side is still mint. Tried Sonax alcantara cleaner and the left still feels like if someone burnt hairs and shaved some of it. It is very odd. Do you believe Mercedes would warranty this? Its so rough on the bad side. Like coarse sand paper. Hard to describe.
If anyone has remedied this please let me know how. I would love if it were something easy to fix and I used to detail cars for a business and Sonax was my go to for alcantara. Never had any alcantara feel like this though. Feels like it is missing a lot of fiber and is in clumps.
So it seems alcantara on my steering wheel is flaking off. I have never seen or heard of this. It feels as if the left hand side is worn down/burnt. It feels very uncomfortable against the hand but the right side is still mint. Tried Sonax alcantara cleaner and the left still feels like if someone burnt hairs and shaved some of it. It is very odd. Do you believe Mercedes would warranty this? Its so rough on the bad side. Like coarse sand paper. Hard to describe.
If anyone has remedied this please let me know how. I would love if it were something easy to fix and I used to detail cars for a business and Sonax was my go to for alcantara. Never had any alcantara feel like this though. Feels like it is missing a lot of fiber and is in clumps.
Was thinking that but the car is under warranty so I was wondering if MB would cover it. It feels and sort of looks like this
I am not sure they will fix it under warranty but worth a try. I have also read that light sandpaper or a sweater shaver works great for those fuzzies as well.
Last edited by INS1GNIA; Jan 20, 2016 at 02:06 PM.
The one reason why Alcantara steering wheels shouldn't be used for daily driving. Warm water and a shaver will smoothen the surface. But eventually you will see worn areas down to the leather surface.
The one reason why Alcantara steering wheels shouldn't be used for daily driving. Warm water and a shaver will smoothen the surface. But eventually you will see worn areas down to the leather surface.
Yes I think that there are a small few areas down to leather. Look "shinier" than the rest of the alcantara area.
I have a 507 coupe for the last 2 years, and I have had to keep my hands clean while driving it, and so far hasn't been an issue. I would recommend using the cleaner every day at the end of the day for a few days in a row with a microfibre cloth.
Try dabbing and twisting lightly, and it will eventually clean it up. I would suggest keeping it clean on your cars from day 1!
I have a 507 coupe for the last 2 years, and I have had to keep my hands clean while driving it, and so far hasn't been an issue. I would recommend using the cleaner every day at the end of the day for a few days in a row with a microfibre cloth.
Try dabbing and twisting lightly, and it will eventually clean it up. I would suggest keeping it clean on your cars from day 1!
Maybe you could just wear a glove while driving.
LOL
It is best to tend to this issue before it gets this bad. A damp microfiber cloth to clean in small circular motions and then fluffing up the fibers with a toothbrush. You may want to try this method but being very gentle. The material is actually fairly durable if it is taken care of.
Agreed, but the alcantara over time deteriorates much quicker then leather. I had the displeasure of owning an Alcantara wheel in my BMW and as much as I was careful with it, I couldn't stand the signs of wear on it, especially after spending so much on an M performance wheel.
Originally Posted by jmueller
It is best to tend to this issue before it gets this bad. A damp microfiber cloth to clean in small circular motions and then fluffing up the fibers with a toothbrush. You may want to try this method but being very gentle. The material is actually fairly durable if it is taken care of.
I used Suede & Nubuck cleaner on my steering wheel but with a hard-bristled brush (designed for cleaning suede/alcantara apparently - it has the rubber bristle brush on the other side of it) and ended up causing similar damage to one side of my wheel. The advisor at my local parts store recommended that I use such a brush. On the other side of the wheel, i used a damp cloth and it worked a treat - all of the grime and crap had completely gone and it feels so nice and fluffy and clean now...the other side is clean now too, but it feels rough and a bit rubbish. I'm going to try giving it a few more rounds with the cleaner solution, warm damp microfibre and rubber brush/tooth brush to see if it can be restored. I'd hate to have to get it re-trimmed on the technicality of bad advice...ahem...
Is it really worth the effort?
Why not just buy a new steering with leather instead of alcantara.
Alcantara have very short life span.
Throughout the duration of owning my Aventador for 4 years,i changed 5 steering wheel and finally i decided to contact Lamborghini themself to custom built a one off steering for me instead of going alcantara.
I'm planing to do that to all my AMG as well.
The suede will rub off eventually no matter what. You can get a new wheel minus air bag or have your local shop re-suede it.
Best way to keep the longevity is to always wear driving gloves and the best grip feeling/longevity is using suede gripped gloves on suede steering wheels.
I dunno man...tbh the 'good' side of my steering wheel (albeit now freshly cleaned) feels every bit as good as my friends steering wheel on his car. My car has just under 80k on the clock and his has 20k. If it wasn't for me making a mistake in using the harsh brush, I would say the wheel feels as fluffy and soft as new.
I dunno man...tbh the 'good' side of my steering wheel (albeit now freshly cleaned) feels every bit as good as my friends steering wheel on his car. My car has just under 80k on the clock and his has 20k. If it wasn't for me making a mistake in using the harsh brush, I would say the wheel feels as fluffy and soft as new.
I have one of those brushes that you were talking about. You definitely have be extremely gently and use light strokes with it. Very easy to damage if you just scrub away lol.
Here is a little 'before and after' comparison on my P31 steering wheel. My car has 40k miles of sweaty Florida driving. On the right side of the steering wheel, you can see all 40k miles of the grime built up on it. Using the toothbrush and warm water microfiber method I mentioned, I got the result on the left side of the wheel. Also, a picture of the final result. Regarding the OP, my alcantera never got to the point where it was flaking off. It was just really dirty and compacted down. Now it is grippy and fluffy. It feels great and new.
Here is a little 'before and after' comparison on my P31 steering wheel. My car has 40k miles of sweaty Florida driving. On the right side of the steering wheel, you can see all 40k miles of the grime built up on it. Using the toothbrush and warm water microfiber method I mentioned, I got the result on the left side of the wheel. Also, a picture of the final result. Regarding the OP, my alcantera never got to the point where it was flaking off. It was just really dirty and compacted down. Now it is grippy and fluffy. It feels great and new.
Great job jmeuller! That's the kind of proof I can believe. Not some auto parts guru talking voodoo.
Yea I used that brush you guys are talking about and it only made it worse. That is why its at the point it is now. Right side of my wheel is in pristine shape. Contacted my buddy who is my AMG tech he ran the VIN. Still under factory warranty. He ordered a new wheel for me. I think the last owner wore it down some. Ill take care of the new wheel from day 1.
Anyone use that stuff that people spray on suede boots that makes them deterrent to oils and water? That may work on these wheels.
Here is a little 'before and after' comparison on my P31 steering wheel. My car has 40k miles of sweaty Florida driving. On the right side of the steering wheel, you can see all 40k miles of the grime built up on it. Using the toothbrush and warm water microfiber method I mentioned, I got the result on the left side of the wheel. Also, a picture of the final result. Regarding the OP, my alcantera never got to the point where it was flaking off. It was just really dirty and compacted down. Now it is grippy and fluffy. It feels great and new.
Wow... that's quite a difference.
Do you use any particular cleaning product with the microfibre or just warm water and keep rotating to a clean part of the microfibre?
Mine looked exactly like JMueller's but I used Sonax alcantara cleaner and it worked perfectly. I saturated the hell out the alcantara areas with the cleaner, then started blotting away with a microfiber towel til all the dirt and oil lifted. I let the wheel dry for 24 hours and then brushed it lightly with a suede soft bristle brush. Looks great now...
I have one of those brushes that you were talking about. You definitely have be extremely gently and use light strokes with it. Very easy to damage if you just scrub away lol.
To be fair, I was actually 'gentle' with it, if you can even go gentle with such a harsh brush. Ahem....you live and learn I guess.
Originally Posted by Thrilla
...That's the kind of proof I can believe. Not some auto parts guru talking voodoo.
Do you use any particular cleaning product with the microfibre or just warm water and keep rotating to a clean part of the microfibre?
I used two fingers covered in a microfiber cloth and I would just move to a clean part of the microfiber when it got dirty. I also used two or three drops of laundry detergent in the bucket of warm water I used. The detergent helps lift the oils away from the alcantera fibers. After I felt like the alcantera was somewhat damp and clean, I dried it using another microfiber cloth and then used a toothbrush to fluff the fibers.
I also just leave the toothbrush in the car and fluff the fibers up a little every once and a while, when I think about it, at a long stop light. (I am sure the up-and-down movement of my arm looks ridiculous to other drivers).....
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