JHop

+1 on not using a ton of pressure. The leather dye may get damaged (it's a coating really). I have had great luck with using an interior cleaner or leather specific cleaner (some use an all-purpose cleaner), a semi soft detailing brush- it needs to be hard enough to get into the "pores"- and water. I use Griot's Interior Cleaner. I dip the brush in a small cup of water to moisten it up, spray the brush with the cleaner, then gently scrub the leather until it foams up. I then take a microfiber cloth and wife off the suds and grime. Dip, spray and repeat until the leather starts to look like the original "matte" finish. Follow up with a quick wipe with a damp microfiber and then a good leather conditioner and you should be GTG. Wheels get nasty quickly, made even worse when people wear lotion, sunscreen, eat fries, etc. My Wife's GL has the wood wheel thank goodness.

Goodwood

I do drive at 9&3, but need to grip the top occasionally, and that's the slippery part.

bishop64

3 years...how many miles?

BTW, it is good to buy used cars from people like you, who takes good care of their cars.

Wolfman

22,000 miles

PeterUbers

Just did this on my mdx steering wheel and it worked well - I rubbed a bit too hard and too a tiny amount of paint off so beware as recommended above

Goodwood

Given that I am the 3rd owner, who knows what the previous owners had on their hands. I don't put anything on mine except sanitizer when I leave the gym. My friend drove my car the other day while I took pics, and they mentioned that my steering wheel was really slippery! They only thing I haven't tried yet is the brush technique. Every other thing I have tried. Very frustrating.

Wolfman

If you can’t get it resolved to your satisfaction you could just buy another steering wheel (ideally with wood) and then sell the old one on EBay. I have seen good deals for those in the past (EBay, etc.)
The difference may up to be minor in the end.

Goodwood

At this point, I'm considering wrapping the wheel.

JHop

Try the brush and cleaner....it may take a couple of times, but it should help...it will get sticky and gross as the oils and such are dissolved and cleaned, but stick with it and be gentle. Another way to go may be a detail shop. I bought a 1993 911 with a light grey interior years ago that the wheel and shifter looked brand new....they (the dealer) brought it to a person who specialized in this type of work and it looked absolutely amazing. I think they re-sprayed the dye and clear coated it similar to factory and it was rock solid. Just a thought...it may cost just as much to wrap it or get a new one, but just thinking of other options...

Goodwood

Do you or anyone here, have recommendations for the type (and stiffness) of brush to use? As a last try, I'll give it a go.

JHop

Further up in the thread there is a good video using a horsehair brush....I used these:

crconsulting

There are many different types of leather and dye methods. It's important to match the cleaning and conditioning chemicals with the type of leather, dying technique (or material) you are dealing with.
For what its worth, my preferred method of dealing with contaminated Aniline MB interiors:

I use Colourlock (Germany) Aniline Cleaning and Care kit to clean and condition Aniline leather on MB cars.
Their Dye's are also fantastic, and match the interiors of every Aniline MB I've ever tried them on. So much so, that I wonder if they aren't OEM supplier.

In the past, I have dealt with previously owned cars (including my own) where the MB leather has been artificially glossy instead of the matte finish due to previous owners application of incompatible solvents and cleaning agents on the leather, and daily wear. The leather tends to get a hard glossy finish.

The best way I have found to remove it and restore that matte finish, is to use a Magic Eraser and Colourlock Aniline cleaner.

Clean it first with the supplied gray soft sponge (green circle in pic) and Colourlock cleaner. Then if not satisfied, move to the magic eraser with liberal amounts of Cleaner. Don't get too aggressive and use it gently in gradual steps. TRY ON A LESS VISIBLE TEST AREA FIRST and see if you're satisfied with the results. Then lastly make sure to apply the conditioner. The feel of the leather after the application of the Colourlock conditioner is an almost "dry tacky" leather feel. It feels just like when it came from the factory. It will be a fine line between removing dirt and chemicals and removing the dye. The goal here is obviously to remove the dirt and chemicals, not the dye. So be careful, and go in incremental steps.

The results should pay off....
Good Luck!

JHop

This above from CRC is also great advice...I have used Leatherique products and a Magic Eraser (essentially a very gentle abrasive pad) as well on certain leathers....particularly in the case of Aniline leather...in my situation it was an older Eames lounger. Will be interested as to which route you go.