What do you use to keep the steering wheel looking new / matte ?

skyline408 · 03-07-2023, 11:27 PM

My X5M is over a year old and had 8K miles on it, and even with frequent cleaning and application of Colourlock, the steering wheel started to shine a bit after a year

On my new M3, i'd like to try something different. On the suggestion of another forum member, I bought Sonax Leather foam cleaner and conditioner, but it left a bit of not so matte coating on the wheel.

Anything else I should try - just trying to preserve the matte finish on the steering wheel as long as possible.

Thanks!

CSBM5 · 03-08-2023, 06:04 AM

I've used leather masters protection cream for many years now with great success after giving up on many previously used products on numerous other cars (i.e. Lexol since the 1980s, leatherique, zaino, etc). I clean it thoroughly using leather masters strong cleaner (it's not very "strong", and almost any mild cleaner will work fine like diluted all purpose cleaner) and then apply the protection cream. Then wait 30 min and buff it good. Nice, clean, matte finish with a nice protection layer on it. The steering wheel in my M3 looks as new since its been treated to 11 years of this stuff. Thanks to Bryan Burnworth of Peachstate Detail for suggesting this stuff ages ago when asked about what's the best matte finish product to use.

///MPhatic · 03-08-2023, 07:02 AM

Ammo Lather.

malvern_man · 03-08-2023, 05:45 PM

shimmy23 · 03-08-2023, 09:08 PM

i use a very small amount of leatherique. let it sit for 10min and then use a wet microfiber towel to remove it. comes out matte every time and i don't have to agitate or scrub the leather

MVEED3 · 03-08-2023, 09:29 PM

The finest hypoglittergenic moisterizers work best.

M5Rick · 03-09-2023, 10:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shimmy23

i use a very small amount of leatherique. let it sit for 10min and then use a wet microfiber towel to remove it. comes out matte every time and i don't have to agitate or scrub the leather

Same here.

///M Power-Belgium · 03-09-2023, 10:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shimmy23

i use a very small amount of leatherique. let it sit for 10min and then use a wet microfiber towel to remove it. comes out matte every time and i don't have to agitate or scrub the leather

What ? 10 min . ?

With Leatherique Rejuvenator oil ,you should let it sit for at least 24/48 hours .

My seats and steering wheel after 48 hours with the Leatherique Rejuvenator oil.
As you can see , that's how you can get the matte factory finish .

shimmy23 · 03-09-2023, 11:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ///M Power-Belgium

What ? 10 min . ?

With Leatherique Rejuvenator oil ,you should let it sit for at least 24/48 hours .

My seats and steering wheel after 48 hours with the Leatherique Rejuvenator oil.
As you can see , that's how you can get the matte factory finish .

well aware of the recommended time. you and i have both been using the juice forever! haha! i'm strictly talking the steering wheel and more frequent cleaning. no need to let it sit on the steering wheel for 1-2 days if you're doing this once a month

skyline408 · 03-09-2023, 12:29 PM

Thank you all! I already have some of the products mentioned here, but not the Leatherique Rejuvenator. I will give that a shot.

AM340iMiami · 03-09-2023, 12:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ///MPhatic

Ammo Lather.

Ammo lather and the mousse is a good combo. Ive been using it for a while now and my steering wheal has no fade and its always a nice matte finish.

DanG · 03-09-2023, 03:12 PM

I use Groit’s leather care. https://www.griotsgarage.com/leather-care-16-ounces/

skyline408 · 03-19-2023, 09:26 PM

Update!

My bottle of Leatherique Rejuvenator came and I wiped it on and let it dry. I then wiped it off with a dry microfiber towel and it still looked a bit glossy. I then re-read this thread and wiped it off with a wet towel and once it dried the wheel felt and looked pretty good! I'll keep up this routine and see how the wheel looks in a few months.

G35POPPEDMYCHERRY · 03-19-2023, 09:34 PM

water microfiber

chris719 · 03-19-2023, 10:51 PM

Keep in mind that very often (esp higher mileage) the shininess isn’t dirt, it’s actually worn smooth from friction and becomes glossy. If you watch the Colourlock video on OG where they recondition a BMW M5 wheel, they actually abrade it and dye it again. I wouldn’t recommend that, but you can see the cleaning attempts before they attacked the leather. It wasn’t doing much.

M5Rick · 03-24-2023, 02:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ///M Power-Belgium

What ? 10 min . ?

With Leatherique Rejuvenator oil ,you should let it sit for at least 24/48 hours .

My seats and steering wheel after 48 hours with the Leatherique Rejuvenator oil.
As you can see , that's how you can get the matte factory finish .

Have leatherique'd the steering wheel and just the seat facings today with the sun shining so wiping off later tomorrow.

///M Power-Belgium · 03-24-2023, 03:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by M5Rick

Have leatherique'd the steering wheel and just the seat facings today with the sun shining so wiping off later tomorrow.

Works even better if you let it sit for 2-3 days . And remove it with a warm damp cloth .
The smell and the factory matte finish look great .
You can't you wrong with the Leatherique Rejuvenator oil

M5Rick · 03-24-2023, 03:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ///M Power-Belgium

Works even better if you let it sit for 2-3 days . And remove it with a warm damp cloth .
The smell and the factory matte finish look great .
You can't you wrong with the Leatherique Rejuvenator oil

Hasn't been done for a while so I fitted it in between waxing the bodywork.

skyline408 · 03-24-2023, 04:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ///M Power-Belgium

Works even better if you let it sit for 2-3 days . And remove it with a warm damp cloth .
The smell and the factory matte finish look great .
You can't you wrong with the Leatherique Rejuvenator oil

This stuff has been really good. It definitely keeps the matte finish on the wheel, and i've been using it on my other car which had a bit of seat bolster wear after 8K miles. It made the seat look new again!

///M Power-Belgium · 03-24-2023, 05:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by skyline408

This stuff has been really good. It definitely keeps the matte finish on the wheel, and i've been using it on my other car which had a bit of seat bolster wear after 8K miles. It made the seat look new again!

Of course Leatherique is really good , otherwise I wouldn't say it .

Great job !

M5Rick · 03-26-2023, 06:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ///M Power-Belgium

Works even better if you let it sit for 2-3 days . And remove it with a warm damp cloth .
The smell and the factory matte finish look great .
You can't you wrong with the Leatherique Rejuvenator oil

It works! I wiped the steer wheel and seat facings with a damp micro cloth and it's matt, it looks better than new.

dreamingat30fps · 03-26-2023, 12:04 PM

I agree with the leatherique. That stuff is very good, especially for leather that has not been maintained, but it's messy and time consuming. I will typically do it maybe once a year or so. In between I just clean my leather (and steering wheel) with all purpose cleaner and wipe down with moist microfiber. Never had any issues with this method.

03-07-2023, 11:27 PM	#1
skyline408 Major 1574 Rep 1,252 Posts Drives: 2023 G80 M3 2022 F95 X5M Join Date: May 2013 Location: Silicon Valley, CA iTrader: (1)	What do you use to keep the steering wheel looking new / matte ? My X5M is over a year old and had 8K miles on it, and even with frequent cleaning and application of Colourlock, the steering wheel started to shine a bit after a year On my new M3, i'd like to try something different. On the suggestion of another forum member, I bought Sonax Leather foam cleaner and conditioner, but it left a bit of not so matte coating on the wheel. Anything else I should try - just trying to preserve the matte finish on the steering wheel as long as possible. Thanks!
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03-08-2023, 06:04 AM	#2
CSBM5 Brigadier General 2721 Rep 3,335 Posts Drives: 2019 M2 Comp, 2011 M3, etc Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Greenville, SC iTrader: (2)	I've used leather masters protection cream for many years now with great success after giving up on many previously used products on numerous other cars (i.e. Lexol since the 1980s, leatherique, zaino, etc). I clean it thoroughly using leather masters strong cleaner (it's not very "strong", and almost any mild cleaner will work fine like diluted all purpose cleaner) and then apply the protection cream. Then wait 30 min and buff it good. Nice, clean, matte finish with a nice protection layer on it. The steering wheel in my M3 looks as new since its been treated to 11 years of this stuff. Thanks to Bryan Burnworth of Peachstate Detail for suggesting this stuff ages ago when asked about what's the best matte finish product to use. __________________ Current Stable: 2024 G20 M340i Melbourne Red/Cognac 2019 F87 M2 Competition 6MT, LBB, slicktop, exec pkg 2007 E91 328i Silver, slushbox, Eibach fr/E93 M3 rear sway bars, ARC-8
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03-08-2023, 07:02 AM	#3
///MPhatic The Seeker 13856 Rep 3,317 Posts Drives: OG M2 • Exige Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: USA iTrader: (2)	Ammo Lather.
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03-08-2023, 05:45 PM	#4
malvern_man Lieutenant 520 Rep 509 Posts Drives: X5 40i xDrive Join Date: Jan 2022 Location: Derbyshire UK iTrader: (0)
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03-08-2023, 09:08 PM	#5
shimmy23 F15 daddymobile 2350 Rep 3,510 Posts Drives: GS X5 Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: WA iTrader: (3)	i use a very small amount of leatherique. let it sit for 10min and then use a wet microfiber towel to remove it. comes out matte every time and i don't have to agitate or scrub the leather __________________ -brandon F15 Glacier Silver journal
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03-08-2023, 09:29 PM	#6
MVEED3 Lieutenant 85 Rep 425 Posts Drives: '16 GT4 Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: San Diego iTrader: (12)	The finest hypoglittergenic moisterizers work best. __________________ 2021 ZR2 Airborne certified 2019 GTS PCCB 5x130 Slick 2016 Agate Grey GT4 PCCB LWB 2013 HP4 Competition
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03-09-2023, 12:29 PM	#10
skyline408 Major 1574 Rep 1,252 Posts Drives: 2023 G80 M3 2022 F95 X5M Join Date: May 2013 Location: Silicon Valley, CA iTrader: (1)	Thank you all! I already have some of the products mentioned here, but not the Leatherique Rejuvenator. I will give that a shot.
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03-09-2023, 03:12 PM	#12
DanG Major General 10656 Rep 6,935 Posts Drives: 2018 M2 AW DCT Join Date: Aug 2012 Location: Seattle, WA iTrader: (1) Garage List 2018 BMW M2 [7.68]	I use Groit’s leather care. https://www.griotsgarage.com/leather-care-16-ounces/ __________________ BMWCCA member Puget Sound Chapter
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03-19-2023, 09:26 PM	#13
skyline408 Major 1574 Rep 1,252 Posts Drives: 2023 G80 M3 2022 F95 X5M Join Date: May 2013 Location: Silicon Valley, CA iTrader: (1)	Update! My bottle of Leatherique Rejuvenator came and I wiped it on and let it dry. I then wiped it off with a dry microfiber towel and it still looked a bit glossy. I then re-read this thread and wiped it off with a wet towel and once it dried the wheel felt and looked pretty good! I'll keep up this routine and see how the wheel looks in a few months.
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03-19-2023, 09:34 PM	#14
G35POPPEDMYCHERRY Banned 4997 Rep 4,139 Posts Drives: F80 Join Date: Dec 2015 Location: Philadelphia iTrader: (1)	water microfiber
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03-19-2023, 10:51 PM	#15
chris719 Major General 7334 Rep 7,296 Posts Drives: '08 M Roadster Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: NJ iTrader: (0)	Keep in mind that very often (esp higher mileage) the shininess isn’t dirt, it’s actually worn smooth from friction and becomes glossy. If you watch the Colourlock video on OG where they recondition a BMW M5 wheel, they actually abrade it and dye it again. I wouldn’t recommend that, but you can see the cleaning attempts before they attacked the leather. It wasn’t doing much.
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03-26-2023, 12:04 PM	#22
dreamingat30fps Lieutenant Colonel 5324 Rep 1,908 Posts Drives: Miata, Cayenne, Model 3, F350 Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: South Florida & NC iTrader: (1)	I agree with the leatherique. That stuff is very good, especially for leather that has not been maintained, but it's messy and time consuming. I will typically do it maybe once a year or so. In between I just clean my leather (and steering wheel) with all purpose cleaner and wipe down with moist microfiber. Never had any issues with this method.
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