Hi Guys & Gals,

My '99 (Dark Emerald Pearl) still looks awesome when washed and waxed. But the interior around the driver seat needs some refreshing too. The leather on the steering wheel is worn and grungy. What are my options for aftermarket steering wheels or recovering my wheel with new leather?

I need new leather panels on the back and seat of my drivers seat. I know I can buy them from some of the online stores that sell Honda/Acura parts. But does anyone have any suggesting on where to less expencive ones? (the back seat and front passenger seat still look great)

I could use a new left arm door rest, just this week that got a crack in it. Not a big deal but if I could replace it I may.

My '99 TL will be 9 years old this June (145,000 miles). I had the tranny rebuilt in Jan. and am told with the upgraded parts it should go 300,000 more (if the engine lasts that long haha). In the past two years or so did all the engine services (belts, plugs, water pump ect.) and in the past 4 months did both front and rear brakes. I have decided to keep the car probably another 5 years. In fact, this week I just replaced the HD Navi with a DVD Navi from an '03 I bought on ebay for $150 (+$25 shipping). I even have Sirius radio in there. If only I could get 60 MPG it'd be the perfect car now

I wanted to buy a new "4th gen" TL later this year but decided to wait until Acura ships one that is powered by an electric motor and I can plug in. Dang gas prices have gone crazy....really cutting into my "cruise'n time"

Anyway, any suggestions on the steering wheel refurb or replacement?

Thanks,
Jeff

PS Think I am kidding about an electric powered TL? I may convert mine like this guy: http://www.bzzzzt.net/
And the battery: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eestor
humm $8 bucks worth of electricity or $60 bucks worth of gas, which do you prefer?

 

I got a woodgrain oem wheel off of ebay a couple of years ago. I still have my old one (type s wheel). Its in pretty good shape with some very slight wear on the top part. Id give it to you cheap if you wanted it, but the install is a little pricey so it may not be worth it to you. If you install it yourself it might be worth it.

 

on the note of converting our cars to electric...been thinking the same thing. If only I knew how

 

my steering wheel shows some wear too, but I never replaced one.
do we have a DIY to do that ??? might be something for me to also
look into. anywayz.......

 

you guys should just sell your cars, and buy either a smart car or a honda fit.

 

U should look to get the oem wood wheel. I got one about 3 yrs ago and it shows no wear and tear. Plus its nice when ur ridin around grippin grain.

 

i would get another OEM wheel, but not a wood one.
trying to get rid of the wood trim i already have....i just
can't stand it!

 

Take your wood trim off, wrap it around your steering wheel and sell that home made woodgrain wheel! Then you can buy a new wheel with the money you make. Problem solved.

 

Sust Man, what color is your leather wheel? Mine is the "medium taupe" I believe. Can you send me a pic of it?


>>on the note of converting our cars to electric...been thinking the same thing. If only I knew how <<

I know SSTL, I really admire that guy for converting his Accord. Some of us talk. Some do. He did it and did a darn nice job by the looks off it. As soon as he gets some better batteries he'll be set....for local driving anyway.


>>you guys should just sell your cars, and buy either a smart car or a honda fit.<<

03aspec, the "Smart" car is a "Dumb" car in my opinion It only gets 33/40 MPG. For a car that size it's not that great. And for it's price you can get a bigger better car. Honda FIT? Even if you could find one at your dealer it still burns gasoline I don't want a car powered by a steam engine and I don't want one powered by gasoline. The internal combustion engine is inefficient and now costly to run and maintain...and is powered by a single-source fuel. I want an electric...that can be powered by plugging it into my house...or solar panels...or wind generator...or water power... i.e the biggest source of "free" (nuclear) energy we have - the Sun, which by the way delivers about 1000 watts per square meter on the surface of Earth

I think Honda is thinking "solar electric" too....and that's why they got into the solar photovoltaics business too. The amount of energy we get from solar photovoltaics is doubling every two years. At that rate in 20 years we will get all the energy we need directly from the Sun. Wow. Pretty cool to think about huh?

I'll look around for an aftermarket wood trim wheel and see what they go for...but I think I like the feel of the leather better...

Jeff

 

Yea I forgot about that part. My wheel is actually black so that wouldn't work. Oh well.

 

I bought a wheelskin at wheelskins.com


now you have to sew it on, but i'll post pics this weekend after a wash and show you how OEM it looks. Trust me it came out really nice


and plus its cheaper than buying a new steering wheel and having it installed

 

wheelskins are nice indeed, I had the opportunity to switch my wheel to a new one for very cheap, but declined because I liked the extra grip the wheelskin gave me. I think the thickness with the skin on is perfect for our car in terms of look and feel. but that's just my . i used to hate it when i first put it on..

 

The wheelskins look interesting. How does it attach? Do you sew or lace the inside? [opps I guess you ansewered that!]

It looks like a new wheel goes for about $175. But then you need to install it. My luck I'd get the old wheel off then have trouble getting the new one on! ...then need to go somewhere in the car.

 

bumping an old ass thread but, what yr mdx wheels are interchangable with our TL's? and how hard would u guys say it is to switch it out out?

 

I just ordered a black one that I got off the Black Market for $25


Here's the link he sent me to do the install.. it's for an older CL, but he said it's the same.

https://acurazine.com/forums/1g-cl-diy-faq-74/1st-gen-cl-steering-wheel-diy-w-pics-486041/