De-shine steering wheel?

[tom @ eas]

Leatherique, without a doubt.

[JoeFromPA]

Leather is a natural material and there are many variations of finished leather.

You should never have to SCRUB leather to clean. Gentle brushing, gentle wiping, all good.

Things you can do to clean a steering wheel that all work just fine:
1. Baby wipes - unscented. Good enough for your baby's bum, good enough for your steering wheel. Cleans without drying out or without using rough chemicals.

2. Soft MF towel and water (doesn't need to be distilled) - gently rub, won't remove oils well but will remove some surface dirt/contimants some of which may be bonded with oils.

3. Super soft bristle toothbrush + oxiclean followed by leather conditioner. For bad cases of sheen, I've seen this work wonders. It's actually quite gentle on the leather.

4. Leatherique process which lifts up contaminants and suspends them in the conditioner goo and THEN you use cleaner to remove the now dirty goo. It fully rejuvenates leather and leaves it incredibly clean. Highly recommended but most time intensive and costly.

For regular maintenance or hell even 1x a year maintenance, steps 1-3 are fine. Leatherique is overkill on well maintained leather in my book but does wonders on poorly maintained leather.

[JoeFromPA]

https://f80.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh...ht=leatherique

Here's my post on leatherique when my m3 was 1 year/17k miles old and the bolster was starting to show wear.

Please note I then put another 54k miles and 5.5 years on the car and the bolster looked nearly the same when I sold it with just a few conditions a year with leather conditioner plus more care getting in and out of the car.

[Franco3000]

Originally Posted by tom @ eas

Leatherique, without a doubt.

I second the quote above. Stuff is miraculous.

[notnow]

Originally Posted by Sassicaia

All of these ideas are big work arounds to one simple way I found worked for me: my wife's facial cleanser.

Specifically this:
https://theordinary.deciem.com/produ...r-50ml?redir=1

The product is meant to remove makeup, oils etc etc. Its not a soap. It does not ruin the leather in fact think about of it like this. If its safe enough to put on your face then its safe enough for your wheel. Its also strong enough to remove makeup, and its dirty cheap. The guy who invented the line of products was apparently a genius, but sadly killed himself.

Follow these simple steps.

1.) Rub the cleanser in your hands until its warms up.

2.) rub it into the wheels.

3.) Use microfibre cloth wet with hot water to whip it off.

4.) send me PM thanking me for this genius easy solution.

Just as a side note. The biggest complaint I had about this car was the wheel getting sticky and shiny after a few months. I do this cleaning process every 2 months and it's like new. All the leather cleaners etc miss the mark. This stuff works for me.

YMMV

Thanks, will give this a try. Coincidentally I see this in my bathroom everyday, will ask my girlfriend if I can use it.

[Sassicaia]

Originally Posted by wonton1017

Thanks, will give this a try. Coincidentally I see this in my bathroom everyday, will ask my girlfriend if I can use it.

You dont a lot. About the amount she would use in a single day. Just put a nickle sized blob on your hand to start.

[jdgamble]

Got the colourlock strong cleaner and used a brush to clean my wife’s steering wheel. Wow it worked. It worked so well I was concerned I stripped the coating off. Very shine-free. I hope it wasn’t too much.

[jlozano]

Swissvax leather care products are my favorite. Give a clean matte look

[bsmf8x]

Originally Posted by jdgamble

Got the colourlock strong cleaner and used a brush to clean my wife’s steering wheel. Wow it worked. It worked so well I was concerned I stripped the coating off. Very shine-free. I hope it wasn’t too much.

Someone just posted about how this removed the coating on theirs; don’t do it

[Isj]

you're supposed to follow it up with the colourlock leather protector if using the strong cleaner

[jdgamble]

Originally Posted by murdrdf82

Someone just posted about how this removed the coating on theirs; don’t do it

That was me. Worked on Toyota. Terrible on M3.

[bsmf8x]

Originally Posted by jdgamble

That was me. Worked on Toyota. Terrible on M3.

Any advice on how to clean m3 steering wheel safely?

[jdgamble]

Originally Posted by murdrdf82

Any advice on how to clean m3 steering wheel safely?

Going back to a few sprays of high quality interior cleaner (I use Griots) on a damp mf towel. This does a good job, but you need to do it pretty frequently. I got greedy and paid for it. It's not too bad, but I will ultimately be going this route...

https://www.getbmwparts.com/oem-part...w2LWdhcw%3D%3D

[RRedline]

Originally Posted by jdgamble

I got greedy and paid for it. It's not too bad, but I will ultimately be going this route...

And then you'll realize, like I just did, that maintaining the alcantara is far more of a PITA than the leather and you'll just revert back to the OEM wheel.

[jdgamble]

Originally Posted by RRedline

And then you'll realize, like I just did, that maintaining the alcantara is far more of a PITA than the leather and you'll just revert back to the OEM wheel.

Oh that’s not encouraging! That bad huh? Can’t you just use a fabric cleaner / interior detailer? What happens to the alcantara?

[RRedline]

Originally Posted by jdgamble

Oh that’s not encouraging! That bad huh? Can’t you just use a fabric cleaner / interior detailer? What happens to the alcantara?

It's designed for people wearing gloves. The same dirt/oils from your hands tend to mat down the alcantara in the same way it makes the leather shiny.

Regular cleaning and maintenance helps, but I got frustrated and reverted back to leather.

[rjd598]

Originally Posted by jdgamble

That was me. Worked on Toyota. Terrible on M3.

Or just ignore the advice I've already posted on that thread.

F8x steering wheel quality is very poor. It's a known issue just search for it. Colourlock is probaby one of the better leather related companies to purchase from.

People just do your research and stop believing the first thing you read on the internet lmao

For those "scared" of alcanatara please look into Sonax's specific product and the many reviews over the years. Knowledge really is great huh

[jdgamble]

Wow you are a badass aren’t you? We can’t all be as knowledgeable (and douchey) as you.

[bodega_bladerunner]

The best and easiest way I've found is to use a magic eraser pad dipped in water.

[9M71]

Originally Posted by greenc51

The best and easiest way I've found is to use a magic eraser pad dipped in water.

not this again

[bodega_bladerunner]

Originally Posted by 9M71

not this again

Again? This is the first I see mentioned in this thread. Feel free to elaborate on your statement of again

[9M71]

Originally Posted by greenc51

Again? This is the first I see mentioned in this thread. Feel free to elaborate on your statement of again

it was either this thread or another recent one, linking a m3 YouTuber who advised using a magic eraser. while it may work, you're effectively taking off a layer of the leather which will make the entire wheel downgrade quicker over time.

the advice is always to start with the least abrasive method to most abrasive for cleaning, whether it's tackling swirls or cleaning up the leather. magic erasers are one of the most abrasive and while it may look OK at first, I would keep a close eye on it. just speaking from experience.