Alcantara Steering Wheels....

[Fried_Chicken]

.... are absolutely disgusting. Biohazards.

I'm doing a mewant wrap on it. I hope I can get it right, this is not going to be an easy project, but before I do it I'm cleaning the alcantara.

I first used the Sonax alcantara cleaner. The goo that came out is literally the most disgusting thing I've ever had to do work with while cleaning a car. Nearly two decades of oily hand juice from everyone who's ever touched the steering wheel came out. Previous owners and all.

It still wasn't clean, and right now the steering wheel is removed and getting a much needed bath in my warm soapy sink with dish soap. Obviously the electronics are removed. Still the water is turning a color that makes me want to call the pope.

Leather can naturally absorb and process this material. Alcantara is synthetic. As much as we want to believe in the miracle of modern science, it still can't hold a candle to the actual miracle of nature.

YUCK.

[fredo]

I have one spare alcantara steering wheel in a box, used. Last year I took the car to my detail guy, and asked him to clean the steering wheel for me. He said "yes, it will be an extra 20 dlls."

Glad I avoided the mess.

[Eugene]

This makes me think that I should listen to my wife and rewrap the wheel in leather vs alcantara

[ZHPizza]

Leather overwrap wrap is dope. Grippier and thicker. I did it over an M3 leather wheel and sold the Alcantara because people still want these things. Alcantara is great if you wear gloves while driving because it grips against leather gloves and well you kind of have to wear gloves so it doesn't get gross.https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20190516/efddee592c6caee6072366aa8c73367d.jpg

[Eugene]

Leather overwrap wrap is dope. Grippier and thicker. I did it over an M3 leather wheel and sold the Alcantara because people still want these things. Alcantara is great if you wear gloves while driving because it grips against leather gloves and well you kind of have to wear gloves so it doesn't get gross.https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20190516/efddee592c6caee6072366aa8c73367d.jpg

Did you do it yourself? Or send it out?

[Fried_Chicken]

I'm pretty sure all that grimy shit that builds up gets its own BMW part number.

[BADCLOWN]

Leather goes with leather interiors. Alcantara goes with alcantara interiors. That’s my thought process at least. Mix and match seems out of place.

[3ZHPGUY]

Leather goes with leather interiors. Alcantara goes with alcantara interiors. That’s my thought process at least. Mix and match seems out of place.

Mine had the Alcantara wheel and boots stock, with the leather option for the seats. Currently @ 160K with a Coby rewrap. I wear BMW ///M gloves when ever I drive and it still looks & feels great.


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[Vas]

Both of my cars have the coby wheel alcantara wheels and they are holding up well. Just have to pay more attention to them and have a cleaning regimen so they feel fresh and clean.

New zhp has a mix of both materials and it's also a good option. https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20190516/e554479c7e13d6ee677a6cd444db07ef.jpg

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[Fried_Chicken]

I just finished my wrap. It came out decent. I hope it holds up. I can see charging $250 for a proper wrap is not only justifiable but on the cheaper side. It's really little details that matter, and I didn't get mine quite perfect. That being said it's way better than the $20 cover I had on, and if it holds up I'll be quite happy for $65

[ZHPizza]

Did you do it yourself? Or send it out?Did it myself. It's not hard, just tedious. Probably took me 3-4 hours over several days of sitting on the couch with it cursing.


Leather goes with leather interiors. Alcantara goes with alcantara interiors. That’s my thought process at least. Mix and match seems out of place.I thought the same, until I looked around my Alcantara car and saw an inconsistent pattern: every surface that my clothing touched (seats, armrests) was Alcantara and that made sense. Every soft surface that was decorative (shift/brake boots) was Alcantara and that made sense - it looks great but doesn't wear well. Everything that my hands touched (shift knob, brake handle, steering wheel) should be leather. You get the best grip from fabric on fabric (clothes on seats) and leather on leather (hands on wheel). I felt ok about making the change to a leather wheel because function > form.


I just finished my wrap. It came out decent. I hope it holds up. I can see charging $250 for a proper wrap is not only justifiable but on the cheaper side. It's really little details that matter, and I didn't get mine quite perfect. That being said it's way better than the $20 cover I had on, and if it holds up I'll be quite happy for $65Welcome to the other side of purgatory! Such a frustrating job.

It'll hold up great. I haven't been easy on mine and it still looks new.

[Fried_Chicken]

Here's the result.

35148

I didn't go for any colorful stitching, because that wouldn't be OEM. It's not perfect, but I quite like the results.