OrientBlue3

Hi all,

As a self-admitted person who has "clammy" hands, I personally do not like the feel of the all alcantara wheel that came with my ED1. I much prefer the standard wheel that is half alcantara and half leather because they will last forever this way versus being paranoid that I will cause wear to my steering wheel every time my hands get sweaty. My wheel only has 7,700 miles on it (only 300 miles of my own) and the alcantara has already worn off around the red top-ring the size of someone's hand. It looks terrible and I'm sure the dealer would not warranty it because they'll claim it as a wear and tear item (especially since it's not cheap to replace). I have no idea why they would sell a $90k car with a wheel that falls apart in less than 10k miles. Sure, it looks great but there is really no function to it and it ends up looking like crap in a short period of time. To those asking, yes, I have tried cleaning it and it helped some but it's mostly worn off versus just being matted down. I do plan on keeping the ED1 wheel and re-installing it for whenever I sell the car.

So as of right now I'm on the search for a replacement wheel. The best price I've found for an OEM non-ED1 C63 S replacement wheel (leather & alcantara) with no airbag is a little over $1,200 shipped. I know the OEM price is around $2,500, so this is probably not a bad price, I just didn't know if anyone might know anywhere they can be found for less.

Thank you in advance!

dforman15

Have you tried http://www.mercteil.com/en

DragonRR

I don't have a particular problem with sweaty hands but I'm slightly concerned about the durability of the material Mercedes have used on the steering wheel. The wheel dforman15 has linked to is full leather which might be a good option. I drove a fairly new C63s coupe last week on the AMG Basic Training. The wheel had the standard Alcantara look at the 3 and 9 o'clock positions with signs of very heavy wear. It didn't look good at all tbh.. I have my non sweaty fingers crossed

pman9003

This is a concern of mine as well. I have a habit of holding the wheel at 9 o clock for the majority of my regular driving.

Two thoughts for solutions:
1) The Standard C63 (non S) wheel is all leather, this may be the best "factory" solution long term. I wish the C63S was structured the same way options wise.

2) If you don't care about preserving your ED1 steering wheel for the future, you may want to consider just finding a good shop to re-upholster it in leather. This would probably be the cheapest option, and technically is still reversible in the future.

auditoamg

Anybody have the part number for the all leather wheel?

OrientBlue3

Hi all, thanks for the responses. I'm happy with the partial alcantara wheel because I typically hold the wheel at the 6 or 12 o'clock positions. However, it's good to know at least I'm not the only one concerned about this. Honestly the 12 o'clock position of my current wheel just feels disgusting. The previous owner but me a member of the "clammy" hands society as well. lol.

dforman15

Leather - black, Color: 9E38
Part number: A0004603803 9Е38

auditoamg

Well done!

OrientBlue3

Anyone have the P/N for the wheel I'm referring to? Part leather, part alcantara?

dforman15

http://www.mercteil.com/en or call dealership parts department for PN

OrientBlue3

Thanks! Found it here:

http://www.mercteil.com/en/products/amg-performance-wheel-leather-alcantara-w205-c205