Cleaning sticky Alcantara wheel

[PHZ]

i just bought my car, and the steering wheel is "sticky".

i asked the seller to clean... i guess they forgot.

I have cleaned with toothbrush and mild soap/rag. It did not work.

I used Magic Eraser... it worked for the most part, but im scared that i will utlimately damage the material. But i cannot drive with the "tack" on the wheel.

any suggestions?

[///Maniak]

http://www.zhpmafia.com/forums/showthread.php?402-DIY-Restore-Your-Alcantara-Steering-Wheel

[nike001]

Magic Eraser.

That.. or: http://cobywheel.com/

[cakM3]

Yes, as Dalton commented....Mr. Clean Magic Eraser. Keep in mind you need to get the original strength and when you use it be light on the steering wheel. Have a bucket of warm water to rinse the magic eraser and go over your wheel and use a microfiber cloth to dry the wheel not by rubbing it but rather gripping it. No need to use excessive pressure either....it's that easy :thumbsup

I do this twice/year to keep my wheel clean or when needed (seeing areas that become matted from excessive usage...)

[PHZ]

WICKED.

I was afraid i had messed up my wheel with the eraser.
I will reapply with the above method.

THANK YOU

[nike001]

Magic eraser works pretty well on slightly neglected wheels. It helps loosen that grease and built up grime.


For maintenance, I use a microfiber towel and some fabric cleaner. I spray it in the cloth and squeeze the steering wheel like you do while driving and give it a good rub down. I use moderate strength to get as much dirt up as possible.. but not enough to tear anything

[PHZ]

Magic Eraser seems to get 99.9% of the stickiness out. Thanx again!

Ordered a sweater shaver form ebay.. will hopefully get the pills off and have this looking quite clean! :)

[PHZ]

WOW.
Sweater shaver, magic eraser, microfiber= COMPLETELY transformed wheel/seat bolster.

:)

[danewilson77]

WOW.
Sweater shaver, magic eraser, microfiber= COMPLETELY transformed wheel/seat bolster.

:)

Pics or nothing happened ;o)

Sent from Williamsburg, VA USA

[PHZ]

5749

No before. But MUCH better

[PHZ]

I found this link in terms of "reviving" color.

Has anyone tried this product or similar!

http://www.northamericanmotoring.com/forums/detailing-101/197173-restoring-alcantara-jcw-steering-wheel.html

[danewilson77]

Looking good PHZ.

Sent from Williamsburg, VA USA

[PHZ]

Thanx?!
Still need to get it darker

[echo46]

I need to do this too.

[jayjay_dee]

PHZ, in case you havent seen Coby's work, below is my rewrapped wheel, black alcantara with red stripe. Its waiting in my garage right now as im typing this...

http://www.zhpmafia.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=5723&d=1346971751

[nike001]

I found this link in terms of "reviving" color.

Has anyone tried this product or similar!

http://www.northamericanmotoring.com/forums/detailing-101/197173-restoring-alcantara-jcw-steering-wheel.html

This is pretty much what I did. Used a cleaner similar to this.. but i'd imagine a bit stronger. I wiped with a microfiber and let dry. Then the next day upon inspection I realized I should have brushed the alcantara after I cleaned it to loosen up the fibers.

Don't go with any brushes that have bristles stiffer than a toothbrush.

[PHZ]

jay

i have,a and its beautiful.
Sadly not in my mod budget.



PHZ, in case you havent seen Coby's work, below is my rewrapped wheel, black alcantara with red stripe. Its waiting in my garage right now as im typing this...

http://www.zhpmafia.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=5723&d=1346971751

[PHZ]

whats the cleaner?

That seems to be the elusive question....
finding an exact match that i know will not mess up the finish.


This is pretty much what I did. Used a cleaner similar to this.. but i'd imagine a bit stronger. I wiped with a microfiber and let dry. Then the next day upon inspection I realized I should have brushed the alcantara after I cleaned it to loosen up the fibers.

Don't go with any brushes that have bristles stiffer than a toothbrush.

[nike001]

whats the cleaner?

That seems to be the elusive question....
finding an exact match that i know will not mess up the finish.

I don't think it really matters. The stuff I use is a can that I took from work - it's detailer/dealer strength so it has a little more kick than normal cleaners

EDIT: Here, I found it. It's the orange can second to the left. The glass cleaner is pretty decent too.. as well as the accent. I use the accent from time to time to get my trim and kidney grills a nice deep black. Shiny if you spray it, and satin-ey if you wipe it after

http://automotivedealersupplies.com/images/products/display/transmateaerosols.JPG

[PHZ]

Wicked!

Thanx. Is this commercially available?

Ive read so many posts elsewhere that the type of cleaner "does" make a difference and some may damage.

[zhp43867]

Uhh...hmmm... Alcantara is quite easy to damage so I'd stay away from anything OTC for general fabric even. Do you have 303 fabric cleaner? Try that at maybe a 8:1 dilution with distilled water.

Also, in the after picture (just being honest) it doesn't look like it's 100% clean. The magic eraser is great- but it is but one aspect of the cleaning. Have you found the shoe store Alcantara/Suede cleaner with the little brush? That stuff works wonders! Not kidding. Use the brush very gently and in one direction as it is rough, or use a soft tooth brush instead. Make sure to only brush one direction, going around the circle of the steering wheel. The damp rag aspect is huge. Do that to make the wheel totally "dark" it is the "rinse" step. The tackiness can be from either oil from your hands or the cleaner itself. You want to get the cleaner off too! Don't soil the wheel with water though.

End note: You can make the wheels look about 90% new but the original (soft) feel is never truly recoverable. This coming from the guy who "started the book" on their restoration.

YMMV.

[PHZ]

Awesome.

Thank you.

I will try your suggestions.

[PHZ]

Uhh...hmmm... Alcantara is quite easy to damage so I'd stay away from anything OTC for general fabric even. Do you have 303 fabric cleaner? Try that at maybe a 8:1 dilution with distilled water.

Also, in the after picture (just being honest) it doesn't look like it's 100% clean. The magic eraser is great- but it is but one aspect of the cleaning. Have you found the shoe store Alcantara/Suede cleaner with the little brush? That stuff works wonders! Not kidding. Use the brush very gently and in one direction as it is rough, or use a soft tooth brush instead. Make sure to only brush one direction, going around the circle of the steering wheel. The damp rag aspect is huge. Do that to make the wheel totally "dark" it is the "rinse" step. The tackiness can be from either oil from your hands or the cleaner itself. You want to get the cleaner off too! Don't soil the wheel with water though.

End note: You can make the wheels look about 90% new but the original (soft) feel is never truly recoverable. This coming from the guy who "started the book" on their restoration.

YMMV.

D you mean the one with the little solid "cleaning bar"? One side mauve, one side grey, with the small brush?

[rickflairne]

I dampened just a regular white cotton hand towel and put it in the microwave over the top of a glass of water. I rang out the excessive moisture and draped it over my steering wheel. Let it set for a couple of minutes and clean with soft bristle brush and the towel. Then repeat for the lower half of the steering wheel. Worked better than the magic eraser IMO and is less abrasive.

My wife had been driving the ZHP for about 9 months and all the lotion she uses was just matting the alcantra. I made her look at what I had gotten out of the wheel and she was amazed.

[PHZ]

Uhh...hmmm... Alcantara is quite easy to damage so I'd stay away from anything OTC for general fabric even. Do you have 303 fabric cleaner? Try that at maybe a 8:1 dilution with distilled water.

Also, in the after picture (just being honest) it doesn't look like it's 100% clean. The magic eraser is great- but it is but one aspect of the cleaning. Have you found the shoe store Alcantara/Suede cleaner with the little brush? That stuff works wonders! Not kidding. Use the brush very gently and in one direction as it is rough, or use a soft tooth brush instead. Make sure to only brush one direction, going around the circle of the steering wheel. The damp rag aspect is huge. Do that to make the wheel totally "dark" it is the "rinse" step. The tackiness can be from either oil from your hands or the cleaner itself. You want to get the cleaner off too! Don't soil the wheel with water though.

End note: You can make the wheels look about 90% new but the original (soft) feel is never truly recoverable. This coming from the guy who "started the book" on their restoration.

YMMV.

Derek-
What cleaner/format are you referring to? Is it a foam, a spray, or the solid bar i mentioned? Is there a brand name you used?

thanx

[///Maniak]

Wow, last night I followed a mix of directions from advice given here and on Coby's web site. What a difference.

I started out by soaking a microfiber towel in warm water with a *little* dish soap in it. I wrung it out and gripped it around the wheel, all the way around. Then I gently rubbed the towel around the wheel, and that seemed to pick up quite a bit of grime. Then I took a gentle hand brush and pressed the bristles into the fabric, turned it about 20 degrees, then moved onto the next spot. Followed that up by gently rubbing the wheel with the towel again. Then came the Magic Eraser. Rubbed that around the front, outside, and back side of the wheel. I found that rubbing the threads with it caused small bits of the eraser to come off. Finally, I took a dry towel and gripped it around the wheel, all the way around. Left it to dry until this morning, when I was pleasantly surprised by an all but new wheel! I found some suede cleaner in my closet this morning and am planning on giving that a try as well.

[nike001]

Yeah, the trick is to dry it the best you can. If you let it get too wet and dry by itself, it could get a bit crusty

[PHZ]

Maniac-

I will try this tomorrow. I'm glad you had success.... And thanx for the. Write up.




What are the tricks for drying?