mike_fern2001

I have the wheel for less then 24 hours. When I picked up my car, I didnt noptice anything. Furthermore, I tool pictures of it-looked at them again and it looked perfect.

Woke up this morniong and now I have the scratch- I have NO IDEA how this could have happenned.

S- does anyone have ANY suggestions? is their a touch up for black maple? or do i just become sick

any and all suggestions are greatly appreciated...

I even thought myabe the installer did it and used some touch up or cover... but i look at the "before" pics and it seems perfect..

mike_fern2001

more

schvetkaaks

Mike - that sucks! Looks pretty deep, too, being that it is white. Must be through almost all the layers of lacquer, but if it is still white, you still have some lacquer left, so perhaps there's a lacquer repair kit out there you can use.

Your shots also reveal french fry grease around the volume knob!! You should know better than to post pictures of fry grease in your interior on a MB enthusiasts board!!!!

benggolf

....and stain on the left side of the center console! (j/k)

Callaway

My suggestion is to put a matching enamel black/grey paint along the scratch and wipe off the excess before it dries,this will get rid of the obvious white line and make it far less obvious.

Good luck.

mike_fern2001

Hey! I am meticulious inside and outside of the vehicle, to the point where my wife does not want to sit in the car with me!

The f------ng stains? Tks to the wonderful dealer who had my car for 2 days-as an aplogy they "detailed" it...

after seeing the scratch (which i am 90 sure I inflicted) I have been too upset to look at the rest of the car and the last thing I needs to see of hear is stains.......

Tks for your suggestions.. and also the motor mount service bulletin...

( so damned upset over the scratch........)

drb

Why not replace the wheel? Just a thought...

mike_fern2001

replace? its less then 24 hours old

drb

24 minutes, hours or days the wheel is still scratched and it appears to bother you a great deal. Its only a grand or so after all. Accidents happen as the saying goes. If my wheel were scratched and it could not be repaired satisfactorily I'd replace it. It is simply an option.

MadManAboutTown

I kind of felt the same way when I got egged only after owning the car for two weeks. With the weather cold that night here in Ohio, the hardness of the egg actually caused, in M-B's estimate, $900 of damage to the driver's front fender (its impact caused several paint chips).

So I understand how you feel, believe me. But my suggestion would be ask M-B what they can do for you. Heck , the wheel could be refurb'd by them so I would think they would give you quite a deal on a replacement... if they really value your business.

Just a thought.

jhb

Mike, MadManAboutTown is absolutely right. There are wood technicians that are truly artists. We have had many nicks and scratches in wood furniture repaired by such folks and been unable to find the mark afterward. I am sure a quality dealer knows them in your area because they use them on reconditioning used cars before sale. You would be amazed at what they can do. Don't despair.

Now, as to the cause. I suspect one of two causes. The most likely is the dragging of your keys against the wheel after taking them out of the ignition and while exitting the car. That makes a case for keyless go, doesn't it? Second, a ring on your finger or a watch or bracelet on your wrist brushing against the wheel. My wedding band sometimes knocks against my wood wheel but does not have a sharp edge to cause a scratch-maybe a dent.

After you spend $50-100 getting this fixed, be careful, but enjoy the car and wheel.

Jeff

drb

I agree with JHB if that artist is available. I too have had furniture refinished and repaired, and when done well it is a sight to behold, and expensive. Veneer has been reported to me as being trickier to repair than solid wood, again probably depending on the artists' skill.

However, I am not handling my furniture every day as I would be with a steering wheel. I hope Mike_Fern2001 will have the good fortune to find that artist if he choses this option.

ctouhey

Mike,

Now that you have several legitimate answers, I hope a little humor is okay.

When I first looked at your picture and you asked how to repair it, the first thing that went through my mind was, "Photoshop"... So, here it is, all fixed

mike_fern2001

gotta say- a little adobe clone is funny... my son suggested a thin magic marker...

the strange thing- I CANNOT figure out how the mark got there-
the car IS keyless.
I wear no ring- i tried to position my watch where it could do the damage its impossible.
I only drove it from the dealer home-period.
I actually thought- (ok prob. wrong) that is happenned during installation- and the installer covered it with something?

I know its grasping- but -no jewlery, no key in hand-
cannot figure it out-

Will try going to MB-(no way I would have missed it)
then to a furniture restorer- or repairer...
then I will most likely buy black touch up and a toothpick
make sure i am caffeine free- no shakes- and then apply

drb

If this scratch is deep, you might consider a dark wood filler. The veneer must be paper thin.

mike_fern2001

amazingly enough? MB is going to replace the wheel for free......
tks for all your help

MadManAboutTown

"It just goes to show you...", as Rozanne Rozanadana used to say... IT NEVER HURTS TO ASK!!!

etenn

Great....MM is right..NEVER HURTS TO ASK

ctouhey

Passing thought about how the scratch might have happened:

The other day I was in a hurry to get out of the car. I made some sort of awkward move and when I released the seat belt, it somehow hit the steering wheel. Fortunately the wheel was in default position and the metal part of the seatbelt hit the leather without doing any harm. But, had the wheels been turned, it could have caused a scratch very similar to the one in the picture.

knihc2008

now that the scratch is all gone, how bout some pics? i've never seen an e interior with a dark maple wood steering wheel.

poropat

Maybe your wife or kids sat in it afterwards and scratched it accidentally. They were probably to scared to tell you! he he he

jwmciti

figured it out-
keyless go- I always leave my keys on passenger seat
get out
take the keys in hand-
hand on wheel

done