£1.99 steering wheel retrim

[tom182]

My newly acquired ph1 had the usual decaying steering wheel but forking out ££ for a proper retrim is not anywhere near the top of the priority list so I had a look on eBay and found this...

After waiting the usual weeks for anything from China it arrived and after an hours work my wheel now looks like this...

Not perfect but a massive improvement and well worth £1.99. It is real leather and has a thin foam backing. Fits over your existing leather and gives the wheel a slightly padded and chunky feel.

Thought I should share it as there must be loads of people on here in a similar boat. Probably wouldn't work as well on a ph2 but that's just one more advantage of having a ph1...[emoji3]

 

[Dan The Top Bloke]

Looks good , Even better for £1.99!!!

 

[Short Norman]

are you good at sewing?

 

[dangerous dave]

Snappys secret is out.

 

[tom182]

Not massively good at sewing. I watched a YouTube video of some guy re trimming BMW M Sport steering wheels to understanding how to do the stitching!! It's more like lacing the stitching already in the cover together than actual stitching.

 

[Timmsy]

Might give that a go with my OMP wheel

 

[fairm010]

Damn I've got to try this.

 

[tom182]

Nothing to loose. They come in smooth leather too but I get sweaty hands when pushing on....

 

[tom182]

All instructions are in Chinese... Watch this video first...not all of it cos it's stupidly long but will give you the gist.

 

[fairm010]

I've ordered mine. Let's see what happens xD

 

[Timmsy]

Is it a one size fits all?

Just wondering if it'll be to big for a 300mm wheel

 

[DannyR]

Is it a one size fits all?

Just wondering if it'll be to big for a 300mm wheel

Do you have some scissors?

Problem solved

 

[Timmsy]

Good point

 

[tom182]

It's a pre sewn loop though so adjusting it would involve some actual sewing...they come in different sizes. Mine was medium.

 

[tom182]

I've ordered mine. Let's see what happens xD

Post pics when you're done!!

 

[fairm010]

I will do

 

[TimR26]

Looks good for the money.

 

[Djw John]

Looks good for the money.

I disagree. It looks no better than a steering wheel cover IMO but takes more effort to do.

 

[Stefan.]

Its cheap yes, but looks very poor

Not something id do to my car

 

[tom182]

I disagree. It looks no better than a steering wheel cover IMO but takes more effort to do.

I can see where you are coming from on this. After all it is a steering wheel cover. My steering wheel was literally falling apart all over my hands every time I drove so I needed to do something. For me the advantage over a normal steering wheel cover is that it doesn't feel like one. It's way thinner and closes all the way round. For me it's a short term solution.

 

[Djw John]

Fair enough, I just figured people seemed a bit overexcited! If it's a temp solution then yeah why not

 

[DannyR]

At least it won't turn without turning the wheel like a steering cover could.

 

[Timmsy]

Once the steering wheel on the civic has been retrimmed I'll pop one of these on, should keep it nice until it's time for it to be sold

 

[joytodrive25]

Pretty damn good for £1.99 at the end of the day but I am glad I put a retrim high on the priority list. Best improvement yet!

 

[fairm010]

Well look what just turned up.

 

[Goodj]

I like the touch of having cows on the "packaging"

just to rubber stamp what the fabric is supposed to be made of XD

 

[fairm010]

What I like more was who / where it was from tbh.

 

[Dan.AS]

@Adam D for £1.99 I reckon you should give this ago.

 

[fairm010]

Well, after an hour and a very painful back here is my result. With all interior mods I have to see if I can live with it for a week before I'll keep it. But to be honest for £1.99 I can just rip it off.

 

[Goodj]

Given that I chucked a load of money into a proper wheel refurb only to shunt the car about 5 months later, this looks like a brilliant solution to the OEM issue if you're not planning to hold onto the car until the end of time.

 

[CrippsCorner]

It only really looks crap where it joins on to the wheel... but I don't know if I could do it. Good for the money, but a retrim was the first and still one of the best things I ever done to my Clio.

 

[tom182]

Good work. Seems to be a bit more loose material on yours than mine but i guess there are umpteen companies selling basically the same thing...i can live with mine for now cos the wheel underneath was terrible. When i have the time i am going to try and properly DIY refurb a wheel. I've found this thread on another forum which makes it look like an acceptable challenge to attempt when i have some spare time and a spare ph1 wheel...
http://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/s...Re-Do-Your-e36-3-Spoke-Steering-Wheel-Leather

 

[fairm010]

To be honest mate I think there is so much loose material because of my s**t stitching. Could have done a better job if i could have been bothered doing it! I've got a spare wheel that will be off to Snappy when I can afford it!